Patrick's Streak, Ski Travel Priorities

[tseeb]

Quite a story about a 41 year streak. While being an instructor at Timberline, OR made it easier, there have been many challenges including one October when weak from chemo “I put on my cross country skis, skied a hundred yards out and a hundred yards back, and I counted that month!”

74-Year-Old Skis Every Month for 41 Straight Years - SnowBrains

As a culture we are always looking at who is the best, who has done it the best, and who might do it better in the future. We are always looking at individuals who have accomplished something we all dream we could do as well, regardless of their profession. We are fixated on wins, titles...

snowbrains.com

 

[Tony Crocker]

From above article:

This September and October, Garlock is planning on keeping his streak alive by skiing at BigSnow, New Jersey, which is the only indoor ski facility in North America. Even though there were historic amounts of snowfall out west this year, Garlock said they had an unusually warm month of May. The warm weather melted most of the snow and by the middle of August, Timberline, which received almost 700 inches of snow this past season, was already closed.

So Patrick has good company in resorting to indoor skiing to keep a streak going, and he first did that in July 2022, his 202nd month. He also did it this August, and I suspect will return for September/October as he's still recovering from the shoulder injury.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

If there's a dedicated Telluride thread, we should move all of @ChrisC's excellent pix and descriptions above to it so they don't get buried.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Posted on the Powder7 site. Patrick needs to score his own interview!

Skiing Year Round: Hitting 120 Months of TAY - Powder7 Lift Line Blog

Turns All Year is a popular activity at Powder7 (addicted to skiing much?) but none of us ski year round as much as one of our staffers who just nailed 10 years.

www.powder7.com

 

[Tony Crocker]

Posted on the Powder7 site. Patrick needs to score his own interview!

+1 That article mentions "St. Mary's" for a tough August/September, so I'm guessing this guy lives in Front Range Colorado. I said a decade ago that Patrick is the likely the only person in eastern North America doing this, much less for 18 years, which makes him much more newsworthy.

However, the more months he gets at Big Snow New Jersey (3 and counting), the less newsworthy his story will become. His first 201 months on snow living in the East, none of them indoors, is VERY newsworthy IMHO.

 

[Harvey]

However, the more months he gets at Big Snow New Jersey (3 and counting), the less newsworthy his story will become.

Tough crowd!

 

[Tony Crocker]

I thought Harvey and James are NJ locals who won't set foot in the place!

In fairness, the Powder7 article pointed out that long streaks are always vulnerable to ill timed injuries. Patrick was in New Jersey for Aug/Sep 2023 due to recovery from his May 29 elbow injury.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

That article mentions "St. Mary's" for a tough August/September, so I'm guessing this guy lives in Front Range Colorado.

Powder7 ski shop is based in Golden so that's likely the case.

the more months he gets at Big Snow New Jersey (3 and counting), the less newsworthy his story will become.

I'll be part of the tough crowd and agree.

Of course, similar to our ski-area counts -- where some slice up interconnected ski circuits into several entries while some don't -- streaks aren't an organized competition so people can count qualifying months any way they like. Technically, Big Snow is skiing and entails cost/effort but most would say that the difficulty of the streak lies in locating, accessing, and skiing on outdoor snow, not manufactured in an indoor setting. Without being too much of a smartass, one wonders when ski simulators become part of a streak. Of course, I'm typing this judgey comment from a leather club chair on my porch!

I thought Harvey and James are NJ locals who won't set foot in the place!

It's 20 minutes from me and I wouldn't go, even comped.

 

[Patrick]

streaks are always vulnerable to ill timed injuries. Patrick was in New Jersey for Aug/Sep 2023 due to recovery from his May 29 elbow injury.

If I would be listen to medical advice, my ski streak would have ended a long time ago with that October 2015 broken ankle. I was told not to ski until after Christmas, so November and especially October would have been clearly out of the question.

Similarly to Memorial Day injury; asked the physician during the follow up on June 2 about getting some easy terrain groomer turns and his verdict was clear, « I’m 200% against it… if you go, don’t tell me » Official medical timeline to return to the slopes is November 29 (6 months). Elbow/Arm is still bothering me; like most years, I don’t have any plans for October.

Without being too much of a smartass, one wonders when ski simulators become part of a streak.

Nope, it has to be snow. If that wouldn’t be the case, I’d already be at 218 (and 226 out of 227 months). Skied on sand dunes on the shores of Lake Erie in August 2005 (old TR is somewhere on FTO) and grass skiing with Frankontour and his gear at a lost Montreal ski hill in September.

There is a lady out there at 330+ months, but that includes sand skiing.

 

[Patrick]

It's 20 minutes from me and I wouldn't go, even comped.

That is you. Organic Ski Bunny has already been numerous times and generally skis in Vermont.

Well, if it wouldn’t have been for the injury, I would have definitely try to travel (blame it on Mammoth ). I think reaching 216 months has been a real roller coaster:
Broken ankle, 3 broken ribs, dislocated elbow, 2 hurricanes and severe Covid travel restrictions (ie. Interprovincial borders closed meaning I couldn’t even cross into Quebec).

 

[Tony Crocker]

sand skiing

If sand skiing counted, I would already have 7 continents!

 

[Patrick]

If sand skiing counted, I would already have 7 continents!

The lady that is over 330+ months counts them… I personally don’t as my requirements is « snow ». No sand, no dry slopes, no synthetic carpet… just snow.

 

[ChrisC]

If I would be listen to medical advice, my ski streak would have ended a long time ago with that October 2015 broken ankle. I was told not to ski until after Christmas, so November and especially October would have been clearly out of the question.

Skiing with a broken ankle? How does that work? Sure a ski boot stabilizes the area, but still - getting it in/out of a boot.

I broke 2 bones in my right hand while skiing before going to Australia/NZ. (Tree stump roots hidden by powder, ski went under root - crash!)

Instead of going to the normal ER doctor, I went to a triathlete friend's doctor - who specialized in taping you together and sending you out. So 2 metal rods later stabilizing my hand & 36 hours - I went down under and did 12 Scuba dives, kayaked half-day in NZ, and did the original NZ bungee jump. I could easily grip things, but getting my hand in/out of clothing, wetsuits, etc. was painful.

 

[Patrick]

Skiing with a broken ankle? How does that work? Sure a ski boot stabilizes the area, but still - getting it in/out of a boot.

Broken my ankle in October 4th when my foot caught a gopher hole with the long grass hiking our local hill. When to the tiny local hospital and was told it was a bad sprain. 10 days later, radiologist going over X-rays called me to inform that I indeed had a fracture and to report at a hospital in town.
They gave me the choice between a plaster or air cast. I choose on air cast. I don’t think that the ski streak would have survived if I had hike the Whiteface Toll Road like I did the previous October.
A cold spell allowed to St-Sauveur to open. Two Ottawa skiers picked me up at home and had to help get that my severely swollen foot into the ski boot.

Comments from FB:
Two runs, but I needed some help to put on my right ski boot. Between 99 and 100% weight on the left ski, I guess when the doc said no sports for 4-6 weeks, she didn't mean 4 days.

 

[Patrick]

If you are wondering, that was probably one of the closest moment the ski streak was in jeopardy.
Others:
Pucon, CL August 30, 2008 - pouring rain and closure after one run.
West Virginia / Hurricane Sandy, October 31, 2012
1st few months of the pandemic with closed interprovincial borders: April-July 2020
June 2023: dislocated elbow.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

Tree stump roots hidden by powder, ski went under root - crash!

I've mentioned before -- that scenario is exactly what happened to me in January 2003 at Snowbasin after a rain/freeze event . My ski went under an ice shelf going from a groomer to the ungroomed, which stopped my forward movement. I pitched forward; my boot didn't eject and voilà, broken tibia.

I needed some help to put on my right ski boot. Between 99 and 100% weight on the left ski, I guess when the doc said no sports for 4-6 weeks, she didn't mean 4 days

This is a moment where someone unfamiliar with the counter-intuitiveness of the ski streak would be

 

[Patrick]

I pitched forward; my boot didn't eject and voilà, broken tibia.
This is a moment where someone unfamiliar with the counter-intuitiveness of the ski streak would be

Ouch.
Although the conditions were perfect given my situation as it was warm and the surface was soft. I remember people asking me why I wasn’t going for a 3rd run; let just say I didn’t want to exaggerate.
There were a few pictures and video taken of me and I believe posted on the old Zoneski Forum.

 

[ChrisC]

I've mentioned before -- that scenario is exactly what happened to me in January 2003 at Snowbasin after a rain/freeze event . My ski went under an ice shelf going from a groomer to the ungroomed, which stopped my forward movement. I pitched forward; my boot didn't eject and voilà, broken tibia.


This is a moment where someone unfamiliar with the counter-intuitiveness of the ski streak would be

My ski went under a root, and I went head and hand first into the stump. A helmet saved me from head injuries and was dented/needed to be thrown out. However, skied the rest of the day in 12 inches of cold December powder (10sF) - temps kept everything OK. The next day, my hand swelled up, and X-rays at Telluride Medical Clinic rendered the verdict: broken. Only ever used air caste/stabilizer and metal rods to heal.

Location: Telluride - Under Gold Hill lift - 1/3 the way down run Millions below the couloir.

 

[Harvey]

I thought Harvey and James are NJ locals who won't set foot in the place!

Can't speak for James. I would ski at American Dream when they are featuring seeded bumps.

 

[jamesdeluxe]

let just say I didn’t want to exaggerate.

Busted translating from French into English!

There were a few pictures and video taken of me and I believe posted on the old Zoneski Forum.

I lost a half dozen Quebec reports that I only posted on the Zoneski forum many moons ago. Not that it matters at this point but did Christophe and Geneviève give people a heads-up that they were shutting down the forum? Props to them -- they do an impressive job formatting and editing their site (and I'm glad to see that they haven't pulled down my articles).