My friend Kristen and I did a huge presentation back in high school about the history of snowboarding. We had to have judges come in to rate us on our knowledge of the material and just our overall presentation. Well from that day we got offered jobs to be snowboard instructors and we gladly took up the offer. We instructed at Mad River Mountain and learned a lot from the job and have many memories from working there. One such memory will always be in my “highlight reel” of memories that continues to play through my head. (If you know me and wonder why I always laugh to myself…this explains it.)
Okay, so on with the story. Kristen and I always signed up to work a double shift for one day a week, instead of driving an hour twice a week for just one shift—that’s outrageous! We worked the night shift from 5pm-10pm and then the second shift being Midnight Madness from 12am-3am. Between the two shifts the slopes would close down to be re-grooved and Kristen and I would always sit around waiting until our next lesson call. Being that we had nothing to do, one of our coworkers, Howard, offered that we come watch a movie with him and his family in their cabin that was at the top of the slopes. So we ride up the chair lift, ride down through the trees rushing past us, and we’re there in two seconds. How awesome. We walk in and meet his wife and son and then start to get comfortable. Kristen and I make claim on the empty couch. Score. Howard starts to lie down on the floor to get comfortable and while he does, rips a fart, to which he responds, “Excuse me.” We all laugh; Me, Kristen, his wife, and his son (who smacks his head in embarrassment) and then Howard rips another fart. “Excuse me.”
I don’t know what it is, but when I know I need to stop laughing it only makes me laugh harder.
Caught up in my laughing fit, I tried to drink some water thinking, “This will force me to stop laughing!” But it only made matters worse. I then started to choke on the water. At this point I could not even look at Kristen because I know she would make me laugh even more, and it was that point where everyone else had stopped laughing. This was torture. I then forced myself to watch the movie, not looking at Kristen or Howard—because that would trigger the memory instantly—and I literally tried not to think about the events that had just happened because it would start another laughing fit.
I don’t know if it was Howard’s nonchalance with ripping farts or just the fact that Kristen and I were really tired, but that was definitely a funny moment.
