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Monday, May 5, 2008

WHAM-O

A whole bunch of friends joined us Sunday for a snowshoe/ski trek part way up Mount Hood. We started at Timberline Lodge (6,000 feet) and went to the top of the Palmer ski lift (8,500 feet). We couldn't have asked for a better day. It was warm and calm and mostly cloud-free. The top of the mountain looked amazing!
Part of our group at the top of the snowfield
(Liz, Tasha, Ben, Brad & Doug)

When we headed down from our summit, we decided to glissade (sliding on our butts, using ice axes to control our descent). Thinking ahead, I had brought along my WHAM-O sled, basically a piece of thin foam with a slick plastic coating (similar to this), for just such an occasion. A Sno-Cat had just laid a fresh track of corduroy, so I sat down at the top of the steep run, lifted my feet and began my fateful slide. I really should have thought that through a bit better. Within a split second, I was gaining too much speed. I put a foot down, but instead of slowing me, it flipped me around so my head was mostly pointed downhill. After a couple seconds of panic, I was able to self arrest. But in my haste to get going, I had neglected to tie my WHAM-O to my waist, so it started flying down the hill all by itself. Luckily, I ran and caught up to it, avoiding losing another piece of equipment to the White River Canyon.

My friends and husband all watched in horror as this unfolded. But I survived unharmed, so my ride on the WHAM-O became a funny joke for the rest of the trip down. I tied my sled to my waist, stayed off the groomers, kept my speed under control and had a splendid ride the rest of the way.

Lesson learned for next time.
-Liz :)

7 comments:

  1. I would have loved to have seen your glorious slid down the mountain! What a sight that must have been :)

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  2. You really should have been there - after you realized I wasn't dead, you would have laughed your head off :)

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  3. Sounds like you did a total Clark Griswald down the hill! :)

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  4. I'm glad you learned your lesson without injury. We do NOT need another accident on that beautiful mountain. Just reading your post gave me the willies!

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  5. Safer flying the New Wham-O EZ Spin Disc! The EZ Spin is a revolutionary Foam Frisbee® Disc being referred to online as the best recreational disc available today. After flying one of these multi-feature toys, it is “EZ” to see why.

    Wham-O, who originally created the Frisbee® disc, went back to the drawing board and created the perfect mix of fun and sport with this new disc product. The EZ Spin disc is a high performance disc made from amazing waterproof foam material that can be used at the beach/pool or in a disc sport (Ultimate, Disc Golf, Freestyle) including Disc Tag! Who would have thought you can play Disc Tag? FYI, it’s not easy to out-run this foam disc! Players will appreciate the foam material and high performance flight.

    The EZ Spin, which comes in yellow or red, is EZ to catch, grip and throw all day with the kids and is very EZ on the hands! The waterproof soft foam (advanced closed cell material) makes this disc absolutely perfect for the beach/pool. The special blue dual spin plastic center feature of the EZ Spin disc is for comfortable finger placement on the disc that allows everyone the EZ way to spin the disc right side or upside down on a finger (almost addictive) - just like a Freestyle pro!

    In the high speed game of Ultimate the EZ Spin became the preferred disc for our game as a player is not afraid to launch the disc at high speeds to a team mate because it is a foam disc! The Disc Golf “inside word” is the EZ Spin is a secret weapon for anyone’s Disc Golf bag as I found when this disc hits the hole (the chains) it immediately drops into the basket.

    Disc beginners to sports enthusiasts will all agree that the EZ Spin disc is a revolutionary disc and certainly the best recreational disc available today!

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  6. The EZ Spin is at Target Stores and Amazon.com

    ReplyDelete