To quote pro cyclist Jens Voigt, “SHUT UP LEGS!” That’s what I had to tell myself all day Thursday as we skied powder run after powder run, while trying to keep up with our new friend Bob.
Who Is Bob, And Why Is He Trying To Kill Me?!
Bob is a Jackson Hole local. He’s a 65 year old snowboarder who shreds! We met Bob in the lift line at Jackson Hole on Thursday morning. This wasn’t just any old lift line. This was the lift line @ Jackson Hole after more than a foot of fresh snow dumped on the mountain. First lift of the day. Us, Bob, and, well, too many others!
We had the luck of the Irish with us (Mark claims to be 1/8 Irish, and he does like Guinness, so..??). After striking up a conversation with Bob in line, he invited us to follow him to his semi-secret powder runs and powder stashes. This was the best thing to ever happen to us, ever!
Bob was the most gracious unofficial host. He took us everywhere, on the steeps and in the trees…over and over and over. It was the most amazing ski day of my life! My quads were screaming at me! But we kept going, until my legs just couldn’t take it anymore.
When I get tired, my skiing gets real sloppy. I was running out of leg strength, missed a tight turn, and ended up in a menagerie of jagged, barren bushes. As Mark and Bob watched, I pushed back those gnarly branches, and I pulled myself forward through the mess. I was glad that I made it without ripping my ski pants or jacket. First I had a good laugh about this, but then I started wondering why our new friend Bob was trying to kill me.
When I could no longer keep up, we said goodbye and thank you to Bob. Mark and I took a break and got a bite to eat. We refueled, rested our weary legs, and then took a couple more easy runs. We were thoroughly exhausted, and ecstatic, as well as totally inspired by Bob.
It was an EPIC day! Thank you, Bob. Thank you Snow Gods!
Airstream Moho-A-Go-Go 