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To Me There Isn’t a Better Way to Live

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Over the Christmas break we were up in Bartlett, NH skiing where, in between time on the slopes, I read the book Tracking the Wild Coomba by Robert Cocuzzo about the life of the late “frontier” skier Doug Coombs. I say “frontier” because Coombs hated the word “extreme.” To him, that meant risk, and he spent his career teaching his ski clients how to reduce risk in their craft.

Coombs first experienced big mountain skiing at Mt. Washington’s Tuckerman Ravine, not far from our cabin. He would spend weekends camping at the base, working his craft each day. From there he went to Montana State University for the skiing, became a legend at Jackson Hole, turned Alaska’s Chugachs into a ski destination, and finally arrived in the French Alps where he lost his life at the age of 48.

Doug Coombs hated risk. He felt risk was something that could be managed. And he helped his clients manage risk beyond what they believed possible. I related to that while reading his incredible life story, told by Cocuzzo who spent fours years retracing Coombs’ steps.

Imagine skiing down a shower curtain and you can get an idea of what Coombs was skiing. He would bring his most capable clients atop descents he’d refer to as “NBA,” meaning the steepness, like a basketball, is such that you can’t see the bottom as you stand at the top. There were times, Cocuzzo writes, that clients would just freeze with fear and it was at these times when Coombs would come alive coaching them through the turns he expected them to take and believing in them when they did not believe in themselves.

Coombs, when asked who was the best skier in the world, would respond that that’s a stupid question. He said the best skier is the one who is having the most fun. And I would add, the best coach is the one that makes it possible.

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E.J. Smith

Editor-in-Chief
E.J. Smith is Founder of YourSurvivalGuy.com, Managing Director at Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd., a Managing Editor of Richardcyoung.com, and Editor-in-Chief of Youngresearch.com. E.J. graduated from Babson College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, with a B.S. in finance and investments. In 1995, E.J. began his investment career at Fidelity Investments in Boston before joining Richard C. Young & Co., Ltd. in 1998. E.J. has trained at Sig Sauer Academy in Epping, NH. His first drum set was a 5-piece Slingerland with Zilldjians. He grew-up worshiping Neil Peart of the band Rush, and loves the song Tom Sawyer—the name of his family’s boat, a Grady-White Canyon 306. He grew up in Mattapoisett, MA, an idyllic small town on the water near Cape Cod. He spends time in Newport, RI and Bartlett, NH—both as far away from Wall Street as one could mentally get. The Newport office is on a quiet, tree lined street not far from the harbor and the log cabin in Bartlett, NH, the “Live Free or Die” state, sits on the edge of the White Mountain National Forest. He enjoys spending time in Key West and Paris. Please get in touch with E.J. at ejsmith@youngresearch.com.

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