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II ... if meone ends up dead or bopita lized, well, they shouldn'1 To ,," 'h. '."';0 Oh'''''9 Steepness in skiing is a wobbly concept. Most black diamond runs start at around 30 degrees and turn into double black at around 38 degrees. Once you head into the 40s and 50s-depending on the ferocity of the line-you head into what is known as extreme skiing. The bump runs at Montana Mogul fall away at something li }e 41 degrees with ruts so deep that once inside you need a periscope to see over the top. Tanner Hall also comes from Montana. He was at Montana Mogul the week Mickey built a six-foot kicker on a rise above the highway at the top of Beartooth Pass. The rise was nearly 20 feet high and the highway below 40 feet wide. On the road's other side was another field of snow that stretched for maybe a hundred feet. Tanner and Mickey and anyone else who wanted to give it a try soared through the air above a ribbon or hard concrete. To,.. pig races in a cowboy bar, where we went to another cowboy bar in the middle of this cowboy land to watch Mike Tyson gnaw on Evander Holyfield's ear and, in the absence of football and basketball season, you can honestly say that that's the most attention two black men received in Montana all summer. If this sounds like a relaxing and interesting way st�te itself. lY.1 0 n"t; ana IS a place where we went to f�y unde.lstand Mont.ana MO,9ul, you have to understand the to pass time between bump runs then you should know a thing or two about cowboys: They have a different code and like to fight. They really like to fight people who aren't cowboys because then it's not a question of right or wrong, it's just some­ thing to pass the time and if someone ends up dead or hospital­ ized, well, they shouldn't have come to Montana in the first place. Th is is pretty much the attitude at Montana Mogul as well, so I left for Canada with the quiet peace one gets from get- ting out alive. the other hand, is a Disneyland for adults. A pic- ture perfect town designed by a corporation whose sole mission is to build picture perfect ski towns. There are cobblestones and parks and Whistler, on h ,Util, "J:�Q.(I1 e to Eill@m��m� in the first place. " brooks and bears and the most attractive group of people imag­ inable. These people come each summer to spend their days in a perfect existence of outdoor activity and to spend their nights eating and drinking, drinking and dancing, and dancing and ha'.'· ing sex. In the past five years, most of the top freestyle camps have moved to Whistler and at the pinnacle is Cooper Schell's World Mogul. Cooper is one of the US Ski Team's mogul coach·· es which means he attracts other coaches -such as Donna Weinbrecht, Stephan Rochon, Glen Plake and Bea Thomas-who represent more Olympic medals and Rookies-of-the-Year and National Champions than you could find anyplace else on the planet. When the day's skiing is done, when most people are col­ lapsing into bed, these people fi ll the rest of their day with sport. They work out and run and golf and play football, soccer, bas­ ketball, hackey sack, skate and bike and never, for a moment, do they stop being athletes. At Whistler I meet Tanner Hall and see Lauren Rainen MOGUL EMPIRE If you're looking to improve your bump moves, try a ski camp. June and July are prime time. Snowboard camps are also available. Freestyle International, Mt Hood, OR: (888) 493.1 114 Montana Mogul, Red Lodge, MT: (406) 586.3269 World Mogul, Whistler, BC: (303) 444.4559 again. She wears a cast from fist to elbow. She skis without poles and without the blessings of her doc­ tor. In fact, she went to three doctors after her break and they all strictly forbade her from ski­ ing. They said if she fell again, if she did more damage-the risk was way too great. They said these things and it didn't matter a drop. This is why Lauren is important, because she's not a contender and she could easily take the season off without hurting her chances or closing her win­ dow because those things weren't there to begin with. in all of this? What is tlle fantasy? Imagine for a moment what it So where is the magic takes to risk permanent damage to your body for a few days skiing. Try to under­ stand why this is a good decision and when you're done listen to the only thing her coach­ es had to say about all of this: "When she gets her poles back, she's gonna rip." There's a tacit assumption here in fantasyland. Something strong enough to reach into the milieu and drag out a handful of skiers-teenagers from the flatlands, high-tech consultants from Silicon Valley, psychologists from New York City and college students who didn't go on spring break, who ate bad food and worked overtime to pay for this trip. The assumption is that if you're here, then you're already willing to trade it all; to sign forms and bang drums and do anything in your power for a graceful stay on the back of a cagey, bucking horse plunging down these last summer snow fields. z ::;: U.J Cl >­ Z o f- o f­ o I "- II be so blessed good at something that is so blessed hard". A secret drive to

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