G Routine

The beginning of this winter season has been unbelievable. I wasn't planning on going up to Crystal yesterday but my friends Adam and Nicole called the night before and twisted my arm. Adam took the day off from Google and Nicole had the day off from Alpine Hut. They didn't have to twist my arm too much but I'm glad they did.

It was one of those magical days up at Crystal where there's knee deep powder, blue skies, it's really cold, and occasionally it snows lightly. As you can see from the picture of Nicole and Adam on the chair behind me, it's clear, sunny, and snowing. There were also what's called 'sun-dogs' all over.

'Sun-dogs' are kind of like rainbows but applied to snow. The sun hits the snowflakes in the air and create a bright spot. Click on the thumbnail to go bigger.

Since the temperature was in the low teens much of the moisture in the snow had been sucked out. Different people I talked to during the day who weren't from the Northwest kept asking, "is the snow always this light out here?" They also asked repeatedly if it always snowed this much.

Since we are setting records for snowfall the answer is no. That and I don't want more people to come out and see what a great secret we have out here in the Northwest. I've missed the home mountain.

As you can see I brought my trusty Canon Digital Elph along to capture the action. Hard thing is when it's so good you don't want to stop to get the shots. Here's a shot of Adam enjoying his first day of the winter season.

You'll notice that the only good action shot is of Adam. That's because I blew the shots of Nicole and Adam blew every action photo he took. Nicole and I dropped a little cliff and Adam got us after we landed. I'm going to have to get that kid a photography class for X-mas.

At the end of the day Adam and I got a X-mas present from Crystal. They opened the South Backcountry. Adam and I hiked up to the top of the King. Here's a shot from half way on the hike. The King is my favorite peak in Crystal Mountain's backcountry. From the image I'm sure you can see why.

Before I took that image some guy ripped down the section called Pinball. All I could do was holler. After getting a good sweat going Adam and I arrived at the top of the King. Here's a shot of what it looks like if you were to ski down Pinball from the summit. The other shot is just the view of us gearing up for the run of the year.

So Adam and I dropped down the other side of the King and made glorious turns in super light waist deep powder. The run is fairly open trees with some rollers that turns into a chute about 30 feet wide and then opens back up into a bowl. These were 'all time' turns. What a great way to end a wonderful day. It was so good and we were so excited that the camera stayed in my pocket. But just imagine turns with the powder going up over and off your shoulders, hitting your face every time you weight your skis, floating, effortlessly down the hill. Ahhh.....

I leave you with this shot of Mt. Rainier from the top of the King. What an absolutely gorgeous day!!!

All the way home in the car I was thinking about whether or not I should get another job in the wintersports industry. Today was epic. I was skiing while watching a helicopter fly around the backcountry with a Warren Miller crew on board. It felt kind of wierd, I should be on that helicopter. But at the same time they were setting up all day and not skiing much where I was doing laps and having a great day.

Afterward in the Snorting Elk I saw Adam Clark, Ingrid Backstrom, Billy Poole, Jessica Sobolowski, Keith Rollins, and Wayne Gravey who were all with the WME crew. Do I want to make what I enjoy doing as a recreation a job again? I'm torn.

Do I leave the industry to try something else, broaden my skills, and then come back to the industry later? Do I work for somebody or start my own business consulting? So many people are calling asking for advice on team, photo shoots, ad buys, etc. Right now I'm just helping out because I enjoy talking about it, but can I make a living off of my advice? Time will tell. Stay tuned.

Posted by Gary at 12:19 PM | Permalink

Woke up yesterday and it was a blizzard right outside my house. Drove up to Crystal in the snow storm and watched as the poor Northwest drivers struggled. It was slow going as the Department of Transportation was making cars chain up right by the old Warehauser facility. It's amazing how bad the drivers are out here.

I got all my skis tuned up for the season and have to say I've been a little disappointed with the work I've been getting. The bindings weren't set right. Too low a din setting and weren't the right length. I could step right out of them. Plus the wax on the skis must have been for cross country skis as I could have walked up the hill without slipping backwards.

I've had my boards tuned at 3 different shops and all of them haven't done a good job. It's too bad as you've got to wonder how many other consumers out there are getting poor work and not enjoying their day on the hill as much as they would otherwise. Get it together shops of Seattle!!!

Had another amazing day on the hill. It snowed so hard you could barely see 30 feet in front of you. That and the wind kicked up so hard the upper chairlifts had to close. Still got a ton of great runs in with a bunch of different people.

The highlight of the day was in the afternoon when I was adopted by the Backstrom family for a few family ski runs. Steve and Betsy Backstrom have been Crystal Mountain locals since Steve joined the Ski Patrol in 1970. Their daughter Ingrid had come from Tahoe to ski her old resort with her friend Jessica Sobolowski. We did a few laps in Bear Pits and called it good. That's a family of amazing skiers. Ingrid sister was with us and rips too.

Driving home was more of a pain than driving up. But well worth it as I just replayed the amazing runs from the day in my head. If you haven't gotten up to the hills around Seattle yet, I strongly recommend that you do.

Posted by Gary at 12:30 PM | Permalink

With 30" of new snow there was no messing around. Got up this morning at 5:45 and was on the road by 6:00 am. Today was the first time in a long time that I made it up to Crystal early enough for first tracks. There was still traffic and a ton of people already in line when I arrived. The image above is at about 8:20 and the lifts didn't open until 9:00 am.

I had thought I was in pretty good shape but 30" new made me rethink my fitness level. Spent the morning ripping freshies down Frontside, then ran into Jeremy and we skied until 12:30. Almost got first tracks in Campbell Basin, then down Powder Bowl. Couple T-to-B's down Upper and Lower Exterminator and the quads were burning. Jeremy went in for lunch to meet his cousin and I kept on.

Then in the afternoon a totally random dude came up to me asking if I 'knew' the mountain. I told him I felt pretty familar with the hill and gave him a tour. Kids name was Bryce, a snowboarder from Gonzaga. He's studying Sports Marketing and some day wants to work in the Wintersports Industry. I gave him a couple suggestions and then after a couple hours I lost him somewhere. Nice guy, hope he liked the tour.

Below are a couple powder shots of Jeremy and myself. Click on the thumbnail to increase 'pow' factor.

Posted by Gary at 08:04 PM | Permalink

Thanksgiving at my house went really well. The turkey was deliciously moist, the stuffing, the sweet potatoes, all the way to the apple/cranberry salad was extremely tasty. It was fun to have my grandparents and sister over to the house, it was there first time here.

Good food and good company. So FULL. About to fire up some leftovers for T-Day 2. I'm thankful that my family got along so well on what was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Posted by Gary at 07:57 PM | Permalink

Getting the house clean and ready to have the family over for Thanksgiving. Should be fun.

Harrison my web friend is on the way over and hopefully we'll get this garywinberg.com thing all finished and me completely self-sufficient. I'm looking forward to having my Gallery all updated and working. I love photography and hope you enjoy the imagery.

Went for a great run around Green Lake this morning in the pouring down rain. Sometimes it just feels good to be out in a down pour.

Happy Holidays!!!

Posted by Gary at 12:44 PM | Permalink

One of the funnest things about working at HH was hooking up friends with free gear. I never could sell the stuff to people because it just didn't feel ethical. I also have a problem where I can't wear last years gear. I'm going to have to get over that because the tap is going to run dry now that I'm not working in the industry.

So my buddy Conrad came over and I outfitted him with a new suit and some goggles. Got to keep the kids looking good. He's also a ripping skier so it's good product placement for the brand. Go HH. Once again, another happy customer.

It's pouring down rain outside so I'm hoping for a little new snow and some more skiing tomorrow.

Posted by Gary at 05:41 PM | Permalink

I may be sore after today. Got home around 2 am, woke up at 6:30 am and drove back up to Crystal. Another spring day of skiing. Rode straight from 9:30 am to 3:00 pm with just a quick water break. Saw some good looking people dressed in HH and checked it out. They ended up being employees I used to work with. Then I also saw Nancy, Katie, and Scotty. I thought they'd all be in the Snorting Elk afterwards, but nobody showed. Had a sandwich and rolled home. Another beautiful day making the happy turns. Back still strong.

Time to rest up and wait for some new snow. Oh, and keep looking for a job.

Posted by Gary at 10:51 PM | Permalink

Whew. Busy evening as I had a couple of birthday parties and a concert to see. Started out at Mark and Arlene's for dinner, then up to a fairly new wine bar called Bricco's on Queen Anne for my friend Conrads' birthday, then to Neumo's for the Kaskade show. Great dinner, great wine, and good dancing.

He's a picture of the good ol' boys reunited.

I don't know why some DJ's aren't more widely listened to. Kaskade is probably one of my top 5 DJ's and put's on a great show. Dance, dance, dance baby... I recommend you purchase some of his music and go see a show whenever possible. You'll thank me for it later.

Posted by Gary at 10:38 PM | Permalink

Yesterday was the official beginning of my 2006-07 winter season. I got up early after a fun Pray for Snow Party and drove up to Crystal Mountain for opening day. Can't say the conditions were all that great, it had rained the day before just about to the top of the mountian. The snow was pretty hard in the early morning, but the sun was out, and the people on the slopes made the snow turn soft in the afternoon. By eleven it was starting to feel more like a spring day of skiing than the first of this winter.

Looking back it was one of the funnest days I've had on snow in some time. Not because of the conditions but more the new atmosphere. It was the first time riding in 6 years where skiing wasn't a job. I always had personal days to go ski, but everything just seemed kind of different. I wasn't thinking about doing laps to get in shape to keep up with pros, worrying about photo shoots, or that somebody was asking me about my upcoming winter plans...

I also skied by myself for the majority of the day just listening to my music, enjoying the view, and getting my groove on. The back that I blew out early this summer didn't hurt at all which was an enormous relief. Come to think of it, nothing hurt, not even my bad knees.

I had a couple beautiful surprises during the day too. I saw this attractive blonde all by herself waiting to get on the chair and figured I should hustle up and join her. I hop on the chair, look over to start a conversation, and it turns out to be Jessica Sobolowski. Jess is a cool woman that I sponsored through HH for the last 5 years and she happened to be in Seattle for the Warren MIller show. She came up to Crystal and we just happened to run into each other. We did a couple laps, hugs, and laughed.

Then I met this guy who was skiing on one leg, with the two arm supports, and was 81 years old. His outfit was from the 70's but his smile and passion for the day was completely current. He told me he hadn't missed an opening day at Crystal the last 11 years and that he should have sharpened his edges this morning. He told me how great it was to be skiing and even if it was raining he'd be having a good time. He told me he hadn't gotten too much exercise lately because his wife fell down and dislocated her shoulder so he couldn't water ski without his wife driving the boat. What an inspiration.

The joy of riding the mountains is timeless and undiscribable to those who've never done it. There's just something about it that you can never get enough of. Glad the new season is here and I'm looking forward to going again tomorrow. I hope to see more people at Crystal tomorrow.

Posted by Gary at 06:48 PM | Permalink

The Pray for Snow Party never fails to deliver. The Red Door was packed with eager skiers, most of which hooted and hollered for tons of snow and were planning on making it up to either Crystal Mountain or Mt. Baker the following morning. Kyle and Nicole Fisher, owners of the Alpine Hut, were giving away tons of gear in a raffle. The latest ski and snowboard films were playing on the bar TV's and the crowd gathered around to catch the latest action.

Different industry folk made appearances like POW Gloves, Arc'teryx, Bern Helmets, and K2. Check out the image of POW Gloves owner promoting the new 'Shocker' glove. The other images below are of owner Nicole Fisher with fiance Adam Luchsinger (ol' roomie) and the crew.

Already looking forward to next years party.

Posted by Gary at 06:09 PM | Permalink

Today I have a couple things on the agenda to talk about. First, if you live in Seattle you need to come down to the Red Door in Fremont for the Pray For Snow Party put on by my friends at the Alpine Hut. Plus we need to have a good winter, praying can't hurt, and it's always a good time.

Then I also have to state if you are an avid skier, then you need to see the best ski film put out in years, so be sure to buy a copy of PUSH/PULL by Matchstick Productions. I just got my copy and plopped it into the DVD player last night. It's one of the best ski films MSP has ever made and one of the best ski films period. It should be in ever skiers essential ski film library.

The first film called PUSH is the theatrical version and has a fun feel. Good adverture segments, sick pillow lines, cliff hucks, and some jibbing that's been missing from past films. Then pop in PULL for all the footage of each athlete. It's amazing how much footage is shot that doesn't make the original feature. Steve, Murray, and Gaffney have a tough job trying to figure out what shots to put in.

Not sure how to do this, but I got to add a section to my 'routine' called the rant. I had a silly interview scheduled today that I walked out on. To hear my rant click on the Extended Entry link, where ever that shows up.

Lastly, I go to a super cool Yoga and Pilates Studio in Fremont called Maya. Just found out today that my instructor is the owner. It's always fun to meet nice, cool, interesting people and Erin makes the list. So check out www.mayawholehealth.com and drop on by the studio this Sunday as they are having a wellness open house type of a deal. Damn, I forgot already exactly what it is but at least I remember when my next appointment is. You can also link to her business through my 'NETWORK' page under People Who Fix Me.

Peezout!

THE RANT (new section for the G website)

Ok, so I'm not going to name the company which I had an interview with today, but I am going to mention how ridiculous it was. So they called me three times about seeing my resume and thinking I'd be a great candidate for an entry level position. I told them I wasn't interested and that maybe they didn't read my resume since I didn't feel I was 'entry level'.

So they call me back three more times about a management position and after looking at their site I still wasn't interested, but since I can use the interview practice, I decided what the hell. So I know it's sketchy right away when I see the building and walk into reception. Ikea furniture, huge flat screen TV showing the TV show 'Earl' and a stereo playing Sir Mix-A-Lot at the same time. What the hell?

Kind of reminded me of being in a trailor where the people spent all their money on a flatscreen and don't have enough $$ to buy groceries. There were a bunch of people running around in really cheap JC Penny type suits talking really loud. There were 3 other guys there looking green also applying for what must have been 'entry level' positions. When I went to the receptionist to check in, she handed me a clip board and asked me to fill out a standard application. I mentioned to her that they had called me due to what they already saw on my resume, so did I really need to fill out another one?

The red flags in my mind were going up everywhere. Why did the receptionist keep answering the phone saying, "advertising"? I had to ask her why since their website said they didn't do graphic design. She replied they contracted it out and did do some advertising. Weird. My appointment was at 11 am and the HR woman kept coming out of her office taking the newbies in before me. They even arrived to reception after I did. So a half hour goes by as I read some magazines...

I watch as a bunch of used car salesmen types come and go and come to the realization that this isn't even worth the interview practice. Very weird place and mighty sketchy. I think they might organize street promo teams or sell sports tickets door to door. Looked like a cult type of pyramid scam. Who knows, who cares, entertaining and educational none the less. Mark that one off the list and move on...

Posted by Gary at 02:24 PM | Permalink

It feels like Monday... Probably because for the first time in a while, I got up at a decent hour, dressed up, and have to do a commute. Yep, this week it's all about starting the employment process. I had a couple interviews before my trip to Mexico, but now it's a full press. Two interviews today, two tomorrow, and possibly another one on Wednesday. I just put together the G package and sent it out to my top 5 potential employers this morning.

I will admit it's kind of fun dressing up and doing interviews. I find it a revealing process about ones self. It's kind of like drilling down into who you are and what you want to do and the interviews help me answer those questions. It's also fun to be on the other side of the coin, since before I was the one doing the interviews, whether it was of potential athletes, film sponsorships, events, etc.

I wonder if it will be more difficult to find the next job of my dreams due to the timing. It is coming close to the end of the 4th fiscal business quarter and there's Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays coming up. If it doesn't happen until January then I'll have an excuse to get a ton of skiing in.

Speaking of skiing, looks like opening day at Crystal will be Thursday. It may not be all powder or good conditions as it's supposed to warm up and rain in the mountains on Wednesday. Looks like Thursday I'll be doing double duty with skiing during the day and soccer that evening. Good thing is I just scheduled my Subaru to have it's winter tires put on this Wednesday. Bring on the nasty driving conditions, the Subbie can't be stopped.

It sure is looking good up there though. Hope to see you all up at Crystal this Thursday.

Posted by Gary at 01:31 PM | Permalink

I'm rather excited about the prospect that Crystal Mountain will open the 2006-2007 winter season this upcoming Wednesday. Look at the snow in the picture above, it's absolutely beautiful. I have nervous jitters because I blew out my back early this summer and have been working out and doing physical therapy all summer/fall to feel normal again. Most of my exercise has been measured in my mind by, "I think I'll be able to ski this winter" or "skiing is going to be painful this winter." This Wednesday I'll find out how well my re-hab really went.

Time to get out all the gear, adjust the boots, wax the skis, and put a ski movie in the DVD player. Looks like I will also go to the gym today and probably over-do it with a tough leg workout. Hmm, l need to get my winter tires put on the ol' Subbie as well. Going from the beach to full on winter; I dig it.

Pray for snow people!!!

Posted by Gary at 12:21 PM | Permalink

After having the plane cancelled due to mechanical problems on Tuesday, then being switched to Alaska Airlines and a later flight, then delayed in San Francisco for another couple hours, I made it home around 12:30 am on Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. I'm so tired from having too much fun and I brought back with me a Mexican cold. Going to have to get over that quickly.

Yesterday I unpacked, went to T-Mobile and bought the new Blackberry Pearl Cell Phone, worked out, did laundry, and watched a movie. Today I had physical therapy, caught up on emails, updated my blog (routine), paid bills, and started to list what additions or changes I need to make to my website. Time to finish up a bunch of odds and ends and start seriously looking for new employment.

Hmm, it's starting to snow in the mountains. Going to be skiing soon. Can't wait to start making turns.

Posted by Gary at 09:04 PM | Permalink

Since I heard it's raining record amounts back in Seattle, I've decided to change my flight to Tuesday (was Sunday). I'm going to check into the Dreams Hotel just south of Puerto Vallarta with my friends Trevor and Kim. It's an all inclusive resort where you pay one fee and then you get everything. So we dinned at the restaurants, went to the clubs, sat on the beach and drank, and ate, and ate, and ate. It's almost like going to fat camp. I am going to need to do some serious exercising when I get back home.

An Infinity Pool is a very cool type of pool. You can sit there and it's looks as if there is no edge. It's impressive especially when the view is of the beach and beyond that the Ocean. Check out the view for yourself.

They also have theme nights here at the hotel. So it's Monday Night Football here at Dreams and they have a big screen put up on the beach, some lawn chairs, Corona Promo Girls, and an All-American buffet with nachos, hot dogs, hamburgers, and grilled cheese sandwiches. Not bad. Too bad the game sucked. The Seahawks have got to get better soon or else I'm going to spend my Sunday's or Monday Nights doing something more entertaining.

Tomorrow it's off to the airport and going home. We're going to try and maximize our tanning time in the morning before we board the plane. It's probably the last bit of sun I'll see until next summer. Bring on the winter baby!!!

Posted by Gary at 08:50 PM | Permalink

The big night finally arrived and it was perfect. A beautiful day, a beautiful bride and groom, and a perfect sunset. Rose peddles were spread all over the grounds and in the pool, candles where lit, tikki torches were also lit, and good friends were in attendance. I have had such a great time on this trip. I think as you get older, destination weddings can be so much fun because it's like going on vacation with 80 of your friends. A big congratulations to Paige and Trevor!!!

Here's a few more pictures from the evening...

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The day of the wedding we did a lot of set-up. For a short time, a few of us got away and went into town. We all bought some Mexican cowboy hats. There were some new sherif's in town. I think they might sell them just to be sure who the tourists are. So we decided to make fun of ourselves with this classic pose. Hope you like it.

Posted by Gary at 08:31 PM | Permalink

Last night was the rehearsal dinner and ceremony. Great food, little dancing, and we saw turtles. Yes, turtles were the highlight of my evening. The previous night some people went down to the beach and saw massive turtles coming up and laying eggs and returning to the Ocean. Last night we saw hundreds of baby turtles making the trek back to the water. It was pretty amazing to see those little suckers trying to break through the surf. Half of the time the waves would just deposit the turtles back further up the beach than they were before. I got tired just watching them.

So tonight is the big night. It's going to be a beautiful ceremony having seen the walk through yesterday. I think when I get married I may need to do it on the beach.

I also went surfing yesterday and now understand the importance of having a rashguard. Wow are my nipples chaffed. No surfing for this kid today, just walking the beach.

Posted by Gary at 11:09 AM | Permalink

Made it to the house I will be staying at for the next 4 days and it's amazing. Check it out.

Then the sunset came and we had to go out and jump in the Ocean. It's crazy how warm the water is. Nice to be in my final location and with the rest of the gang. There some people here I haven't seen since college. It's fun to reconnect with old friends and see how life has run it's course.

Below is my buddy Drew pondering the surf. We joined him shortly thereafter. Peace.

Posted by Gary at 06:00 PM | Permalink

Made it to Mexico and Puerto Vallarta today. We are staying at the Westin Hotel for tonight and then it's up to San Pancho tomorrow. I'm traveling with my good friends Trevor and Kim. They are awesome people that I need to spend more time hanging out with.

So after checking in, we went down to the Nikki Bar on the beach and starting putting back the cocktails. Back right now to clean up and then it's back out to dinner.

I don't know why I waited this long to make it to Mexico, it's a beautiful country.

Posted by Gary at 10:15 PM | Permalink

A couple weekends ago a bunch of us were down in Portland, Oregon for Trevor Aults bachelor party. Paige (his fiance) also had all the girls down in P-town to do the same thing. The above picture is of Trevor and Paige book-ending one of Paiges bride maids who's name escapes me at the moment.

So here I am proofing my site one last time before I get up in another 3 hours to hop on a plane to Mexico. Trevor and Paige are getting married in a little fishing village in San Pancho. So looking forward to a little more beach and tanning time before winter. Also looking forward to seeing two great people in love and making honest folk out of one another. Can't wait to see everybody, do some fishing, snorkeling, and surfing.

Crap, I gotta get to bed so I can get up in the morning. The image below is another group photo of the "boys" night out during the bachelor party. See ya'll in a few hours.

Posted by Gary at 12:53 AM | Permalink