Peace in the Chaos

There are these moments we get when we ride where time seems to stand still. All the outside chatter fades away. It's just you, your board, the snow, the line. Nothing else. Absolute peace in what can be utter chaos. Those are the moments we live for. Now more than ever we all need to attempt to seek out moments of peace in what has become our very very chaotic existence.

I think the past week has been incredibly tough for everyone. Things went to go from zero to fucked real quick. It seemed every hour of every day brought more bad news. Today was the ski industry's doomsday. The first domino fell when Vail announced the closure of all their North America resorts. Alterra followed suit shortly after. Then Alta. Then Brighton. And finally at the end of the line of dominos, Snowbird.

At this point, I'd say everyone in the world has been affected by COVID-19 in some way, whether directly or indirectly. This is truly a history altering event. It's easy to point fingers and blame people for this virus becoming a global pandemic. I don't think now is the time to do that. Don't get me wrong, I think certain people should be held accountable. The thing is, getting mad and riled up isn't gonna solve anything. We're here. We're all here. Every person on the planet is going through this together.

A few years ago during the Solar Eclipse I thought how cool it was that all across America, we all got to experience such an incredible moment all together. For the vast majority of those of us who witnessed it, it was the first time we'd ever seen day turn to night in the middle of the day. You could feel the energy from everyone around. For that brief fleeting moment nothing else mattered. All the outside chatter faded away. We were all together.

Now the whole world is going through an event together. An experience none of us have ever faced before. Much like that day a few Augusts ago, you can feel the collective energy from everyone else. Only now that joy is replaced with anxiety. Fear of what comes next. But we are all together. That's why it's important to stay calm. To be there for each other. To help each other out.

Things are gonna get worse before they get better. You aren't alone, though. We all might end up quarantined in our own houses. Isolated from everyone and everything we love. But we'll be alone together.

Until that day inevitably comes, I'm gonna do my best to live my life as normal as possible. I'm gonna keep going in the mountains. I'm gonna keep splitboarding. Because at the end of the day, they can take the necessary steps of taking away the sports I watch, or the jobs I work, but they can't take away the peace the mountains provide me in times of absolute chaos.