Imua69 on the Slopes in Utah
April 1-5, 2004 (Fri/Sat/Sun)
Friday was an incredible day at Snowbird Ski Resort - known for its extreme and verticle expert slopes, incredible snow and challenging terrain,.. we hit the flat cat tracks! Ho,…Imua class representatives of ’69! Aleka stayed in town to shop till daddy dropped. But, Lani came along to pole dance and sing. She did neither, but we certainly didn’t complain one bit. (Although Bryson did drop when later reunited with his daughter.) On the slopes, we buzzed little kids, terrorized squirrels, and schussed over senior citizens. Heck, we had even left behind a “too-slow” racoon on the road up to Snowbird. Gerry felt bad and went back to leave a Krispy Crème for when it woke up. It never did and the Krispy Crème was still there uneaten the next day. We restrained Bryson from jumping out of the car to go grab the doughnut back. Kimo was smart, he brought along his own Krispy Crème. Jardine Serrao brought his brother and family and met us at the Tram to snowboard. That’s the first and last we saw of them. We trust that they found the snow cause it was all over the place and white. Jardine did call later in the evening to say that he was “boarding at the chairs.” But, that’s what he went say in the 10th grade – except, he wasn’t one boarder and he neva have chairs! But dat’s okay bruddah Jardine. You rock, dude! Kimo blazed like the Silver Surfer...drool and all. Deb contemplated her navel .. along with half the oogling guys fronting her in the Tram. Bryson intensely worked on the American ski technique – upunweighting (he can explain it). By the end of the day, Bryson was a solid Advanced level skier. Then it was on to PF Changs for dinner. Yay! Kimo’s favorite haunt – a noveau Gaelic, byzantine designed, Tang dynasty restaurant serving Mediterranean Chinese food on American dishes in downtown Salt Lake City, Utah. Kimo ordered. We ate. Was good. Burp.
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Saturday was even a more incredible day at Snowbird - known for its extreme and verticle expert slopes, incredible snow and challenging terrain. Kimo and Aleka went straight-a-way to the bunny slope. Deb, Bryson and Gerry went imua to the flat cat tracks. Ah, but Kimo was playing venerable teacher to grasshoppah Aleka on a snowboard. Aleka was the bomb. Made Kimo proud. Meanwhile, Bryson was perched on a cornice asking Gerry, “what’s blonde and white and brown, blonde and white and brown, blonde and white and brown?” Of course, Gerry hadn’t a clue until Bryson pointed at Deb doing cartwheels on skis down the fall line….smiling. That ski day, Bryson made quantum leaps in honing his ski technique and actually began executing “check-turns.” (No, not a father’s reaction to Aleka’s shopping habits.) Uncle Kimo proselyted Aleka onto her snowboard into basic training. Look daddy, no hands! (See picture posted.) It was sweat-hot skiing on the slopes. Sun was up, no wind, no crowd but scads of harmones. Youthful, mind-blasting, banshee screaming rushes. Thousands of feet below in the city, Sonya was leading Lani into temptation – massages, sightseeing to Park City, and a few unmentionables for future girl-talk. Brother Jardine was in Priesthood session like a good cadet probably at Temple Square. Dinner that evening was Vietnamese! Gerry’s favorite haunt – a clean hole-in-the-wall establishment serving delicious authentic Vietnamese pho and raw veggies. A true burp and run place familiar to Sonya. Bryson was in paradise, Lani in heaven, and Gerry in the bathroom. So, our waiter says, “Excuuse meee, but de steak on de menu we no more, dere’s a shortage.” Deb (the Waimea cattle rancher) asks, “What’s a shortage?” Aleka (the Vegetarian) asks, “What’s a steak?” But, Kimo asks, “What the heck does excuuse meee mean?” Gerry was just sitting there quietly still trying to figure out what the heck was blonde and white and brown…ho, I tell you this class of ’69. So what’s the square root of 69? Eight something. Yep, and that’s what we did. Burp.
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Sunday was an even more, more, more incredible day at Snowbird - known for its extreme and verticle expert slopes, incredible snow and challenging terrain. Kimo and Aleka took their snowboards to the big boy slope. Yeah! Aleka cut here, cut there, cut down, cut up … she even went snowboarding. Kimo was slashing, thrashing, gnashing and flashing. Then, flushed the toilet, tucked it in and went snowboarding. Kimo did a fantastic job with Aleka on the snowboard. On a snowboard, there’s none other than Kimo. Now Bryson is the story of the trip. In his new customed Solomon ski boots, Bryson, this day,…this very day went solid Advanced level with flashes into Expert! Bryson took the double-black-diamond mogul ridge adjacent and parallel to the Tram … smoothly, calmly, with perfectly executed parallel-check turns around perfect pole plants, all the way. Straight down, controlled, not a break in form or a hint of a fall. He then took 65 degree slopes of untracked powder, heavy crud in the back upper bowls … smooth and precise, parallel turns – straight down. Instead of the face plant, he went pole plant. What a stud! In just three days. And then Deb and Bryson took a few narrow steep chutes between trees. The weather was hot, with only tourists wearing parkas. It was tank top, bermuda shorts skiing. Neva had any, but if had … would. Aleka began burning the slopes with her snowboard thinking what was I thinking on skis?!! Kimo took every jump he could find, and even a lot he couldn’t. Gerry, though feeling guilty and somewhat introspective over skiing on Sunday, felt truly blessed over the fellowshipping opportunity to again be reunited with his beloved fellow classmates of olden days who were indeed enjoying themselves, celebrating their existence with happiness and the pursuit of excellence in the loving care of mother nature under the breadth of heaven illuminated by the sun and magnified by the education the Kamehameha Schools O’ahu campus had given us preparing us for events just as this.
And then dinner that night was poi, laulau, squid lu’au, lomi salmon, limu poke, shoyu poke, homemade custard pie, a pela aku! We went to 1436 On The Rise…which turned out to be Gerry’s cousin’s home. Was almost as good as the Alumni lu’au … but bettah. Wait, that didn’t make sense. But, anyway, was good. Gerry’s cousins made the mea ‘ai Hawai’i for us. We went grind and laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Actually, every night we laughed and laughed. Burp.
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Wish you had all been with us. You guys gotta come before Kimo starts forgetting his material. He says now that Alzheimers is creeping up on him there are several advantages for him – (1) he can hide his own Easter Eggs now (2) he is forever making new friends, and (3) he forgot. But, no worry, Lani goin’ tell us no.(3) two days from now. (inside joke, you had to have been there kine.) Serious though, you miss out. We’re planning next year’s ski-snowboard trip. Not everyone went ski/board. Give us ideas if you like.
So Monday morning, we bid a tearful aloha to Salt Lake City, the Tabernacle choir, Howard Johnson’s, and our waitress at McGrath’s. We fondly remember Big Sunday and our skiing breakthroughs under the blazing sun on Snowbird’s extreme and verticle expert slopes, incredible snow and challenging terrain. On the way to the airport Kimo was pulled over for speeding. The Mormon patrolman saw the empty wine bottle on the seat and asked (Catholic?) Kimo if he’d been drinking. “Just water,” said Kimo. The patrolman asked, “Then why do I smell wine on your breath?” Kimo grabbed the bottle, went smell it, and went say, “Oh, Lord! He’s done it again!”
Burp.
-Gerry Lam
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