A Full Life

Goooooood morning, folks! To put it lightly, it feels like an absolute metric-fuck-ton of news has circled around since I last published this newsletter — all of it somehow feeling a touch more dystopian than the headline that preceded it.

So, rather than taking you down the rabbit hole of whatever semblance of government we have left in this county and how that affects the outdoors, etc. etc. etc…. (my head hurts, too), let me take you on a more fun journey.

You may-or-may-not have seen that a video of JD Vance skiing in Vermont went viral over the weekend. The video has since been taken down, but when in doubt, we can always trust the goblins at TMZ to come through (the fun starts at 0:16). I was brought to tears from laughing so hard at the comments on the original video on Sunday, so let’s walk through the comment section together.

Editors note: if your skiing style resembles JD Vance’s, that’s great! Everyone’s been a beginner at one point and my skiing definitely looked like that 3 seasons ago. The difference is you’re not a spineless rat <3

Backcountry Chronicles

Starting strong with the top comment. I normally hate the hubris that accommodates people calling other skiers “Jerry’s” but this one is not only allowed, but also encouraged. 12/10.

Not the same comedic punch as the above, but so on the nose it hurts. I’m obsessed with him turning across the entire length of the slope, causing multiple crashes, and then just chilling on the side as if nothing happened. 8/10.

Again, the BUILD! Gotta hand it to the good people of Reddit — if nothing else, they can commit to a bit. 17/10.

Absolutely no notes. Chefs kiss. 37/10. 

Again, taking off my kind-hearted cap and here for the Jerry slander. If this enrages you, check out your local National Park Protest. Craft night at my place making cardboard signs for the next RMNP one, anyone? 10/10.

This one gets even better when you realize that people not only protested along the road that Vance took to the mountain, but also at the base of the actual mountain while he skied. May this man never experience any correlation between “outdoors” and “peace” for the rest of his days. 11/10.

My fellow backcountry folks have entered the chat. If you’re JD Vance, this is totally NOT avalanche terrain, there is NO mandatory air despite the look, and you should TOTALLY ski it. 17/10.

I mean, really! The gall! Pull yourself together! 14/10.

My sentiments exactly, jpb647. 10/10.

I’m dying to know about the Secret Service logistics of this entire weekend. Is there a prerequisite to know how to ski to be able to work this trip? Are there just people flying down these slopes with pistols in their bibs? Do they get special, custom-made bibs with a pocket for their pistols? I’m having flashbacks to the FBI agent who accidentally fired a pistol at Mile High Spirits when he did a backflip on the dancefloor. This one really got the imagination going. 12/10.

Again, no notes. 23/10.

Ending on a positive note. I love when the Aussies enter the chat. 14/10.

Artiste Break

A brief art break with some art that made me smile this week.

To Go Snacks

💞 This essay plopped into my personal zeitgeist by way of another newsletter declaring it to be the best essay they’ve ever read. I’m here to confirm: there’s a high probability that this will be the best essay you ever read. Not just because it’ll crack your heart open, but because it just reminds us that at the end of the day, we’re only human.

🪕 You ever have that experience of listening to an old album you love and realizing you’ve somehow completely missed an absolute gem of a song on it? I had that experience yesterday, re-listening to Rayland Baxter’s debut album, Imaginary Man. Your Love is the song in question and you need to listen to it immediately.

📚 No words I’ll use to describe Florence Given’s latest essay will do it justice, so here’s an excerpt I loved: I am writing this essay to prove that you don’t need a degree to become a succesful artist. You just need to become so obsessed with what you’re doing and pursue it with your entire heart. You need to pretend that you are a little girl in her bedroom making fucking magic again.

I’m off to Telluride this weekend for my first ever trip to the San Juans. Here’s your fun fact of the week: did you know the San Juans are the youngest mountain range in the Rocky Mountains and that’s why they’re the pointiest? It’s because they’re the least eroded! Not to sound like a total girl-who-is-dating-a-geologist, but rocks go hard sometimes.

Happy turns!

- McCall 🌻

Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe here so you don’t miss the next one!