2025-03 Israel

Israel 2,

Mar. 21, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I spent the last 2 days packing and unpacking, trying to take the least amount of necessities. I have an IDF army uniform for 2 weeks and an MDA uniform for 2 weeks so I really don’t need a lot of clothes. Finally I reduced my life to what I could put into a carry on and something called a personal belongings sack. My clothes fit into the carry on and my medical supplies and electronics fit into the personal belongings sack. 55 years ago I travelled for 1 year with 7 lbs of luggage. I really think that my medical supplies weigh more than that and I consider myself to be in good shape. As for the electronics, you don’t realize how many wires, adapters and chargers that you need to carry when you are at home.

I arrived in Israel yesterday in the pouring rain, a phenomenon that is rare at this time of year. At the last moment before leaving Montreal I managed to throw a raincoat into my already bulging carry-on and it became of use to me on my first day here. Apparently, it has been 25C-30C all week but the temperature dropped just for me to make it easier for me to acclimatize. I managed to take the correct train to Tel Aviv without getting lost and then bought an Israeli bus-train card that you fill up with shekels to travel with. It is a good system. It’s hard to believe that 3 weeks ago I was skiing in -24C and in +15C last weekend.

I am staying at the Maxim Hotel which is where all the volunteers stay so it is easy to make friends here. I am across the road from the beach but the water is rough, cold and uninviting. The manager, came over to me right away and greeted me with an Israeli hug. I stayed here for 2 months last year. I met up with a few friends that I had known last year. People tend to come the same weeks from year to year as it probably fits in with their personal schedules. I went out to dinner with a Dutch friend that I knew from last year. We went out to an Italian style restaurant. As I have said before, if you are in a foreign country and are unsure of the food, you can always find a good Italian restaurant. The restaurants are great here and there is a lot of variety.

Today I went to Carmel market and met up with 2 Spanish ladies for lunch. They have lived in Venezuela, Spain, France, Spanish Morocco and Miami and speak several languages. In spite of what we hear in the news, they say that there is very little antisemitism in Spain except for the government which is left wing and therefore pro-Palestinian. On the other hand antisemitism is very prevalent in Holland except for the government which is right wing and pro-Israel. It is hard to decide which side we should dance with.

There has been isolated rocket fire from Hamas. They always seem to be running out of food, on the verge of a humanitarian crisis and starving because of the ‘genocide.’ They never seem to run out of rockets. The dichotomy is that in spite of their hardships, the population is increasing. The night before I came, the sirens went off in Tel Aviv and people had to rush to a shelter. The Houthis fired a missile at Tel Aviv that had to be taken out by the iron dome. Their missiles are dangerous as they are very big, long range and probably more accurate. I guess that they knew that I was coming and wanted to welcome me here. Last year the Houthis fired missiles, rockets and drones at me while I was in Eilat forcing me to take shelter in a converted sewer pipe. I am beginning to take this

The war ends when 1 side drops their weapons, gets on their knees, puts their hands over their heads and says don’t shoot. That has always been the rule of warfare. Cease fire only means, that the Israelis cease, and they reload and fire. That is what they have been doing for 80 years. We want the hostages home now. I don’t believe that there will be another cease fire until they hand over the hostages and Hamas relinquishes power.

Love ,

Brian

2025-03 Israel

Israel 1,

Mar. 19, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I have lived my entire life in Canada and have never personally, until recently, experienced any act of antisemitism against me.
My great grandparents came here and made lives for themselves. My grand parents came here and made lives for themselves. My parents were born here. My father spent 6 years in the Canadian Army fighting for freedom and democracy. Of the 21 young fellows that my father trained with, 9 came home. My father was in a truck as a corporal and had 2 drivers. He lost 4 drivers.
I was born here. My children and grandchildren were born here.

The contribution to society by Jewish people can not be compared to any other race or nationality. Michael Dell is Jewish. A number of executives of Apple and Microsoft are Jewish. If the BDS movement wants to desist from Jewish companies, let them stop using computers. Waze is an Israeli GPS. Don’t use it to protest Israel and get lost. Nvidia makes games. Don’t play them. Many medications were developed in Israel. Don’t take them and use natural medicines. The USB is an Israeli invention. Just write on paper and mail letters. Don’t watch Hollywood movies because they are nothing but Jewish propaganda. Jews make up 0.2% of the world population and have received 22% on Nobel prizes. The list is endless.
I never thought that I would see what I am witnessing now. What kind of world am I leaving to my children?

If you had told me on October 6 that I would be going to war, I would have thought that you were crazy.
On Oct 7, I made the grave decision to go to war. I spent 4 weeks on an IDF base and 4 weeks on an MDA ambulance. I was bombed twice. I treated 100 cases, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, heart attacks, choking, and suicides. I was often 1km from Gaza. I trained 74 years for those 2 months.

People asked me if I was ever afraid. Never! If there is speed or danger, I get exhilarated. I once asked a young girl about the war. She replied, ‘We did not want or ask for the war. We have confidence in our army. We have confidence in ourselves. We are not afraid.’ After 3 weeks in Israel I adopted the same reasoning. Israel stands alone. They will never trust or allow any country to be responsible for their security. If you read my blog you may have noticed that at the beginning, I talked about the Israelis doing this or that. After 3 weeks I changed the noun, ’the Israelis’ to the pronoun “we”.

Will I return to Israel in the near future? That all depends if Hezbollah ‘invites’ me. I myself have decided on a ‘red line’ which if crossed, would force my hand for an immediate return. My finger is on the trigger. My contribution however small it was, was not negligible. I could leave for Israel with 7 days notice.

During the 8 weeks I renewed acquaintances with my 4 cousins and their families, one of whom came to Canada for a visit. It has not been easy for us in the diaspora. Although I have not personally experienced any direct antisemitism, I have observed anti Israel demonstrations on a weekly basis. I recently attended an Oct 7 memorial. There were 1000 students present in front of McGill. It was very sad. There were speeches and everyone sang Hatikva and Jerusalem (Yerushaliam). I also attended a memorial service in Hampstead Park. There were 4000 people present. One lady who had lost her son at the Nova festival spoke. Another young woman from the kibbutz that was attacked also spoke. It was very peaceful. At the same time, there was a pro-Palestinian march from Concordia University to McGill. They broke windows all along Sherbrooke Street. They climbed the Rodrick Gates at McGill, spray painted the buildings and broke windows. Finally the police were called and used tear to disperse the crowd. Good for them! Their old chant was ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. Can any of them name, which river and which sea? The latest chant is ‘we don’t want 2 states, we go back to 48’. Do any of them know what was decided by the UN in 47?

I am 75 year of age. I will not live to see the end of this. My children will ask ‘how could you not see this coming?’ My grandchildren will say ‘why did you do nothing to prevent it?’ I have no answer for them.

On a different note, I am on the Canadian National Triathlon Team. I am currently in Torremolinos, Spain to do the World Championship Triathlon, Sprint, Age Group 75-79. You can follow me on the web site. You can also follow me on my blog. gobriantravel.com.
I will be in Torremolinos for 1 week. Afterwards, I rented a motorcycle and will tour Andalusia. I will fly to France for the 3rd week to see my medical school buddies. We have been friends for 52 years.

I am in the 4th quarter of my 4th and final quarter of my life. The world is a lousy place. I am glad that I am leaving it soon. Hoping to hear from you.

Brian
brianmorrrismd@gmail.com

All

All my bags are packed
I’m ready to go
I’m standin’ here outside your door
I hate to wake you up to say goodbye
But the dawn is breakin’
It’s early morn
The taxi’s waitin’
He’s blowin’ his horn
Already I’m so lonesome
I could die
So kiss me and smile for me
Tell me that you’ll wait for me
Hold me like you’ll never let me go
‘Cause I’m leavin’ on a jet plane
Don’t know when I’ll be back again
Oh babe, I hate to go

2025-03 Israel

Israel 1,

Oct. 19, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I am in the airport waiting for my plane to take off. 1 year ago at the same time, I left for Israel. At the time, Israel was in the middle of a war. I volunteered to work on an IDF army base and on an MDA ambulance as a physician eventually staying for 2 months. I didn‘t know what to expect. Now I do. I loved the experience. At the time I knew that I would go back but I was not sure when. After watching the events of the past year, it became obvious to me that the ‘when’ was going to be ‘now’.

This time I volunteered to work on the IDF base for 2 weeks and then spend 2 weeks on an MDA ambulance as a paramedic rather than a physician. MDA is not officially taking foreign physicians now but with my contacts, I was able to secure a place on an ambulance.

I have written to all my friends and relatives in Israel and should be able to visit with all of them.

I had a busy year since returning from Israel in May. I spent 2 months renovating my 3 boats. I suppose that one could ask if I really need to own 3 boats. But that is another question and another discussion. I played 80 games of hockey. I raced my sailboat. I am on the Canadian National Triathlon Team Age Group 75-79 and did the World Championships for Canada in Torremolinos Spain. I did a motorcycle trip and visited my friends in France last fall. In the winter I skied 34 days, teaching skiing on Fridays and working with the Ski Patrol on Sundays. I wrote about all these adventures in my blog.

I will fly with Air Austria, landing in Vienna tomorrow and then on to Tel Aviv. I will be on the beach tomorrow afternoon. I have 2 days off in Tel Aviv staying at the same hotel as last year. Most of the volunteers stay at the hotel. It is very easy to meet people who come from all over the world. They all come from highly intellectual backgrounds so the discussions around the dinner table is always high level.

We had a cease-fire for a few weeks and everyone was hoping that it would hold. Hamas refuses to give up the hostages without being allowed to hold onto power. This is unacceptable to the Israelis and hence the bombing campaign started yesterday. J’entre dans la guelle du loup.

When I told people that I was return to Israel, I receive a very positive response. I sent out email invitations to friends and family and received over 50 emails of encouragement. I am happy.

I have lived my entire life in Canada and have never personally, until recently, experienced any act of antisemitism against me..
My great grandparents came here and made lives for themselves. My grand parents came here and made lives for themselves. My parents were born here. My father spent 6 years in the Canadian Army fighting for freedom and democracy. Of the 21 young fellows that my father trained with, 9 came home. My father was in a truck as a corporal and had 2 drivers. He lost 4 drivers.
I was born here. My children and grandchildren were born here.

The contribution to society by Jewish people can not be compared to any other race or nationality. Michael Dell is Jewish. A number of executives of Apple and Microsoft are Jewish. If the BDS movement wants to desist from Jewish companies, let them stop using computers. Waze is an Israeli GPS. Don’t use it to protest Israel and get lost. Nvidia makes games. Don’t play them. Many medications were developed in Israel. Don’t take them and use natural medicines. The USB is an Israeli invention. Just write on paper and mail letters. Don’t watch Hollywood movies because they are nothing but Jewish propaganda. Jews make up 0.2% of the world population and have received 22% on Nobel prizes. The list is endless.
I never thought that I would see what I am witnessing now. What kind of world am I leaving to my children?

If you had told me on October 6 that I would be going to war, I would have thought that you were crazy.
On Oct 7, I made the grave decision to go to war. I spent 4 weeks on an IDF base and 4 weeks on an MDA ambulance. I was bombed twice. I treated 100 cases, car accidents, motorcycle accidents, heart attacks, choking, and suicides. I was often 1km from Gaza. I trained 74 years for those 2 months.

People asked me if I was ever afraid. Never! If there is speed or danger, I get exhilarated. I once asked a young girl about the war. She replied, ‘We did not want or ask for the war. We have confidence in our army. We have confidence in ourselves. We are not afraid.’ After 3 weeks in Israel I adopted the same reasoning. Israel stands alone. They will never trust or allow any country to be responsible for their security. If you read my blog you may have noticed that at the beginning, I talked about the Israelis doing this or that. After 3 weeks I changed the noun, ’the Israelis’ to the pronoun “we”.

Will I return to Israel in the near future? That all depends if Hezbollah ‘invites’ me. I myself have decided on a ‘red line’ which if crossed, would force my hand for an immediate return. My finger is on the trigger. My contribution however small it was, was not negligible. I could leave for Israel with 7 days notice.

During the 8 weeks I renewed acquaintances with my 4 cousins and their families, one of whom came to Canada for a visit. It has not been easy for us in the diaspora. Although I have not personally experienced any direct antisemitism, I have observed anti Israel demonstrations on a weekly basis. I recently attended an Oct 7 memorial. There were 1000 students present in front of McGill. It was very sad. There were speeches and everyone sang Hatikva and Jerusalem (Yerushaliam). I also attended a memorial service in Hampstead Park. There were 4000 people present. One lady who had lost her son at the Nova festival spoke. Another young woman from the kibbutz that was attacked also spoke. It was very peaceful. At the same time, there was a pro-Palestinian march from Concordia University to McGill. They broke windows all along Sherbrooke Street. They climbed the Rodrick Gates at McGill, spray painted the buildings and broke windows. Finally the police were called and used tear to disperse the crowd. Good for them! Their old chant was ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. Can any of them name, which river and which sea? The latest chant is ‘we don’t want 2 states, we go back to 48’. Do any of them know what was decided by the UN in 47?

I am 75 year of age. I will not live to see the end of this. My children will ask ‘how could you not see this coming?’ My grandchildren will say ‘why did you do nothing to prevent it?’ I have no answer for them.

I am in the 4th quarter of my 4th and final quarter of my life. The world is a lousy place. I am glad that I am leaving it soon. Hoping to hear from you.

Brian
brianmorrrismd@gmail.com

All

Love,

Brian

2025-02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 8

Feb. 9, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Tonight I went to the closing banquet which had great food and beverages and is always very informal. I was sitting at a table with a fellow who I had met before and another fellow who lives in San Diego, owns several motorcycles and sailboats so we had a lot in common to talk about. Dr. Ralph Hopkins ran the conference for many years until his passing. Dr. Fernando Kim took over the organization of the meeting afterwards and has been doing a fantastic job of continuing the meeting with excellent invited speakers.

Dr. Kim came over to me to thank me for coming to the meeting as he recognized me from previous meetings. I have been coming to the meeting on and off for 30 years. I told him a story about Dr. Hopkins which I had wanted to tell for many years but was afraid to tell as I did not know how it would be taken. He told me that I must tell the story to everyone.

As the meeting came to a close, he then thanked me in front of everyone for being a loyal supporter of the meeting for so many years. He then handed me the mike and asked me to recount the story. 12 years ago in Feb. 2013 I came to the meeting with several of my children. As the morning session closed, Ralph came up to me, addressed me by my first name, Brian, and asked me how I liked the meeting. I was surprised that he would know me by my first name as I am not really that important in the urological community . I told him that I really enjoyed the meeting and that I was here again with my family. He asked me about the skiing perhaps knowing that both myself and my children are ardent skiers. He then asked me if I would be returning next year. I replied, ‘of course I will be here’ and we shook hands promising to see each other next year. 4 weeks later I had 3 heart attacks and a quadruple bypass. Several months later he passed away from pulmonary complications. I have thought about that moment in time many times and certainly every time that I come to Jackson Hole. I often wonder if he is looking down on me wondering why I am not up there with him as we had definitely promised to see each other the following year. I recovered well from the bypass, skiing 35 days a year and playing 80 games of hockey a year. I have done 15 triathlons since my bypass. One day, in the not so distant future we will have that reunion.

Following the banquet, I was invited to a private party with the conference organizers. I was really flattered to have been included among the speakers. The post banquet party was great with drinks, and dancing to Brazilian and 1970s rock music.

See you all next year.

Love.

Brian

2025-02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 7,

Feb. 8, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Today was my last day at the conference and my last day skiing. The conference was excellent as usual. I really enjoy the smaller conferences which are more personal than the larger ones with 10,000 urologists present. Tonight I will attend the banquet. It will be the last one at Snake River Lodge as there will be a new hotel for the conference next year.

I met my ski buddies at 10:00 and we skied together until 1:00. In snowed 30 cm (12 inches) 2 days ago and 25 cm (10 inches) last night. The sun was out and the luminosity was excellent.

We skied one tree run after another on black diamond slopes. The snow coverage was amazing, pow-pow (powder) all the way down the mountain from top to bottom. It reminded me of the last time we came here with all the kids, pre-covid when we stayed on the slope in the big mansion which was offered to us at no extra charge as our condo was not available. With the excellent snow conditions, I used my semi powder skis all week. The 3 fellows that I skied with were super skiers and knew the hill very well. They seemed to know where the untouched powder stashes were hidden away. However, no matter how good we think that we ski, on these black diamond tree trails, there are always better skiers to admire. Most of the time, we were pretty much alone as it takes a certain amount of skill to do deep powder tree runs. On the pictures showing the trees, we actually skied between them. I bid farewell to my friends and did the last few runs on groomers to finish the day.

Love,

Brian

2025-02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 6,

Feb. 7, 2025,

Hi Everyone

I snowed all night and kept snowing until mid day today. 30cm (12 inches) must have fallen altogether. This morning the winds were unbelievable. Several lifts were close and visibility was very poor. I missed meeting up with my buddies so I started out alone at 9:30 on one of the lower gondolas. I skied 2 runs, got rather discouraged and decided to go into the Caspar, mid mountain restaurant. I sat there for a while observing the 50 mile/hour winds, sipping a coffee, eating a muffin and licking my wounds. When does this get to be fun?

After while my friends came in for some refreshments. I reactivated the Jackson Hole app and found that 2 of my buddies were skiing the trees not far from the restaurant. The app is incredible, it allows you to find your friends no matter where they are on the mountain and follow them as they ski down the mountain. I waited for them at one of the lifts.

My luck changed and it started to become fun. I skied with my 3 buddies for the next 3 hours. The wind calmed down and the visibility improved. We skied the rest of the day off 1 lift coming down the mountain among the tightly placed trees. There was easily 1 foot of unbroken powder between the trees. Once, I put my ski pole into a mogul and my pole went down to my wrist. I practiced my newly learned technique of not jumping the turns. Rather, I let the skis just float over the snow while weighting and unweighting the skis to make the turn just like on hard packed snow.

I remembered what my son, Antoine, told me years ago about skiing the trees. I was braking at each tree while I observed him just flying through the trees. He told me: ‘Your skis are 5 ft long and there are 10 ft of space between each tree. There is plenty of room to pass. Find a line between the trees and just trace.’ I did it, it’s true, it works. When parking a car if you look at the curb, you will hit the curb. As he said: ‘just don’t look at the trees.’

Love,

Brian

2025-02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 5,

Feb. 6, 2025,

Hi Everyone

Today was an epic day, bluebird all the way. I was up at 6:15 for my breakfast and conference at 6:30. I met my new found urology ski buddies. We left the conference at 9:00 and met up at the Bridger Gondolla, the main gondolla at Jackson Hole. The tram takes you up a little further but you have to stand in line and then stand in the huge gondolla with 60 skiers. I have been seriously allergic to standing in line my whole life. Usually, except at ski resorts, if there are more than 2 people in a line up, I come back when the line is shorter. My wife says that I have no patience. I do, just not for line ups.

One of my ski buddies showed me how to download and use the Jackson Hole app. It is quite amazing. It shows you a map of the ski area and tracks your skiing all day. We formed a group and if someone gets lost, the app will tell us exactly where he is. It also tells you the conditions, which lifts are open and where there has been grooming. By the end of the day, the app told me that I had done 16,950 vertical feet, as well as which trails I had taken and which lifts I had been on.

We skied on all types of terrain today including groomers, the steeps, the steeps with moguls and powder, open powder bowls and tree skiing. I might be improving my skiing as the trees seemed to have been moved farther apart by the ski guru. One of the fellows noticed that I was jumping my turns on the powdery steeps. He showed me to carve out my turns more round and finish the turn before beginning the next one. I did this and it was much less exhausting. I went down runs that I would not have done alone as there is safety in numbers especially in the steeps with moguls and trees. If you get hurt, there always should be someone to call for help.

We had lunch at noon and then skied until 3:30 to get to the conference in the latter part of the afternoon. The sun was out all morning which made the visibility considerably better. It clouded over in the afternoon which may mean snow overnight. We had 6 inched of snow last night which was really good for skiing.

Love,

Brian

2025 02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 4,

Feb. 5, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I woke up at 6:15 so as to get to my conference at 6:30. There is a nice wholesome breakfast before the conference gets underway. The conference, which is called the Ralph Hopkins Urology Seminar, has been going on for over 30 years. It usually takes place at the Snake River Lodge. I am staying right next door at the Alpenhof which is under the same management which is convenient. They have just announced that both hotels will be closing for 16 months to 2 years for major renovations. That is rather surprising as I really like the Snake River Lodge. We are all wondering whether the conference will be held next year in Jackson Hole in another hotel or move to another location altogether.

The morning session finished at 10:30 so I put on my skis and away I went. The wind was howling at 30-50 km/h at the top so a few of the lifts were closed. There were driving snow pellets to keep you awake and visibility was zero at best. I skied on the blue (black) trails in the morning and really wondered if it was worth while to keep skiing. I have a little device called Carv which attaches to my ski boot, bluetooths to my iphone and then to my apple airpods in my ears. As a ski instructor, I get it at half price and the yearly membership for next to nothing. I am a walking-skiing advocate for the product. The device can analyze if I am skiing on packed powder, moguls or deep powder. It does this by analyzing the boot angle on my ski, my speed, direction and angle of the ski laterally, vertically and horizontally through AI. The nice lady on Carv can talk to me in real time, in the language and accent of my choice. She gives me a better performance score if I am carving rather than sliding my turns. I can set it to talk to me on every turn at the end of the run. She will give me advice on the pressure of my boot on the ski, the angle of my ski on the snow and give me a ski IQ for my performance on the run. It keeps a record of my daily performance which I can review at the end of the day. An IQ of 100 is average. I usually score about 130 for the day which is quite good. Given the difficult conditions my performance was less than spectacular, so as not to be too discouraged, I shut her off after a few runs. I hope that she was not insulted.

I had lunch at the restaurant at the top of hill to contemplate the rest of the afternoon. I met up with 3 urologists who I know from the conference. They had been skiing in the powder in the trees and said that the visibility was better there. I skied with them for the afternoon which was really fun. We did some great tree shots which for safety reasons I would not have done skiing alone. The wind lightened up and the snow pellets turned to powder improving the visibility. They are really great skiers and I was happy to spend the afternoon with them. There is nothing more rewarding than bombing down a black powder run when you know that you have full control. The sensation is really exhilarating. They are all skiing on dedicated powder skis ranging from 100s to 110s and even 116s in the middle of the ski. I am skiing on Salomon QST 92s which are pretty good except for deep powder. I will probably buy a pair of 99s for next season. I hope that this is not too technical for my non skier followers. We finished the day at 3:00 and I was really satisfied with the day. A ‘bad’ day skiing is better than a ‘good’ day at the office. Today was a great day.

Love,

Brian

2025-02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 3,

Feb. 4, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

My usual cafe miraculously got their cook back so I enjoyed a cappuccino, a yogurt and a muffin. My friends were late so I skied alone this morning. It was cooler last night, just below freezing so yesterday’s soft moguls had become heavier and harder to manipulate. I did a few runs on the mogul runs and then headed off to the ‘groomers’. The groomers are not really groomers here as the grooming is minimal. They have a designation of double blue that I have not seen elsewhere and would be considered to be blacks anywhere in the East.

I met up with my friends at noon at a restaurant at one of the peaks. We did a few runs together in the afternoon but I took a wrong turn and lost them. The sun came out this afternoon so the snow softened up and the conditions were more manageable. It was a great day.

We are supposed to have 10 inches of snow tonight and it should snow all day tomorrow. That should be memorable and perhaps I could do a few tree runs. So far the tree runs have not had any takers even among the expert skiers. I love ski resorts. Everyone is friendly, smiling and happy. Everyone always wants to know ‘how you are doing and are you having a great time.’ everyone in the gondola talks to each other and is curious about ‘where you are staying, where you are from and which are the best runs to take?’

My conference starts at 6:30 tomorrow so I will need a good nights sleep.

Love,

Brian

2025-02 Jackson Hole

Jackson Hole 2,

Feb. 3, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Last evening I was exhausted. I was a little under the weather to start with in Montreal. That being said, and combined with the long flight, my eyes were closing at 9:30. Considering the time change, it was really 11:30 so being tired was understandable.

I slept well, got up early and headed off to the slopes. Americans always like to arrive at the slopes early to get first tracks. At 7:45 there was a half hour wait at the tram and a ¾ hour wait at the Bridger Gondola. Neither one opens until 8:30. I skied over to the next gondola but had to wait until 9:00. It had been snowing very heavy wet snow all night, at least 10 inches and they could not open the hill on time due to avalanche danger. There was a small snow slide that covered a transverse track so they had to send up a snow tractor to clean it up.

I waited ¾ hour for the first gondola and then 1 hour for the Caspar chair half way up the mountain. I got fed up at that point, skied down and had a soup for an early lunch. By that time the avalanche danger had passed and the whole mountain was open. Jackson Hole is so big that once the crowd spreads out there is never more than a 3-5 minute line up.

I had arranged to meet my 27 year old friends that I had met last evening at the Mangy Mouse Bar but there were so many people at the bottom of the hill that we did not see each other. I skied alone for most of the day and then met one of the fellows miraculously on the slope. He recognized me so we did a few runs together meeting up with his buddies on the slope.

Jackson Hole is a tough mountain at the best of times. It is not a mountain for beginners. When you combine the steepness with 10 inches of heavy powder, you are in for a challenging day. They do very little grooming here so the moguls at the end of the day are 3 feet high. We skied on black diamonds for the rest of the day and they were impressed that I was able to keep up with them and even lead the crowd. In heavy powder with moguls, you have to jump every turn which for me is much less elegant than carving on hard packed Quebec snow.

At the end of the day we went for beers and nachos at the Mangy Moose. It was packed as usual but we were able to find a table and reminisce about our ski accomplishments. We will meet tomorrow at a cafe for breakfast at 8:30 – 9:00. I often have breakfast at that cafe when I am here. I usually order a cappuccino and a muffin. Surprise, surprise, there were no muffins. When I asked why, I was told that they no longer had a cook. I wonder, was he deported already?

Love,

Brian