This is the question that has haunted Added Men for years. A pattern surfaced years ago, look for the nearest bathroom and you'll probably find Brian. But in recent years, Brian has gone missing due to back problems.
To:Add A Man Ski Club
From: brian.st.pierre@shafiinc.com
Date: November 2, 2006 7:50:41 PM EST
Subject: Add A Man Trip '07
Hi ALL,
I am currently traveling (for business) what else is
new! Jo Ann forwarded me your latest communications
regarding the 20th year adventure to Lake Tahoe. I realize I
am guilty of procrastinating, (also what else is new).
However, I have finally come to a decision. I will
not be attending again this year :-(
It will be fun, as always, and I am sure Flaps will make good
on his promise to make this "a trip to remember".
Unfortunately, I've got a new job which adds a complication.
But, the real reason is I'm scarred!
You see I've proved to be a fool before (OK what else is new)
and can't yet trust myself to not be again. I have skied 1
time each of the last 2 years (both at Nubs Nob) and this past year my
youngest son Steven needed a bit of instruction in the trees (which I
happily provided and survived while doing so) which only served to
embolden me. Next we hit the boarder park also with
encouraging results.
Then the fool emerged...I followed Steven up to the "Super
Pipe" --my first (and last) such experience. Well after
watching a lot of people go down I decided it didn't look too bad so I
jumped in. On the third trip up the wall my skies cleared the
lip and I was rocketing back down into the pipe when... I decided I was
a bit old to be going so fast so naturally I turned up-hill to take a
little speed off---I now know this is something you do not want to ever
do in a half pipe, especially one on a steep hill!
Of course physics takes over and I am pointed straight at the
wall going about 40 mph. I knew this was bad...at that speed
I went all the way to the top and when the tips of my skis were over
the edge I had reached full compression (my face was inches from my
skis and I stopped moving up (and I knew it was only going to get
worse).
All that was left to do was to uncompress. Of
course, this had the effect of launching me directly out into the
middle of the pipe (like a high jump sideways) where I then fell 15
feet to land in a heap (head first, but I had my helmet on) on the
ice. All the way down I was thinking that Jo Ann was going to
kill me (if I survived), and of course my son had told me all the way
up the J-bar he was going to "tell mom" if I did this (after all with 5
ruptured disks in my back, only a fool would do something like
this).
Well, I did survive (and lay on a picnic table for the next 2
hours) and though my shoulder has been a bit more sore than ever
before, it was really my self confidence that was damaged the
most. I am afraid the pull is still to great to be on the
edge with the rest of you guys. Some day perhaps I will
accept my fate and commit to "blue runs"
and then I will come back to Add a Man--if you will
still have me?
Till then, Yee Haa! from Cowboy Tex
PS. Please let me hear of your adventures (especially who
gets to share the bed with Flaps)
Finally an update, and it looks like it's going to be at least another year. Get yourself healthly, Tex. You don't need to ski, you could be our cabin boy. Fetch our drinks, chauffeur us around, stuff like that.