Birthday Blog Takeover
When I first met Patrick I was the biggest Jerry out there. I thought I knew how to snowboard but quickly following him and my boyfriend Tony I realized I had some learning to do.
I later learned Patrick had summited the Orizaba in Mexico which blew my mind. First of all, you can snowboard in Mexico? Second of all, who was this guy?
In the next year I would learn that Patrick is the very kind of guy that would climb 1500 feet to jump turn his way down an icy slope.. all in the name of type two fun.
I also learned Patrick was very patient. He was there for my first splitboard tour patiently waiting as I tried to figure out how to split my board, what to do with my skins, and most importantly how to make turns on death cookie ice crust.
He stayed behind making sure I made it through terrain safely in Japan. He’s cheered me on and even coached me through steep icy moguls (still my arch nemesis).
Soon he became one of my mentors in the backcountry. Quizzing me on terminology like surface hoar sastrugi and flagging. Eventually he even lent me (sorry I haven’t returned it) Bruce Tremper’s book, “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain.” Patrick even awarded me with my “Bachelors in Backcountry travel” but constantly pushes me to become a “Master.”
Patrick is now one of my great friends here in Utah. He helped nurse Tony “back” to health after breaking his back. Taking Tony on his “daily walks” and helping him tie his shoes. He has always known how to keep the mood light with his morning weather reports text updates, “The Pitt level forecast for today: Brad.” It’s fun to hear him talk about getting, “Sendy Crawford” and read about him tackling the Wasatch terrain “chutermcgavin style" on his blog.
Patrick, thank you for your patience, for being a teacher and a great goofy friend on and off the mountain.
I wish you the happiest of Birthdays with a million more Powslashes and Tourin Tuesdays. I wish I could cheers you with a frog beer but I’m not that rich.
Kampai!
- Ally Armstrong
I also learned Patrick was very patient. He was there for my first splitboard tour patiently waiting as I tried to figure out how to split my board, what to do with my skins, and most importantly how to make turns on death cookie ice crust.
He stayed behind making sure I made it through terrain safely in Japan. He’s cheered me on and even coached me through steep icy moguls (still my arch nemesis).
Soon he became one of my mentors in the backcountry. Quizzing me on terminology like surface hoar sastrugi and flagging. Eventually he even lent me (sorry I haven’t returned it) Bruce Tremper’s book, “Staying Alive in Avalanche Terrain.” Patrick even awarded me with my “Bachelors in Backcountry travel” but constantly pushes me to become a “Master.”
Patrick is now one of my great friends here in Utah. He helped nurse Tony “back” to health after breaking his back. Taking Tony on his “daily walks” and helping him tie his shoes. He has always known how to keep the mood light with his morning weather reports text updates, “The Pitt level forecast for today: Brad.” It’s fun to hear him talk about getting, “Sendy Crawford” and read about him tackling the Wasatch terrain “chutermcgavin style" on his blog.
Patrick, thank you for your patience, for being a teacher and a great goofy friend on and off the mountain.
I wish you the happiest of Birthdays with a million more Powslashes and Tourin Tuesdays. I wish I could cheers you with a frog beer but I’m not that rich.
Kampai!
- Ally Armstrong