The Winter Rivals

Chapter 6| Jess & The Ski Event

27th September 2008
I stood back in admiration of Adelboden-Lenk as I waited for the event to officially start. It was truly like a fairytale winter wonderland where glistening snow-capped mountains stood tall against the azure sky. The air was so fresh; I could almost taste the chill with each breath, and with every gust of wind, I swore I could hear the mountains whispering out their secrets. The pristine slopes were a siren's call, inviting each skier to carve their way through the blankets of untouched snow. I'd never seen anything more magical, and as great as the cameras were, they could never do it enough justice.

In great attempts of protecting myself from the biting weather conditions, I'd wrapped up from head to toe in baby pink winter clothes. Even though they were supposed to be windproof, I couldn't help but feel my legs tremble underneath the layers, still feeling the shrieking wind as it hit my face and pierced through onto my skin. Trying to focus on the fact that the ski event was about to begin, I wandered over to Tora and Mariam, who were standing beside the seating area, to see if they were set up to film Jess on the slopes.

"Are the cameras ready?" I inquired. Tora nodded, "Sure are. The quality on these things is amazing. They can pick up on movement and focus even when they're coming in from an insane distance!"

"I'm ready too," Mariam added. "I've sent over all of my research to Riera, and now I'm waiting to gather as much information as I can so you have question material even outside of the event." Just as I was about to thank her, Rowen ran over as fast as he could, although the deep pits of snow slowed him down, swallowing his boots as he came.

"Jess starts in 5 minutes. You ready?" Rowen asked eagerly.

"We're ready," I grinned, excitement building as the event was about to kick off.

As the five-minute wait came to an end, the cameras began to roll, and I watched as Jess swiftly glided down the slope in his all black ski attire. With the wind tousling his hair and a look of sheer focus on his face, Jess maneuvered through the twists and turns of the mountain. His movements were smooth as the bottoms of his skis left patterns of artwork in the fresh snow. Sparkling rays of sunlight fell down on the thick white blanket, casting a golden glow on Jess's figure. The sound of his skis carving through the icy piste echoed in the mountain air amongst the other skiers, creating a heavy crashing noise that mimicked the sound of waves.

The slope track was deathly challenging, with its steep descents and obstacles. However, Jess, without a mark of fear on his face, navigated the hazardous course with pure confidence. He didn't make so much as one wrong move and even took the risk on dangerous tricks as he fled down the slopes. With every twist, tail grab, and rail slide, the crowd roared with pure excitement, and I couldn't help but find myself joining in.

Making my way over to a member in the audience, I asked permission to interview them. Mariam helped Tora with all the camera work, and as Tora filmed Jess gliding down the mountains, Mariam pointed a camera in my direction to gather interview footage.

Elora: "As a resident here, what is your opinion on the outrageous news of Jess Miley and Luke Quinn?"

Stranger: "I was absolutely devastated. Jess is most talented but to leave Luke there was both unprofessional and heartless."

Elora: "Are you suggesting he did it on purpose or do you believe there to be a misunderstanding?"

Stranger: "That is correct. I do believe it to be true that he purposefully left Luke out on that Mountain."

Elora: "From a personal point of view, what would you have done in that situation?"

Stranger: "I would've put all hard feelings aside and did the right thing. No matter the person or what troubles we might've had, you never leave somebody out in those conditions in the middle of nowhere."