Right, well. Starting where it all started. Or escalated, more accurately. Chamonix. I found myself in the cradle of ski alpinism with zero interest in the skintrack and glaciers that so stoked my inner flames for the last ten years. But there's plenty for the on-(or at least close-to-) piste skier here, as well. Flegere. Brevent. Good ski area-skiing. American style, almost. Had an FWT competition, got third. Good vibes and support from our crew in town. Never will compare to winning that fucker with Lizzy and Diamond waving the flag at the bottom. What could?
On to Austria. Mega-high avie danger on all aspects above tree line. Mega-good and safe powder skiing in the forest below. Some comps were delayed, rescheduled, moved, bla bla bla but the freeskiing and the weissbier flowed naturally. Girls named Johanna, dairy farms, nordic ski tracks through the valleys, all kindle thoughts of "what if?"
Back to Cham where Davide arrived from Park City. The crew, what there is of it, was together again. Dave's first night back we savagely shredded a night at the bar which, no one should be surprised, escalated beyond our plans for a somber dinner. The next morning we booked it down to Finale Ligure, one of Dave and Liz's favorite spots on the Med Coast, for its easy access, turquoise waters, nice limestone, excellent cuisine, and plentiful negronis. 12 or so like-minded Chamonix degenerates joined us and we ran amok for a few days trying to surf, hiking a bit, playing music, meeting locals, and going to the disco (on student night, as though we weren't pushing the bounds of social mores as it were).
Back to Cham for a day, worried our blood had grown accustomed to the sun and salt of the coastal climate, we were pleasantly surprised to find shirts-off temps at the mid-mountain lounge/bar La Chavanne.
I jumped in the car again the next day and headed for Androrra for the next round of competition. Andorra is a strange, tiny fantasy country comprised entirely of tax-free shopping and sprawling ski resorts. Also, beer is $2, shots are $1, and with a weather hold keeping us in our free lodging throughout the week you can imagine what a bunch of freeride savages did to the place. There were moments when I wasn't sure if our hosts (hotel owners, bartenders) were about to call the cops on us, when in fact they would join us dancing on the tables instead. Sometimes American debauchery and bravado starts wars, sometimes it brings about world peace. Throughout this trip it was consistently the latter.
After Andorra I booked a few days in Barcelona before my flight home. It was a great change of pace from the party lifestyle to get some good R&R while seeing the amazing museums, churches, and art galleries of this fantastic city by the sea. Just kidding HAHA sucker. Start the day around noon, brunch at 2, naps at 9, bars at 3am, bed when the sun comes up, repeat.
Back in Seattle now. Apparently its been summer for weeks. There's no snow on the mountains. I go to Alaska in two weeks for more ski racing. I think I just coughed up part of my liver. Asi es la vida, compai. Life is too short not to blow your wad in Barça. Abandon all plans for the future and empty the bank account. Smoke em if you got em.
