Winter in Texas lasts about two weeks. It starts when people stop running their air conditioners. It ends roughly one week after the hard freeze that catches everyone unprepared, kills all the plants and causes 500 traffic accidents in the first hour of the morning commute. The only other winter ritual to look forward to … Continue reading Voodoo on the Slopes…and Other Winter Rituals
As the leaves turn from green to gold and the Canadian air roams south to its winter dwelling, my thoughts turn to skiing like they do to the opposite sex each spring. However, this snowy renaissance is far less fragile than human relationships and far more intoxicating. n When I dream of another year exploring … Continue reading Everything White and Gold Stays
The knee didn’t lock up. I didn’t feel a tear, or hear a pop. It was one of those mystery maladies that I started feeling eight hours after playing basketball. Still, there was definitely something wrong. And facing a week-long mogul skiing camp 30 days later, I would rather have dealt with a succession of … Continue reading The Skier’s Curse
It’s a rite of spring for skiers everywhere. Long after the lifts have shut down for the season, even as the valleys fill with summer haze, we look for sheltered fingers of sun-cupped snow high up near some shady crag. We hike, sometimes for hours, for one last run. n Finally, atop a remote ridgeline … Continue reading The Perfect Last Run
Burn. Heaven & hell are one; in beautiful white hot flaming forests. Waste no time in contemplation. Leap into the dream. n Author Matt Duffy feels the force in the Vermont woods of Smugglers’ Notch (photo Gary Duffy) Rush the glitter. Blow it up & out and send it swirling behind. Don’t look back. Charge … Continue reading Feel the Force
A Physician Examines Head Injuries and Survival Tactics It is a big deal when death and tragedy happen in a remote place. This is especially true for “extreme sports.” When tragedy strikes it takes on a certain distant and removed appeal that seems to attract our attention. A tragic accident, if removed from our presence … Continue reading Riding Shotgun Down the Avalanche
It started off like any Wednesday morning. I have my son overnight on Tuesday nights and bring him to school on Wednesdays at 8:00 a.m. Then I go skiing. We got a late start on Wednesday morning, so I just left my ski stuff at home with plans to return & pick it up, then … Continue reading Determination