Ride On! - now for the details

With snow in the forecast for Thursday night we packed up and got underway as quickly as possible trying to avoid getting caught in the storm on our way north for the weekend. By 7pm everything was loaded and all heads were accounted for, let the journey begin. We arrived in Midland, the halfway mark of the trip, for dinner and were back on the road by 8:45 hoping to be in Lake City by 10:00. It was not long after reaching Clare that our goal of 10:00 was forgotten and the new goal of simply getting there safely replaced it. Blowing snow and near 0 visibility left me no choice but to creep north along US 127 watching the snow markers and tree lines to ensure I stayed on the road. Almost 2 hours later we arrived safely, tired and a little blurry eyed from all the bright white flakes we dodged along the way.

Putting the adventures of Thursday night behind us and getting a good night sleep we were up and eating breakfast by 9am Friday morning. Our plan was to head further north to Harbor Springs and spend the afternoon on the snow packed slopes of Boyne Highlands. the storm we had driven through the night before left 4" of fresh powder on the slopes and more was in the forecast for the day so we were sure to have great snowboarding conditions.

We arrived just after 2pm, donned the warm gear, and headed out into the cold. With one foot securely strapped into the snowboards we were off to master the carpet lift to the top of the bunny hill. 2 hours later we had not only mastered getting to the top of the hill but had managed to make it to the bottom at least once! There were many falls along the way but as the day wore on Chris and Tristan headed off to bigger hills while Jen and I spent our time trying to get to the bottom of the bunny hill without falling. My final run of the night produced a successful run to the lodge from the top to the bottom of the hill with no falls, though there were a few close calls, and I unstrapped my bindings with a smile of success and a great sense of accomplishment for the day.

We packed up and made our way back to Lake City for the night again driving in near 0 visibility at least part of the way due the the continuing lake effect snow fall and high winds. We crashed for the night determined to get up again Saturday and do it all over again. As Saturday morning arrived it was obvious that Jen and I would not be bouncing out of bed quite as quickly as we had the previous morning and our tired sore bodies would have rather remained in bed a while longer. We begrudgingly rose, dressed, and once again headed north into the snow storm to spend yet another day at Boyne Highlands.

It was a whopping 8 degrees when we arrived at The Highlands and the wind dropped the temps even further standing still. They estimated that the temps while riding down the hill were near -10 and having spent a little time out in the cold I would believe it. Tristan and Chris were not phased by the sub 0 temps one bit and spent their afternoon chasing one another down the hills and riding back to the top on the cold metal chairs of the ski lift.

Jen decided to remain inside, where it was warm, and I donned my cold weather gear in an attempt to relive the glory of my last run the day before. As I reached the top of the hill again and sat down to strap in my back foot I began to rethink my decision to venture out into the cold that day. I was determined to learn to turn in both directions and stop without falling down by the end of the day so Up I rose and pointed the tip of the board downward. I made it about halfway down the hill before losing my balance and flipping over the nose of the board flat on my face. One fall was all it took for my body to override my brain and I knew it would not be a good day to spend on the side of the hill teaching myself to turn heel-side.

I got to my feet again and managed to ride to the bottom of the hill with little issues, thought most of it was backwards, and I headed to the lodge to warm up. As I joined Jen inside I wondered if that would be my only run for the day and loosened my boots to stretch out the cramp in my leg.

Chris talked me into joining him on the "big bunny hill" for one last run and I apparently was so out of my mind from the cold I agreed and skated off in the direction of the chair lift. I should point out that I had never ridden a chairlift with a snowboard before this moment and no one had ever showed me how to get on or off one. Getting on was simple, much like getting on with skis but getting of was a completely new experience for me. As I neared the top I turned my hips sideways, set the board down, and tried to stand up placing my back foot on the board as I slid down the ramp. Instead I ended up putting my foot on the snow causing me to go end for end down the ramp and try to figure out how to get up and out of the way quickly.

After managing to get to my feet, with a little help from Chris, I strapped my back foot into the board and looked down the slope I was about to ride. Absolute terror began to take hold as I remembered how bad it hurt to fall today on my already bruised body and I should have taken off my board right then and there. Instead I began to slip toe-side down the hill and began to make a heel-side turn that ended the way so many of them had over the last two days, smacking down face first into the hill. I spun back around and tried to get to my feet again but after 5 tried realized the slope was too well packed and my body was to worn out to stand up fully again. I accepted defeat and did something I have never done before. I took off my board and walked down the hill to the lodge.

I'm not sure if I'm getting old or wise but I know I was out of my league and not about to make any more attempts that day. I took off my board, tucked it under my arm, and walked down the hill to the lodge wondering if I would even be able to master snowboarding.

The trip ended in defeat but there were many highlights along the way and both Jen and i are looking forward to trying again in a few weeks. I think this time we may venture to a lesson or two and have someone who knows what they are doing tell us what we're doing wrong.