CMT Blog: Archive

Hi everybody on the CMT Blog! Adam Black from CMT Outsider here, sharing some of my thoughts from Country in the Rockies here in Steamboat Springs, Colo. And let’s begin with this thought: For some people, skiing means cutting a path in new fallen snow. For me, skiing means cutting my face on a rock when I’ve newly fallen.

I thought skiing on snow wouldn’t be much different than skiing on water. After all, they ARE the same basic element — H20. However, I should have realized I was in trouble when they didn’t offer “wake or knee-board” as a rental option at the ski lodge. You see, because I told CMT that I was an expert skier, they decided to enter me in the “celebrity” ski race at Country in the Rockies, a benefit to raise awareness and money for leukemia research. Skiers included Darryl Worley, Montgomery Gentry, Lucy Angel, Blue County — and me. Oh, I know what you’re thinking: “Wait, Adam’s not a celebrity!?” And if you’re thinking that, you are wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong! The Latin for celebrity is “celebrate,” and I am someone who celebrates, so I am absolutely a celebrity. The other Latin meaning is “celibate.” And, I don’t know about Darryl, but my wife wouldn’t be too happy if THAT were the case.

So, celebrity I am, and on the slopes I stood. But not for long — no sooner had the starting pistol fired that Darryl whizzed by me, knocking me off balance. I toppled over and did a pitiful cartwheel just 10 feet down the slope. Part of my problem is that the only thing I really learned in ski school was “snowplow to stop.” Well, YOU try to snowplow while turning a cartwheel. It’s quite ineffective. So, that was my afternoon. Laid out on the snow. Jeering laughter filling my ears.

By the way, I didn’t make the trial cut. Darryl’s team is in, though — even though I KNOW he knocked me over on purpose. But I can’t be too mad at him. He and the other artists and guests have already raised hundreds of thousands of dollars in cancer, leukemia and AIDS research for the T.J. Martell Foundation. Tomorrow, Darryl and I are going snowmobiling. I’ve never been snowmobiling before. Should be fun.

One more thing! After the ski race, we all headed off to the big concert. Got some cool shots behind the scenes, before there was some kind of misunderstanding and the guard threw me out face first into the snow. I’m thawing the right side of my body as we speak. In fact, I had to type this whole blog with my left hand only. I’m sure the feeling will return to my right side by morning, though. Yeah, I’m sure it will. Talk to you again later!