[MSN Spaces] Bittersweet weekend...

Bittersweet and epic. I would rank this as one of my best thus far. Why it was bittersweet, though, will make itself clear as you read further...

There's not too much to say about Friday night, since it was a short night. Holly popped by as I was finishing up work and gave me a quick back massage as I sat there, staring at my screen. Concentrating on work in a situation like that is well-nigh impossible. I gather my stuff and we head out to dinner and hang out for awhile. I had to wake up too bloody early in the morning, so we part as she heads to Swing City and I head home.

There are a few things for which I will willingly wake up godawful early. I should amend that: I will willingly wake up godawful early in retrospect. When I'm actually waking up, it's a whole other matter. Anyway, snowboarding is one of these things. 4:30 in the morning, especially a Saturday morning, should not be allowed to exist. No, scratch that. It should be allowed to exist, but only if I'm sleeping... or otherwise having fun. Load up the vehicle and my brother and I are off to Mt. Washington. Watching "'Allo 'Allo!" on the way was enertaining. If you've never heard of it, it's an old, very funny Britcom that's about a French café owner in France during World War II. (IMDB entry) I highly recommend you check it out.

On to the slopes. The skies are overcast, but it's nice and warm. We get to the top of the mountain and take our first run. And there it is, the smile of pure ecstasy. The runs were so freakin' fast, it was just beautiful. There's one section about halfway down (if you go down Linton's Loop and connect to Rainbow) with a set of 3 large rolls... OMFG, with all the built up speed, flying off the crests was just sooo effortless! There's just something so divine about leaving the ground and being so secure that the hangtime is serene and peaceful! Do that several times in a row (and on several runs) and you can just imagine the smile on our faces. Add to that the short lines at the chairs... We probably got about 2x the number of usual runs in that morning!

After lunch, the sun peaked out on and off and the runs turned to slush. The sun is a great thing, but it's so bloody hot! We even left our jackets behind. Again, there's something so good about snowboarding in a t-shirt and vest. I could have done without the vest for much of the afternoon! The bad part was the slush. Slush makes for slow runs. Oh well.

There was one particularly funny incident. We were stopped beside the entrance to the upper terrain park. The terrain park is marked off by rope strung between posts. At the entrance is the big, standard warning sign about the terrain park. Anyway, one guy somehow manages to slowly knock over the terrain park sign. That was amusing, but not the incident I'm referring to, though it did play a part. So moments later, this skier comes along and somehow gets his left ski trapped under the sign. Imagine as he falls over in slow motion and gets himself tangled up around a fence post, left ski still trapped by the sign. On top of that, he managed to break one of his poles. Everybody that saw it was laughing, including him, so it was all good.

I guess you had to be there...

End of the day and the Dummy Downhill. (See my previous entry for a quick description.) Here are some of the highlights:

- the man on a (sadly, fake) toilet: This dummy only made it about 1/3 of the way down the slope before veering off to the side and plowing into the barrier. The toilet tank came flying off and the bowl tipped over, bringing it to a stop. However, the head popped right off and kept going to the ramp! Morbid, yet so very funny.

- 'Top Secret': The secret? It was a bunch of scrap wood with a tarp cover. This one only made it about 1/5 of the way and veered into the barrier. It shattered nicely.

- the Smarties box: This thing was filled with Smarties. About halfway down, it plowed through a snow pile on the side like it was nothing. The pile corrected the trajectory, but the top of the box flew off. Minus the top, thousands of Smarties went flying as it went up and over the ramp. Very nice rainbow effect.

- giant lumberjack: This was a giant lumberjack, axe in one hand and massive beer can in the other. This dummy was so massive and heavy that it only moved about 2 feet before sinking into the slush. The builder tried to push it down, but it wouldn't budge. So then he goes to the FRONT and tries to PULL it! Maybe not the smartest idea. Didn't budge, so he tries pushing again. It managed to slide a few more feet before sinking in again.

- the big, giant dragon: This was a massive dragon, about 12 feet high and comparable wing span, complete with smoking nostrils! Its trajectory was true and went flying over the ramp. Nice!

The others weren't so memorable. The important thing, really, is how well they flew over the ramp and how spectacular the destruction was. Sadly, there wasn't any over-the-top carnage, but some of the flights were really nice!

Dummy Downhill, definitely recommended!

Alas, it's the end of an era. My brother and I have been going to Mt. Washington every season together for quite a few years. Sadly, it looks like all that is at an end. With my brother moving to Vancouver (going full-time with the BC Ambulance Service), and him and his wife having a baby, it'll be a rare occasion that we can get together for a day on the slopes.

Oh well. Things always work out in the end. Who knows what adventures lie in wait?

Some more "'Allo 'Allo!" on the way home and the night is over... almost. After getting all the equipment and dirty clothes unpacked, I grab a much needed shower and head to Holly's. A wonderful massage is a perfect way to end a full day of snowboarding!!

That is all.