Jumping Journal: March 07, 2009

Heads up...spring is coming.  Nothing good ever last long.

 

That about sums up the day today REAL well.

 

After jumping Thursday evening the skies clouded over and I did hear a couple of raindrops hit the roof on my house Friday but we didn't get much out the storm other than a change in wind direction, to the south, and the start of a big warm up.  Yesterday saw highs in the mids 40s.  Today was suppose to be even warmer.  Last night it only got down to 31 degrees after the skies had cleared back out.

 

I left for Storrs Hill around 9:15AM and when I stepped outside I was a bit taken back by how warm it was out already.  I drove up to the hill and by the time I got up there it was alreayd 48 degrees.  I knew with the combination of the weather yesterday, last night and this morning that it was going to make for interesting conditions.

 

After doing some work on the inrun and landing hill Cannonball, Dan, Tom, Sam and myself all suited up.  It seemed like conditions were holding up pretty good considering how warm it was out.  As could be expected the sun was shining brightly.

 

I headed up to the knoll and decided to play it safe and ride the landing hill.  I knew I hadn't waxed since sometime last winter and I also knew the trickiest area on the jump is typically the bridge.  The sun shines down on the bridge with full intensity and has a tendency to create sticky spots before anywhere does.  I started down the landing hill and everything seemed fine.  I got onto the bridge and did notice a bit of a sticky spot.  Not as bad as what I expected but it was sticky nonetheless.

 

I walked back up the stairs and headed on up the inrun.  Dan jumped first and went from house.  I guess he got a bit wobbly in the track.  I didn't see it but that's what Cannonball said.  He decided to go from the top bar instead of house.  After he went with no signs of any trouble.  I put on my skis and decided to stick with going from top bar.  I scooted onto the bar.  I noticed the bit of a slight curve and correction in the track and decided to keep myself prepared for it.  It was down around the top to the middle of the transition.  It wasn't anything to normally think about but with the conditions I was going to play it 'safe'.

 

I got the signal from Esky and started down the inrun.  For some dumb reason right from the second I started down the inrun I started looking at the curve.  I haven't did anything that stupid in years.  I kept going down and kept looking at the curve.  As I got into the transition and the curve I found my head and upper body leaning WAY far forward.  I thought I was going to go down on the inrun head first.  I was WAY far forward.  I didn't notice any stickiness or I probably would have went over for sure.

 

I hit the takeoff and got into the air.  Ahhhh, the first bit of relief.  At least I didn't go down on the inrun.  I dropped the ski tips and the next thought I had was I was going to dig a tip into he knoll.  I managed to keep from doing that.  Save number two for the jump.

 

I landed and managed to get things straightened back out for the most part on the landing hill but I did end up losing once I got onto the bridge.  I ended up dragging my hands to come to stop.  I was surprised I managed to pull it off so well.  I'm not sure how I did it but I did.  Definitely one of the more impressive/scary jumps I've had in quite a while.

 

I walked back up the stairs and was starting up the inrun when Dan came down for his second jump.  I only had made it up four or five steps when he came into the top of the transition.  Cannonball was above me by ten to 15 steps at the most.  Both of us watched as Dan stuck coming through the curve.  It was a very noticeable stick.  He pulled off a nice save since he did rock forward quite a bit from sticking.  Cannonball said "That's enough for me, I'm done for the day."  I thought for only a second and I said the heck with it as well.  I wasn't about to risk it any further, especially since I hadn't waxed anytime recently.

 

The plan was to get everyone over to jump the K25.  Cannonball and Esky headed over that way while Sam, Tom, Dan and I stuck around the K50.  Tom went between Dan and I and he didn't notice any trouble sticking.  He decided to go up and take another jumper.  Tom normally is the conservative type.  Today wasn't the norm.

 

He came down and he didn't really stick as per say but it was a constant slowdown in speed as he got closer to the takeoff.  He told Sam it was time to go over to the K25.  He came back up and after talking a while and thinking things through he decided to go up for yet another jump.  I do have to fess, according to Sam's mom and Tom they waxed on Thursday so they was having some extra benefit from the fresh wax.

 

He walked back up and took a final jump.  He was slowing down again on the inrun and after he stopped he said he did notice one or two sticky spots when he was coming down.  He called it quits as well.

 

I went over the K25 and saw Dr. J and Cannonball talking and I asked Cannonball how much worse it was compared to the K50.  I know the K25 gets much more direct sun exposure, especially on the inrun and landing hill than the K50.  The K50 is tucked more into the trees the K25.

 

Cannonball said it was a lot worse.  He only took one jump on the K25 and called it quits.  Turns out Dr. J wasn't having any luck either.  He was waxing as I got to the hill this morning with high floro wax.  He was sticking on the inrun and on the end of the outrun.

 

Everyone bagged it much earlier than expected.

 

The high today was 55.  The clouds moved in during the afternoon hours.  It's suppose to rain tonight and be mostly sunny and back into the 50s tomorrow.  Tomorrow night into Monday their is a chance of snow.  I've seen one forecast suggesting 2 inches.  A big chunk of that two inches is supposed to be during the day Monday when the temperature is suppose to be in the mid 30s???  Lower 40s and sunny Tuesday.  Rain and around 40 on Wednesday and then partly cloudy and mid 30s Thursday through Saturday.  Hopefully Mud Meet won't be a repeat of last year's MUD, err slop meet.  It's next Saturday.  It could be interesting.  We may end up jumping on plastic on the K25 for the first time in nine years at Mud Meet this year.  I think I was seeing some plastic showing through when I left this afternoon.  I'm not sure if that was plastic or not though.

 

Crash