I'm almost reluctant to make a new post since that means the image of my muse and fantasy main squeeze will be bumped from the home page. It's been a fascinating experiment to see how many hits are generated strictly by an image. KAC has received over 100 more views than the fluffy kittens proving once again that the WTF factor sells, though I have yet to receive any financial remuneration or even a quid pro quo for my efforts. Come to think of it, I've never gotten a dime from any of this drivel. Maybe it's time to switch to a subscription plan to supplement my retirement income.
Anyway, here I go, yet again, with a non-skiing related image. If you love metal and you're into world music check out this video from The Hu Band of Mongolia. It's gotten over 24 million views so it's not like it's a big secret but no one I've told about it has heard of these guys. Bill Wall turned me onto the Hu and I'm passing on the favor. Bombastic bass and drums combined with traditional Mongolian instruments plus throat singing: what's not to love? And motorcycles. Lots of motorcycles.
Skiesta was yesterday and I drove my skiers hard all week in preparation. Here they are begging for mercy at ski practice on Thursday. Mercy is never forthcoming and if I can produce tears and an emotional breakdown at least once per day, then practice is a rousing success. We compensate occasionally with a process the kids call "ski therapy" where we gather in a circle and reveal our innermost selves which generally revolves around tender feelings such as hunger for snacks, fear of Skisquatch and why some of us hate Hawkwoods. Yes, I am a tyrant, but a benevolent one.
Putting child abuse aside for a moment, Bridget Laird produced another winning event yesterday with Skiesta. Seems like we've settled into a range of 50 to 60 racers every year. There's a race at Homestake that probably siphons off some participants but we still manage to get a good crowd coming from Missoula, the Flathead and sometimes as far afield as Sandpoint.
Tim Swanberg is much too happy here. Must be early in the race. Is that a cotton shirt?
Madeline Swanberg and Aidan Duffield were waaaaaaay too relaxed in the 20k. They were talking up a storm when they passed me at Jct. 4 and Karen Pratt reported they were still chatting it up as they passed her station at the top of Whitetail Hill on the way out to the 20K addition. I joined Karen on Whitetail after all the 5k skiers had passed my post, and when Maddie and Aidan skied back onto the course from the 20k I heard them before I saw them. I asked Maddie after the race if they talked the whole time and she said, "yeah, pretty much." She tried to blame it on Aidan, but I know better. Must be nice to be young and strong with unlimited supplies of oxygen at your disposal.
Cora Stone in the 5k. Cora has moved on to high school so I don't get to ski with her much anymore. She always took the lead in ski therapy and excelled at processing her daily dose of angst, which was prodigious.
OSCR is coming up this weekend and promises to be another glorious sufferfest with the continuation of the two loop course. It seemed to be a love it or hate it affair last year with more positive than negative comments. The 25k is an honorable option if the second lap was more fun than you could handle in 2019. When we did the two-loop 50k back in the '90's I always opted for the 25k and felt like I got my money's worth. You get to ski the entire trail system plus there's the climb and the long downhill on the Auggie addition with all the panoramic views opened up by the fire. It's Seeley Lake skiing at its finest.
See you next Saturday.
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