Today started cold; about 8 degrees this morning. A far cry from yesterday's 30 degrees!! The day also dawned with new snow on the ground and still falling from the sky; nice, soft, Wyoming powder. This was also the day that I would do the unthinkable. I have been a skier for 34 years and have enjoyed every moment of it. But today marks the beginning of the great transformation; I am becoming a snowboarder. In the words of my skiing friends, I have given in to the dark side of the force. I don't know if I would take it that far, but I do recognize they are feel a sense of loss. My heart goes out to them. It just hurts so much to see them in so much pain. The poor souls :(

Oh well, they'll get over it. Today was AWESOME!!! I love snowboarding! If you have ever thought of giving it a go, I suggest you buy a big bottle of Advil and hit the slopes. I decided to try a few runs on Teewinot (a beginner run). I was able to get from top to bottom with out any major falls...except for the one as I coming into the lift. Very embarrasing! I just figured if I got up real fast the people snickering at me might think I was doing some real cool trick. I doubt it, but it sure made me feel better about myself :)

My learning curve became much steeper when I ventured up Apres Vous. Werner and Hanna (both are intermidiate runs) became my routes of choice. I made a deal withself. If I could make it down twice without falling I would treat myself to St. Johns, an advanced intermidiate run. After three runs down Werner and Hanna without any falls, I boarded St. Johns. Wow, that's a new word for me...boarded. I almost caught myself typing the "s" word (skied). Well, St Johns was an adventure. I am not sure it was really the treat I thought it would be.

After several more runs down Apres Vous, I rode the gondola up for my last run down Gros Ventre. Now I know why snowboarders HATE moguls. Suffice it to say, I was glad when I got to lower half of Gros Ventre and was able to carve my way into the village to end my day.

I am hooked and really looking forward to spending more time on the mountain snowboarding with my sons, nephew Ted and my new adopted family of snowboarders.