What a great day skiing yesterday. The sun was out, the weather was reasonable for temperature. Get going fast and there’s a nice chill. The great thing about skiing is it is probably the one major sport where you really don’t have to compete or keep score. It’s more of a get used to gravity and have a good time type of thing. I was skiing Park City. At the top of the mountain they have an area called Jupiter. One of several places that is considered to be expert only. Definitely my stomping grounds during school.
There’s a spot where you can cut across from one bowl to another without hiking the ridge to the top of Scott’s Bowl. I decided to cut across. Where it comes around the edge of one bowl to another there is a patch of trees. I came in pretty quick to avoid a couple of skiers that really had no business being there – low level intermediate types. In an effort to avoid contact with either of them, I shot past and into the trees. I slowed down, then ducked to avoid a low branch on a pine. I missed the branch. I felt a sharp jolt on my right should and a shockwave that went down my spine. I pulled to a stop in midst of the trees. Ouch. The base of the pine tree bit me on my right shoulder. Interestingly enough it kinda knocked the wind out of me even though I took it nowhere near the chest.
In all the skiing I’ve ever done (inverted aerials, moguls, jumping off cornices, etc), I’ve hit trees in ways that never amounted to anything. Maybe a slight brush here or there, or hook a ski on one, but never a square hit. Today I’m off to The Canyons. I haven’t skied it since school and I’ve heard they’ve done some updating of the area, so I’m going to explore it. More snow, more skiing, more fun. Hopefully a tree won’t jump out and bite me.
Speaking of trees, I found a little ditty by a band that has an interesting video. I haven’t figured out why it’s called Giving Tree. But I figured since I had a tree give me a jolt yesterday, I’d pass along the favor with a song about a tree. A Giving Tree.
The percussion is interesting. A shufflely marchy kinda beat when it’s going. Mixed with really mellow vibey music and vocals. Sorta like how I was feeling when I was skiing. Grooving to tunes and relaxed. Had I been tense hitting that tree, I probably would have been wrapped into it and hurt pretty severely.
The stop motion thing for making videos or film is nothing new, but it does provide and interesting backdrop for this tune. It’s much like the video a showed about a week ago with all the drawings about Love. Lots to plan out and then edit. Maybe this is becoming a trend in music? More art?