Only the conspicuous scabs all over the elbows, hands and knees of Thurgood's staff hint at real excitement. They are a mark of glory, and crashing becomes a point of pride. All told, eight of their party of 17 friends and relatives from Jordan crashed that evening, and everyone was comparing scrapes and bruises. It looks like a mundane sport during the week, but Friday and Saturday night things change. They keep my EMTs pretty busy.
Young dudes get in duels in front of their girlfriends, making crashes inevitable.
A night at Alpine Slide is a perfect outdoor date. The mountain air is warm and romantic at night, and there is plenty of time for idle chatter waiting in line at the top. Attractive young folks pack the place, perhaps as much for the protracted 20 minute ride through the dark alone on the chairlift to the top. There is no fat man sitting on a little stool, but the place takes on a real Tunnel of Love quality on that chairlift, punctuated soon after with a giggling adrenaline rush down the hill. It is not that fast.