This commercial actually added something to my life. It's beautifully done and makes me want to go start a journey right now (I didn't really need much encouragement, actually). Some asked the question... what does this have to do with Louis Vuitton? I kinda think that's what is so good about it- it's not pushing their bags in your face, but makes you come to the conclusion about how their company fits in with the ad itself. Or maybe you don't think about how it does at all...
How did it make you feel? What did you think of?
If you want to see the long version (beautiful, without as many words):
Brighton
It's only November & I'm steadily falling in love...
Brighton Resort has had the most consistent snow quality and coverage of the resorts I've visited this season. The more I'm there, the more I realize this resort deserves a lot more time than I've given it in the past. This year I hope to make amends...
From my latest visit on Wednesday this week:
All In
photo used from a free site, photographer unknown
Life's twists, turns and forks have left me wondering if those bends mean I have to follow, or if I should do a little off-roading. In the past I've tried starting out on several different paths at once, only to find as they diverged, I could no longer keep up. I'm only one person- apparently I have limitations to what I can accomplish in one day.
The past few days, eh, months! have brought a little sadness, but a whole lot of happiness, too. I'm finding that what I've always been passionate about is just coming together in my life. In the past I was persuaded to stay away from it... my passions couldn't become a real job... it wasn't something that would pay the bills... it's not a good priority.
So I stopped thinking of them as real-world pursuits and tried to be satisfied with them as hobbies. I attempted to apply myself to education and jobs in fields that were considered respectable and "real" . But because I wasn't 100% there my pursuits in these areas left me feeling unfulfilled. I did alright but my heart was somewhere else.
With these twists and turns, I've been brought suddenly back face-to-face with my real love. Without the frustrations of floundering in the past I don't think I could appreciate it as much as I do now. And now that I have it, I realize it's been right for me all along. I guess that's part of life and coming into your own. It's like Erykah Badu says, "I please me cuz I can't please you, and that's why I do what I do". So now instead of trying out all those other little forks, I'm dedicating myself to one.
Gotta be all in.
Spent half my life on a search for nothin’
I came up with somethin’
It’s on again!
I found myself by the river and jumped in
It’s all or nothing, gotta be all in
3
Saturday was the third and final of the three-in-a-row openings here in Utah (see 2 previous posts for other openings) and it happened at Snowbird. The day before I skied Solitude, ran off to work & then jumped on the climbing wall, finishing my day with eating until midnight. Shouldn'a done all that.
Saturday I woke up at 5:30 a.m. to get my Solitude coverage finished for First Tracks. Four hours of sleep. It's cool. My new ski buddy, Matt Baydala, was running a little late so my slow pace wasn't too big of a deal... until I got to Snowbird and met up with Marc & friends who got me right on the tram and right into powder. Powder & rocks. Powder & rocks & I can't see.... oh, and I put yarn in my boots to keep my heels down. (Matt was happy to share that story around to everyone he introduced me to.)
Just a little more detail about the night before so you get a feel of where I was coming from. I climbed my first *5.11c in a long time and attempted the first half of a 5.12 as well as some other routes. I was toast, but feeling pretty good. Figuring it was worth a celebration, my friend and I headed to Friday's and ordered the endless soup and salad meal and stayed... and stayed... and stayed. All this meant the next day I was feeling it in my quads after about 4.75 turns in the powder. I pressed on but slipped gradually further away from the guys.
Nevertheless, I was up there for free and even though defeated, I was happy. So, without further introduction, here's my article for Snowbird's opening day, published just now:
Snowbird Opens
(In other great news, I just registered for the Outdoor Retailer Winter Market. So excited to see what new technology & gear are in store for the ski industry...)
*If you're not familiar with the climbing grades, check out this article.
1, 2...
Stephanie Nitsch has the whole place to herself...
Photo by Matt Baydala
I love this resort. Last season I skied 3-4 days a week here and was spoiled by the ability to ski straight from the run onto a chair- no waiting in line, no having to take the "singles" line to get up quicker. I felt I had the whole mountain to myself. On a powder day, you can arrive an hour late and still expect to get just as much powder as if you'd stood in line for two hours pre-first chair (which is what you might have to do at any other resort). It's Solitude, fo'sho. And I love it.
Here's the recap of yesterday's opening. And if any of you want to take a run or two, I'll be up there a few days a week- I'd love to share the greatness of this Big Cottonwood Canyon resort with you. But shh... don't tell anyone else...
http://cot.ag/bFKQdr
Opening Day- Joy, Joy, Joy
My view of opening day
Brighton, Utah: 11/11/10
Yesterday I was privileged to be invited to ski Utah's opening day of the ski season by Jared Winkler, Brighton’s rep for Marketing and Public Relations. It was simply an amazing day and I got to meet some great new people in the industry. The snow was by far the best I've seen for an opening day - our group did fast laps the soft groomed runs and tested the power of our early-season quads in the powder off the groomers.
Breaking from the laps
Photo: Marc Guido
Skiers: myself & Steve Benally
Loving this day
Photo: Marc Guido
On hill: Steve Benally, Stephanie Nitsch, me
http://www.firsttracksonline.com/News/2010/11/11/Ski-Season-Underway-in-Utah/
There's the article... and now I am off to cover Solitude's opening day, skiing with a freelancer for ESPN (Stephanie- my newest snow sista who I skied with most of the day yesterday) and Matt, Ski Utah's Powderhound winner and new blogger for the organization. Then it's hopefully off to Snowbird's opening day tomorrow. 1-2-3!
Happy Chair
L-R: Stephanie Nitsch, Marc Guido (my editor), me, Steve Benally
86400; Make it good
"Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them."
86400 - This is the time you've been given. The clock isn't stopping.
