I have not posted since Saturday, March 12.
Living at Copper Mountain, balancing work, life, snowboarding, sleep and progressing on my projects has been difficult to say the least. I even struggle to articulate it here.
But really, living at Copper for the past few months temporarily shifted my priorities. To illustrate, people travel from all over the country to Copper Mountain to have fun, daytrippers, vacationers, and employees alike. Here, work is an afterthought. And while fun, specifically snowboarding, wasn’t my primary motive for moving to Copper, I couldn’t resist the urge, I wanted to have some fun, and that I did.
Since the beginning of February, when I moved to Copper from Castle Rock, I have worked at Gravitee Boardshop. Within such close proximity, I would often leave my place at 8:59am to arrive at work by 9. Here I helped repair, sell, and rent snowboard equipment. Repairing gear was my favorite part of the job because I had to be creative and use my hands. I fixed broken bindings, busted boa laces, core shots, and topsheet delaminations. I also loved the systematic process of tuning a board beginning with sharpening the edges, then checking and repairing scratches in the base, and finally, waxing, scraping, and buffing. Among the people that came in, some had fascinating stories, were unrecognized snowboard legends, Olympians, drunk or stoned (often both), and one man even gave me a barbeque platter as a tip for fixing his boot. Lastly, I told more people than I can remember that their gear was older than I was and therefore it wasn’t economical to repair it. At Gravitee, I got an intimate look into the snowboarding core. And above all, I helped people have fun. That is quite a noble cause.
Next, whenever I wasn’t working and the lifts were running, I would snowboard. This equated to roughly 4 days each and every week for the span of two and a half months. I had fifty days at Copper alone. And as one should with this time, I became the best snowboarder I have ever been. I now have a growing bag of tricks that I can pull out at any moment. I understand how to leverage my personal anatomy to get the most out of specific boards, conditions, jumps, and turns. I learned how to better read the terrain and find the best conditions by building a practical knowledge base of sun exposure and wind loading. I also fondly remember the countless park laps with Scott, Cam, and Ronnie, each of us pushing each other to dial in old tricks and try new ones. In addition, I loved watching people break through their mental boundaries like Shea hitting all five jumps in the medium line. Lastly, it was always a treat to talk to friends and people I knew (some working, some riding) while riding. This can only happen living and being integrated into the resort community.
Finally, I have made so many new friends, met many new friends, gone to a few concerts, learned to cook and play poker all in the last few months.
First, Copper Mountain is full of intentional, genuine, and experience oriented people. Whether it was partying at Mully’s, hanging out at the Edge, or seeing each other on the mountain, I have loved every moment. Specifically, playing poker with TJ, Ashton, Kevin, Andrew, Hunter, Jesse, and Jared while eating corned beef for dinner is something I will remember highly. There are too many people to name, and it’s bittersweet that many have moved on to new things after the season, but I loved the people I met at Copper.
Next, I have had the privilege to go to three great concerts over the past few months. I had a dream come true going to the John Mayer Sob Rock Concert in Denver. His live performance has elevated my musical perception of him. Also, I fondly remember going to CU Boulder (feeling like a 19 year old again) and nug chugging prior to going to the Felly concert with the Chan Man, Ryan. And lastly, I don’t think I have ever had as much fun for free as in the mosh pits of the El Paso Lasso concert in Frisco.
And last but not least, I have become integrated into a strong, tight-knit Christian community that has reinvigorated my faith. From Monday Night Dinner and Discussion to delivering cookies to lifties each Sunday or serving at the employee meals, I have grown in my faith by acting faithful. I struggle to put the impact of this into words, yet I have seen how to serve. The people here are great friends of mine who I can be serious and silly with. I can only see God’s grace reflecting on this time.
Before the last three months, I didn’t know life could be this good. I am doing what I love and helping people in a community of people who all do the same thing. While it has been a battle between present fun and future productivity, I will look back at this time with awe in the years to come even though my inner workaholic feels bitter towards my creative output. I was truly living the dream.
The question is though, how can I do this while consistently producing creatively? That’s for me to find.
I hope you can find a way to live your dream.