Olympic Conquest

Cory - Top of the Run

Swoosh. Swoosh. The sound of my skis carving the snow is all I can hear. It's a beautiful day in Vail. The sun is beating down and the wind is still. It's just me and the mountain – the way I like it. I feel a twinge of guilt for not telling Martin that I'm skiing today. I knew he would have said no. But I need some alone time to reconnect.

I go a little faster each time I head downhill, pushing myself to the limit. My adrenaline is pumping hard and I can't get enough. After a few runs, I decide to veer off course. For a long time, I've been avoiding the side of the mountain where Ashton and I would escape the crowds and ski as fast as we possibly could. It was our favorite run, because not many were foolish enough to ski it. And we loved doing things no one else would ever attempt. I think Ashton loved to challenge us even more. He was always seeking new ways to push us beyond our limits and it was this side of the mountain where Ashton finally found his limit.

I ski to the top of the run. There are a number of warning signs about how steep the mountain is at this point. I stare down the drop and I have flashes of Ashton laughing and yelling, "See you at the bottom bro. Whoever loses buys the drinks tonight! Hope you have a lot of cash!"

I follow Ashton and take off down the mountain. Before I can get too much speed, my ski hits an icy patch and I go flying. I sail through the air and then start tumbling, over and over and over again down the mountain. I try to remain limp and let the momentum attack my body, hoping I won't be too damaged in the process. Eventually my body stops and I lie motionless, face up to the sky. I close my eyes and I wiggle my fingers and toes, making sure I still have feeling. My helmet seems fine and though my skis are off, every part of me seems to be okay.

I see Ashton standing above me. He kneels down next to me, "Dude, you can do better than that. Follow me. I'll show you how to do it." He reaches his hand out to mine. In my mind, I take it and I sit up. I whisper to myself, "Thanks man, I think I can figure it out on my own." I shake my head and I'm suddenly alone.

I crawl back to where my skis are resting peacefully against the side of the mountain. I reattach them to my boots and I stand up. The mountain is still pretty steep at this point but I try to take it slow on my way down. I get to the tree line where Ashton took his last breath. I notice something nailed to one of the trees. I ski up to it. It's a plaque that reads:

A brother. A best friend. Special to those who knew him and those who wish they had. You were truly loved.

I reach out and touch the plaque.

"Cory! Dude! I saw that fall. You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm still getting my legs again. It's going to take a while."

"I'd take it easy."

"Well, that's not going to work."

"You're training?"

"Attempting to get back in shape first."

"We'd love to have you back on the team. We're already gearing up for the next Olympics."

I look around at the mountain. The sun warms my face. Everything feels really good.

"I'm considering it. If my knee holds up and can get stronger that is."

"You should talk to Jeremy."

"Thanks. I'll think about it."

"How's Lainey doing? We heard about her accident."

I stiffen at the question but I eventually say, "She's getting better." At least that's what I hope, I think to myself.

"That's good. Please give her our best. You going back up?" He gestures to the top of the mountain. I nod. Definitely going back up. We both head to the ski lift.

"I hear you got married a few months back."

"I sure did. It all happened so fast. We missed you. I'm sure Hawaii was amazing though."

"Yeah it was pretty spectacular. I'll probably go back every summer to train. So did you drop out of a helicopter and propose like you said you would?"

"No, we couldn't because of this guy." John reaches inside his jacket and pulls out a photo of a newborn baby boy. "His name is Jack."

"That's great man. Congratulations."

"I still want to jump out of a helicopter some day."

"Not me. I'll stick to these boring ski lifts." We jump in the gondola and it carries us high up Vail Mountain where we can attempt to tackle it yet again.