Colby James West

Daimon is a great friend of mine from back in good ol’ Canterbury. We have known each other for a long time. Whenever I go home, one of the first places I end up is at his family’s house. They help to remind me who I am and why I am pushing so hard with everything I do. I love them very much and would probably be a big stressed out mess if I didn’t have them to talk with. I breathe a sigh of relaxation and relief every time I step into their kitchen.

When I was in New Hampshire last week, my friend Daimon presented me with an unexpected gift. It’s a little cabinet which he made for the various memorabilia and awards that I have acquired over my years as a skier. He said he got the idea late in the summer of 2008 and used my father’s shop and guidance over the next two years to help him create this little work of art. He told me months ago that he had a gift for  me, but I didn’t at all expect something with so much effort and time spent.

Unfortunately, Daimon is at school in Ohio, so he had to present it to me over Skype, while his mother and brother gave me the actual wooden case. My feelings of gratitude came close to overwhelming me, even though he wasn’t there. I hugged the computer screen. No one has ever taken the time to give me such a gift. It’s beautiful.

I will cherish it long after all three of us, (Daimon, the cabinet, and I) have started to deteriorate.

Thanks Daimon.

Daimon Meeh

Check out my posse when I film…

The WM Boys.

Cameras galore!

Do I need three filmers? Probably not.

But I got ‘em anyway!

I hope you guys are ready for some funny stuff in this years WM film. Gonna be a fun tour.

Another blog about real stuff coming tomorrow

After years of traveling, competing, and living together, Pete and I became part of a tight knit crew, which included Simon, Luke, and a bunch of other pros and kids from Colorado. Times were good. We were winning money, partying, traveling the world, and definitely not struggling to find female companionship.

About two years ago, however, I messed things up pretty badly between Pete and I. Details of what went on aren’t really important, but let’s just say that his trust in me was destroyed. It was embarrassing and I apologized maybe a thousand times, to no effect. Pete’s anger was justified, and as expected, I was cut from his life completely. It took a long time for him to talk to me again.

I first heard about Peter Olenick back when I was 14 years old. My best friend in middle school went to summer ski camp at High North in Whistler and upon his return, told me all about the “pros” that he had met and the jumps and rails the camp had in their private park on the glacier. Pete wasn’t a pro back then, but he had status as a returning camper. The director, Shane Szocs, gave him a discounted rate, which allowed him to stay almost the entire summer. Two years later, I would get the same deal from Shane, who was a very generous man. I wouldn’t be a pro skier today, if it weren’t for him, and I think the same might go for Pete.

My friend described Peter to me in detail. He was a lanky 6 foot 1 inch tall, had shaggy dyed green hair, a pink cast on his arm(which it turns out, is a semi-permanent fixture, due to his apparently weak hand and wrist bones), a basketball jersey, and a squirt gun. Pete would sit in whistler village with the other campers after skiing and pester the tourists and patio waitresses. He was a born ring leader, being the oldest of three kids. Meg, the youngest, is the tallest at 6’3″ and Michael is the middle child of middle height at 6’2″.

I couldn’t even picture this colorful and seemingly bizarre kid until I saw an actual picture of him in Freeze Magazine the next year when he became “officially pro.” This time, however, his hair was blue, his cast was red, and a tiny plastic sword had taken the place of the squirt gun. When I finally got to High North in the summer of my 16th birthday, Peter had been made a “digger.” These are the grunts of the glacier who make sure the features are in good shape. Believe it or not it’s a rather coveted position. During my first year, I learned a new trick everyday, played soccer and other games in the afternoon, and watched the diggers work in the morning. “I could do that,” I thought to myself. Shane thought I could too, and the next summer, I became part of the most elite digging crew on the glacier. We took much pride in our work and for the first time, maybe ever, I felt like part of something real. I had a crew, more or less. We stuck up for each other and hung out almost 24/7. High North is, unfortunately, no longer in existence, but I still coach alongside Pete and some of the others at Momentum Ski camp in Whistler every summer.

It takes a little bit of time for Pete and his family to warm up to new comers, but once you become a part of their lives, they are the most loyal and friendly group of kids you will ever know. Pete’s brother and sister were with him every time I saw him, up until no more than two years ago. I was baffled the first time I saw Pete alone. I consider myself somewhat of a loner and felt incredibly happy to have his family in my life. I asked Peter for advice on everything about skiing and being a pro skier, which he gladly handed over, even though we competed against one another at events.

When I completed my first year of college at age 19, I decided that more school just didn’t feel right, and opted not to go back. I drove out West in my old beat up Saab 900 and ended up in Colorado, Pete’s home state. Often I would find myself sleeping in the car or on someone’s couch. I was filming with Level 1 Productions and doing my best to live out my dreams as a pro skier, but was making little to no money. When I got to Aspen for the X Games I met Pete’s mother, father, and step father. They were very accommodating and welcomed me to stay at their home whenever I was in town, and it was easy to see why Peter and his siblings were such a loving group.

Somehow Peter found it in him to forgive me last year for my idiotic actions from the year before, which I appreciate more than he knows. I wouldn’t be where I am today without Pete’s friendship and guidance, so thanks Pete.

We are back to being pretty good friends now, even though I see him far less than I used to, but I look forward to lots of fun times ahead. In fact, I hope someday to have him in my wedding party, if he’ll accept my invitation when I eventually find a girl with a sense of humor and enough patience to marry the likes of me. The bachelor party wouldn’t be worthwhile without him.

Happy Birthday Pete. Here’s to the continuation of the amazing life you’ve lived thus far. Thanks for letting me be part of it. I love you.

A day at Universal Studios:

Snowboarding slopestyle is on it’s way to the Olympics just like skiing pipe and slope. The link below is to a brief article about the “Snowboarding 180 Olympic Charter.” Check it out and then come back here.

http://business.transworld.net/58008/news/terje-urges-snowboarders-to-take-olympic-action/

Ok, good.

I don’t pretend to have any sort of leadership role in skiing. In fact, most people don’t really think I take it seriously at all and to be honest…I don’t. Not really, anyway. I think it’s an incredibly fun lifestyle and I love it, but it’s not like we’re saving lives here. It’s just skiing. And entertaining. Which are actually my two favorite things.

But that might be reason that I feel a pang of emotion when industry folk start talking about halfpipe and slopestyle in the Olympics. I guess I just don’t want it to change when we go. Didn’t the New Canadian Air Force leave moguls because they thought it was too stifled by rules and regulations? Feel free to post and correct me if I’m wrong. I have a hard time expressing my views on the situation, simply because I am so conflicted about it. I just want to make sure we do it the right way. Our way.

My good friend and fellow pro skier Jacob Wester competed a few weeks ago in the FIS World Champs in Park City. He blogged his mixed feelings about it (Jacobs Blog Post) saying:

“I have been torn on the FIS issue for a while, and I have been known to make statements such as ‘I will never participate in their events’, and so on, but considering the fact that the ball is already in motion for 2014, the hard truth is that I can’t really achieve anything if I’m just watching from the sidelines.”

I can relate big time to his point of view. Is it possible to maintain our freedom within the sport and still join up with “The Man?” I think it is, but we’ll have to be vocal and stand up to things we disagree with. It seems they want us and we want them so isn’t that a winning combo? I think I’m going to start getting more involved. Last time I went to a FIS event there were atrocities that I just complained about in private to my friends and didn’t DO anything about. I didn’t even bother to talk to the organizers because I didn’t think they would make a change or care, but I see now that with enough of us together, it’s possible.

I want to go to the Olympics. Straight up. It would be incredible to represent America in front of MILLIONS of people. Bright lights, TV cameras, interviews, doing my run and landing it, and being the best. Unfortunately, there is more to it than that, so how do we make sure it happens “the right way”? I don’t have any answers, but hopefully we can figure this whole thing out together if we just keep talking out loud. Even our judging is based on opinions, so maybe it will help.