Commitment

Oh, what to write. Is it better to write something mundane or nothing at all? Jesse and I did a day trip to Sugarbowl yesterday and I still feel worked. Tahoe had a few storms roll through and there was so much powder that it made for a spectacular day on the mountain. Not to mention the fact that it was a Monday, which meant no waiting in lines.

That much powder lets you try some things you might not normally do because the landing is so soft. We decided to launch off a cliff band (about a fifteen foot drop) that we had been eyeing all season and it appeared reasonable yesterday...at least from the lift. As I went off the edge, though, I saw that the rocks did not go straight down but at an angle, which meant you had to clear them to land on snow. This surprised me so much that I ended up pitching forward and landing practically on my head, but luckily in plenty deep powder. That was one of those moments where you are worse off if you don't commit. Had I just remained calm and stayed upright I would have landed fine and continued. Committing, however, can be a bit scary. Fortunately I had committed enough to have the speed that allowed me to clear the rocks.

The worst is when you try to abort mid-commitment; that's when injuries happen. Like deciding you want to back out at the last moment but your speed keeps you going over the edge and down the rocks. Not good.

Well, somehow that turned into a brief observation on commitment. It's something I've been working on lately in both snowboarding and mountain biking so worth a little discussion if only to vocalize my thoughts on it. I find it easier to do if I can analyze it and understand it.