April 29, 2012
2012 Long Board Day at Alpental went down pretty much as planned today, with some good times, good companionship and good beer.
Lot 4 regulars Matt, Chris and Greg led off the festivities for this "210 cm and over" event by erecting the Marker binding tent in Matt's traditional parking place, where Alpy locals and guests were quick to convene and set up shop. Period-appropriate costumes were optional, but plenty of people added to the atmosphere by wearing 80's and 90's era garb. Multiple laps were were interspersed with regular breaks for refreshment and BBQ. The rain that had marked the drive up in the North Bend area happily held off for most of the day, and the soft spring corn was just the ticket for getting re-acquainted with the big skis. A very cool end-of-year event.
April 15, 2012
My friend Hunter Eng has been gone for a year now.
The Sunnyside Sliders gang got together to honor the anniversary of Hunter's passing this weekend and take a few runs together. This event happened to coincide with the closing weekend of the regular season at Crystal Mountain, and the weather was perfect - meaning there were plenty of people there to share in the fun. I skied, shook hands and crossed poles with dozens of people I see too rarely.
Mike O'Brien, Fred Reininger, Joe Habenicht and I hooked up with Hunter's wife Crisi and daughter Elissa, and spent the day cruising our old haunts on spring snow that skied perfectly after the sun warmed it for an hour or so. Other friends, many flying the Sunnyside Sliders colors, joined throughout the day. We finished off with a hike to the top of Silver King, where about 50 others were hanging out celebrating the end of the regular season with food and drink, then bounced down Pinball on the way to the patio for beers. Thanks to Deliane and Bart Klein for letting us use some of their Founder's Club credit!
Previous Incoming Pages:
China: Wandering in the Middle Kingdom
"Incoming" covers developments that have personal interest to me (ie. gear I might consider acquiring, or events I feel may impact the sport of skiing) - it is by no means meant to be a comprehensive enumeration of gear or events in the ski world at large. Feel free to contact me via the randosaigai.com link below with news or images that may be of interest . . .
© 2013 Gregory C. Louie