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Slip Sliding Away (02.15.02)
Well at least I don't feel left out anymore. It seems like everyone in this town is either being fired, laid off, restructured, or whatever other clever euphoniums are making the rounds.
Believe it or not, for some there is a worse feeling than losing your job.
Picture it, it's 7am, the last sound you heard was rain, suicide bombing the roof like it only can in Squamish. Then, your eyes open and your jaw drops while reading the snow report: 30 cm. fell overnight. (11.8 inches for our American friends who continue to bravely fight both the war on drugs and the even bigger, more menacing war on metric.) Then the tears build and the stomach flops as you realize, for one reason or another, you can't get up there.
So what's a person to do? You need the adrenaline rush; it's as simple as that. You've been in the basement for two days now, the trails are full of slush and the rock is all wet so where are you to turn? Squamish may be the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada but when it snows there's not much choice for the adrenaline junky on a budget. Until now.
Spending a week in the pit just below hell, I returned with a belly of fire and an urge to hike the Chief. Climbing those wonderful long slabs of granite at the top, proved the only thing better than the view of Squamish from the Chief, is the view from the Chief in fresh powder. Breathing deep and inhaling the beauty I began to descend.
Wh-whoa-weeeeee. My first step was similar to the first time on a frozen lake; hesitant yet filled with anticipation. Then as the snow gave way, a sudden feeling of nostalgia came over me. Remember the fun of a new pair of socks on a freshly waxed floor? Well, just like that I began sliding down the slabs leaving both worry and common sense far behind. At the bottom of the pitch the rush was fantastic! So much so that I climbed back up and did it again. Hang on! I believe anything that makes you hoot out loud and gets you climbing back for more is a sport.
Well it appears I've stumbled upon a new winter eXtreme sport: Suisliding. (Patent pending) Now because of the world we live in, I must stress that legally, if you get hurt trying this it's not my fault. I mean its called Suisliding for Christ sake! Like most things in life, it's certainly not safe, but it is damn fun.
So, next time life bludgeons your eye and steals
your pocket book remember, there's plenty of stuff left to do. From the
windsufers, and rock climbers to the sled heads and mountain bikers, we're
all addicts needing 50cc's of us vs. Mother Nature. Jobless and penniless
why do we continue to struggle so hard to live in the Outdoor Recreation
Capital of Canada? Because it's worth the fight!
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