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January 31, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
A-framer. Small and west-y. Doable. Uneventful and remarkably unremarkable session.
Posted at 11:11 PM
January 30, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
A-framer. Light onshore breeze. Three already out. When I appeared, one (a regular) went in and then shortly thereafter the other two. Seemed like SE and SW vectors. Some fun ones, rights and lefts.
Was totally not into it and couldn't wait to go home because I got a new TV and wanted to set it up. Daydreaming the entire time. Did stay out an hour and a half.
Posted at 6:58 PM
January 29, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Back to A-framer. Four regulars were out. Light wind swirling all around the compass. Form was messy with cross-swell. Eventually just another guy and me then two regulars joined. Mellow but frustrating session because I'm having a hard time paddling and getting to my feet due to hip/elbow arthritis.
Posted at 10:48 PM
January 28, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
Did not want to go out. Windy, cloudy, chilly. Bigger? Perhaps.
Lollygagged by the cars with some of the regulars as we talked and watched. Eventually got motivated and went to Regular. A bit crowded with longies, mostly kooks. Some surprising sets--think there might be new energy--but still weak and very inconsistent. Quick early morning session before an all-day meeting for work. Glad I did it.
Posted at 7:04 PM
January 27, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
A-framer with two friends. Still west-y. Looked decent everywhere but crowded.
As we watched from the cars, there were four guys at the A. We opted for it anyway, three of us. As we made our way to the beach the four went over to the Right-hander, so the A was empty.
Initially it was very clean with light north winds. Kinda fun and chunky. Then the wind turned onshore and it got mushier (and cloudy--chilly). When the wind went back to north after a short period, several of the regulars paddled over from the Right-hander, so it was a bit tight.
Continued the trend of lameness. Been having a very difficult time. My hip and elbow have been bothering me, and it's affecting my surfing, particularly paddling and taking off. It's really frustrating. Caught some rights and a few lefts. But considering all the waves to be had, my session sucked.
Posted at 7:31 PM
January 26, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
The Regular. Wow, really messy. Moderate S-SW winds were creating havoc, which wasn't surprising. Actually, it wasn't as bad as it could get; nonetheless, quite crappy. Some size, though, and definitely some rideable ones.
Had an awful time. Was totally out of it and couldn't snag anything decent. Whereas, it seemed everyone else was getting stuff. Super frustrating.
Posted at 8:13 PM
January 25, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
A-framer. Bigger. Very west-y.
Three of the regulars were dominating. I sat on the lefts and snagged the leftovers. The bowls were chunky and wedge-y with challenging takeoffs. It was interesting and fun. At the end of the session everyone went in, and I switched to the rights as some kooks invaded and started getting in the way. Had to cut it short for work--would've stayed longer.
Posted at 11:42 PM
January 24, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
A-framer. Bigger. Almost didn't paddled out because it didn't look good from the car. But the conditions were clean, although the form seemed a bit messy.
It was packed everywhere. The A had four guys, which is kinda crowded. After much procrastination, decided to give it a go.
By the time I got out, only one of the regulars remained. He was very upbeat and stoked. Said it was good with some bigger sets breaking on the outside. Said he'd already been out for two hours.
I struggled. Couldn't stroke into the waves, for whatever reason. Was always out of position. As the session progressed, the sets became more inconsistent. Had a mediocre time at best.
Posted at 10:13 PM
January 23, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Similar. Small and onshore/mushy. Crowded.
Friend and I tried to find quiet sanctuary at BM's. He lasted about 15 minutes then paddled to Regular via M's; I stuck it out about twice that long and did the same thing. Pretty miserable.
So my friend is doing his annual pilgrimage to Breckinridge in February and has invited me along, since I've been so stoked on snowboarding. He's got everything set up. His friend will let him use a house that will be vacant and other acquaintances will supply free equipment. So the only cost to him (and me) would be air fare, rental car, lift ticket/pass, and food. He'll write off the car as a business expense, so I wouldn't have to contribute, and he already has a season pass for the lift.
Very tempting. But I can't do it. Too soon: not enough vacation and moola. I've got another trip in May to NYC/DC for 10 days, and that's pretty much my current traveling focus. But I've made a commitment to join him next year. I'll do Washington (probably Snoqualmie) with my son and Breck with him. Just that it seems so far in the future, and I've got the snowboarding bug.
Posted at 9:17 PM
January 22, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Three of us did Regular, M's, then BM's to finish.
BM's actually gave me a handful of fun rights. Caught a few lefts too. The end was frustrating for me, though. Couldn't snag a good last one in and stayed out at least another half an hour freezing my butt after my friends were long gone.
Posted at 10:47 PM
January 21, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
I thought yesterday was cold...omigosh it was freezing. Went to Regular.
Strong trades were creating some wind-swell, and two friends were on the end-corner bowl. Aside from them, it was pretty much empty. As I headed out, they paddled in. Was expecting a solitary session with no stress, but instead in less than half an hour 14 people invaded and they all sat around me. I was so-o irritated. Ruined my session.
Posted at 7:01 PM
January 20, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
A-framer with two friends. Really bad. Tiny. Cloudy. Chilly. Several of us regulars had been standing by the cars, and only three of us were willing to paddle out; everyone else went home.
Posted at 8:48 PM
January 19, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
A-framer again. Much better. Bigger. Moderate to strong trades. Still struggling but doing better. Hip and elbow were bothering me. Two regulars from the Right-hander joined. Form and size seemed to improve with the rising tide.
Back to work tomorrow. It's been a wonderful, albeit short, vacation.
Posted at 11:26 PM
January 18, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
I'm back. Immediately after returning from the airport, headed directly to the beach. A-framer was tiny and barely doable but doable nonetheless. I was struggling--was awkward and inept. Body felt discombobulated. A friend joined me for a bit before we both decided it was too dismal.
It was nice to get into the water and sunshine after four days of dreary coldness. Actually, the change in environment was good for me, and I really enjoyed it. Wouldn't want to stay there, but it was a great diversion.
And then there was the snowboarding. Wasn't as easy as I had thought. Quite a production too: dressing in multiple layers, driving up the mountain, finding parking, renting the gear, suiting up, getting to the lift, riding the lift, getting off the lift (a challenge in itself), riding the darn slope.
Fresh snow had fallen overnight, and as we rode the lift for our initial run it started to snow. Visibility wasn't so good, lots of mist. The weather changed quickly and constantly, though. Cloudy/hazy then some sun; foggy/misty then clear and bright (but mostly just foggy).
After my first few "runs," I was sweating. Not sure if it was stress from riding and falling, but my son was feeling the same and we considered going back to the lodge to shed a layer; but that would've entailed too much effort and time, so we just kept at it.
I was eating it a lot. Couldn't make it down the slope without tumbling or face-planting several times. It wasn't until my son left me to do some blue runs that I rode the lift with one of the instructors who worked at the mountain and got a free personal lesson. He gave me some pointers that had me riding all the way pretty much without falling. I was too scared to go fast--after all, the slope was crowded--so I would just zig-zag all the way. Speed was slow but at least I stayed upright.
After I got some confidence, we tried a short blue run. Same thing. I went slowly. My son blazed down and would do a small jump near the end. This run was narrow, and on one side was a drop and lots of big trees. Suffice to say I was very cautious (read: wimpy) and that kept me from making it down without consistently falling several times.
We stayed on the mountain for almost eight hours, breaking briefly only for lunch. We went to the lodge and lingered only long enough to order and get our food and inhale it. Then immediately back to the slope.
Later in the day, the conditions worsened. Light snow turned to rain drizzle and it got cold and the slope icey. By then my body was aching. I was hurting everywhere, particularly my tailbone and abs from constantly plopping down on my butt to fasten bindings and then pulling myself up to ride.
But the conditions weren't as bad as the preceding day. We had wanted to do a night session when we got into town the previous afternoon, but as we drove there we turned around when we learned from the resort's recorded phone message that power had gone out. Then the day we were there, we heard there had been 80 mph winds at the summit and the lifts had stalled without power and each chair had to be rescued individually using rope and harness. Crazy.
So it was a fantastic experience. I loved it. The snow all around and the tress, creeks, rivers, and mountains. What a blast. I've committed to henceforth take a snowboarding trip at least once each year.
Hopefully, I'll be able to recall and apply the snowboarding principles the instructor gave me. Specifically, "torsion-ing" the board by using force on the heels/toes. My friend (who used to be a sponsored rider in Breckenridge) said once you learn you don't forget, like riding a bike. Hmm...we'll see about that.
Posted at 10:12 PM
January 13, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
A-framer. Bigger. Light to moderate SW breeze but still fairly clean. Fun rights/lefts. Initially had it alone then one guy joined then three others.
Although it was pretty good, and I had a few really nice rides, I couldn't stay focused or even interested because I was so excited about my trip. Had to force myself to not come in after half an hour. It's surprising that it's beautiful and sunny and warm here and that in several hours I'll be in Washington where it's rainy/snowy and frickin' cold. See you guys next week.
Posted at 12:24 PM
January 12, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
A-framer again with a friend. Bigger but windy and choppy. West-y.
Good initially with fun and challenging rights/lefts. Scored an awesome left that made my day. Then the sets backed off and the west bowl for the lefts deteriorated (but would occasionally spring to life).
Then three guys (one photog and two body-boarders) came out. Then another friend. Then two other guys at the end of the session. Crowded by A-framer standards.
Overall, though, pretty good. Some rippable rights. Steep and pitching takeoffs. Satisfied.
Tomorrow I'm headed to Washington State and will squeeze in a day or two of snowboarding. Never been, so it's going to be very interesting and a learning experience. Will be gone til next week.
Posted at 8:36 PM
January 11, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
A-framer alone. Morning. Very clean and smooth. Rights/lefts. Fun. Struggling again. Darn hip arthritis.
Later in the afternoon, for work we had a meeting and then a group activity to promote fitness: Stand up paddle surfing. First time for me. It wasn't easy. Upper quads are sore. Caught a few waves but was hampered by the 12-foot-plus board I was given. Turns? Huh, what?
Posted at 11:53 PM
January 10, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
BM's alone. Better conditions/form. Doable. Some decent lefts. Kinda kooking again and falling off. No leash and lost my board on a dribbler and swam all the way to the beach (yikes!).
Posted at 11:47 PM
January 9, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Bad one. Small, messy, sloppy.
Started at BM's alone, then moved to M's, then back to BM's where a friend joined, then both of us back to M's. Bad session. Falling off and kooking. Hip was bothering me. Sucked.
Posted at 10:31 PM
January 8, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
A-framer. Still west-y. Smaller but a fraction of the crowd. Lefts lined up and barreling--going off. Very fun.
Shallow. Careless paddling out and ran over a coral head and gouged the bottom of my fairly new board. Argh!
Posted at 10:02 PM
January 7, 2010 (Thursday)
Post-session
A-framer again. Very pronounced west angle. Bigger with much better form. Rights and lefts. Crowded.
Sat on the lefts and caught some good ones. A local pro and his two friends (also pro) were killing it. I think they were intimidating everyone because the bulk of the pack was sitting on the inside and fringes and catching all the leftovers and discards. A small group of us regulars and the pros were on the main peak, and we were sharing and taking turns (no drop-ins or snaking). Fairly consistent sets, lots of waves. Lots of fun.
Posted at 5:24 PM
January 6, 2010 (Wednesday)
Post-session
New energy with extreme west vector. As a result, the A-framer was pulling in lots of stuff. But it was weird (perhaps too much west). Very crossed up and shallow. Junk. Crowded.
Posted at 7:42 PM
January 5, 2010 (Tuesday)
Post-session
Checked Regular with a friend. It looked the same as it's been, so he "persuaded" me (he's driving) to head to the Beach Park. It appeared similar. Perhaps more wave action. He wanted to go out, so...
Very low tide. I didn't use a leash. Early on I fell off on a dribbler, and the onshore wind and whitewater carried my board all the way in. I had to swim, crawl, and walk over/on the jagged reef. My board would've gone farther, but "luckily" (it's quotes day) it parked on a coral head. I sliced up my hands, legs, and feet. What a nice experience.
The waves were probably bigger than Regular and more rideable, but that's not saying much, believe me. It speaks more to the prevailing poor quality of the southern shore.
Posted at 8:37 PM
January 4, 2010 (Monday)
Post-session
Awfulness continues. M's again. Bad but slightly better.
Posted at 9:08 PM
January 3, 2010 (Sunday)
Post-session
Did M's alone. Real awful. Choppy/sloppy and small. Caught a last one at Regular.
Posted at 11:15 PM
January 2, 2010 (Saturday)
Post-session
Fun at the A-framer. Packed everywhere with nice conditions/form. To avoid the crowd, my friend and I had two self-imposed choices: BM's or the A. As we made our way to the beach, two guys appeared at BM's, so that pretty much made the call for us.
Although the tide seemed low, the inside reef shelf at the A didn't pose a "hazard." The angle was east, but the rights and lefts were still doable, if you selected wisely.
One guy joined when we got out. He was totally mellow and the three us shared the fairly consistent waist- to neck-high bowls. After about half an hour the guy departed, and my friend and I kept busy snagging dribblers and trading peaks.
Lots of paddling, sunshine, and camaraderie. After almost two hours, we were surfed-out. Good session.
Posted at 10:42 PM
January 1, 2010 (Friday)
Post-session
Beautiful, glorious New Year's Day--sunny and clear with light winds. It was packed. Had to drive around several times because there was absolutely no parking.
Did BM's alone. Fun with rippable, lined-up but weak rights and lefts. Satisfying and relaxing session without stress.
Posted at 10:24 PM