snowboarding scare

As i carved down the face of Mt. Summit wrapped in insulated Colombia outerwear from head to toe, I sweating profusely even though i was dodging icicles hanging from the branches of pine trees buried in two feet of snow. Through snow-camo Oakley goggles all the pines looked brown while the snow was a sick tint of tangerine. My neckwarmer was pulled all the way up to cover my mouth and nose, but the two small gaps just under my goggles and above the warmer were being blasted by the rush of ice-cold air, the sting was unbearable. Freezing tears were being blasted from the corners of my eyes towards my ears as i braced for a small jump which looked like it was going to get me out of the forest of glades i had found my way into. Needle covered branches were smacking my in the face as the entire world around me was an orange blur, the next moment i was weightless.

I opened my eyes and realized i was horizontal in the air, flying directly across the small opening i had been shooting for. I was headed for another crowd of pine trees with no helmet and no control over my body. Once i crossed the plane of trees i reached out and grasped just enough of a branch to slow myself down and tear a huge hole in my glove and a smaller one in my palm. I managed not to hit any of the looming pines, and the next thing i knew i was staring up into the canopy watching snowflakes drift down onto my goggle lenses in slow motion. The powdered snow contoured perfectly to my body as i laid there recovering my senses, I was unbelievably comfortable.

When I finally got my snowboard unstrapped i sat up and saw a deer about 30 yards deeper into the woods. It stared at me with wide open black eyes as if it was just as surprised as i was that my head hadn't been caved in, when i stood up it ran away and i kept on boarding, still 1 or 2MPH away from catastrophe.