The unaffordable cost of high adrenaline

On Tuesday, I was reading a strange first-page story in the Washington Post about what happened on March 21, 2023, to the Colorado-born Emily Franciose, a senior at a pricey Swiss boarding school, Ecole d'Humanité, that died trapped under the 2,000ft-wide avalanche on the Gstelliwang slope in the Bern canton of Switzerland.

The parent of this only child went along with her wish to spend her last year in High School in that perfect Ecole d'Humanité instead of staying in the uppity Vail environment at a cost of $60,000 per year in tuition and boarding alone. 

One would think that she would be safe there, but she wasn’t as the activity masters and guide took the teenager and her classmates in a place where avalanche danger had been forecast, was higher than usual, just to offer the students a unique experience. 

I bring up this sad accident to show that in these times, “unique experience” seem to be what’s most important regardless of the risk involved and it’s perhaps time to slow down a bit, think at what result when we chase the extreme and see the folly in going for adrenaline at all cost. 

This, whether it’s on snow or anywhere else for this matter, finding heroic, extreme and remarkable feats has become the name of the game in leading a life well lived. Yeah, let’s forget the mundane alternatives and push as far as humanely possible to the extreme and the ultra-thin margins of safety!

Will John Robert’s become a Kangaroo Court?

Today was the Supreme Court’s hearing Donald Trump’s claim that the federal charges accusing him of plotting to overturn the 2020 election must be thrown out because he is immune from being prosecuted for any official act he took as president.

I listened to part of it, and after reading the first opinions from various pundits, I can sense plenty of sympathy for Trump on the part of some conservative Supreme Court Justices. While we have no idea as to how and when this claim will be adjudicated, I fear that our top Judges will kick the can down the road as much as possible and make it difficult for the case to be done before the November election. 

Why do I think that way? Deep inside, the conservative majority doesn’t want their decision on abortion be annulled following a Biden and Democrat victory in both Chambers, that might suggest that the 9 current judges could be diluted to 13 to permit such a turnaround. 

So, theses Judges might secretly hope Trump stays in power to prove them right and maintain their feeble credibility among the Nation. If I’m right, we might be as I fear it, faced with a Kangaroo Court, for lack of a better qualifier...

The ways we sometime remember...

Some 39 years ago, my wife and I paid a visit to Park City together in order to look for a house to buy. It was my spouse’s first visit to the area. 

For some strange reasons and over the years, I had always been convinced that this visit happened around the beginning of May, as if there was a weekend falling just around the first day of that month.

We also both remembered that it was particularly cold at that time of the year and that Park City Ski Area was still in operation on what looked to be its last weekend. We had left our two children to the care of a good friend and had made the trip over a typical Saturday and Sunday. 

We were staying at the old Yarrow Hotel, now the DoubleTree, and didn’t find a house we both really liked. I was excited though, while my wife wasn’t really. 

In reality, it didn’t happen around the first of May, instead, it was on April 13 and 14, as written on the photos I took for the occasion. I would have bet big that it was the date I thought it was… 

Another proof that we should always be skeptical of certain of our strongly-held memories!

Another ski season is over…

Not only was yesterday Earth Day, but it was the last day for skiing in Park City. Since I’m not one to miss closing day, I was there and did all my turns plus some, to conclude my 71st ski season, a light one in terms of days skied (91) and total vertical (just over 1.6 million feet). 

It was a winter of “Quality” instead of “Quantity” skiing, and beyond our terrible months of November and December that only offered very scant cover and mediocre skiing, the rest of the winter was just fabulous with plenty of regular and quality snow falls. I stayed in shape, skied all my favorite runs and didn’t get hurt after my December 18 slide. 

For that ultimate day, I ran laps under the crescent chair, skied very well (at least, I thought), even though the snow began to become heavy very early as the night temperatures stayed over freezing. I came home healthy, with nothing either twisted or broken, thus keeping the promise I made my wife when I left home this morning. I’m officially done with skiing for 2023-2024!

Less plastics on Earth Day…

Today is Earth Day, and it’s one of the year’s most important celebrations to me. I love and appreciate the planet upon which I stand, and I feel that it deserves all the tender love and care we can give her. I wish political leaders of all stripes would begin paying more attention to protecting her, but they won’t. They are too short-term oriented as their time horizon is, in most cases, limited to their next mandate.

This year, the theme is all about plastics, their meteoric spread and the dangers they bring. I’ve always been in love with plastic, but the present day is proving me dead wrong. The question is, what can sustainably replace the plethora of plastics humanity is now using? Possibly more plastic-like materials derived from renewable biomass sources like corn starch or sugarcane? 

While those aren’t perfect, (they still need processing and won’t biodegrade in all environments), they could be composted in industrial facilities under specific conditions. Polylactic Acid (PLA) is one of them, made from corn starch, used for packaging, utensils, and even 3D printing filaments. There are also cellulose-based materials derived from wood pulp or other plant sources that can be molded into packaging trays, cups, and various items. 

Finally there are mushroom based solutions, with the fiber network fungi grows, it could be used to create packaging materials, even leather alternatives. These solutions aren’t widespread yet and in the meantime we should focus on reusable and refillable solutions (containers, bottles, bags), reduce plastic materials whenever possible, design easy disassembly and improve recycling technology. 

In terms of future research, we must get inspiration from nature (spider silk, seashells, etc.) or devise entirely new materials. Let’s wish that we can get rid of that pesky plastic and Happy Earth Day 2024 to all!

Temperatures and comfort in ski boots…

My wife loves skiing but doesn’t enjoy having her feet prisoner of her ski boots. Her relationship with that stiff footwear has never been idyllic. Things like cold feet to which women are more prone than men. 

Their higher percentage of body fat compared to men provides less insulation than muscle tissue, which generates more heat. Estrogen levels can also affect how the body regulates temperature and can contribute to feelings of coldness. 

This of course is exacerbated by a smaller body size along with a larger surface area to volume ratio. Finally, when it's cold, the body prioritizes keeping vital organs warm by constricting blood vessels in the extremities. Women generally have a more pronounced response in blood vessel constriction, leading to colder extremities. 

We finally vanquished the cold feet situation two seasons ago when I equipped her ski boots with the Hotronic heating devices. This left us however with another problem, a form of heat edema, which in the context of ski boots refers to a condition caused by a combination of factors related to wearing ski boots for extended periods. 

The edema refers to fluid buildup in the tissues, often causing swelling. In the case of ski boots, this swelling might occur in your feet and ankles due to restricted circulation and pressure. Also ski boots can trap heat, especially during intense activity or during spring skiing conditions. This can contribute to increased sweating and further fluid accumulation.

We’ve also begun to resolve that problem by “punching” bumps in the outer shell of my wife’s ski boots (photo), and I still have to make room under her navicular bones, in the instep area and right where the tongue is attached to the liner. 

You could say that it’s work in progress. But what is not? 

My progress in tapping into cosmic energy…

When I meditate these days, I believe that I am managing to connect with the cosmic energy each and every time. The results, in terms of intensity and perceived benefits vary with each individual session. It always takes time to get “in the groove” that also varies widely everyday. 

To achieve this, I follow a process that is hard to describe and is something that is still evolving, session after session. The day I feel more secure with the approach and can systematize it with precision, will be the time when it can be explained to third parties.

For the moment, my method of getting there is far from being fully understood, systematized and controlled. It’s still work in progress, to say the least. When I do connect, I feel a pleasurable and powerful signal that suggests that I’m gaining energy, mental clarity and creativity. 

Yet, I still have a very long way to go, but still continue to believe that I’m on to something powerful and beneficial and this conviction seems to reinforce itself as my practice goes on. As I always say: “Stay tuned for more...”