Maggot Beginnings...............

[jackstraw]

Taos isn't a ski town. Ski towns suck.

[easyrdr]

3-24-02
Busted it up to Fort Collins, hiked up to Horsetooth Rock with the dog. Snapped a few pictures of him on the cliff just below the summit, I don’t think he liked it very much. Headed up to Poudre to camp. Woke up a fresh inch of snow, decided to hike Grey Rock, we had it all to ourselves. After the hike I drove south to meet a buddy at Winter Park. He called and had to bail, so I said fuck it and headed east. To Michigan I go, c’mon truck, you can make it.

4-2-02
I’m home. The truck died two days ago. Fuck you Chuck Norris -Walker Texas Ranger, making Dodge Ram look all cool even though it is a total piece of shit. It’s cool though I got my landscaping job for summer and my 87' Honda Spree still running strong.

2003-2010
The rest the story:

Moved to Salt Lake the following October. Phunk and Mrs. Phunk sublet their 2 bedroom apartment to me in West Jordan. I put out a mass email for a roommate and the girl I hooked up with in Targhee decided to be my roommate in Utah. Ended being my girlfriend. I scored a snowmaking job at Alta. It dumped and I was laid off for the season the second week of December with a free ski pass. Unemployed for two weeks then got hired driving cats at Alta. Back to MI for summer repeat. Skied with all sorts of mags. DTM, Powderwhore, Crossover, Phunk, MD9, etc. There was a really good crew in those days.

Blew my knee out that second season and bailed. Moved to Truckee the following season. Upgraded my living situation to a 16ft travel trailer with no running water, way nicer than the truck. Sugar Bowl/Kirkwood Pass, worked for Patagonia. That was the year it snowed 25ft in a week. We were skiing the peaks outside the Patagonia distribution center in Reno there was so much snow. Spent majority of my time in the backcountry with such a bomber snowpack. Scored a heli trip to the Rubies, thanks to Patagonia as well, it was for "product testing." Two winter’s there. Splat was making Bro’s by then. At this point someone broke into my truck and stole everything. 2 pairs of skis, boots, 2 helmets, jacket, pants, gloves, backpack, probably some tweaker in Reno. Maggots stepped up again, Splat hooked me up with some Bro’s, within 3 days I had everything I needed to ski again. Dumping in Seattle, jumped on a plane, Buster gave me the grand tour at Crystal. Z-Bo showed me around the backcountry - still one of the best runs of my life. Got to ski Alpental as well.

Met up with Joe Strummer and Pablo Escobar at a bar on Colfax for the start of the Broventure, would love those skis back to hang on my wall, my part was nuts and ended up with me and a stewardess in the ladies room.

Moved to Carbondale drove Cats at Snowmass. Spent my off time in the backcountry up by Marble with side trips to Silverton, bumped into Buster there too.

2010 Finally got the “real job.” Skiing one week a year.

2011 Made good money so booked myself a trip to Points North with a stop over at Alyeska.

2012/13 Met and married my wife

2015 My wife gave me two weeks skiing in Chamonix with buddies in exchange for two weeks diving in Belize with girlfriends……my trip was better. We had to separate so someone was home taking care of the kids. If I could do it all over I would have just moved to Verbier in my 20’s and never looked back.

2021 Suffered a TBI slalom water skiing. Lost the ability to multitask. Had to sell my business. Got the help I needed but it was a full 18 months of 5 day a week rehab. My wife and I decided we needed a change of scenery and sold everything and moved to Durango. The majority of my days are spent in the backcountry these days, lift lines aren’t for me unless under 2 minutes. Lots of trips to the desert too.

2023 I no longer have a “real job”………and it feels fucking great to be back!

Hope to see you guys at the Beaver summit. And keeping fingers crossed I score another overseas pass and get in on that trip in the next year or two.

Last thoughts. While I didn't know it at the time, this trip set me on a life path, one I could not have dreamt in a million years. As I sit here now at 46 with a wife and 3 kids, I can't imagine what life would have looked like if I turned the truck around in Bozeman and entered working society with my peers. Instead I was smart enough (or dumb enough) to let the influence of internet strangers talk me into something crazy. But the lessons I learned on that trip, my faith in this group and the good that you all do, the support I received when I needed it most, it was all life changing. To all the maggots.......Thank you for the trip of a lifetime.

[Danno]

FKNA

[byates1]

FKNA

[greenmachine]

This is so great and thanks for sharing . I remember when your journey started . You have experienced so many places in the west . What’s been your favorite ?


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[mcski]

What a great trip report!

[lifelinksplit]

You must have passed through Roosville.. I was a year or two before ya but 5 dudes from MSU did a whistler, red, WW, and fernie trip our freshman break. It was before I found tgrz but we ended up camping in the client lot at the snowcat op down the street. They had a sick keggar with snow cut steps to the creek with couches and lazy-boys and lots of shrooms and made us Montana boys feel right at home. Somebody might've froze if they didn't steal a hotel comforter. Then we had to cross the border and the driver decided it was better to eat the leftover boomers and we had the vehicle torn apart for 4-5 hours as they found a roach. Then we had to put it back together after much threat of jail time...

Great stories easyrdr.

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[Core Shot]

The conclusion was awesome
FKNA

[Cruiser]

.

[present tense]

Awesome story easy, thoroughly enjoyed following this account of your journey

[Iowagriz]

Thanks for the memories!

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[Meadow Skipper]

To call this epic is to severely underrate it.

[alpinevibes]

Full circle, love it dude

[El Chupacabra]

Hall of fame.

[hawkgt]

thanks for sharing, rad shit

[Core Shot]

Hall of fame.

Sticky for this winter in the ski forum?

Sickgnar stoke.

[VTskibum]

FKNA indeed

Many great places and even better people

[phatty]

Definitely a HOF thread. Thanks for sharing.

[Bunion 2020]

I can't imagine what life would have looked like if I turned the truck around in Bozeman and entered working society with my peers.

You came to a fork in the road, made a choice and the rest as they say is history. Thx.

[shera]

fkna

[Iwantmy2dollars]

Fantastic! Thanks for sharing!!
We had a similar glide path, lived or skied at almost all the same areas. But You did in a few months what took us about 15 years. In JH now - Le tits now!

[EWG]

Outstanding.

[danmelon]

Love it, fkna!

[eSock]

Bravo. Sounds like you made all the right choices

[Eluder]

Enjoyed the trip.