Monarch SnowCat, 2008

Snow to date: 350 inches
Of the 62 days since Monarch opened, it had snowed on 48 of them.
Average per day: 5"+
Average per day on the four days leading up to our tour: 10"
900+ acres of sparkling, untouched, drowning-in-powder backcountry mountains.
Was it good? What do you think! A mini-featurette video is in the works, meanwhile, you don't think I would deprive you of the highlights, do you?

The talented Corry pilots the Monarch 'Cat: Bombardier with Butterfly wings.
B.C. is trying to score a test drive.

Kelly and Andy were our guides for the day; Chad (standing in the aisle), also a MST guide but off the clock for the day; he just likes hangin' out with the Absolute/Shavano crew...or maybe he was there for the best snow in a decade?

Everybody out 'da bus.

Andy lays out the plan. You want us to go where?

"Dude, dare ya to throw a McPherson Twist U-Turn Monkey Flip off that cliff!"

The avalanche danger was pretty high so the guides were up at dawn throwing bombs along this ridge to shake down any loose layers.

Meeting the 'Cat after lunch, Kelly and Andy had to dislodge some wayward hikers who were tryin' to get a free ride up to Mirkwood.

This was my first time riding big wide-open bowls like No Name. Awesome view at the top, and a little intimidating to drop into the first time...

No problem. What a great day!

Snow Meditation

Although I've been accustomed through work and home life to cats of the furry feline variety, it didn't take long to get used to the purr of the monsterous metallic snow cat as it carried us straight up the mountain. The view from on top of the world was huge and white and glistening. With a roar, the cat turned and descended leaving 16 people, what would seem a crowd anywhere indoors, in complete and perfect windy and sunlit silence. My snowboard, clamped to my feet, slid over the edge into a vast vertical sea of deep soft snow-- powder shouting, spraying, curving arcs like wings on both sides of my gliding, carving board. Moments without fear, when my body, it's movement, my thoughts and feelings dissolved into the mother mountain herself, were nothing less than transcendental. Each turn-- timeless; effortless. How fast the dance, how fluid! Slowness of mind and speed of body joined as a single awesome perception of the world and self as one.

Piece of History #1

This picture was taken at the Velorama Bicycle Museum in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. Three stories of bicycles from past to present, immaculately restored, in an old castle along the Waal river. Shown is a shaft drive bicycle. I didn't get the manufacturer or year of this one. I was much too fascinated by the construction and finish of the drivetrain. Sorry about that. From close to the turn of the century would be my guess. Another bicycle company from around this time, by the name of Pierce, developed a similar drivetrain in Buffalo, New York. I've also seen it called the Pierce Hygenic as well, due to the softail rear suspension. Here it goes by the Pierce Cushion. (Pierce later went on to create the Pierce Arrow Motor company. Here's a bit more on that). It had true rear suspension, with a spring inside a telescoping mechanism just above the wishbone seatstay bridge. Just above the rear axle, on the seatstays was one set of pivots, with a second pivot often concentric to the bottom bracket (crank) spindle. All the way back in 1901.