Estimated read time: Less than a minute
Thomas Hart, his two friends and I are riding the Needles Gondola at the base of Snowbasin Resort on a bluebird day in northern Utah. We chat during the 12-minute ride to the top. When Hart tells me his nickname is "Racer Tom," the David Bowie song "Space Oddity" immediately pops into my head. We laugh as I mention it to the trio.
Ground Control to Major Tom. Ground Control to Major Tom. Take your protein pills and put your helmet on. Ground Control to Major Tom (ten, nine, eight, seven, six). Commencing countdown, engines on (five, four, three, two). Check ignition and may God's love be with you (one, lift off).
We exit the car — I want to call it a capsule now — to a layer of freshly groomed snow just below craggy Needles and Demoisy Peak, both exceeding 9,000 feet elevation. They kick their boots into the bindings on their skis, while I strap into my snowboard. I feel like I'm holding them up.
Racer Tom is on a mission.
