Big Mtn shot of the day from 11/2

Nice shot of the day from the Big Mountain website

Some Sun at Big Mtn, MT

Posted by the Big Mountain people... my second home mountain!

Email Update

Hey everybody!  It has been a little while... but in case you didn't know, Randomer is back up and running! Check it out here. I sent out the first update in about 6 months or so (if you missed it, click here), and since then I have been updating Randomer regularly.  Only, it has basically evolved into a photo blog, for a couple of reasons:
1. I am too A.D.D. to write a huge bunch of stuff all the time.
2. I am too A.D.D. to read so many other people's extensive writings, so I figured everyone else wouldn't read mine, because that just takes a lot of time.
3. Pictures are cool.
(Ok, so I'm not really A.D.D.)

Since the last time I sent out an email:



The CBC youth group went out and delivered the Thanksgiving Dinners




We had our last youth group in Montana :(


My time at Central Bible Church came to an end :(


It started snowing in the mountains of Montana


Thanks to the CBC youth group, I had plenty of Dew for the journey


Trooper said good bye, too


Sarah made me a cake!


I embarked on my 2,500 mile road trip


I stopped in the middle of nowhere


I got a lot of gasoline


I stopped and visited A-dawg in North Dakota, and we gamed it up


I drank some Big Rig


We went to the Mall of America... and stopped by the Lego store



We visited family and friends in the Midwest


We had this really cool Christmas tree


We also played some Risk...


And I taught Summer how to Ski!


Now I'm down in Georgia, and we had a crazyily warm Christmas... it was surreal!

So it has been a very busy month or two.

And happy 2009!  It is going to be an amazing year people!

Days on Snow 2007-2008

Total Days on Snow: 54

10/10?/07 Mt. Aeneas (Backcountry), MT
11/?/07 BSBI Campus (Screwing around), MT
11/24/07 Lake Louise (Really bad snow cover; first lift served all year), AB, Canada
12/2/07 Lookout Pass (Big Powder Day!), ID
12/8/07 Big Mtn. (Opening day; bluebird), MT
12/9/07 Big Mtn. (Dumped all day), MT
12/13/07 BSBI Campus(Screwing around on a snowboard), MT
12/15/07 Bruce Mound, WI
12/21/07 Bruce Mound, WI
12/23/07 Bruce Mound (Powder day!!), WI

12/24/07 Bruce Mound (Powder day), WI
12/27/07 Bruce Mound (Day after loss of wisdom teeth & cliff drop mania), WI
12/28/07 Bruce Mound, WI
12/29/07 Bruce Mound, WI
12/30/07 Bruce Mound (Lots of 360s), WI
12/31/07 Bruce Mound, WI
1/1/08 Bruce Mound, WI
1/2/08 Whitecap Mountain (Nice snow, powder, a core shot and a speeding ticket), WI
1/4/08 Big Mtn., MT
1/5/08 Blacktail Mtn., MT

1/7/08 Big Mtn. (8 in. of fresh), MT
1/8/08 Big Mtn. (3 in. of fresh), MT
1/11/08 Big Mtn. (approx. 7-9 in. of fresh, face shots, knee-waist deep), MT
1/13/08 Big Mtn., MT
1/14/08 Big Mtn. (Bluebird!! & backcountry), MT
1/16/08 Big Mtn. (12 in. of fresshhh!), MT
1/20/08 Big Mtn. (Summit closed due to high winds and low temps), MT
1/25/08 Big Mtn. (Found some hidden pow turns), MT
1/27/08 Big Mtn. (8 in. of new, and it dumped ALL DAY! Powder like none other!), MT
1/28/08 Big Mtn. (18+ in of fresh!!! DEEP POWDER!), MT

1/30/08 Big Mtn. (14 in. of fresh!! DEEP POWDER!), MT
2/2/08 Blacktail Mtn. (Snowboard), MT
2/3/08 Big Mtn. (81 in. in last 7 days... but not enough time to find the goods), MT
2/8/08 Big Mtn. (6 in. of fresh, a 118 in. base, and 312 in. to date)(Day and Night shift), MT

2/9/08 Big Mtn. (A full shift, finally!), MT

2/10/08 Big Mtn. (4 in. of fresh. Warm, with heavy, wet snow.), MT
2/14/08 Big Mtn. , MT
2/15/08 Big Mtn. (Backcountry (hellroaring peak) and sunny skies!), MT
2/16/08 Big Mtn. (4 in. of fresh, and some sunny skies! and a full shift!!), MT
2/24/08 Big Mtn. (Icy and fast! Groomers most of the day.), MT

2/27/08 Big Mtn. (Slightly soft, and super carvy! Plus, some new backcountry exploits.), MT
3/3/08 Big Mtn. (Dumped all day! Powder is back!!!), MT
3/4/08 Big Mtn. (10 in. in the last 24 hrs.!!!! Sunny!! Full shift!!), MT
3/5/08 Big Mtn. (Still loads of powder! Some backcountry. Full shift!), MT
3/8/08 Big Mtn. (A full shift), MT
3/12/08 Big Mtn., MT
3/14/08 Big Mtn. (3 in. of fresh... ok), MT
3/21/08 Big Mtn. (5 in. of fresh, powder in late March?!), MT
3/23/08 Big Mtn., MT
3/26/08 Big Mtn., MT

3/28/08 Big Mtn. (5 in. in last 24 hrs., some backcountry, and blue skies!), MT
3/30/08 Big Mtn. (15+ in. in last 24 hrs., 30+ in last 3 days! Knee deep+deeper powder on the 30th of March??? Yeah buddy! Full shift, and some backcountry.), MT
4/4/08 Big Mtn., MT
4/6/08 Big Mtn. (Last day of lift served skiing at the Big :`( MT

Snow on The Big!

There is some snow up on The Big! And it is a sunny, crisp day here in the Flathead Valley! I may have to bundle up and try to get on my bike.

Winter in Montana is starting

It has been a slow start to winter up on Big Mtn. But I might not get to ski there at all this winter.  Actually, I may not ski a single day this winter... We'll see what happens.

Wandering like a forlorn alley cat without a home... make that a forlorn mountain lion on the roam

So ski season is done (as far as the lifts go), and I don't work again until Saturday, which is like a first. I feel very weird, and distraught. I have skied almost every day that I didn't have to work for the past 3+ months or so. But I have been working a lot, and total ski days so far this year (beginning back in October) have added up to 54 (for which I got a brownie badge at work tonight... Dauna being sarcastic... long story...) . Regardless, it is bike season, and I am stoked to start ripping singletrack on my beautiful new Jamis Dakar XLT 1.0

(I'm going to need to come up with a way to abbreviate that. JDX1? No. My new Jamis? Eh, its ok. Jamis it is.)

Anyhow, its dirt season, but we still have a 130 some in. base at the summit of Big Mtn., with almost 60 in" in the village at roughly 4000'. The valley floor is at 3000, and is only mostly clear of snow. I have heard of some trails down lower in the valley, but I'm guessing even those are going to be way too soupy to ride, especially not knowing the trails in the first place (it could make for a looong, grueling ride... which I have had several of already this year.)

So I've already got 10 days in the saddle, all of which have been road rides, and frankly, I'm ready to rip singletrack. But no singletrack to be had.

So I wander, not like a lost alley cat without a home, but more like a mountain lion on the roam. I suppose it depends on the time of day.

Powder

The powder today was... simply... amazing! Over 30" in the past 3 days, 15" in the last 24 hours, and it was POWDER, not heavy March slop, but powski pow powder! Totally sweet! I think I should maybe just hang up the skis now and not go at all next week, it just won't even hold a candle.

PS With that 15", Big Mountain passed their all-time annual snowfall record. Snowfall for this year currently sits at 421" at the summit.

Powder

Powder returns to Big Mountain! It dumped all day today, its still snowing, and its supposedto plaster us tomorrow morning, too! MMMM, powder!

Bike days 2007

Total: 49

3/?/07 Blacktop.
3/?/07 Blacktop. Miles: 9
3/24/07 Muddy Dirt Roads and Gravel Roads. Miles: 12
3/28/07 Around Town.
4/1/07 Mostly black top, a couple miles of gravel. Total miles: 21.5
4/?/07 The Levis Square.
4/?/07 Technical stuff & balancing.
4/15/07 Levis Mound Singletrack.
4/27/07 Levis Mound Singletrack.
5/3/07 Levis Mound Singletrack.

5/6/07 Levis Mound Singletrack.
5/9/07 Levis Mound Singletrack.
5/?/07 Levis Mound
5/22/07 Roads
5/25/07 Levis Mound
5/28/07 Levis Mound
6/?/07 Schuster Park, balancing
6/7/07 Levis Mound
6/9/07 Memorial Park, Red Wing
6/10/07 Gravel roads out to Levis from Neillsville, at Levis, ATV trails & gravel roads back to Neillsville

6/15/07 Levis Mound
6/16/07 Human Powered Trails, La Crosse
6/19/07 Levis Mound, including Pile Driver
6/21/07 Some Grassy Drops, and around town.
6/23/07 Levis Mound
6/24/07 Sisters Farm, Ladysmith
6/29/07 Levis Mound
7/1/07 Highways. Miles: 28
7/4/07 Levis Mound
7/6/07 Road Riding

7/7/07 TNT trail, random nexus of trails branching off of that, and Human Powered Trails. All in La Crosse.
7/18/07 Around town
7/19/07 Levis Mound
7/20/07 Levis Mound
7/30/07 Levis Mound
8/1/07 Knobby Ridge
8/5/07 Levis Mound
8/10/07 Levis Mound
8/16/07 Wolverine singletrack in Ironwood
8/17/07 Ski trail and etc. around Montreal

8/18/07 Rock Lake trail in the CAMBA system
8/?/07 Levis Mound
8/?/07 Levis Mound
8/?/07 Levis Mound
9/?/07 Levis Mound
9/10/07 Big Mtn, MT
9/15/07 Somewhere in the Krause Basin area, MT

9/?/07 On a trail bellow Jewel Basin Hiking Area, MT

9/?/07 Over in Krause Basin area again, MT

My Philosophy of Missions

A paper that I had to write for Missions Class:

My philosophy of missions is essentially wrapped up in a statement that Professor Jeff made in class. He basically said that “If you are not one hundred percent sure that you are called to do it, then you shouldn’t be doing it.” However, I do think that God is calling me to missions somewhere down the line.

First, I believe that in whatever way that we serve God, He will use us according to the spiritual gifts and talents that He has given us. If God has given a person an extraordinary gift or talent, I believe that God will use that gift or talent to further His kingdom, and it may very well be through missions. At this present time, I am unsure as to what my spiritual gifting truly is. I have a good deal of time to figure it out, though. Whatever that spiritual gift is, I am certain that God will make that gift a great asset on the mission field. I believe that our talents also play a large role in the equation. For instance, I really feel as if I am called to the area of, how shall I put it, “mountain athletics” or “adventure sports.” I am very passionately attracted to many of the athletic sports that are focused in and around the mountains. For instance, I absolutely love to downhill ski. I am certain that God has given me a natural, raw talent for skiing, and a passion to do it and use that raw talent. During the summer time, I pursue the sport of mountain biking with almost the same drive and passion. I believe that there is a good chance that God will call me to a mission field where I will be able to use my passion for sports, not necessarily those two, but “adventure sports” in general to further the kingdom of God in some way.

Now, how I will go about this over the course of the next 5 years. First, I will complete my education at Big Sky Bible Institute. BSBI has been an excellent place of learning, and this learning will serve me well as I continue to serve God for the rest of my life. My aim in coming here was to have a firm, Biblical foundation at the base of my adult life, and this year will provide excellent knowledge that will be useful in the mission field. Second, over the course of the next 3 to 4 years I am going to focus on becoming a backcountry guide, with a skiing as the primary discipline, to begin with. In order to effect this, I am going to work a number of different jobs that will give me experience in the field, and I have a variety of courses that I am looking at taking which will give me knowledge that I sorely need. This summer I sincerely hope that I will get hired at camp ID-RA-HA-JE (I’d Rather Have Jesus) in Bailey, Colorado. I applied for a position on Adventure Staff, and if I get the job I will be leading mountain biking, rock climbing, whitewater rafting, backpacking, and ropes course trips and activities. This will give me a taste of a true guiding experience, and will help to, hopefully, solidify my goal of becoming a professional guide. Camp ID-RA-HA-JE itself will be an amazing way for me to use my life for the furtherance of God’s kingdom. I think that it may, in fact, qualify as a mission field… even though the cultural boundaries that I will be crossing will not be very difficult to surpass. Nevertheless, I think they (the boundaries) could definitely be there, qualifying this camp as mission field. Regardless, next winter I am going to attempt to end up in Jackson Hole, most likely working at the ski resort. Over the course of the winter I will take several avalanche certification courses, and receive my level I and level II certifications. Assuming I get hired this summer at camp ID-RA-HA-JE, it requires a two-year commitment, so I will most likely be working there again in summer of 2009. After next summer, my plans assume a lot more fluidity, as a great deal can change over the course of a year and a half. I really want to intern at Silverton Mountain one winter sometime in the near future. That would provide me with an amazing amount of practical, hands on experience that could help me to get a job as a professional guide. I also am striving to save money so that sometime in the near future I will be able to take an outdoor semester, either at NOLS or IWLS. Either of those courses would give me an incredible amount of knowledge to do with guiding, and the hard skills of several different disciplines, which I might be leading. But, if the amount of money proves too great to achieve in a timely fashion, I may resort to just taking a 24 day long backcountry ski guide training course, offered by IWLS. All of these things will most likely help me on my way to becoming a professional guide.

So, how does becoming a professional backcountry guide have anything to do with missions? As I stated in the first paragraph, I sincerely believe that God will use our talents, abilities, and gifts to further His kingdom. It is my goal to use guiding and sports as a ministry. Exactly what form it will take, of that I am not sure. I was thinking of working with a Christian camp during all but the winter months, and ministering in that venue. In fact, my classmate, Priyanke, is founding the first Christian camp in the country of Sri Lanka. I have seriously been considering that, maybe in 4 years or so once I have the skills amassed, I will be able to join him in Sri Lanka and set up an adventure branch of ministry in conjunction with his organization, Miracle Valley Ministries. That would truly be missions work, crossing an enormous cultural (and geographical) boundary. But in the end, all of these plans rest in the hands of God. The only thing that I can truly do is to continually make myself pliable and receptive to His leading, something that I am not really all that good at most of the time. Ultimately, my philosophy of missions is that God will use me how He wants, and whatever God wants, I want!

FRUSTRATION!!!

Big Mtn. has had 69" in the past 6 days... and yet I CAN'T SKI IT! I'M ONLY 40 MILES AWAY, AND I CAN'T SKI THE BEST SNOW I'VE EVER SEEN! My boss supposedly "forgot" that I can't work Sundays, and decided to schedule me from 12-4... 4 stinking hours! Hows much does he need me for four stinking hours?? IT IS INFURIATING! And then I work the next 2 days... so I can't even get out for an afternoon... and the snow is OFF THE WALL! And I CANT EVEN SKI IT! ARGHHHHHHHHGGGHHGHGH! NOOOOOOOOO!

WHY?? WHY ME??

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!! IT IS AGONY!!!!!!! IT HAS BEEN MAKING ME PHYSICALLY SICK TO MY STOMACH ALL DAY!

An Update of Sorts

Contrary to popular belief, I have been posting quite a bit of different things on Randomer... I have just been sort of neglecting my email update list. Here is an "Update of sorts." Just 3 selected items from recent days for you to check out. Once you make it over to the main site, be sure to browse around and check out everything else that has been going on (most of it is skiing related). So yeah, I hope everyone has an awesome day!


Some photographs from a bluebird day at Big Mountain. This is what it's all about!



Reddi Whipped Korean:
A short video that my brother and some friends made, which I personally think is hilarious! Be sure to check it out. (The filming/editing is excellent, so it really is pretty good.)




Taking pictures at school.

A new blizzard, but the same application.

We seriously have over six inches in the valley since this morning. I'm just hoping Big Mtn. got a good dose of this snow. Tomorrow could be amazing!

I'm still working on that application. There has been progress, just not as much as I would like.

Powder

10-12 inches of fresh snow today! It was amazing, for the 2 hours that I got to ski. Big Mountain is totally going off! Already over 200 inches on the year! And I'm constantly skiing like knee deep powder! It is truly awesome.

A bluebird day at Big Mountain

Es mucho Powdero, pero no esquiar, con espanol muy malo.

Big Mountain has been receiving rather substantial amounts of snow. I took off of work the whole last week that I would be in Montana before Christmas vacation, with the thought that I would ski every day. As it turns out, I was only able to ski the days of Saturday and Sunday.

Why? My car is currently on the injured reserve list. It started making very bad sounds and vibrations, so I took it in. Turns out the bearing that I noticed was going out two months ago is almost completely shot, and I cannot get it worked on until Friday (which is the day I will be departing). So a potential week chock full of skiing has been emptied down the drain due to mechanical difficulties. I'm wondering: is this a lesson that God is teaching me? I have thought a great deal about what my motivations in life are, what my true priorities are, and what is most important to me. I have given my entire life to God (in prayer), every aspect of it: my finances, my relationships, my sports, my career, my schooling... everything I have consciously been given up to him, and have followed it up with actions (Please see James, "faith without works is dead.") But, I have decided that skiing is a worthy pursuit and activity, and God has given me a passion for it, and I should pursue it. And yet, I am realizing, that even when I pursue that passion, I still must keep my eyes on what really matters. Is God trying to tell me that through this week? I've been consciously making decisions to do this, and yet, maybe I need more of a smack on the head. Hey, I just realized: I've told God that if ever he really wants me to do anything, he is going to need to beat me over the head otherwise I'm not going to get the hint. (Well, that specific prayer wasn't in the context of skiing... it was... another context... but a smack over the head is always nice.)

So yeah, lots of Pow on real mountains, no skiing for Goo. Phoey.

Mere hours away...

I'm pretty much just ticking off the hours until Big Mtn. opens. I'm going to have to find a way to distract myself tomorrow.

Big Mountain

Big Mountain opens in 1 day, 19 hours, and 31 minutes.

Core Shot

This core shot, courtesy of Lake Louise. Lookout was a completely different story; I didn't even have to use my rock skis. It was so deep! MMM, Snow.

Big Mtn. opens in 2 days 15 hours and 59 minutes.