Wow, in the wake of this past ski season, I have found myself hitting a wall, both emotionally and physically.  With a doctor’s diagnosis of fractured humeral heads in both of my shoulders and a fractured right scapula, I finally have an understanding of all the pain I had dealt with throughout the season.  Not to mention the torn labrum (a part of the AC joint muscle-tendon group in the shoulder) in my left shoulder that I must have sustained through the impact and eventual dislocation during the ‘Jib theTatsVan’ session back in January.  I haven’t had the motivation to keep up with stories on this site, mainly because I haven’t been doing much.  Needless to say, the X-rays, MRIs and doctor’s diagnosis have helped me get my head around all of these injuries, and I’m now trying to get back in shape for rafting this summer.

And though there is no excuse for my tardiness in updating this website, I make no apologies from taking time off from the Internet.  I know some of my close friends and acquaintances have been jibbing me for all the mobile-uploads on Facebook and my fervor for Twitter updates, so I decided to give myself some time away from it all.  But now, I find myself clearing up my mind, ever more intent on keeping this blog up-to-date.

In the interest of introducing you, the reader, back into the life of a ski bum, I have compiled a list of Twitter feeds for you to check out:

Freeskier Magazine’s ’100 People to follow on Twitter’ – Yours truly is included in the list of skiers!

Tecnica/Blizzard – My ski and boot sponsor
Backcountry.com – Follow BC.com and catch up on all the latest sales
Julian Carr – My good friend and entrepreneur extraordinaire
Cody Townsend – This guy rips.  And sleeps on couches too.  Sweet.
Henrik Lampert – My fellow Freeskier Fest ski tester – always good with funny quips!
Dave Amirault – Digi Dave is the brains behind the whole Freeskier Online
Jonny Atencio – Backcountry.com’s Athlete Wrangler and my longtime sponsor
Keith Carlsen – Former editor of Powder Magazine and current big mountain comp photographer

To wrap it up, I’ll give you a little idea of what I’ll be doing over the next few weeks to a month from now.  Soon, Jamie and I will be driving to Sun Valley to celebrate my dad’s 67th birthday.  I can’t wait to go home and see the old valley for a short while.  On the 26th, my dad will be giving a presentation at the Ketchum Library on my grandfather’s film ‘Topaz’ about the Japanese-American internment during WWII; it’ll be good to get back in touch with my JA side.

Jamie and I will return to Aspen by the end of May, when I hope to begin working for Blazing Adventures once again as a professional, commercial bus driver and (crossing fingers!) raft guide.  By June 10th, I’ll be hitting the road with the Challenge Aspen race team on the way to Mt. Hood, Oregon to help coach a two-week race camp and some summertime skiing.  Big thanks to Jonathan Mika and Kevin Jardine for the hookup on that one!  Read more about Challenge Aspen here

This hat is just plain dope.

All your outdoor gear needs!