Trying on the onesie. Form fitting to say the least

Avy gear comes in handy as Brian digs a beer pit.

Brian's racing outfit in its full glory.

Some of the crew

The weather held off for the morning, so we concentrated on taking some laps. Jessica and Hurley switched from riding to drinking pretty early, and Bossart got shuffled up after our first lap. We met up with Bill and Ben after our first “WFO” lap. They left their beer down in Lionshead, so after an hour or so of hanging out, they had to head all the way back to down to pick it up.

Ben and Bill met up with us.

Brian and Hurley

As Brian and I took a few laps through Northwoods to hit the sign jump, the weather started moving in. By the time 4 o’clock rolled around and the party was getting packed, it was dumping at about an inch or more per hour.

From the Vail Daily

Given that my onesie wasn’t waterproof, and Jessica was just wearing a Colorado flag, we headed back to the car to change around 4:30.

The day before closing was G.N.A.R. Day at Vail so there were point sheets to be found printed out around the village. The lines and bonus points are well thought out and hilarious.

Page 1

Page 2

I fully plan on using this next year. If you’ve never seen “G.N.A.R.“, check out that link. It’s the funniest damn ski movie I’ve ever seen and a very fitting tribute to Shane McConkey.

We ended up skipping the cluster that was the bar scene that night to drive back over to Breckenridge. Even though it would’ve been awesome to have more sun, Vail had just passed it’s season record for snowfall. As of Sunday morning they reported 524 inches for the season – you can’t complain about those conditions.

“I Don’t Blame You” by Cat Power
This song is off of Cat Power’s 2003 release You Are Free. I’m not a big Cat Power fan, but Jessica introduced me to this one and I love it.

“Heaven’s on Fire” by The Radio Dept.
Props to Jared for posting this one on Facebook. I have not been able to stop listening to it.

“Abducted” by Cults
I’ve been paying attention to this band since I first caught a wiff. So far, they’ve only released one song that I don’t love – “The Curse.” Their self-titled release is due out on June 7.

“Exile Vilify” by The National
Really strange that a band like The National would contribute music to Portal 2, but I’m not complaining – the song’s great.

“Impressions of a City Morning” by Brown Recluse
This song reminds me of Belle & Sebastian, but more poppy, if that’s possible.

“Bizness” by tUnE-yArDs
This has been my favorite song I’ve heard in the last few months. It’s a little all over the place, but it’s brilliant.

Needless to say, I hate it when I come across something like this:

The internets' opinion

It’s easy to hand pick a song from any artist at any time and say it’s good or bad. The 70′s had bad music, just like the 00′s do. Never mind the fact the relatively speaking Kashmir is a bad Zeppelin song, and the chosen verse is just a Lord of the Rings reference. Here’s another song that came out in ’75:

They were funky China men from funky Chinatown
They were chopping them up and they were chopping them down
It’s an ancient Chineese art and everybody knew their part
From a feint into a slip, and kicking from the hip

That song, Carl Douglas’ “Kung Fu Fighting” sits at #14 on Billboard’s Top 100 of 1975. Still want to tell me that the music of yesteryear was superior?

And there are hundreds, probably thousands of examples of great lyricism in the last decade. For starters, comparing the lyrics of classic rock to today’s mainstream “rap” (I guess that’s what you’d call Far East Movement) is like an open mic night where George Carlin and a two-year-old are performing. One’s a genius, and one can barely speak English. You don’t even need to move far from the mainstream to see vast improvements. Hip-hop greats The Roots are the band on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night TV show. And they’ve been making great music for literally as long as I’ve been alive. Sample lyrics from their song “Star/Pointro” off 2004′s The Tipping Point:

Introducin the band you gotta see to believe
He got the mic in his hand, so keep the heat up your sleeve
It’s Black Thought, he rockin sharp so the speakers’ll bleed
I run a triathalon, you wouldn’t see me fatigued
I’m a star, and maybe y’all should cop somethin to be
Or trade some of y’all equipment in for somethin you need
Cause it’s a, lot of bullshit floodin the scene
Where e’rybody’s a star, and hot shit is few and far between
We lose the grip of what, garbage mean
Shorties wanna be theyself, I know it’s hard to be
Don’t wanna do the Ruben Studdard and come off less threatenin
Keepin it real’ll kill you if you end up lettin it
Ain’t it blowin your mind how the game all in line
Now the best, to the rest, we fin’ to end up settin it
I’d tell you that I was a veteran but it’s evident
You act like you want it, you gon’ end up gettin it

Same genre as “Like a G6,” only a million times better.

So next time you feel like there’s no good music in 2011, quit using such a lazy excuse, and go do some research.

Drew and Brian came over to play some beer pong, and we hung out for a few hours before leaving for the show. We walked up to Peak 8, drank some beers, and listened to some tunes. Even though Moe isn’t my type of music, I had a good time and ran into damn near everyone I know.

The stage right after we showed up

Brian

A lot of people showed up. Ben and Drew groovin on the bottom edge of the frame.

Drew loves Moe.

Me and Jessica with Drew creepin' in the background.

The band via Breck's Facebook page (Thanks Bobry!).

Crowd view via Breck's Facebook page (Thanks Bobry!)

I missed DeVotchKa on Sunday due to it being so windy none of us wanted to leave the house.

Also up this week: The continuing search for a second Summer job, “Team-building” with my Vail job, and closing day at Vail.

Random pic of Vail closing day - 4 at 4 party

Ashley manning the grill while Chris, Michelle, and Austin get their grub on.

Final group photo as Nate and Johnny leave for the season.

In line at Pali chair with Drew and Brian.

The party winding down.

A-Basin also hosted the 22nd Annual Enduro race the same day, so we got to see skiers, snowboarders, and ski bikers slaying Pali chair all day. The event raised money this year for the Borgeson family, who’s dad was a patroler at A-basin, but collapsed and died from a heart attack this season while doing avalanche control in Aspen’s Highlands bowl. The Enduro is a serious race where

teams of two take laps on Pallavicini terrain from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The record so far is 72 laps, set by Jamie Ober and Ollie Holmes.

Jamie and Ollie were out there this year again killing it. At last count the leaders of the Enduro had 58 laps with a half-hour to go. Plus New Belgium was selling beers at the lift:

Hooray beer!

So the weather rolled in and we all bailed, but a handful of us came back Thursday to get some of that fresh snow.

With only a dream of free schwag, I entered the competition day of. Sign-up was pure insanity. A mob of steezed out kids signing waivers and pinning numbers on. I left work to go deal with registration, but it took over a half-hour to get everything sorted out, and get my free t-shirt. I signed up in the 16 & Over division, and though no one was clear about times, the general consensus was that my heat would start around noon.

I had to go back to work for about two hours, until I left (for the final time!) at 11. Since I hadn’t gone snowboarding in like 5 days, I wanted to take some time to warm up, assuming my heat started at 12. So I took a park lap, only to end up in a giant line at the bottom because of the large crowd for the competition. As I was sitting in a long lift line, I got a call from Jess telling me that my heat had started. Eventually I got up to the top and hustled off to get some tricks in. I had missed over half of the time, so I had under 9 minutes left and no understanding of the rules. They had three features set up. A double-barrel down down rail, an up-to-down box, and down-flat rail were set up, and you had to hike all the features.

via TWSnow.com

via Flickr

via TWSnow.com

So with very little time left I just dropped in switch on everything to try and get some points. Unfortunately I only managed three laps and didn’t really land anything super clean. I was later told that one of the rules was that you had to hit all three features, and I had only hit two. Needless to say I didn’t make it past the first round.

The little guys were insane too. There were one or two who I’m amazed aren’t pro already. Here’s the video:

But I got a free shirt, some schwag, and had a good time. Also, Jessica got a shout-out on TW Snow for killing it at her job:

As always, a huge thanks is rightfully be extended to Keystone Resort for all the long hours of stone support. Heather Nordquist, Jessica Butcher as well as Jason and his terrain park crew are all terribly good at what they do (note the sweet rhyme).

Results:

15 & Under:
1st: Benny Milam
2nd: Braden Landon
3rd: Quinton Jones
4th: Luke Emaus
5th: Chris Corning

16 & Over:
1st: Wes Walsh
2nd: Kyle Kelley
3rd: Josh Boeser
4th: Dustin Eldridge
5th: Chris De Campo

Girl’s Open:
1st: Christy Prior
2nd: Melissa Riitano
3rd: Krysta Pelchar
4th: Victoria Enderle
5th: Chrissi Lund

Men’s Open:
1st: Cullen Bernklau – $200
2nd: Billy Rodriguez – $150
3rd: Jack Kyle – $100
4th: Chris Eck
5th: Zach Soderholm

Electric’s “Gooeyest Move of the Event”: Cullen Bernklau – this trick is in the video. It’s the backside 360 on, backside 360 off on the down-flat rail. Insane.

I used to make these types of lists based on parameters like “Top 5 One-Two Punches” (Wolf Parade’s “Dear Sons and Daughters of Hungry Ghosts” & “I’ll Believe in Anything” are the clear winners) and “Top 5 Tracks Utilizing Hand Claps,” but today I present you with something much more simple.

The Top 5 Songs of All Time

These tracks have stood the test of time for me, and though I can’t really assign 1-5 for most of them, they are far and above numbers six through infinity. So, in a loose order, we start with:

5. “Wilco – Jesus, etc.“

This song is from Wilco’s 2002 release Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. In addition to being a great song, there’s a great story behind the album. If you have the opportunity, I highly recommend seeing the documentary “I Am Trying To Break Your Heart.” The film explores the tenuous relationships within the band – particularly between Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy, as well as struggles with their record label and the general process of getting the album released.

The song, placed smack in the middle of the album, is perhaps Wilco’s most prevalent (and best) use of classical strings. Combined with the usual stellar instrumentation the band provides, you’ve got a great musical base for Tweedy’s brilliant lyricism. Anyone who knows me probably knows I think Jeff is the greatest songwriter of our (and, as I’ve occasionally argued, any) generation. This song is the perfect mix of the esoteric:

Our love is all of God’s money
Everyone is a burning sun

as well as practical and familiar:

don’t cry
you can rely on me honey
you can come by any time you want
I’ll be around
you were right about the stars
each one is a setting sun

4. The Rolling Stones – Gimme Shelter

I know, I know, an obvious choice. Albeit an overused song (thanks in large part to Martin Scorsese), still a great. This song has been my phone’s ring tone for going on 6 years, and it’s gotten to the point where, if I hear it anywhere, I instinctively grab my pocket. There’s not much to say about this song – it’s a perfect example of classic rock. It’s got it all: great melody, great instrumentation, baby-killing back-up singing…

That’s right, for those of you who don’t know, singer Merry Clayton miscarried following her recording session with Mick Jagger on this song. That baby is the ultimate rock ‘n roll martyr.

3. Faces – Ooh La La

I don’t know how, but I was unaware of this song until I saw Wes Anderson’s Rushmore. I suppose I had never heard it because I always kind of assumed Rod Stewart sucked, and this was one of his bands. But there are so many good people in the band. The drummer, Kenney Jones, took Keith Moon’s place in The Who after Moon’s death. The guitarist, Ronnie Wood, became a full-blown member of The Rolling Stones (though not while they recorded the aforementioned “Gimme Shelter”). Wood also sung the lead vocals on this song, the only time he ever sung for the band.

There’s nothing specifically I can point to in this song that sets it apart other than the mood. The lyrics are pretty melancholy, but the music is upbeat and fun. It just works.

2. Talking Heads – This Must be the Place (Naive Melody)

If you can’t tell, that version is live. It’s from the 1984, Jonathan Demme directed, Talking Heads’ concert film Stop Making Sense. I’ve argued with many people about which version is superior – this one or the album one, and though I used to be convinced the album version was better, I think I’m starting to weaken.

This song is one of a very few that I would call truly perfect. It’s everything I love about the Talking Heads with some of David Byrne’s best lyrics. Plus it has perhaps the greatest verse in a love song ever:

Hey, we drift in and out
Hey, sing into my mouth
Out of all those kinds of people
You got a face with a view
I’m just an animal looking for a home
Share the same space for a minute or two
And you’ll love me ’til my heart stops
Love me ’til I’m dead
Eyes that light up, eyes look through you
Cover up the blank spots
Hit me on the head
Ah ooh

1. “LCD Soundsystem – All My Friends“

The most modern, longest, and also the most unlikely song on the list. I used to hate LCD Soundsystem. I thought “Daft Punk is Playing at my House” was amusing, but hadn’t heard anything else anywhere near decent. Now, this song is probably my absolute favorite and another one of the few that I consider truly perfect. LCD Soundsystem is the brain child of James Murphy, a man who has been involved with music his whole life, and co-founded DFA Records. LCD actually retired recently, performing an amazingly-quickly-sold-out show at Madison Square Garden on April 2nd. This song is off of their 2007 release “Sound of Silver,” even though overall I think 2009′s “This is Happening” is way better.

The steady, driving beat basically serves as a background for Murphy to sum up life in a way only he can. And the lyrics are absolutely brilliant. The middle part of the song perfectly encapsulates what it’s like to be young and have fun with the people you love the most. And it has my favorite lyric of all time:

I wouldn’t trade one stupid decision
For another five years of life

It’s also got a great build-up, one of LCD’s specialties. As I said, the numbering here is pretty loose, but this song is definitely number 1. I feel like it’s the combination of every song that’s preceded it.

I’m going to try to make more posts like these in the future instead of only talking about snowboarding. Thanks in large part to the fact that the season is over at Keystone.

And in honor of the anniversary of Kurt Vonnegut’s death, let me add a relevant quotation from him:

If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC

Chris Ciufo (skier):

Eric Hitchell (snowboarder):

We started at this area on the frontside of Keystone that Chris calls Horseshoe Cliffs, but I call Zuma Cliffs, cause they’re right off the liftline of the Montezuma chair. This area is a scree field so it can be dangerous for you board/skis, but the snow stays good for long periods of time because it’s tucked away and almost no one skis it.

Hitchell and I picking our lines.

Hitchell doing a technical drop. It’s gnarlier from the top – right next to a tree and plenty of rocks in the landing.

Pow turns.

Me & Hitchell – double line.

Hitchell pretty much owned that zone. There were some other good lines from Chris and I, but I don’t think Todd caught them all that well. From there we moved to the park and shot a couple of rail features and had 2 or 3 laps on the jumps. I landed one really good rail trick, and Hitchell and I got some shots spinning jumps 4 and 5.

Switch front 180 > 50-50 > Back 180 out

Frontside by Chris

Frontside Tailpress by Hitchell

Tweaked Nosegrab by me

Chris

Back 360 Nosegrab by Hitchell

Back 360 melon by me

You can see the full photo set here, including sequences of the 360s by Hitchell and me. Thanks to Todd for coming out and shooting!

From left to right: Todd, Chris, Hitchell, Me

The Jacket

I hit a tree in Vail on Tuesday riding the trees that took out a huge chunk of my jacket. Thankfully Chris had duct tape in his bag, so after losing a good amount of stuffing, I was able to tape a temporary fix on.

Vail was insane that day though. Super deep everywhere. And I dropped the biggest cliff of my life in the West Vail Trees. Video Proof below.

Thought it was going to be 15-ish feet, turned out to be like 30-ish feet.

I broke the board on Monday, the first day of this awesome storm we’re in the middle of (41″ in 7 days at Breck). Riding at Keystone I noticed it felt weird and as we were hiking The Windows, Chris pointed out that, well goddamnit, my nose was cracking off.

So in order to ride Vail on Tuesday I took out my old ride DH, which has a semi-cracked nose as well, so I just tried to not snap it off. My Capita board is too soft, plus I recently did this to the base and edge:

So it’s about high time to invest in another board, because 3 is apparently barely enough to get me through a season.

I heard this Jay-Z cover on XM today and thought it was phenomenal. The guy is apparently opening for Cage the Elephant on their tour that starts tomorrow.