The BEST SNOW on Earth --- Utah!

Ok, seriously, Utah?! Yeah, the "greatest snow on Earth." I wasn't sure how it is going to compare to the French Alps, such as Val d'Isere and Espace Killy, but, let me tell you, I was impressed! 2 friends, Michelle and Adam, and I warmed up at Brighton and then progressed to Snowbird and then Solitude. We snowboarded for 3 straight days and then wrapped it up with one day of cross country skiing at the Nordic Center at Solitude!


Snowbird is the hardest terrain I have ever snowboarded in... I wish I am better... I wish I can fly off the trail like a bird... I wish I can work the moguls... I wish I can telemark these trails...

Solitude really is solitude. There are less people here and the runs are wide and groomed. We spent a day here to our hearts' content and then another day at the Nordic Center learning how to cross country ski. So, learning the freedom of cross country ski, with the glide motion, and skiing on bent knees made me wanted to learn how to TELEMARK...


So, this is my next goal. I am gonna learn how to do this. This looks so cool and almost like flying... so free. If you want to see what I will be doing when I master this, here is the video (click on the pictures above to see some videos of it). Doesn't that looks so much fun?!

Here are some pictures of our trip:

My personal record: 11 thousand feet and 4 degrees F, on top of SNOWBIRD!

Thanks to Adam, who took these pictures...

My ride: Lib Tech Banana Technology with Magna Traction and some Burton Cartel bindings and boots.

Making snow angel on my 'pillow top feather snow bed'

'Hidden Peak' on top of SNOWBIRD: 11 thousand feet and 4 degrees!

Michelle and I taking the tram down after a long day, while Adam is shredding down some double diamond unmarked clift.

Learning and falling on the frozen lake... withe my cross country ski teacher, Bonnie.

Michelle and Adam skiing in style!

Racing into the village... come catch me if you can!

The signs says "Watch out for Moose," and here are some Moose tracks... I think we are close... I think its watching us!

All I have to say is: WE WILL BE BACK!

Juvenile Hall

Today i visited the juvenile facility in Ventura county. They house a few hundred deliquent kids there at one time. Most stay a few month, some stay 2 years. Kids who ended up there for many reasons, from skipping school, to drug possession, to stealing cars, to murder. Kids who visit there quite often pretty much get 'institutionalized'. They get everything done for them as long as they can obey the rules. They get work, school, 3 meals a day, recreational classes, shower, laundry, and visitation rights when they are in there..... Let me tell ya, that is a heck of a lot more than what a lot of them could muster up on their own. It is like a 'free lunch' every time they are in there... I don't see why they wouldn't want to come back, as long as they can put up with people telling them what to do and also living within the wired fenced walls and locked gates.

Now, ideally, we would like to rehab these kids to become contributing part of society and that they can make a living and pour back their monies back into our economy... instead of costing hard earned tax-payer dollars... but, if all these kids are getting seemed to 'institutionalize' them, they do eventually become a social burden.

What do we do?

Just learned i can mobile update my blog. This is a test.