new things learned
just got back from tahoe, and learned one thing. doing a drop of 30-40ft can be fun, but not if you can't see the landing!
So the first day i was there, i went to kirkwood with the "crew". conditions were sunny for the most part, but also quite windy at the top, the terrain was mostly powder or packed pow being that it snowed 2 ft the night before. towards the left side of the mountain i saw a moderately sized cliff that didn't require hiking up to, and looked relatively easy.
so, after strapping in, i headed to the right where the sign said "beware- cornice"- i saw my brother and his friend stopped at the top/start of where the cliff was. i figured if i stopped and looked i might chicken out, so, i didn't bother slowing down...kept a decent pace, and just went about 30 ft past them turned slightly to head for the edge, and just took off. popped up a little and pulled a grab.
now...usually, when i'm getting any type of air, there's a few seconds when the grab is held nice and tight, and my knees are bent, and i'm 100% stable. then after a certain amt of time, i'll just know to let go, extend my legs and prepare for the landing... and before i know it, i'll be back on the ground.
that did not happen on this one.
So i took off, reached down to grab, and simultaneously looked to spot the landing except...i couldn't see it. the problem of fresh pow, and strong winds was basically blowing snow over the cliff/down the landing thus causing a fog effect....or essentially it felt like i was in a thick cloud. regardless, i hang on to the grab briefly fearing the ground was coming and i didn't want to land on my fingers! so...extend leg...try to spot landing....try to spot landing....start thinking fuck...why am i in the air so long....then realize if i land with my legs fully extended and not anticipate/react when it does hit the ground...well, it's going to fucking hurt. maybe i underestimated the distance when riding the lift up and looking at it from a distance, but this drop seemed way longer than i thought, or i probably should've stopped at the edge before dropping in instead of just jumping off at speed....regardless i finally hit the ground....and what happened next was not what i had expected.
i landed on the back side of the board, flipped forward, and pretty much got burried in powder! this was great. the powder was so soft that it didn't hurt one bit...i essentially landed in a big cushion!!!! i was confused however...i wanted to do it again since it didn't hurt one bit even if i fell, but the fact that i couldn't see the landing at all until i landed was a scary thought.
i decided to just head to the park instead...figured that i def. could've gotten hurt and was extremely lucky. so yeah...lesson learned...
no pictures, but here's the map- it's called the "wave"
So the first day i was there, i went to kirkwood with the "crew". conditions were sunny for the most part, but also quite windy at the top, the terrain was mostly powder or packed pow being that it snowed 2 ft the night before. towards the left side of the mountain i saw a moderately sized cliff that didn't require hiking up to, and looked relatively easy.
so, after strapping in, i headed to the right where the sign said "beware- cornice"- i saw my brother and his friend stopped at the top/start of where the cliff was. i figured if i stopped and looked i might chicken out, so, i didn't bother slowing down...kept a decent pace, and just went about 30 ft past them turned slightly to head for the edge, and just took off. popped up a little and pulled a grab.
now...usually, when i'm getting any type of air, there's a few seconds when the grab is held nice and tight, and my knees are bent, and i'm 100% stable. then after a certain amt of time, i'll just know to let go, extend my legs and prepare for the landing... and before i know it, i'll be back on the ground.
that did not happen on this one.
So i took off, reached down to grab, and simultaneously looked to spot the landing except...i couldn't see it. the problem of fresh pow, and strong winds was basically blowing snow over the cliff/down the landing thus causing a fog effect....or essentially it felt like i was in a thick cloud. regardless, i hang on to the grab briefly fearing the ground was coming and i didn't want to land on my fingers! so...extend leg...try to spot landing....try to spot landing....start thinking fuck...why am i in the air so long....then realize if i land with my legs fully extended and not anticipate/react when it does hit the ground...well, it's going to fucking hurt. maybe i underestimated the distance when riding the lift up and looking at it from a distance, but this drop seemed way longer than i thought, or i probably should've stopped at the edge before dropping in instead of just jumping off at speed....regardless i finally hit the ground....and what happened next was not what i had expected.
i landed on the back side of the board, flipped forward, and pretty much got burried in powder! this was great. the powder was so soft that it didn't hurt one bit...i essentially landed in a big cushion!!!! i was confused however...i wanted to do it again since it didn't hurt one bit even if i fell, but the fact that i couldn't see the landing at all until i landed was a scary thought.
i decided to just head to the park instead...figured that i def. could've gotten hurt and was extremely lucky. so yeah...lesson learned...
no pictures, but here's the map- it's called the "wave"
