The Year in 100 Photos – Part 1

As we’re nearing a new school year, I finally got a chance to look back on the greatest ski season I’ve ever had. Since November 7th 2008, I’ve gotten over 110 days of skiing in while working towards a degree in mechanical engineering. The team house was my 1st home and team members my family. The following post is a journey through my year on the USC Ski & Snowboard Team narrated with 100 photos and some explanatory words. For those interested in joining the team for the 2009/2010 season – feel free to scroll through the post and see what your year can be – all while living in LA and earning a top rated education. This post is the first of three that will make up the complete 100 photo reminiscing.

Our year started off with the Welcome Back Concert – our best opportunity in recruiting new students to sign up and learn about what we do – followed by our annual Welcome Back get together to further hang out with some new kids and get together with old teammates. This year we had a sweet projector setup that blasted ski movies all evening on the back of our tent while we raked in prospective member email addresses.  I’ll start us off with one of my favorite photos of the year.  Sorry Mark, this photo just makes me laugh – such good expressions.  Thanks guys.

Mark creeping on Chris

The boys recruiting the girls

Chris and Clarey at the Welcome Back shindig

At the beginning of the year we sought out to do some more campus activities with the team and get to know some new members before we hit the slopes.  One week there was a special Thursday afternoon football game so we setup a little McCarthy Quad Pre-Game BBQ.  I remember that day being the same time as the giant sorority BBQ in the quad as well, so we were a little drowned out and I think a lot of people got caught or confused over there.  Oh well, we still had a good time and plenty of food.

Twins at the BBQ

Football pre-game BBQ

At the beginning of each year all of the officers work tirelessly on finding and securing housing for the team.  As I think everyone can agree, we bagged a sweet place that made life in the house more than liveable.  Mammoth ended up starting off the year with an awesome early season storm that moved the opening date ahead of schedule to the end of the first week in November.  For the first weekend the officers headed up to chop wood, setup the house and get things situated for the following months.  Kristen’s parents graciously donated a huge truckload of wood that we chopped up and stacked up at the house.  We had a good time being lumberjacks and then set off for a sweet weekend on the slopes.  Unlike many of past years, the first weekend did not consist of the WROD (White Ribbon of Death) where Mammoth is forced to make snow on Broadway and open ontime.  Instead we were making pow turns down Climax and Cornice Bowl and dropping every cliff in sight.  Chris and Clarey were out throwing flips off some epic cliffs on Chair 3 that would later be filled in with snow.

Mark showing us how to chop

Setting up shop at the new house

Opening weekend coverage

Ben, Nelson, Abe opening weekend

Cliff drop to knee in the face

Fresh snow on opening weekend!

Clarey and Sam digging out the driveway

With the house all setup and a nice coat of snow on the mountain, the following weekend was the first time everyone came up to the house and experienced Mammoth! We all had a big crew rolling through the park having a good time.  This was also the weekend we ordered 2 cords of wood and made a horribly inefficient but fun 15 person train to pass the wood around the house. We also all sat around the table and had a hilariously entertaining round of telephone pictionary where Nelson always continues to rule with his imagery.  If I remember correctly, after the hot springs we had a whole thing about Dante’s Peak and everyone boiling to death in hot springs.  That made its way into the telephone pictionary set, along with some terribly vulgar rounds, as usual.

The crew up for the first team weekend!

Telephone pictionary - Nelson rules this game

One of many Whiskey Creek Sesh's

During the week of November 15th, the USC Ski & Snowboard Team in conjunction with Mammoth Mountain, Fuel TV, and Redbull, put on our 2nd annual SnowFest rail jam in McCarthy Quad.  Dealing with events/schools/companies are logistical nightmares so kudos to Kristen for sticking with it and getting everything taken care of and setup for the big day.  We brought over 20 tons of snow and 2 boxes to the Quad and had a full on snow day in the middle of campus.  Team hero Cheech Sander showed up in his shades, jeans, and lakers jersey to take home first place.  It was sweet seeing newcomers Rick Davey, Quinn Behnki, Sean Trotter, and Robby Thorpe throw down in front of the big crowds – good job guys!  While we had a successful 2 years on campus and made the front page of the DT both years – sadly I don’t think we’ll see a return of SnowFest.  That week we also had a premiere of the Redbull Movie ‘That’s it That’s All’ over at the business school theater followed by a party at the 9-0.

Treasurer at SnowFest - what was this even for?

Girls selling some shirts at SnowFest!

Right after SnowFest we went right into another weekend of skiing followed by Thanksgiving Break! The different breaks are always a good time up in Mammoth: Thanksgiving, Winter, Spring.  It’s always a smaller group where everyone is pretty close knit.  Every Thanksgiving we like to go all out.  We didn’t have Andy and his secret brining skills, but Sam tried his best and cooked a huge turkey.  We cleaned up the house, cooked loads of food and had dinner by candle light and soothing music – what an atmosphere. The skiing and boarding was sweet too with about 8″ of fresh powder on Thanksgiving day and sunshine all throughout the week.

The Palisades Posse chilling on the deck

Deck break

Thanksgiving morning

Beautiful morning up 23

Rick is cold but happy!

Nelson, Sam, and Mark heading to some pow

Thanksgiving dinner with the boys

We go all out

Happy family

I mostly just like Rick's face.

The end of Thanksgiving usually means there’s one or two more weeks of classes before finals start.  This year, we had one week of classes and then study days.  I missed the weekend right after Thanksgiving up in Mammoth to finish up some projects at school.  I only had one final and it was on the very first day of finals – December 10th – so I was able to head to Mammoth right after that: home free.  I had 10 days in Mammoth before heading home to Portland for a week, and headed back to Mammoth in time for Race clinics and the first SCCSC competition that took place over New Years.  Winter break was when the Aussies Simon and Steve showed up to entertain us all and keep things fun every night.  We had nights of fireworks, running around, and some all around good fun.  Throughout winter break various people come and go so there were always new people to see and things to do.  This is also when I learned about Katherine O’Brien’s nigthly baking habits which would continue all year – always appreciated Katherine, thanks.  For our first competitions we had GS and Slalom races down under chair 1 against all of the other major schools in Southern California.  Our team had race managing duties for the first competition weekend where Clarey and Kristen recorded times and shouted out start orders.  A tradition we’ve had for the past few years is going down to the Kamei residence in Bishop to have a BBQ and watch the RoseBowl.  This was the first of a few amazingly delicous meals put on by Kristen’s parents – thanks! Also over the first part of break, team president Kristen got the okay to go back on skis after 2 ACL surgeries.  She escaped the year injury free this time!

Bryan and company heading to Climax!

Aussies and girls at 6

Clarey on race duty

Kristen on race duty

Winter fun at Lakanuki!

A brisk January in Bishop

Coming in to watch the Rosebowl game!

Mark and company building our awesome equipment racks

Steve, Katherine, and Kristen back on skis!

I think that takes care of the major memories between the start of the year and the beginning of the new year.  Stay tuned to see parts 2 and 3 of my year in 100 photos coming soon!  Next up is the snowy competition season, followed by some late season fun and some summer activities.  Thanks for reading.