Andy Sabatier

I woke up this morning in much the same way that I have for many mornings since moving to Utah.  Dark outside, cold and crisp weather.  Everyday morning thus far has been filled with classroom fluorescent lights and furious note taking.  Endless hours of library silence and academic frustration have dominated my life throughout the fall.  That ended this morning.

I stood on top of the cirque at Snowbird, UT around 9:40am.  For weeks now I have been hearing how great the skiing has been and “when are you done with school?”.  I stood there while the snow whipped circles around me, alone and intimidated before the first real run of the year.  Not excited.  Intimidated.  Confused.  Scared.

I was suddenly very aware of my own body – the untested ACL in my left knee, and the itch on my right ribs where the word ‘Nicoletta’ had been tattooed last week.  I looked down at my ski boots – the same boots as last season.  But was I the same skier wearing them?  I knew they were the same boots from bottomless days at Alta.  The same boots from frozen toes and beards in Sun Valley.  The same boots from Granite Canyon in Jackson.  The same boots from a season full of memories.  The same boots that I put away in April not knowing whether they would ever be brought back out.  I took these boots off in Girdwood, AK as the sun set on a beautiful day.  I wore these boots as I watched my friend John Nicoletta die way before his time.  I wore these boots as I hiked with many others to say goodbye to him on a perfect blue morning.  I looked down at these boots, and knew they were the same.  I wasn’t.  I’m not the same.  I will never be the same.

I was paralyzed atop the cirque, my head suddenly  filling with doubt and grief.  For an instant I forgot how to ski.  I had no idea where to start or how to even move.  I could feel the deluge of negativity beginning to breach the walls of my head.  Just when I was about to give in,  I felt the wind pick up as it had that beautiful morning in Alaska.  I felt John stand there with me.  I felt his smile, I felt his heart.  I felt that which I havn’t in so long.  A quick kick and a gravity-fed lurch, and those doubts disappeared with every passing flake of champagne powder.  The push I got was from John.

There is nothing quite like perfect powder.  The feeling that you are playing with the snow rather than fighting it is one of the most fulfilling and exhilarating feelings in sport.  While I know that the bouncing sensation is simply gravity and technology mixed with endorphins, this was different.  Today felt as if I were skiing for two.

I can’t ask for a better way to drop in to the 2008-2009 season.  I love you all and I can’t wait to see you, wherever you are….

ANDY

There is almost nothing cool about Provo, UT.  Sorry, but it’s true.  I know some people are fans, but not this guy. 

It lacks all the good things about Utah and still manages to maintain all of this state’s short-comings.  It is cold and dreary in the winter, hot in the summer, has nothing close to the skiing that Salt Lake City affords, and it is completely repressed and over-run by BYU and it’s sole funder, the Mormon Church.  Not bad people for the most part, don’t get me wrong, but not exactly a bunch of party animals.

Despite all these factors, I managed to have one of the most fun and satisfying evenings I have had since I moved to Utah in Provo of all places.  An evening of consequence free back-flips and tested equilibrium was in store at the Power Tumbling gymnasium.  Four friends split the gas to make the 40 minute drive and spent nearly two hours jumping on olympic-grade trampolines and diving into deep foam pits from 20 feet in the air.  The consequences of trying your first back or front flip on skis can deter many from ever getting that thrill.  The alternative is to practice your rotation and gain some much needed “arial awareness” on the trampolines so that it looks like a walk in the park when time comes to execute it on skis.

The vibe can best be described as a bunch of “grown-up” men having a ball like they were all 8 years old, shivering in line at the public pool high-dive waiting to try and impress their friends.  It progresses as the evening goes along, starting with everyone just getting comfortable with the feeling of being thrown around like a rag doll.  Eventually, everyone gets comfortable with the freedom from gravity and started to experiment – flat spins, rodeos & misty flips (back and front flips mixed with 360 and 720 rotations), and even the “fling my body and see what happens” trick were all in the mix.  We all left feeling sore, sweaty, happy, and with dust from the foam in every crevice.  

If you are looking for a way to get those tricks down in the park or just searching for a creative way to blow off some steam, call your local gymnastics area and ask when they have “open gym”.  It’s well worth the $6.

Where have you been all this time?  I don’t mean to say to you, World, that you havn’t been keeping up your end of the friendship.  Perhaps its my fault we havn’t talked in so long.  I mean you have been working hard and accomplishing great things while I have been doing…what? Moving…again?  Jumping off stuff?

Put your name in place of “World” and that sums up half of the conversations I have been having lately. Instead of going hoarse trying to trace my path to where I currently am (or God forbid where I am going) I decided to beam those answers out to you, World.

The plus side of always being on the move and living out of a suitcase half of the year is simple: the people along the way.  I sit back and marvel at the caliber of friendships I have been lucky enough to have thus far. The downside? I can only see some of them once a year, if at all!  While this blog/website is no substitute for actually being in contact with all the people I miss in all the places I love, it’s a start.

…I know, I know. It truly is my fault that we havn’t talked in forever.  But I want to put a stop to that today!  So anytime you are wondering, “Hmm, I wonder what that spazzy little guy is doing right now, and did he put his foot in his mouth today?”, feel free to check in and take a read.  Soon to be full of words, images and videos of an attempt to live the dream…

ANDY