Although this year was unseasonably warm, Mother Nature did manage to dump some of that white gold for all to enjoy. It appeared as though I was standing in a shaken snow globe. A blur of white flurries danced all around us.As I walked out of my tent to shoot some of the evenings competition, I spotted these boys taking full advantage of what XFest has to offer. If I wasn't carrying a camera worth more than my car, or better yet, if I actually was carrying health insurance to cover a broken leg, I might have joined them on this bunny slope. Oh to be 10 and carefree again! Why is it
that as our age increases, so does the fear of breaking a limb? Mental note: Drink more milk.Everything about XFest seems to be oriented towards grooming future X athletes. Long gone are the days of attacking a hill with a sled. (Or in my case, thick cardboard.) Hey, so what if it was ingenuous at the time? Aside from not having much money, my parents are from a tropical place. This was no Cool Runnings. They probably didn't know what a sled was at the time, let alone go and spend money on it. Besides, for 7 year old to think of using a flattened cardboard box is pretty ingenious, don't you think? I digress. These days, sleds are clearly no longer the only option. This little boy pictured above is riding what looks like a bike with skis on the bottom in place of tires. Which makes me rethink the whole cardboard thing. Should've gone for the Big Wheels! It's big plastic wheels usually lost traction when peddling too fast. Not good for sidewalks, but perfect for snow!
The courses built for winter X Games are crazy! I love checking them out, from a distance. The Pipe is probably the most watched venue. Weather plays a huge part in the outcome of this event. And on this night, with all the snow falling, there was bound to be some crashes. Fresh fallen snow slows you down, and on the Pipe you need speed. With the warm days causing some melting, followed by freezing or snowy nights, each run down the Pipe is different. What the terrain was like during the day may not be the same at night.With that said, you won't be finding me staring down the Pipe anytime soon. Unless, my brother hooks me up with his Starbucks health insurance. Seriously, it's an awesome plan! No wonder why he still works there. He's probably the only employee with a freaking PHD., So with the Starbucks Uber Health Plan, I may be tempted to sled down the thing. Would my cardboard box catch on fire from the speed? What if I did what National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation did and sprayed down a metal saucer with cooking spray? Reality check.
I will NEVER be taking a run down this thing!
