Free The Intrepid Canadian Expedition by Jeff Brown Page B

you see that fellow? That was an epic jump!” Nick said.
    “You sure know a lot about this,” Stanley said admiringly. “You must be really good.”
    “I’m better than good!” Nick bragged. He looked longingly down the trail. “In fact, if only I had my snowboard, I’dshow them a thing or two….”
    Stanley grinned. “Well, there are some things I’m really good at, too….” Then he stiffened, perfectly straight, with his arms at his side. “What do you think?”
    Nick got the idea at once, but he smirked. “Are you serious? I only use the best boards! Very expensive…like the pros!”
    “Oh, come on, let’s try it,” Stanley urged.
    Nick rolled his eyes. “All right. Let’s go!”
    The boys edged theirway to a spot alongside the starting gate. Nick pulled on his goggles. “Ready?”

    Stanley lay down in the snow and wrapped his scarf around his middle for foot bindings. “Ready!”
    Nick jumped on top of him, and the starting gun went off. The boys shot down the slope, parallel to the other snowboarders. Nick called out commands, and Stanley positioned himself accordingly.
    They made quite a team.
    They started on course, weaving through packs of snowboarders as they fired over some moguls. “Are we in control?” Nick asked.
    “I think so,” Stanley replied as theyapproached a ten-foot kicker jump.

    “I hope so!” Nick hollered as they accelerated through the kicker, getting enormous air. The view from thirty feet above the slope was spectacular, peaceful, and still. Stanley caught a snowflake on his tongue, and then Nick said, “Stanley, we’re going down now!” It was time for the landing, something that neither Nick nor Stanley had considered until that moment. They braced themselves for a rough impact, pleased when they glided gently into some thick powder, skidding away in a wake of snow. “That wasn’t so bad,” Stanley reflected.
    “Stanley! Stanley!” Nick was pointingahead, trying his best to keep Stanley on course as they veered off the trail and into the woods!
    “Look, a jib!” Nick said. He guided them toward a fallen tree where snowboarders were sliding over the trunk. They glided up and over the length of the log, spinning as onlookers admired their flair. “Wheeeeeee!” Stanley and Nick shouted together. They landed and sped back to the course, going faster than ever.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, it seems we have a new challenger!” shouted the sports announcer. “And he’s giving the professionals some competition!”
    The wind blew even stronger now.“I’m going to cut you into it now,” Nick told Stanley. “If we can catch a current, I bet we can kill it!”
    “Are you sure?” called out Stanley. “We’re going higher than anyone else already!”
    “That’s just where I should be!” yelled Nick. “Bombs away!”
    Stanley strained upward to catch the wind, remembering what he’d learned when Arthur had flown him like a kite. Up and up he went, while Nick crouched to hold on to Stanley with one hand. The crowd below roared in delight. Even the other snowboarders, finished with the run now, cheered in awe.
    Stanley realized the problem first. “I can’t come down!” he yelled to Nick. “I’ve caught the current, and I can’t get out of it!”
    Nick shouted, “No way, dude! I’ve got it under control.” He tried to guide the Stanley-board down, but it was no use…. Suddenly, an even stronger gust of wind flipped them completely over. “Grab my hands and feet!” Stanley called to Nick.
    Nick did, just in time, and Stanley allowed himself to billow in the wind like a parasail. The boys floated even higher over the course.
    Far down below in the crowd, Stanley caught sight of his father, standing withDoctor Dave, looking very worried.

    “We’re going to fall!” Nick screamed.
    Both fathers gestured wildly with puzzled looks.
    “No, we’re not,” Stanley tried to assure Nick. “Just don’t let go!”
    But Nick was panicking. “We’re