The End of an Era

When the winter season comes, my splitboard and I are best friends.  There's nothing that gets me higher than a good split up and board down.  If I could have it my way, we would be inseparable.  But something happened to our relationship recently - the front range finally got her.

Her reflecting back on a day of riding.  

Now, it is I reflecting back on, 'the end of an era'.

It all happened on New Years day.  The Chugach had been receiving decent amounts of snow and my splitboard and I needed to get out.  We toured up Arctic Valley and we were both excited about the snow conditions that day.  The snow was seemingly magical; light, deep and cold.  After a slow descent down the low angle bowl of Mt. Gordon Lyon, we chose a steeper line through some cliffs and to the bowl below.  It was much better (speed wise), though it was noted the base wasn't quite established the whole way through.  The third run however was where our lives would be changed forever.

The same line was drawn and instead of me going around the diving board in between the two cliffs, I decided to drop it.  It felt good, even the short moment after I landed; but once my weight bore down completely on my board, and my board compressed through the cold, sugary snow, it happened!  My base caught the rocks...it was more than she could bare.  As much as she tried she couldn't slide pass the violent hold of the Front Range's grip.  I flipped head over heals and then again.  Through the air I wasn't thinking of my poor friend at all...all I could think of at the time was, helmet?  Though, I was fine alas she was not.  The rocks gouged into my boards core, tearing away skin and wood fragments, and snapping her tail.  I never realized her pain even through her final, graceful turns to the base of her final line.

She was a good board and I have many fond memories of our time spent together.  Her graceful ride will forever be missed.

When she was just a newborn. Cute as could be.