CascadeCrudSkier Checks In

[eDub]

Some of you may have noticed that CascadeCrudSkier has been absent from the board for some time now. Since, 2001, CCS was my “go to” ski buddy. I easily spent more time with CCS than any other single person over the past 3-4 years. He was the first person I ever met who was as passionate about our respective love for skiing (him) and snowboarding (me) as I was. I could always count on him to ignore responsibility for the sake of a few turns, and he is still one of the only people I know who understands my need to risk job, relationships, life and limb to slide down a mountain while strapped to a tightly compressed bundle of wood, plastic, and metal.

He was also the person who brought me to the old powdermag board and then to here, where I discovered that there were many many others suffering from the same incurable affliction. In short, CascadeCrudSkier is one of the best friends I have ever had, or could ever hope to have.

After a highly competitive series of physical, intellectual, and mental tests, in early 2004 CCS was accepted to (and in June left for) the prestigious Navy Flight School so he could compete for an opportunity to fly jets off of aircraft carriers – a 10-year commitment. In his own words “it’s the only job that could possibly compete with skiing.” We lost touch while he was sequestered in Officer Candidate School, but he recently graduated and we have had intermittent contact. Currently he is far away from snow and awaiting re-assignment to begin his flight training and I haven’t spoken with him in some time.

However, on Sunday night when I got home from opening day at Mt. Baker, there was a lengthy message from CCS on my answering machine. Despite his current location, he has been checking the snow reports every day. He knew that Baker had opened and knew that I would be there, and he wanted a complete report – coverage, condition, and crew. (And although he didn’t ask in the message, I’m sure it will come up when I reach him – were there any Sarah Burke lookalikes/skialikes?) He got one from me via email the next day.

There is no real point to this message other than to let CascadeCrudSkier’s other friends know that he is doing well and is looking forward to some winter leave so he can grab some turns in his beloved Cascades.
.
.
.
.

Unfortunately, neither of us was ever very good at stopping to shoot photos when the snow was good, but here's some CCS stoke nonetheless:

edit: WTF?!?!? Biglines deleted my photos and I had to re-upload them. Anyone else have this problem??? Well, they should be correct now.

Baker BC
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ormal_Hemi.jpg

CCS summiting Mt. St. Helens with Adams in the background
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...s/StHelens.jpg

CCS flying us home from the 2003 Mt. Baker Film Festival
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...to%20baker.jpg

The view of Baker from the Cessna
http://www.tetongravity.com/usergall...ker%20view.jpg

[Superstar Punani]

CascadeCrudSkier, you just did an incredibly brave thing. What you should have done was land your plane! you don't own that plane, the tax payers do! Son, your ego is writing checks your body can't cash. You've been busted, you've lost your qualifications as section leader three times, put in hack twice by me, with a history of high speed passes over five air control towers, and one admiral's daughter!

[BakerBoy]

I just want to know why you didn't tell anybody from around here that you were headed up for opening day at Baker...

[Mulletizer]

Tell the man to fly himself back to La Grave. I didn't ski with him enough last time he was here.

[bad_roo]

Tell the man to fly himself back to La Grave. I didn't ski with him enough last time he was here.

You know that's not possible. The hard deck for his operation is 10,000 feet. There will be no engagement below that.

[Mulletizer]

You know that's not possible. The hard deck for his operation is 10,000 feet. There will be no engagement below that.

Zen zee man must land on zee Glacier de la Girose. Or risk being branded "dangerous, Maverick".

[bad_roo]

You could land something a fair bit bigger than a Cessna up on the Girose, although I'm not sure an F-14 would ever get airborne again. I love seeing stuff come and go from the altiport at Alpe d'Huez. It slopes pretty steeply downhill and then just terminates at the chairlift that drops into the Srenne Gorge. I bet that concentrates the mind on take off.

http://www.pilotlist.org/rencontres/...barcelo093.jpg

http://flyinfrance.free.fr/apt/huez.jpg

[eDub]

I just want to know why you didn't tell anybody from around here that you were headed up for opening day at Baker...

I was sick and I wasn't sure I was going to be able to make it. I almost puked a couple of times on the lift, but I choked it down and kept going.

I did run into hop in the Heather Meadows Day Lodge around 11 a.m. just as he was calling it a day.

Tell the man to fly himself back to La Grave. I didn't ski with him enough last time he was here.

Likewise Mulletizer. You guys were great when we were there and I don't think it would take much to convince him (or me) to go back to La Grave.

By the way, I bought a split board 6 weeks after getting back from La Grave. I'm not getting caught on those ascent skis again with a group of skiers with full tele and AT set-ups. Now I just need to figure out some way to get rid of this desk monkey job.

[FigureEleven]

Hey E-Dub
Biglines is pretty screwed up right now... When i post my wolf creek pics, i get your WA pics and now your thread has been mostly taken over by my Wolf Creek pics... I dont get it.

[eDub]

Hey E-Dub
Biglines is pretty screwed up right now... When i post my wolf creek pics, i get your WA pics and now your thread has been mostly taken over by my Wolf Creek pics... I dont get it.

This morning I got red X's, but now I seem to be getting my pics. But if anybody has an alternative pic upload site, I'm listening.

[Superstar Punani]

This morning I got red X's, but now I seem to be getting my pics. But if anybody has an alternative pic upload site, I'm listening.

TGR user galleries.

Looks like biglines is moving the picture numbers on the file names around, so different pics come up.

Don't screw around with me CascadeCrudSkier. You're a hell of an instinctive pilot. Maybe too good. I'd like to bust your butt but I can't. I got another problem here. I gotta send somebody from this squadron to Miramar. I gotta do something here, I still can believe it. I gotta give you your dream shot! I'm gonna send you up against the best. You two characters are going to Top Gun.

[basom]

if you screw up just this much. (shoves cigar butt in ccs's face) You'll be flying a cargo plane full of rubber dog shit out of Hong Kong!

[Mulletizer]

I did run into hop in the Heather Meadows Day Lodge around 11 a.m. just as he was calling it a day.

Likewise Mulletizer. You guys were great when we were there and I don't think it would take much to convince him (or me) to go back to La Grave.

I didn't realise who you are. Get yourself back too.

BTW What was HOP doin calling it a day at 11? WTF? That's even worse than me...

[eDub]

BTW What was HOP doin calling it a day at 11? WTF? That's even worse than me...

Conditions were turning to shit by 11 a.m. I didn't last for too much longer after that. It started to rain and then . . .

[tibaher]

did you ever meet a maggot who you weren't sure if you've met before, or don't know if you've met after, or didn't know his real name, or wasn't sure what his board name was?...yeah that's what's happenin to me right now.

J
E
T
S
JETS JETS JETS

[iceman]

J
E
T
S
JETS JETS JETS

That's comedy.

First of all it should be four "Jets" at the the end to make the chant work but you all never get it right.

Second, the Jets suck.

Third, I like to ski powder.