6 days down and over a month to go. BC, Canada is my new home away from home until the end of March. I decided to pack up from Cali and settle in up here because the terrain is way bigger and the options are endless. The only bad thing is the ever-changing weather. Lots of cloudy days and I’m hoping those will be paired with a few blue bird days. In order to capitalize on what these mountains have to offer the weather has to stay cold and dry. However, since Whistler is so close the ocean that’s not usually the case. The light snow becomes dense and wet and the town gets pounded with rain… So far the cards are being dealt pretty fair though, we’ve had 3 pretty blue days and now are expecting a lot of snow for the next 4 days. Hopefully this resets these beautiful mountains and it’s game on again by mid week. Happy February and Happy Valentines Day! xo

Yes, I did it. I landed a double backflip on January 20th, 2011. This trick had been on my list of goals for over a year. I was just waiting for the right moment and a good crew to make it happen. Here are some photos from the trip. Please check the video at the DC Site: Kimmy Double Backflip

I can’t believe it.. the middle of January is here already. Wow. Another season is starting to soar by. This season I am taking a different path and avoiding contests. Instead I will be dedicating my entire season to being in the back country. Powder, snowmobiles, and lots of long days are ahead. With this ambitious path I am packing up my truck and throwing a peace sign to Mammoth for a couple months. I will be saying goodbye to groomers and park jumps and hello to the unknown. As my adventure starts I will be heading out on the open roads heading towards Silverton, Co, followed by a visit to the SIA Trade Show in Denver. Then, thank goodness I love driving, because I am making the long haul to Whistler. These long, solo, adventures give me time to listen to books, sing my favorite tunes, and zone out on life. I will be basing myself out of Whistler for about a month and a half and hoping to just go with the flow. Fun times and lots of Powder await!

Here are some photos of the storm that has moved into Mammoth! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow! The mountain is claiming that this storm has already delivered 7-9.5 feet of snow since last Thursday and we are expecting another 5 feet in the next few days. Cali is the place to be!

Christmas is around the corner and the snow keeps falling. The sierras have been consistently sucked into strong weather cycles in these early winter months of November and December. Numerous snowfall records have already been broken. With a series of serious storms on the horizon it’s looking like Christmas will definitely be a white one this year. From Tahoe to Mammoth the weather predictions are stating that the average snowfall for the next 7 to 10 days will be around a foot a day. The heaviest period of this storm will be moving in on Friday and then again on Tuesday of next week. A modest estimate for the potential snowfall from this storm sits around 100 inches. One prediction even states that ski areas in the Sierras will hit 50% of their annual average snowfall before Christmas.

With that said, I don’t feel quite as bad that I’m not out at the Dew Tour in Breckenridge right now. After spraining both ankles about 2 weeks ago I have been locked to the couch with ice and heavily restricted at the gym. However, now I can see that my patience will pay off because the “Snow Gods” have delivered a storm that’s irrestiable. My ankles are quickly getting back to full strength and I will be out enjoying the beautiful new snow in no time.

Happy Holidays!

Photo compliments of: mammothmountain.com

Discussion about the Storm:

http://tahoeweatherdiscussion.com/

The act of giving is a virtue that brings happiness and joy to others. The feeling of giving back, either to society or to your friends and family, is fulfilling and precious, and I only hope that it’s contagious to others. Being that we are nearing the holiday season I thought a post about ‘Giving’ would be fitting.

Recently, I subscribed to Real Simple magazine. A magazine with delicious recipes, good advice, and helpful hints on how to live a life with simplicity. The December issue  has a great gift giving guide for the holidays and one of the ideas is to donate $100 (or any feasible amount) to a cause or charity you believe in. This guide shows you a few amazing causes and what your $100 would be used for. If you are unable to give monetarily this holiday season, try picking up a few pieces of trash around your neighborhood, learning how to recycle, volunteering at a shelter, or even just share a smile. These are all ways you can give back without dipping into your savings account.

Some other causes I support:  Lightgivesheat.org, Womenssportsfoundation.org, Kab.org

This time of the year is always exciting. The summer warmth has disappeared and the fall leaves are on the ground. Snow starts dusting the mountains and temperatures drop. Winter has moved in just enough for the nerves to start quivering with stimulation. When the weather starts changing I start training harder at the gym. I know that as we get closer to being on snow the more prepared my body needs to be. Hiking, biking, and running become more limited because the air temp is not very suitable to being outside all day, therefore, I hop back into a full body strength training program. This workout focuses on stability, muscle building, and power moves, and makes me feel back on track for the season. Each day at the gym I get more excited to see snow on the ground and the closer we get to opening day here in Mammoth, the more anxious I get about getting back on my snowboard. Today the weather was back to being beautiful, so I stepped out of the gym for the day and headed out on a vigorous hike up Lincoln Mountain, also known at Chair 22. After a straight up hill climb for an hour and half I reached my goal. The view was well worth the work and the decent was more challenging than going up.