A LAST MINUTE ROAD TRIP

Im typing this on my laptop looking out the window at snow dumping down as my mind yearns for more turns. 

One day at work in a quiet shop my buddy turns to me, and says

"Targhee is supposed to get 3 feet?"

I Looked up to his tall ass and responded

"When?"

With the decision made that we are willing to go drive down a closing road due to snow, we thought.... ‘What other dumbasses want to drive 18 hrs in the blizzard?’ We stopped to take one look around, it was at that moment I realized, we worked in a SKI and SNOWBOARD shop. Everyone was calling in sick with powder flu in order to go ride! We got our weekend extended, asked three more friends if they wanted to tag along; they "unwillingly agreed" and we all caravanned down.

(Beat the road closure by an hour or something like that.)

Conditions can only be described by the unlikelihood of empty lines. The locals filled up the air with hoots and hollers from the dudes who may have had one too many beers back in school. With their Riding partner or (Long-soon-to-be-wife-or-girlfriend) and facial hair at the ready to catch all their sloppy seconds. You could only see as far as you could reach your own glove, but that's all that mattered. It was a classic grand foggy type of day or at least from what I could gather. It was only my second time skiing the mountain. First time beautiful bluebird day, but today was different. It. was. foggy. But, it still didn't matter.

Our possie survived the night in a small itty bitty cabin that was majority filled up with 2 single ("child size") bunks. Mind you we all smell like sweat, beer, and just flat out bad B.O. At this point the window would barely crack from the weight of the condensed breath and dumping snow. But we didn't care. We all had cheap dinners for one and a few beers left over each, and only a microwave. (Yes on a coffee pot but no coffee) Legs cramped. and Goggles fogged from the lack of a reasonable night sleep.

Our second day was even better. First tracks all day long is what it felt like. After riding non stop the morning part of the day, soaking wet, we stop in for a quick lodge beer and a waffle-fries-nacho devouring worthy of National Geographic.. With full stomachs we geared up to go lose our possie and ride as much powder as we can just to rally back at the car before the lifts stopped spinning. After two days which can only be described as "The best two days of sliding down a mountain" and "Free refills all day" and "Turns that went neck deep on your friend who's supposedly 6 '6" as well as “You lost track of your two friends who are a squeak over 5.”

There is Nothing like a “Once in a lifetime” sunset, that can bring on some reminiscent thoughts upon your balding/graying cranium such as those of your “younger days" or "when I was growing up at my home mountain". "Before I tore every ligament in my knee". Personally, I strive day in and day out to live every day, like the best day ever. But with my second knee injury in the past (two years). With two years of roaming around living paycheck to paycheck under my belt. It's the down days  when I watch the videos of the professionals making films such as "Nothing" and "Nothing New" by Parker White and friends. Or even my older brother 's "El Fin Del Mundo" (Kevin Nolan  2024) that makes me question what is reality.

My brother quotes "It takes 5 flights to get anywhere in the world" but it is on days like this where my knee aches from the early May snow dumping. That it reminds me of what matters most to me and that is Family, Friends, AND great memories. An easy way for me to do that is to live in the middle of the west, 2 hours to fly anywhere and 12 hours to drive to just about anywhere. (That I could afford to go). It Truly makes me thankful to spend all day inside thinking back to the days in the snow chasing your “fastest and best skier you know” as well as the ‘slowboarder’. bro. 

To my personal experience with the ‘chase the storm’ planned trips where everything lines up perfectly in the span of one week for you, it is only a result of your present mind surrounding yourself with the people you feel best around in a different environment.

-Raw Words By Declan Nolan 05/08/2024