She really doesn’t seem to like him, but it makes sense. They’re both incredible riders, yet while Julien takes every opportunity to tell people how incredible he is, Odette just keeps her head down and rides. If Curtis hadn’t mentioned it, I’d never have known she came second in an FIS world cup at Vars this week.

“What are you working on today?” Odette says.

I hesitate. “Backflips, hopefully.” Now there will be no chickening out.

“Your first time?”

“Yeah. I’m so nervous.”

Her gloved fingers grip my arm. “Don’t worry. You will do it!”

Brent’s strapping in at the top.

“Backflip time,” I say quietly. “Any last-minute tips?”

“Don’t land on your head.” Brent grins. “Nah, you did great on the trampoline. Full commitment, though. You don’t want to get halfway round and decide you don’t want to do one.”

From the way he walks, all slouchy and relaxed in his low-slung trousers, you’d never guess Brent is an elite athlete. You’d think he’s a stoner—or just plain lazy. Then you see him with his snowboard on.

He blasts off the jump with a massive 720. He seems to feel no fear. I envy him. My palms are sweating inside my gloves. Saskia is quizzing Julien again as they strap in. I can’t wait to see her face if I pull this off.

Curtis gets to his feet. “You going?”

“No, after you,” I say because I’m not quite ready.

Curtis speeds down and pulls a smooth backflip. Everyone cheers.

Now I really have to do one. I race downward. Speed is important—I need enough air time to get my board around. The moment the nose of my board reaches the end of the takeoff, I tip backward.

It’s kind of like going around the loop in a roller coaster. Except that rather than just sitting there, safely strapped in, I have no idea what’s going to happen. My field of vision goes blue, then white. If I hit the ground just now I’ll break my neck for sure. Then I see blue sky again and I’m touching back down with my board beneath me.

The cheers are louder than they were for Curtis.

Curtis gives me a nod of respect when I join him. “Nice.”

I shrug it off like it was nothing special. Inside, though, I light up. I’m not sure why, but praise from Curtis means more to me than praise from any of the others. It’s as if he’s my brother and my dad rolled into one. By impressing him, it’s like I’ve achieved the impossible and impressed them. Stupid, I know, especially since my feelings for him are far from fraternal, but I will treasure this moment.