Day 286

the chair lift rocked and slowly pulled up the mountain and i realized that i wasn't mad anymore. how could i be, and at who, really? if i meant what i'd been saying all these two hundred eighty five days- having faith for steps to be guided and trusting for the right things to happen- then the three hours i spent the other night trying to unsuccessfully upload that contest video wasn't in vain. the internet kept crashing and the contest site kept having errors as i feverishly uploaded, waited, failed, and then tried again and again.

i'm not one to force inspiration. its not really inspiration, i don't think, if i'd unwillingly put together some other video. i really had no inspiration until five pm on friday night. so that's when i made it and then began to try uploading a few hours later.

the same sort of principle applies to music too, that abstinence of creating or performing under any pressures other than the influence pure enjoyment of what is being done. because of that, i won't go to play piano at the lodge if its been a day where i'm physically or mentally tired or uninspired. its not only uncomfortable to have that burden but i don't want to force anything when i know that being up there would only be for reasons of some cash. selling out.

so i made the video twelve hours before the contest ended and it wouldn't load. disappointing, yes. at first.

but in the bigger picture, i had fun making it and could feel pleased in the route found and taken rather than just have using the crumby talking head footage i'd shot initially.


i lifted the bar and rode off the chair. this is the third and final day of the free ski competition and today they're not letting the snowboarding volunteers work the starting line. the skiers are maneuvering the most intense and gnarly run and rock face and they don't want any boarders to be stuck with mandatory forty foot drops. that's cool with me. hundreds of people gather at the base of the polar peak point and we all watch in awe as the competitors handle the massive wall of snow and mountain. thankfully no one was injured.


here are some pictures from yesterday taken at the same starting point as today's competition's starting line. the only difference in venue was that we used the right side of the ridge yesterday and now the left, rougher side today.

untouched snow trees. or unfortunate souls.


my gear after the hour long climb after getting off the highest lift and hiking to the peak


mountains and the town of fernie. our house is the little grey one right in the middle on the left side of the highway. hah.


the mountains on the other side of the ski hill mountains.


weary self after reaching the top


top of the world


town


competitor


waiting