90 degrees F WARMER in Florida than New Hampshire

I'm back in Bonita Springs after a wonderful, long, winter vacation. The first vacation stop for me was my folks' place in Asheville, North Carolina. We did lots of talking and walking in the Appalachian Mountains, and I got to catch up with my sister and my adorable 5 and 3 year old nieces. It seemed plenty chilly there, with frost every morning and some light snow that didn't stick.

Of course, that chill was nothing compared to the next stop, at Rhonda's folks' place in Hudson, New Hampshire. There was a decent layer of crusty old snow on the ground when I arrived, and it was soon complemented by a foot of fluffy new stuff. The kind of snow you get when it's far below freezing is sure different from the typical Washington State "mashed potatoes" snow I remember from childhood. For one thing, it doesn't consistently stick to trees, roofs, or deck railings, so you can't easily tell how deep it is on the ground. For another thing, it makes funny squeaky noises when you pack it down by walking or driving over it.

Two sets of my old cross-country skis were conveniently stored in Rhonda's mom's attic, and I was delighted to be able to use them to explore the woods and parks around Hudson with my future stepfather in law. One pair of the skis was the typical long, skinny xc style, with "New Nordic Norm" boots and bindings. The other pair was a bit wider and shorter with metal rails and "New Nordic Norm BC" boots and bindings. I definitely prefer the latter for making new tracks and for woods trails with lots of ups and downs and turns.

I had planned to do some downhill skiing / snowboarding with my future brother-in-law but we called that off because the forecast HIGH for the mountain that day was below zero F and I didn't have the gear to not get frostbite in such cold. I still got my board out of the garage and walked it up Rhonda's grandma's hill a few times for the heck of it. The effort / payoff ratio of that activity reminded me a lot of SUP wave riding. The thrills by themselves don't quite outweigh the effort, but when you add in the exercise endorphins and the outdoor nature zen, it's a win.

Winter Sports Weekend

Yo. This weekend some grad students and people I work with at the Northeastern University Marine Science Center rented a cabin for a "winter retreat" type of thing. It was in a little Western Massachusetts town called Becket. The owner was a charming, Swiss gentleman who said his family had built a series of vacation homes in the most fabulous parts of the world, and had given them all names ending in "_treff", which apparently means "Gathering Place". This one was "Waldtreff", the Gathering Place in the Woods.

I brought my GoPro camera and filmed some snowboarding. Later Dan Blumstein filmed some sledding. The sledding was at night so you might notice a "Blair Witch Project" feel to that segment of the video. BTW, the soundtrack for the snowboarding part is "Rain When I Die" by Alice and Chains, since there was freezing rain at the mountain that would form sheets of ice on one's clothing, etc.

Snowboarding and Sledding, Feb 2011 from James Douglass on Vimeo.

The Bunny Hill of DOOM

Do not underestimate the danger of a bunny, or a bunny hill.

I went snowboarding with some pals today at "Nashoba Valley", a small ski resort near Boston. Since we were all newbies or nearly-newbies we stayed on the "bunny hill". A bunny hill is a small hill with a gentle incline for beginner skiers and snowboarders.

Back when I lived in Washington State I was a decent downhill skier and would have scoffed at the sissyness of a bunny hill. But on a snowboard I found the little hill plenty challenging, and even managed to bang myself up a fair amount until I began to get the feel by the end of the day. My friend Katie was also having a tough time at first, but leapfrogged ahead of her husband Nick and me when she traded her rented snowboard for skis in the afternoon. I took some video with my GoPro camera. The more awkward / funny stuff is at the beginning, and the getting-the-hang-of-it is towards the end, set to "Electric Feel" by the band "MGMT".

Bunny Hill Snowboard at Nashoba VAlley from James Douglass on Vimeo.

I'm really stoked on snowboarding now and I'm going to try to get some more sessions this winter. I actually went ahead and bought a board, boots, and bindings with the some of the $$ I got from selling my kiteboarding stuff. (It wasn't too expensive, and I should still have plenty for visiting my Florida sweetheart, which is my #1 winter well-being expenditure.) Anyway, the board is a "Ride Agenda 159" 2010 model.

The folks at the shop helped me set it up for a "duck foot" stance, which is with both feet angled slightly toward the tips. Most people set up their snowboards asymmetrically based on which foot they prefer to be the "front", but I went for the symmetrical duck foot stance because:

1. That's how kiteboards are set up, so I figured I would already be used to riding with either foot forward.
2. I'm just obsessive compulsive enough that asymmetry nags me.

The stance worked fine and I was able to lead with either foot, but it was easier leading with my right foot, which means my natural stance is "goofy foot" and I'll have to work a little harder to get the hang of left foot forward.