You're a Lifesaver-- and Other Very Very Late Updates

Posted Aug 8th 2009 12:03AM by pho[tog]rapher - 14 comments - Average rating 10.00 of 2 ratings

MASSIVE AUTHOR'S NOTE: If you are reading this, well thank you. After dropping the ball worse than Bill Buckner in the '86 Series (Rogge I already can FEEL you telling me he missed it completely, but work with me), I am back in action with the latest blog in blogging history. So let's do some time travel, Dr. Emmett Brown style, and hop back to early June.....

I regret to inform the skiing population that the longest day of the year, does not fall (for most of us) during the months of our favorite season. As the winter days log the longest hours of skiing, they lack in sun light. June 21st, the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year in more ways than one. Aside from the fact that we’ve already posted in the “If you laugh, you lose” thread multiple times, we are given more hours of light to attempt to spend sans skiing. Can you imagine if we were lucky enough to be in a country where it was winter right now? You would have the longest window of natural time to shred as much as possible.

For the rest of us, we’ll just keep refreshing the NSG page.

I can’t say that the 21st of June is the worst day for me, because it happens to be my birthday, but I do writhe in pain with the rest of you. The best birthday present would be to wake up to 2-3 feet of snow, drive to the local mountain, and rip with my best friends all day. Tired of wishful thinking, I’ve accepted the fact that the best present I’ll get is a free horrendous serenade at the restaurant establishment of my choosing. (Author’s note: After writing this, I received dope cookies from my friend Meg, and stunna shades and a tall t from my girl Laura. Thanks!)

Birthday aside, the summer sucks. The last time I found myself smiling from ear to ear was at some of the fantastic Memorial Day rail jams scattered across the east coast. I ventured to Windham Mountain with my good friend Nick, his awesome sister Jackie, and two promising groms, Charlie and Brent. Our dysfunctional family unit made the trek in just over three hours, though I swear it felt like longer because of my various caffeinated beverages, raging headache, the boys pointing out the 50+ yard sales we saw that day, and the fact that I slept less than two hours the night before.


Nick Mirdurrrrrrrrrrr

Walking up the mountain, I was stoked to be stretching my legs, but also in awe at the white glare that lay before me. A long strip of snow was being savored by a large group of riders who, from the looks of the plates in the parking lot, came great distances to do so.


One of the MANY times we saw Ryan Anderson throwing down HARD that day.


Meathead's filmer, Shane McFalls, takes a break from behind the camera. Catch his edit from the jam towards the end of this update!


Line's Ian Compton hasn't stopped bouncing around the country this summer, owning every state he comes in contact with.


A familiar face out west, Veronica Kelly hops back east for the holiday jam.


After Windham, we took a 45 minute drive over to Belleayre to checkout their jam that day. The atmosphere at Belleayre was dope, as many families came out to see their kids ride. I took the liberty of letting a 9 year old in a halter and jean shorts hold down the girls division for me while I pathetically slumped onto the grass as Charlie and Brent killed it, doing their “mom” for the day proud.


More daring than I'll ever be, as I HATE ice/snow burn. p. Ashley Bender


Charlie Esposito rode HARD all day, not phased at all by our early departure time.


Brent Whipple never ceases to amaze me. Here he is throwing a backie off the SMALLEST booter I have ever seen


Months after this fantastic weekend has passed, many of us are accepting the fact that we have to focus our time elsewhere. Some have been smart enough to save their money for camps, while others are working hard to save up for the new season. Unsuccessfully doing either of these things, I was getting increasingly frustrated during my summer days. Annoying my roommate (who happens to by my mom) got boring, so I turned to NSG like previously mentioned.

Summer is the breeding ground for some of the most intense pandemics of e-hate, e-trash, and re-posts. There’s frequently points where I wonder, what am I doing on here again? And then moments like one I have recently experienced come up.

So many of us think of NS as the perfect place to catch up on events, update ourselves on the pros, or discuss the latest gear, movies, and parties. While some of us spend more time logged-on than we do checked-in to reality (as I believe sick_as_aids asked me in a thread once, “Do you have a life?”), maybe it isn’t too unrealistic to say that skiing and NS are a big part of it. In fact, NS saved the life of a dear friend of mine.

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“She’s here!” my mom nervous yelled as I tripped towards the door. Lazy summertime ways meant that my reaction time was even worse than normal. Blinded by the sunlight, I approached my mom and neighbor, standing with the two girls who would be temporarily living with us; Mandy and Riley. This mom and daughter, who were homeless and in a rut, moved up to my home in Syracuse hoping for a chance to start over, and thanks to NS, that’s exactly what happened.

From the moment I saw her, I knew the little girl Riley would be my summer buddy. I wanted to take her hiking around the hills in Central New York, introduce her to my friends, and dedicate my time to finding her and her mom a home. I initially told some girlfriends on NS about my new friend, and I’m sure it was a lot to take in. Riley and her mom lived a bad life in South Carolina, with Mandy losing Riley’s 8 other brothers and sisters during birth.

Before you all start hitting me with Octo-Mom-mania, version 2.0, I am more than happy to tell you that Mandy is a female hound mix, and Riley is her boxer-hound pup. My neighbor is very big into rescuing dogs and asked us to watch this playful pair while she worked on finding them a home. Although dogs are rescued daily, the rate at which they are adopted is not as fast. Trying to help out by fostering these two, my mom and I could, regretfully, only watch them for a month or so. Every time the ferocious tiger-puppy, Riley, fell asleep in my arms, I knew that I had to do something.


Mandy cheesin’ for the camera.


Tiger-Puppy!

In steps the superhero known as Newschoolers.

Being a member of PMS, I was excited to show off the 2 pooches, knowing the fellow girls would be stoked. Posting the pics, I casually threw in at the end that the pups were looking for homes, and before I knew it, NS led to a snowball of success, ironically enough.


What are you doingggg?


Me thinks yodapuppy no like this.

Lesley (K2ECripa) is one of the many great girls on NS, which is why I was so stoked to hear from her. After hanging with an active puppy on a daily basis, I knew this outdoor, fun-loving chick would be the perfect match to the rowdy boxer-babe. As pm’s were exchanged, it became official. Spending her last night in Syracuse, I let the tiger sleep in my bed and nervously positioned my pillows so this wet-nosed bed bug wouldn’t fall off. Rubbing her belly in the morning and hopping into the car to take her to her new home, I was wicked sad, but stoked at the new life she was starting.


nom nom nom

Meeting up with Lesley, I knew that this was the best possible owner we could have found for Ri. Watching her car pull up, affixed with NS stickers, I re-adjusted her bow. We chatted about the babygirl and before I knew it she was on her way. Months later, she’s quite the beast-- though I think Lesley and I hope her only fear, of water, doesn’t translate into a fear of snow. In her new home, Teka (a spunky new name for her awesome new house— not like she was old enough to understand anything I yelled at her anyway), romps around and seems to be right up there with the happiest of mutts.


Do you believe in love at first sight, or should I slobber on your face one more time?

I’ll be the first to say I spend way too much time perusing the forums, watching edits, or reading the articles, but am in no way am I ashamed of it. By having blurred lines between my fresh-air life and on-line habits, I off-handedly mentioned the story of my lost puppy to a "stranger", and found her a home. Things like this happen every day, though they are over shadowed by all the other things going on. You can constantly sign on and see vibe-filled threads, laughs being had, and jokes between friends, some whom have never met. Whether I am at a down-state rail jam or being the puppy stork, I know I’m a part of a community that’s bigger than me, my state, my region, or country. The world of skiing has some of the best people with the biggest hearts, who are willing to do whatever necessary to help out a friend, regardless of how tight their bond off-line is. Lesley is a perfect example of one of these people. With her big gesture of adopting Teka, she found a new companion but also saved this dog’s life. It doesn’t matter if you’re sending $2 on pay-pal to a stranger, giving relationship advice to a teen in ladies men, or rating a new edit a 10, we’re all here supporting each other, through the snow-filled and snow-less months.


Teka has been doing a lot of growing since I saw her last! p. Lesley Schul

So here’s to everyone at the Memorial Day Rail jams, that occurred so long ago- Thanks for getting epic sun burns with me and throwing down super hard. Here’s to Nick for driving and being the definition of a best friend, my girl Jackie for being as badass as they come, and Charlie and Brent for keeping me young. Here’s to Lesley for stepping up to the plate and doing the admirable thing of adopting Teka, I know she’s loving every minute. And of course, here’s a sappy ol’ cheers to you Newschoolers. I love you and I hate you, but I respect you all the same.


Repping harder than EVER thanks to 168designs. Check them out!

BUT WAIT THERE’S MORE! In honor of Billy Mays, we bring you bonus pictures and updates, only to be viewed for a limited time! No actually, I just suck at updating my blog and some of these pictures are funny, some aren’t but regardless, here you go!





Courtesy of Newschoolers.com

Windham Sweat Fest By Shane McFalls


Congrats to my little bro chris, for surprising us all and graduating from high school! Hope you are never, ever, ever, sorry for partying.


A compilation of sunburns from the rail jams, concerts, and other events.


My Friend Is A .... Frog? Yeah. Gotta love bull frogs.


Fresh caught stripers of the coast of Maine. I almost typo'ed that to say "strippers" but I don't know if you can get those for free from the ocean.


Trying to ensure my cousins are the cool kids at school.. even if it's 3rd grade..

I'm ridiculously embarrassed and sorry to all the people who I've been promising this blog to. Next update will be much more prompt and will include state-by-state coverage from my VT to UT roadtrip with Adria! (aja_kiki) PLUS IF3 is in the near future... You all better start prepping your livers NOW. Thanks for checking in, and until next time... Surround Yourself with Flakes.