Neena's first tour

A couple Saturday's back things were lining up for a good day to get some big lines I have had my eye on, but when Neena said she wanted to go for a tour I jumped at the chance. I called around trying to find a set up for her to use and before long, thanks to Caroline Gleich, we had everything we needed.

For those of you who don't know, Neena has Crohn's Disease. It is an auto immune disorder that causes her body to attack her digestive tract. There is no cure so over the past year we have been trying to find a treatment will work for her. This was the first time in months that she had expressed any desire to do something like this. 

We woke up and took our time getting to the hill. I decided a good first tour/summit for her would be Patsy Marley. We took our time stopping for snacks and even had a nice lunch. It was good to be out in the mountains together. Her endurance isn't where she would like it to be, but she was a champ and was determined to make the summit. 

Standing on top of Patsy Marley with her was a neat experience. It was our first summit together. The ski out was a little hard on her tired legs but she did great. It was an awesome experience to be able to spend the day doing what I love with my favorite person. 

Long and Mellow

We gathered together for the standard group photo on top of Patsy Marley and I didn't have to fake a smile for the camera. The sky was blue, I was surrounded by friends, and we were out in the mountains. Is there anything better? There is something about being out in the mountains this way, away from all the hubbub of the resorts, that connects with a person in a deeper way. It gets in the blood and keeps you coming back.

We took it easy as we walked, talking as we went, we did a couple laps through the trees and then rolled our way up to the top of Patsy where I had a line idea off of the North East face. It was one of the most fun lines I have ridden all year. There were so many variations in the snow, hard to soft, but still good enough to really push some speed, toss up some snow and blast through my powder cloud into the run out of the little couloir. Smiles all day long.

Sunrise... Such a great time to be awake.

Whitney, Eric, Jann, Ben, and David.

SMOG CENTRAL: Thank goodness I was able to get away from the smog pit.

I love the Montandons. The always bring a funny positive attitude.

Ben rented Jann a splitboard from the U of U for only 18 bucks. Such a deal. They were struggling with those skins though.

Wisdom: Whenever possible, finish a day at Lonestar.