Mt. Baker
Lessons from the Start Shack
My brother Hans, dad Karl and I were in the Mt. Baker Ski Area parking lot, eyes still groggy from a stormy night, drinking coffee that was already cold. Snowplows ground around as the mountain began its daily wake-up ritual. Cars slowly filtered in, and in the distance, Mt. Shuksan hid beneath clouds. Like a monster under the bed, we couldn’t see it, but we knew it was there. The Legendary Banked Slalom (LBS) had arrived, and it too was starting to feel like an unseen force. I wondered if my ego had brought me back to recreate the magic of winning in 2017, but I knew there was something deeper going on. What was it that kept me coming back after all these years?
Subscribe for access to this article plus the entire archive of The Snowboarder's Journal content—and receive a discount on all products. Subscribe Now