Tremblant, PQ - December 2001 - "Operation Intoxication"
Date: December 14th - 17th, 2001 Team Captains: Tom Albano, James Valentino Vehicles: Jeep Grand Cherokee Lodging: La Chouette
Important Events: Last minute trip, no snow upon departure, not looking good for PQ either, McDonald's kickoff, Egg McMuffins, fear of pulling "the trigger", Immodium deployed, video recording of trip, filming of "Twister", screaming like lunatics out of the car window, Lake George the Seventh, Dream Theater three album set on way up, Tom tweaks it off of a picnic table, Eisenhower interstate system, Tom runs around like a lunatic at the rest stop, filming random nothingness until reaching the border, including random gas stop in NY state, gas attendant asks if we're the ones who were filming out there, Mobil speed pass elicits shouts of glee from Jim and Tom, Slim Jim and Red Bull to remedy Tom's fatigue, yelling at Thorpe on the video camera, "you guys aren't with the Taliban, eh?"... "not that I know of", traditional stop at border bathroom, record time to get there, no snow anywhere, duo is saddened, Bonnichoix beer run, Pop Tarts, village is dead, Ca! sey's beers, meager accommodations, rigging the TV to use cable, Wayne Gretzky picking Team Canada, entire country riveted, TSN, Turtle Island, excessive alcohol consumption, crazy guitar playing, Tom pulls off the lolly-pop/beer/guitar combo move, Tom plays "Mountain" wearing hat and sunglasses indoors...at night, fireplace does not work, smoke fills the apt., Tom's closet quick changes, Jim's "exorbitant" socks, Tremblant 24 hour race, two lifts + 45 minute lines + horrendous man made snow + 6 trails + really hungover = 2 runs skied and let's hit the bar, gave up on skiing for the rest of the weekend, Tom's final turns on the Z-Max SL's, wackiness ensues, concentrate on drinking, Boreale Cuivree (6.9%), JP Ricards 23oz, drunken madness, restaurant/bar hopping, Tom purchases the "Tremblant" vest, Tom asking "...is it lame to wear the vest of the place you're actually at?", pasta with sausage at Le Shack, The search for Toufou, British/A! ustralian accents, Jim pretends to get electro-shocked, falls down, Tom hits on a 60 year old man, finding Toufou too late, video camera in La Diable, snow guns, harassing people on the main walk up, Tom posing for random pictures throughout the village, stealing the sign to our room, quality Subway after returning to US soil, blizzard on the return home, frustration continues, Tom and Jim vow return...