La Niña La Failia

"It's coming again. La Niña coming back!" These were the words I heard from skiers, whether forecasters, and random web pages starting around October or November. Due to the massive effect of La Niña last year, this produced a lot of excitement. However, now it's late January, and here's the snow report from Bridger Bowl:
New Snow: 0 in.
Settled Base Depth: 31 in.

Temperature: 37 degrees F.

Montana averages between 70 and 80% behind average snow fall. The average base depth at Bridger on new years day is 48 inches. This year it was half that. And it's not just Montana. The Lake Tahoe Resorts (Alpine Meadows, Heavenly, Kirkwood, Mt. Rose, Northstar, Sierra and Squaw Valley) have 18-48 inches on the ground. The only two resorts in the lower 48 I'm aware of that have decent skiing right now are Jackson Hole and it's little sibling, Grand Targhee. They are still behind average, but have each received at least ten feet of snow this season.

However, while the Euro is falling, the snow just keeps piling up across the ocean. Europe is well above average, with some resorts reporting 200+ inches on the ground. This is exactly the opposite of last year, with the lower 48 getting pounded, but BC, Alaska, and Europe bone dry. But, as I look out the window, the clouds are coming in, and I can see the Bridgers becoming shrouded in white. Maybe white things will fall from the ski to. Curse you Ullr.

Missoula Forms Seminar

A few weeks ago there was a Taekwondo forms seminar in Missoula with Aikiko Reyes, one of the top forms competitors in the U.S. The first day focused on the official guide lines for forms set forth by the World Taekwondo Federation in 2007 and subsequently tweaked every year, much too the annoyance of myself and a few thousand other competitors world wide. Nonetheless, these standards do improve the level of competition and are a must for national and international-level competitors.

The second day of the seminar was directed specifically towards Nationals and US Open competitors. This session was more precise, due to the scrutiny that competitors at that level are put under by judges. Tiny "mistakes," such as not having your arm totally straight, or not coming back to the exact spot where you started could make the difference between winning and not getting on the podium at all. The seminar improved my forms tremendously and I'm feeling even more confident for the spring tournament season.

Youtube Channel Launched!

Sorry for the delay, but better late than never! The KickCarveCrank Youtube channel has been launched! You will see everything from ski edits to vlogs to taekwondo forms. Believe it or not, but if you have a Google Account, you have a Youtube channel, so even if you're not a big Youtuber, you can still become among my first subscribers! Here's the link to the channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/KickCarveCrank
PS: if you get enough subscribers, you get paid!

KickCarveCrank YouTube Channel

KickCarveCrank is getting a YouTube channel! I will document (almost) everything that's on the blog in video on YouTube! The channel is in the process of being built, so it won't come up when you type it in. I'll post a link soon. Thanks!

1 Day 1, 2 Day 2

On October 29th, Team Muleterro, a local bike team (http://teammuleterro.com/)  hosted Mulecross, the second to last Montana 'cross race of the year. I got a great start, but crashed into a post about 30 seconds into the race. I only gave up one spot, which I quickly took back. There were two run-ups, both of which could be ridden, although the first was faster to run. After the mishaps on the first lap, I was able to build up a stable lead and won by about thirty seconds.

The second day was the State Championships (apparently no one wants to race 'cross in Montana after November 1st). The main challenge was a steep hill followed by a 1-2 foot drop. There was a B-line around to the rider's left, but you would sacrifice at least three seconds, which can add up very quickly. I had never ridden the A-line, but decided to do it about twenty yards before. After the first time, I got confident doing it and rode strong for the rest of the race and to a solid second. I've had a great CX season and it snowed for the first time last week! I've already got a ski jump built in the back yard. Big Sky and Moonlight Basin open Thanksgiving weekend, and Bridger Bowl opens December 9th.

Two Kinds of Leg Pain

On Saturday I competed in the Missoula Taekwondo Championships. I won forms 5-0 and 4-1. In sparring, I got a decent lead going into the third round and waited out the clock. Although the other kid got a few points, I was able to hold on and win. The second match had questionable scoring, although I was beaten fair and square. I lost 11-7, and settled for second place (and a slightly pulled hamstring).

Sunday was the second day of Rolling Thunder, probably the biggest CX event in the state. To use the word "race" would be wrong. "Superfestival of Muddy Bikes and Crazy Fast Riders" would be a better definition. The night before, the Men's Cat 1 was led by a guy on a single speed for the majority of the race. He was beaten out in the sprint, but had and amazing race non the less. On I raced on Sunday, and despite a crash going into a rather sketchy corner, finished fourth. I really was third, although the kid who would've gotten second had a crazy crash and didn't finish, bumping a friend of mine up to second and me up to third. He would have beaten me though, so for all general purposes, I was fourth. And had road rash on my leg. And my arm.

Deer Hunt

The two days before general deer season are reserved for kids ages 12-15 to hunt. We booked a cabin in the Crazy Mountains for those two days. We set our at about 7:20 on the first day of the youth hunts. As you can see from the bottom right photo, it was a beautiful landscape. The first twenty minutes were packed with deer, all of which were either out of range or saw us first. We proceeded on the hunt for a while, until my dad spotted a doe the top of the drainage above us. I had just gotten set up to shoot when she moved off into the brush and off onto private land. We continued for about an hour, when I spotted two more mule deer does about five yards from the above photo. I was getting set up to shoot the closer one when a smaller but easier-to-get third deer emerged from the brush. I shot her through both lungs and the heart, causing her to run about three steps, jump over a log, and fall as she landed.  After taking a moment to thank her, we gutted the doe and carried it back to the cabin (thanks to my dad for the hauling). I have a Deer B-tag and a General Elk Tag left in terms of big game hunting, and can take up to three grouse a day, so there could be many more to come!