When Jamil Jaffer testified in favor of U.S. Supreme Court Justice nominee Neil Gorsuch last month, he recalled the day in 2006 when he and Michael Davis started working for Gorsuch as law clerks at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit in Denver.

“Judge Gorsuch took us alpine sledding,” Jaffer told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Seriously. He beat us down the mountain twice and never let us forget that even with nearly a decade on us, he could beat two young whippersnappers like us.”