I've come to realize that what I'm doing with my life isn't right.. Snowboarding is my life, my passion. I can't concentrate on school, I'm too busy checking conditions, reading TRs, watching vids, jonesing for powder. I'm stuck here in Scotia, NY for the next year... It sucks.

I'll be done with school in the spring (Humanities/Social sciences). It's taken me 4 years to get a 2 year degree.. Why? Mostly because school is fine for the first 2 months... Then it gets cold and I honestly just can't concentrate on school. I went to the lib today to study for finals because I wasn't getting anything done at home (kept checking sites, you tubing ect..) But I got there and started texting old freinds getting reports from CO, trying to set up people to ride with on Thursday, texting people urging them to get touring gear. I got up twice and went to the school computers to check on the incoming weekend storm (looks unlikely we'll get anything, I'm sure Mark has something to add to this). I couldn't study, I'd look at the book, and be reading the words with my eyes buy my brain was still stuck on places to ride, lines to slash, exploring new slopes.

Who's mark?!

Surely it's a lack of discipline; but its engrained in my heart. How are you suppose to discipline such a engraved emotion. Riding is the best therapy out there. It's part of me, why would I try to keep it at bay?

Luckily my GF came home this afternoon and said "You know I was thinking in my car today..."

I broke away from the new coffee maker and glared at her, we had just been talking about who was getting to the mountain this week and when.. I had a feeling it was something about moving West, it's been a topic of interest to the both of us to go back.

She went to University of Northern Colorado and graduated. I was out in Breck last season.. I was just had a feeling she was going to say something about going back out for sure.



She said she had been thinking about going back out next season, and she was 100% sure she wanted to do it. I couldn't have been happier. We briefly talked about trying Utah, Wyoming or Idaho rather than CO; it would put us level ground seeing as we both have connections in CO.

I'm just SO stoked, I think I'm coming to terms that I won't be making a ton of money pursuing my passion, and it's going to effect my life outcomes. But I can't begin to explain how much skiing means to me, my life revolves around it. I've only been riding 3 times this season, as compared to at least 6 days a week last year.

This is just a rant, but god I'm so excited.

Harv, I really don't know how you live all the way down there; you clearly love skiing- I hope you can at least move up here permanently someday. It really bites that this b/s rat race pulls us away from what means most to us!

Do what you like, Like what you do

Do it man.

I've always thought about moving out west (still do), but you are in the perfect position to do it. It's a lot harder to up and move when you have a job, a mortgage and a car loan to worry about. I made that mistake, and I feel like I grew my roots too deep. Now is the perfect time for you and the gf to move. I recommend Jackson, WY, Truckee, CA, or Taos, NM. Go out there and make it happen for yourself.

And make some turns for me.

I feel your pain Dude. Your's is a dilemna we all face. Perhaps you could take up bank robbing. Or depending where you hang, gigalo thyself. If you're good enough, it's easy to get a rich GF to support your habit. If all that fails maybe try selling rights to name you on Ebay as others have done. Does Scotia have a version of NYC's Naked Cowboy? Know any Mob people you could rip off? They seldom call the Police. John Delorean once had an idea on how to raise some quick coin. Bernie Madoff turned a good buck for quite a few years. So there is hope. Many Politicians have found money laying around for them to use. Don't give up Dude! Perhaps Obama will stimulate you.

Anybody have any ideas how to help a poor white brother out? Dis Cracker's sufrun!

Taos is out. No Boarders!

This really strikes a nerve with me.

I actually like work. But before, and during the relatively short winter, I can't focus on anything but skiing.

It's no secret that I was really disappointed in my season last year. On my birthday (Jan 8th) I realized I was probably done for the season. I did actually get up one more time, for a 4-day weekend in late February. That weekend was like a religious experience for me. I cherished every single turn. I read over those TRs from that weekend a hundred times over the summer.

I actually reread all my TRs from last year many times. I learned something. Don't take ANYTHING for granted. On December 20, I had one of the great days of my life skiing with Powderqueen. At around 1:30, we'd had so many first tracks and we called it a day. I knew more snow was coming the next day, so I went into town to pick up some supplies, relax and do a blog entry. I will NEVER do that again. Conditions like that - I'm going BELL TO BELL.

The impact of my shortened season lasted all summer. I think I finally got over it this year, on Dec 5th, when I did five runs on Jamboree. No $hit ... I was actually HOOTING on Jambo as I was jumping over those slushy bumps, skiing without poles.

Anybody who sees my blog - it's clear I'm insane. You KNOW when there is an "event" on the horizon that I'm not getting too much done at work. I love snow, I love skiing, I love Gore.

The bizarrest thing happened tonight. We were eating dinner. I was off in never-never land thinking about what Chris posted above. My wife says to me .... honey what are you thinking about? Before I could answer, our 3 year old says "Daddy loves snow!" I couldn't believe it.

Lbtchnlgs wrote:

Harv, I really don't know how you live all the way down there; you clearly love skiing- I hope you can at least move up here permanently someday...

Total chills from that Chris. I'm an unusual case. I NEVER skied until I was 30. I never rode a lift until I was 40. When I was making the kind of choices you are making now, I didn't know what I what snow riding was.

Now I've got two amazing people who depend on me. CB and I talk all the time about moving to the North Country. We talk about points north of Albany, and North Creek and Burlington VT. It's complicated. I'm 51 years old, with a three year old. I have to consider my responsibilities.

I don't have to live out West to be happy. If I lived in North Creek, or even north of Albany I'd ski a lot. I'd never miss a weekend. If I could move my current job up there, I'd get 50-60 days a year MINIMUM.

By the way ... I thought is was incredibly cool that Chris stayed in touch with the Forum last year when he was out at Breck. So many guys head out west to ski, and develop this disdain for their roots. I don't get that. The west has better snow, but the east has real soul.

I could go on about this forever. I'll cut this short after one more thing...

If you follow Harvey Road, you may have seen the list of other blogs I'm following. Matt has been working on a blog that addresses all these issues head on. How do you fit your passion for skiing in with everything else that life throws at you? I highly recommend following Matt's blog. It's thoughtful and well written. I've learned a lot from it. Check it out:

http://skiequalsmc2.blogspot.com/

Yea, i agree w/Chris. I don't know how you guys from Jersey do it. Work all week, then load up the car and drive 3-4hrs, ski all weekend and then drive 3-4hrs home on Sunday. That sounds exhausting. Returning to work Monday AM must be a drag.

It is a truly fantastic area to relocate to. Sooooooooooooo much to do and see! Such a nice, enjoyable, quality of Life.

The next 5 years or so is not the safest time to be switching jobs, though. What's here one day, could very easily be gone the next. Even/especially with government jobs which used to be rather reliable.

Lake George/Queensbury is the best place to be right now. On the edge of civilization for all the everyday stuff yet surrounded by the ADKS. It's a 5 minute walk to the Blue Line for me. Traffic, congestion and taxes are low. Plus the Northway is right here, no having to drive 20 miles just to get on it and boogie saves much time, makes more possible. Vermount and the Finger Lakes are day trips. The Atlantic 4 hrs.

Plus all the skiing. Right now big flakes started to fall. it's to late in the morning to go to Gore (which was ice) so I'm going over to West Mtn, 5 minutes away. I skied there yesterday. they have great soft MM snow, whales and jumps and today's snowfall will be nice. Hopfully we get enough snow to cover the windswept boiler plate at Gore.

I definitely hear you on this one. I can't study at all, usually when I try to do homework I do one question, run through Newschoolers, SkiADK, and Facebook to see what's going on, then go back and do another question, check the sites again, and keep doing that vicious cycle until either a) I get done at 3 in the morning or b) I realize my homework isn't gonna get done so I just call it quits and go to sleep.

I'm in the process of applying to college now, and my top school is SUNY Buffalo. I'm going to civil engineering but the majority of the places I've looked at my first thought is ok, where can I ski here. Unfortunately, UB isn't exactly a ski school. I guess I'm gonna have to get used to the parks at Holiday Valley, which sucks because I realize how much I like skiing the entire mountain more and more.

I thought about heading out west for school, I saw CSU had a decent civil engineering program but I just don't think it's something I will be able to swing. The plane trips there are back are gonna kill me to start with, and I think I need to stay around to help my mom out a bit. Life's been realllllly rough for her in the past year or so.

My brother just called me this morning (first day I haven't skied since Christmas) to tell me he's picking me up in an hour to bring me to the library. If I don't get a 90 in AP Physics, I'm not going out to Tahoe in March anymore. That would be nice and all, but I honestly don't think its feasible. Looks like I'm in line for the 4th trip where I've been told I'm going somewhere and I end up getting shafted. Awesome.