Back on making tracks

Jan 23, 2012
In late October I broke two metatarsals in my foot while skating. One of my metatarsals literally snapped in half and required the insertion of a 6” pin that had to be drilled through my toe into my metatarsal in order to hold it together. It sucked like a Hoover vacuum on a hot and dusty day. The diagnosis was for a full recovery by February. The news crushed me. It would be the first time in 17 years I had missed opening day at Mt Baker and based on the problems I’ve had over that past few years with a broken ankle and the subsequent surgery it was becoming even more evident to me that I may never ride a snowboard again in the fashion I am used to.
On December 31st I hit the slopes for the first time of the season. I was scared. I knew I felt ready but I wasn’t quite sure if my foot was. Once I unloaded at the top of chair 1 and strapped up my stick I knew it was going to be ok. I was on the snow and that was all that really mattered. I was smiling and I was free. I almost instantly forgot the 2 months I was confined to a couch. I had two of my favorite people to shred with by my side and they were there for the same reason I was and that was to play like kids in the snow. We had a rad day. And so with that my season started and is now in full swing.
On January 15th the weather broke and we got a surprise blue bird day. It had been cold and the snow was all time for Mt. Baker. I crewed up with Drew Cyr, Dylan Sielicki, and Tyler Sloan and we decided to take a little hike. We broke trail up Mt. Herman in the waist deep snow. We went at it slow and steady. Along the way we stopped and hit some features. We rested when we felt like it and then went back to the tedious process of breaking trail oh so slow and steady. There was no rush to get anywhere and no real plan. We just had a mellow day and a good time and found natural features we never noticed before because we were always in a hurry to get from point A to point B. When we reached our drop point we took in the Bob Rossesque view and dropped. The turns were hammered out and the run down was amazing. On the hike out I realized sometimes slow and steady is the best approach. If you’re always in a rush to get things done you might miss the opportunities that are right in front of your nose.