Well.. this has certainly been a long time between updates. After the road trip we took, Leela and I unfortunately had a bad situation with Bubbles (one of our cats back home). Since then she's been through surgery, we've had the busy Easter season and Leela has been here for a week as well. Not a lot of time for blog updates!
So with some time finally on my hands I'm going to try and slowly catch up with everything! With only 20 days left before I head on the next part of our adventure, I better get a move on!
(Updates will be below this post until I catch up! The first one is already there)
Thursday 11 April 2013
Road tripping
March finally arrived and Phil, Amy, Chris and I were getting pretty pumped about heading on our road trip into the interior of British Columbia. Unfortunately March also bought with it the "Pineapple Express" weather system. These systems are named as such as they involve a large amount of moisture coming up from the Pacific, along with very warm temperatures.
This set the tone for the conditions on the entire trip. The day we left the alpine in Whistler had been closed for 3 days, with over 80cm of snow falling. Most of this was heavy and wet, but there was a nice layer on top and we decided to delay our leaving for half a day to enjoy the conditions. After waiting an hour at the base of Blackcomb, and then another 2 at the 7th Heaven lift we got some of the first tracks.
It was by far the busiest day of the mountain all season, so after 3 runs it was already 1pm and we were ready to go! We headed home, packed up the truck and hit the road.
Spirits were high and we were happy to be on our way. Revelstoke was about a 6 hour drive from Whistler and we were hoping to be in town just after dinner. Unfortunately, even though we had checked the road conditions the night before, the weather that had bought such good skiing also bought with it some risky avalanche conditions. Only an hour north of Whistler (just past Pemberton), our route through the mountains to the interior was blocked.
Avalanche control work had triggered a considerable slide that had crossed the road. Information was sparse, but after over 4 hours of waiting we were finally on the road again. Now we were driving at night, so unfortunately there wasn't much to see (except the avalanche, it was taller than the truck!). We arrived at Revelstoke closer to midnight, and while everyone was pretty tired we were still determined to make the most of the trip.
The Super 8 motel we stayed at wasn't the most luxurious of accommodation, and the "free breakfast" was certainly lacking. However, we still made the opening of the Revelstoke gondola on our first day. Conditions were pretty similar to Whistler. No champagne powder this trip, but we still got some excellent turns as some of the alpine had been closed the day before because of the storm. Revelstoke certainly has some fantastic terrain, and I can certainly see myself heading back there to ski again.
Everyone was pretty tired after a solid day skiing, and the long trip the night before. So after one of the best burgers I've had my entire 6 months here (It was called a 'farmyard burger', and literally had half the farm in it) we turned in for an early start.
The next day we were on the road again heading for Kicking Horse. This time a leisurely 2 hour drive from Revelstoke through the fantastic Rogers Pass. This area is very well known for avalanche activity, so much that they built tunnels on the road on regular paths to save the need of constantly clearing them.
The views were so spectacular that we even forgot about the speed limit and the nice police officer was happy to remind us! He did however forget to point out that we were changing time zones, as we had aimed to be there for the gondola opening and instead arrived at 10am. It didn't matter though as they were having a 'quiet day'. To give you an idea of the number of people were are used to at Whistler, a quiet day would be under 10,000 people. The idea of a quiet day at Kicking Horse was 900 people! Yes, it is smaller (about 1/4 the size of Whistler) but we hardly saw anyone all day!
Again we were lucky enough that some alpine areas had been closed and we managed to score some fresh lines. Kicking Horse reminds me a lot of Craigieburn back home. Heaps of steep chutes and hiking opportunities make this a fantastic place to get in soft snow. However, there is only 1 gondola that runs from the bottom to the very top.. so each run is quite lengthy! I think I'll be visiting again one powder day in the future.
It was about this part of the trip that the group realised I had a fondness for 'earning my turns' and hiking towards good areas. However, they always seemed to follow me and enjoy the way down! Never the less it provided much entertainment over the trip (along with Phil's love for tree wells).
Thankfully, the next part of the trip involved no hiking at all! Stay tuned for heli-skiing!
This set the tone for the conditions on the entire trip. The day we left the alpine in Whistler had been closed for 3 days, with over 80cm of snow falling. Most of this was heavy and wet, but there was a nice layer on top and we decided to delay our leaving for half a day to enjoy the conditions. After waiting an hour at the base of Blackcomb, and then another 2 at the 7th Heaven lift we got some of the first tracks.
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| Glad we were at the front of this line! |
Spirits were high and we were happy to be on our way. Revelstoke was about a 6 hour drive from Whistler and we were hoping to be in town just after dinner. Unfortunately, even though we had checked the road conditions the night before, the weather that had bought such good skiing also bought with it some risky avalanche conditions. Only an hour north of Whistler (just past Pemberton), our route through the mountains to the interior was blocked.
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| Highway 99 |
The Super 8 motel we stayed at wasn't the most luxurious of accommodation, and the "free breakfast" was certainly lacking. However, we still made the opening of the Revelstoke gondola on our first day. Conditions were pretty similar to Whistler. No champagne powder this trip, but we still got some excellent turns as some of the alpine had been closed the day before because of the storm. Revelstoke certainly has some fantastic terrain, and I can certainly see myself heading back there to ski again.
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| On top of 'Powder Assault' |
The next day we were on the road again heading for Kicking Horse. This time a leisurely 2 hour drive from Revelstoke through the fantastic Rogers Pass. This area is very well known for avalanche activity, so much that they built tunnels on the road on regular paths to save the need of constantly clearing them.
The views were so spectacular that we even forgot about the speed limit and the nice police officer was happy to remind us! He did however forget to point out that we were changing time zones, as we had aimed to be there for the gondola opening and instead arrived at 10am. It didn't matter though as they were having a 'quiet day'. To give you an idea of the number of people were are used to at Whistler, a quiet day would be under 10,000 people. The idea of a quiet day at Kicking Horse was 900 people! Yes, it is smaller (about 1/4 the size of Whistler) but we hardly saw anyone all day!
Again we were lucky enough that some alpine areas had been closed and we managed to score some fresh lines. Kicking Horse reminds me a lot of Craigieburn back home. Heaps of steep chutes and hiking opportunities make this a fantastic place to get in soft snow. However, there is only 1 gondola that runs from the bottom to the very top.. so each run is quite lengthy! I think I'll be visiting again one powder day in the future.
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| Terminator Peak (Yes we did hike it!) |
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| Access to the 'White Wall' which was untouched from the storm |
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| Drinks at the lovely restaurant at the top of Kicking Horse |
Thankfully, the next part of the trip involved no hiking at all! Stay tuned for heli-skiing!
Tuesday 26 February 2013
Welcome back to winter
Wow.. 2 weeks since my last blog post! Time kind of moves quickly when you're in a groundhog day like period. Thankfully that period now looks to finally be behind us and the winter switch has been well and truly turned back on. This is what the forecast looked like for the week just been
Since then we have managed to get a good couple of powder days riding in, with the best being yesterday with 17cm of new snow. I got in early to the Fresh Tracks line (6am... Zzzzz) and was rewarded with a solid day of beating the crowds around the mountain. Unfortunately the camera was particularly bouncy and I don't know how much usable footage I got.
Speaking of footage, before this winter resurgence the back country was riding particularly well. As my season edit isn't going very far I decided to put together a quick video of a couple of days spent off the back of Blackcomb mountain.
Blackcomb Backcountry from Aaron Tasker on Vimeo.
The mountains around here are very picturesque and I couldn't resist putting together a panoramic shot as well. It's best viewed in high resolution so be sure to click on it and download it from the options at the top!
Here are some other fun shots from those days too.
The season is moving fast and before you know it Leela will be here with me to hopefully enjoy what will still be some good snow in March. Although we haven't typically celebrated valentines day much, I decided to surprise her this year with a reminder that I'm still thinking of her daily.
There have been some other exciting activities that have taken place to break up the weeks. The Banff Mountain Film Festival came to Whistler and was well worth attending both nights. Highlights would certainly have to be 'Crossing the Ice' (Click for trailer), a tale of the 2 Australian friends who kayaked the Tasman Sea attempting the first unassisted (no kites, dogs, skidoos etc.) return trip from the south pole. For you climbing folk I highly recommend checking out 'Wide Boyz' (Click for trailer) and their journey climbing off-width cracks in America. There were also a number of BMX, Kayaking, Caving, BASE jumping and other fantastic videos. For those of you who like downhill BMX, or the cute factor of a little dog, you have to check out 'Lily Shreds Trailside' (Click to watch for free!)
Last Monday we headed out after work to enjoy a spot of ice-skating, as well as the money that had been earned by every ones mistakes at work. These mistakes if called were written on the FUBAR list and over $100 was raised towards some jugs.. which turned into a few more! Suffice to say it was a great night.. but here's a couple of shots of before the drinking.
An impromptu game of ice-hockey is commonly referred to as 'Shinny', and I found out one of the reasons why as I came away with a good strike to the shins. While not the worst injury of the night, a very good time was had by all.
This week I also finally decided to upgrade my ski setup. As some of you may know, I have been deliberating over what skis to buy for quite a while, and in the end there wasn't one that fit exactly what I wanted. So I decided to upgrade my current setup, and keep looking for a ski that fit my 'powder/charger' category. So now the Line Blend's are a bit heavier, but now allow me to go 'skinning' up the mountain. This method of travel uses animal skins which are attached to the bottom of the ski, and a binding that releases at the heel. It can mean travelling up to 3 times faster on snow than carrying your skis, especially on the flatter ground.
The biggest highlight of the last 2 weeks has to be the ice climbing that I did with Coast Mountain Guides. About 90 minutes north of Whistler in the Lilooet Gorge is an ice climbing area known as the 'Rambles'. The drive is stunning and whilst Pemberton and the other towns on the way through are certainly not as resort like as Whistler, it felt really good to get out of the 'city' and into some real country.
Once we arrived at our site and got kitted up with harness', crampons, helmets, axes, belays, ropes and other equipment between our party of 11 and 2 guides we then hiked another 30 minutes to our ice climbing site. This activity is not for someone who is afraid of exercise!
3 ropes were setup at the top of the waterfall by our talented guide, and very soon we were all having a go up the wall. The photo's really don't do it justice.. but a lot of the center section is completely vertical. I was very impressed at how complex this sport is, as not only do you have to puzzle solve your way up the slope, but also how your equipment will help (or hinder) the situation.
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| Note the lovely snowfall numbers |
Speaking of footage, before this winter resurgence the back country was riding particularly well. As my season edit isn't going very far I decided to put together a quick video of a couple of days spent off the back of Blackcomb mountain.
Blackcomb Backcountry from Aaron Tasker on Vimeo.
The mountains around here are very picturesque and I couldn't resist putting together a panoramic shot as well. It's best viewed in high resolution so be sure to click on it and download it from the options at the top!
Here are some other fun shots from those days too.
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| The bootpack setup |
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| This wasn't an intentional shot.. but came out looking great |
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| Another unintentional wonder |
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| Look mum... cliffs! |
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| This igloo is at the top of Blackcomb Glacier and provides some great shelter during windy days |
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| Brandon & I on a not-as-sunny day |
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| A valentines day surprise |
Last Monday we headed out after work to enjoy a spot of ice-skating, as well as the money that had been earned by every ones mistakes at work. These mistakes if called were written on the FUBAR list and over $100 was raised towards some jugs.. which turned into a few more! Suffice to say it was a great night.. but here's a couple of shots of before the drinking.
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| The Blackcomb Daylodge rental team of 2013 |
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| My first game of 'Shinny' |
This week I also finally decided to upgrade my ski setup. As some of you may know, I have been deliberating over what skis to buy for quite a while, and in the end there wasn't one that fit exactly what I wanted. So I decided to upgrade my current setup, and keep looking for a ski that fit my 'powder/charger' category. So now the Line Blend's are a bit heavier, but now allow me to go 'skinning' up the mountain. This method of travel uses animal skins which are attached to the bottom of the ski, and a binding that releases at the heel. It can mean travelling up to 3 times faster on snow than carrying your skis, especially on the flatter ground.
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| The upgrade! |
The biggest highlight of the last 2 weeks has to be the ice climbing that I did with Coast Mountain Guides. About 90 minutes north of Whistler in the Lilooet Gorge is an ice climbing area known as the 'Rambles'. The drive is stunning and whilst Pemberton and the other towns on the way through are certainly not as resort like as Whistler, it felt really good to get out of the 'city' and into some real country.
Once we arrived at our site and got kitted up with harness', crampons, helmets, axes, belays, ropes and other equipment between our party of 11 and 2 guides we then hiked another 30 minutes to our ice climbing site. This activity is not for someone who is afraid of exercise!
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| The waterfall we were to climb |
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| Attacking one of the harder parts of the climb |
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| Lookin up! |
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| Placing axes in the wall |
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| The climb |
I have some video that I hope to put together with some that our guide took to form a highlights reel of the day.
It's only a few days until we are in March, and while January and February weren't the greatest for snowfall there is still plenty of fun to be had! Chris, Amy, Phil and I are now looking forward to this weekend as we head to Revelstoke! The weather forecast keeps changing on us.. but we may strike it lucky with a bit of snow and sun yet.
Monday 11 February 2013
Not much to report
Although I can't tell you exactly how much snow didn't fall in January (as I expect the Whistler Blackcomb marketing department may be keeping a little tight lipped for now), I can say that it was one of the lowest snowfall totals for the month in the last decade.
Whistler Snowfall Statistics
Unfortunately February is starting off to be much the same. We had one storm that I certainly made the most of last week, taking 3 days off and throwing so much into them that I felt rather beaten up by the end of it! Some good times were certainly had, but once again we are stuck in the blocking high pressure system of despair. At least 6 weeks (maybe more) of this weather has kept the tourists smiling, but the snow purists almost desperate.
So with not a lot to show this week, what happens in a ski town with conditions like this? Well, if you guessed 'Spending a lot of time at the pub' you wouldn't be far wrong!
Although.. I have managed to get out into a few other activities as well. I headed down to Meadow Park with Chris yesterday for a good soak in the hot tub, and to feel like an ape on ice skates again. Unfortunately the day didn't end too well as I lost one of my contact lenses. I'm making do with a spare, but I'm back to being a bit blind (at least not completely). A new lens will take a number of weeks to get here, I just hope it will be before our Revelstoke trip.
I think with my video edit I may have tackled a rather large project. It looks like that what I've been working on will most likely become my 'Season edit', so I am trying to put together a couple of short clips to keep people entertained! Stay tuned... but no promises.
Hopefully my next report will include more snow, and more pictures!
Whistler Snowfall Statistics
Unfortunately February is starting off to be much the same. We had one storm that I certainly made the most of last week, taking 3 days off and throwing so much into them that I felt rather beaten up by the end of it! Some good times were certainly had, but once again we are stuck in the blocking high pressure system of despair. At least 6 weeks (maybe more) of this weather has kept the tourists smiling, but the snow purists almost desperate.
So with not a lot to show this week, what happens in a ski town with conditions like this? Well, if you guessed 'Spending a lot of time at the pub' you wouldn't be far wrong!
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| Camille's leaving drinks |
Although.. I have managed to get out into a few other activities as well. I headed down to Meadow Park with Chris yesterday for a good soak in the hot tub, and to feel like an ape on ice skates again. Unfortunately the day didn't end too well as I lost one of my contact lenses. I'm making do with a spare, but I'm back to being a bit blind (at least not completely). A new lens will take a number of weeks to get here, I just hope it will be before our Revelstoke trip.
I think with my video edit I may have tackled a rather large project. It looks like that what I've been working on will most likely become my 'Season edit', so I am trying to put together a couple of short clips to keep people entertained! Stay tuned... but no promises.
Hopefully my next report will include more snow, and more pictures!
Friday 25 January 2013
We have normality
The blocking high that has kept Whistler in Groundhog day mode for almost 2 weeks finally broke down yesterday and delivered a powder day. I hear Wellington is about to enjoy a similar high pressure system.. except it is appreciated in the summer!
Yesterday I did my first fresh tracks breakfast on Whistler. Fresh tracks is a program where you pay to head up early on the mountain and have a full cooked breakfast at the top restaurant. Then when the mountain opens you get 25 minutes or so of riding before the first people who loaded the gondola at the bottom reach the top. The snow unfortunately didn't deliver as it was quite wet, and on top of a very hard crust. Today made up with that however with 11cm of dry powder and blue skies.
As with anything in life, it's the little things that can really put a spring in our step
While it may just look like an ordinary meat pie.. these are in fact a rarity in Canada (and at $6 + tax I can see why they may stay that way). I can say however that it is genuine, with meat chunks and tongue burning heat. (Remember.. always blow on the pie! Safer communities together.)
Last Friday night's hockey game was highly entertaining. Unfortunately the few photos I took didn't save on the phone so there isn't much to share. Our seats were 3 rows from the glass, and right next to the players box. Hockey is certainly a very fast paced game, and the NHL matches on TV faster again. One of our party from Whistler was also very lucky not to catch the puck with her face as it made it over the glass.
Brandon came with me and gave me the run down on all the rules and intricacies of the game, and although it doesn't seem that way there is actually quite a bit more than just getting the puck in the net and fist fights! (Although it wouldn't be hockey without a bit of roughing.)
Monday night was our last staff party, and it was quite sedate compared to the others earlier in the season. I managed to get a little in with the retro theme with an old rental jacket (children's size of course). The 200' roll of fluro tape also went down a treat with all. It's hard to believe that we're already half way through the season!
Details for the upcoming trip to the interior have been a little more firmed up. Looks like it's going to be 4 days riding on the first week of March. Phil, Amy, Chris and I are already counting down the days. I'll throw up some more details closer to the time.
Tonight/Tomorrow in town is all about 'Straya day (Australia Day for the uninitiated). This is a very popular time for drinking, cricket, drinking, footy and more drinking for the large amount of Australians that are in Whistler. I think I'll be giving town a miss tonight and tomorrow, but here's an indication of how wild it gets.
Yesterday I did my first fresh tracks breakfast on Whistler. Fresh tracks is a program where you pay to head up early on the mountain and have a full cooked breakfast at the top restaurant. Then when the mountain opens you get 25 minutes or so of riding before the first people who loaded the gondola at the bottom reach the top. The snow unfortunately didn't deliver as it was quite wet, and on top of a very hard crust. Today made up with that however with 11cm of dry powder and blue skies.
As with anything in life, it's the little things that can really put a spring in our step
Last Friday night's hockey game was highly entertaining. Unfortunately the few photos I took didn't save on the phone so there isn't much to share. Our seats were 3 rows from the glass, and right next to the players box. Hockey is certainly a very fast paced game, and the NHL matches on TV faster again. One of our party from Whistler was also very lucky not to catch the puck with her face as it made it over the glass.
Brandon came with me and gave me the run down on all the rules and intricacies of the game, and although it doesn't seem that way there is actually quite a bit more than just getting the puck in the net and fist fights! (Although it wouldn't be hockey without a bit of roughing.)
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| Retro Rod |
Details for the upcoming trip to the interior have been a little more firmed up. Looks like it's going to be 4 days riding on the first week of March. Phil, Amy, Chris and I are already counting down the days. I'll throw up some more details closer to the time.
Tonight/Tomorrow in town is all about 'Straya day (Australia Day for the uninitiated). This is a very popular time for drinking, cricket, drinking, footy and more drinking for the large amount of Australians that are in Whistler. I think I'll be giving town a miss tonight and tomorrow, but here's an indication of how wild it gets.
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| Note the times! |
Wednesday 16 January 2013
The Dry Horrors
The biggest news over the last few weeks is that there has been no news at all, at least in the snow department. We've only had a single storm cycle in the last 2 weeks, and it looks to be staying that way for another week or so. We have a temperature inversion at the moment where it is still -5 in the valley, but +5 on top of the mountain.
The one storm cycle that did come through was setup to be one of the biggest days of the season. Walking home after dinner out the night before the snow was knee-deep in dry. Unfortunately waking up in the morning it was to the opposite. The snow had turned to rain with warming temperatures and turned heavy. Thankfully the end of the storm dropped 10cm or so of dry snow, and we spent the next few days seeking it out.
Straight after the storm cycle setup this large blocking high that we currently have. Every day is groundhog day.. but groundhog day's aren't bad when they are like this.
Unfortunately almost everything has been ridden, and also with the warm temperatures the avalanche risk is up so back-country travel is limited. Everyone is certainly holding out for the next storm.. but it's a number of days away yet.
Another major event in Canada is that the NHL lock-out is finally over. For those of you who don't follow the sport, the owners and players have been at an impasse for over 100 days. However, with a deadline only days away the issues have been resolved and we will finally get to see some hockey! Speaking of which, I am heading to a Vancouver Giants game this Friday (Not quite NHL, but still hockey).. so look out for how my first ice bashing experience goes!
The busy period has now been and gone, and we are back to being a very quiet store. I'm not sure how long it will last but everyone is thankful for the break. I am looking forward to getting back to why I am here and into the mountains. I have the next 4 days to get things back on track.. even if it is spent in the terrain park and groomers.
Often these dry periods are spent watching movies, making movies and planning trips to get better footage. For those of you holding out, yes I am still working on an edit. I have decided on a soundtrack and am slowly working through the best parts of the video I have so far. In the mean time, check out this clip from the Whistler Blackcomb wonder reels to give you an idea of just how big this place is.
The rest of the spare evenings has been spent researching and planning trips. The first is I am already putting together plans for when Leela gets here at the end of March, but that's going to stay secret! The other is a trip for myself and 3 others to some of the interior mountain resorts of British Columbia. We have decided on some dates in early March, and the target resorts of Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and possibly Sun Peaks. On the cards was a day cat skiing, however as they are all completely booked up it may be upgraded to Heli skiing.. we will have to wait and see!
I'll leave you with what tomorrow morning will look like for me.. as it does every day before skiing. With a solid breakfast!
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| This creek is an excellent temperature indicator |
The one storm cycle that did come through was setup to be one of the biggest days of the season. Walking home after dinner out the night before the snow was knee-deep in dry. Unfortunately waking up in the morning it was to the opposite. The snow had turned to rain with warming temperatures and turned heavy. Thankfully the end of the storm dropped 10cm or so of dry snow, and we spent the next few days seeking it out.
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| One afternoon's snowfall (with Phil for reference) |
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| Tyler dropping in North Flute bowl |
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| Brandon in the Flute Chutes |
Unfortunately almost everything has been ridden, and also with the warm temperatures the avalanche risk is up so back-country travel is limited. Everyone is certainly holding out for the next storm.. but it's a number of days away yet.
Another major event in Canada is that the NHL lock-out is finally over. For those of you who don't follow the sport, the owners and players have been at an impasse for over 100 days. However, with a deadline only days away the issues have been resolved and we will finally get to see some hockey! Speaking of which, I am heading to a Vancouver Giants game this Friday (Not quite NHL, but still hockey).. so look out for how my first ice bashing experience goes!
Often these dry periods are spent watching movies, making movies and planning trips to get better footage. For those of you holding out, yes I am still working on an edit. I have decided on a soundtrack and am slowly working through the best parts of the video I have so far. In the mean time, check out this clip from the Whistler Blackcomb wonder reels to give you an idea of just how big this place is.
The rest of the spare evenings has been spent researching and planning trips. The first is I am already putting together plans for when Leela gets here at the end of March, but that's going to stay secret! The other is a trip for myself and 3 others to some of the interior mountain resorts of British Columbia. We have decided on some dates in early March, and the target resorts of Revelstoke, Kicking Horse and possibly Sun Peaks. On the cards was a day cat skiing, however as they are all completely booked up it may be upgraded to Heli skiing.. we will have to wait and see!
I'll leave you with what tomorrow morning will look like for me.. as it does every day before skiing. With a solid breakfast!
Saturday 5 January 2013
New Years - Ski bum style
After a very snowy December, the last few weeks have been contrastingly dry. This has meant that the sun has come out a lot and the tourists are happy, but not a lot of riding being done. With a large number of people being sick as well, I have been called into work quite regularly and am doing around 6 days a week. This will go well towards funding a planned trip (more on that shortly), but my legs are starting to get a bit sore from a lot of standing and not much movement!
On the 30th I decided to have a break day, and joined Chris in his Ford F150 for a trip down to Squamish during the day. I was really glad just to have a day with no cares on timing, and enjoy the views on the drive out. It certainly made me realise that while we are not in the 'Alps' we are certainly in the mountains!
New Years eve itself was certainly eventful! As it was a busy morning on the mountain with not a lot of fresh snow, I decided to spend the morning practising my back-country beacon search techniques. Whistler Blackcomb has an early dedicated to this where they bury practise boxes with active beacon's in them. I was happy to find that I hadn't gotten rusty, but as always I learnt a few more things.
As it was Chris' birthday, we had a casual day ripping some groomers and then deferred to Crystal Lodge for a drink. This is certainly one of the most picturesque places on Blackcomb mountain.
Unfortunately I got called in to work for the afternoon. They were that desperate for the assistance that I came directly off the mountain and worked in my ski gear. For 4 hours I was in my ski boots dealing with customers, bending down to fit boots, and trying to walk. It was only the next day that someone pointed out that I could have just put on a pair of snowboard boots!
Not wanting to waste time, once I left work I headed straight to Merlin's where I had left Chris earlier in the day. The next 5 hours were spent happily talking, drinking and celebrating each New Years day as it came in around the world. The major talking point seemed to be around me being the only one in the bar still in ski gear, but as I had work the next day I decided to head to the fireworks at midnight in the village, and then quickly home to bed.
Unfortunately there's not much more to report. It looks like we are going to finally get some fresh snow over the next few days. Unfortunately I don't have much time off at all.. but things will look better in a week or two no doubt. Until then I will keep my creative cooking alive, trying to keep a bit of kiwi eating in Canada!
On the 30th I decided to have a break day, and joined Chris in his Ford F150 for a trip down to Squamish during the day. I was really glad just to have a day with no cares on timing, and enjoy the views on the drive out. It certainly made me realise that while we are not in the 'Alps' we are certainly in the mountains!
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| Only 300m above sea level |
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| From the top of Glacier Chair |
As it was Chris' birthday, we had a casual day ripping some groomers and then deferred to Crystal Lodge for a drink. This is certainly one of the most picturesque places on Blackcomb mountain.
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| Enjoying a birthday drink |
Unfortunately I got called in to work for the afternoon. They were that desperate for the assistance that I came directly off the mountain and worked in my ski gear. For 4 hours I was in my ski boots dealing with customers, bending down to fit boots, and trying to walk. It was only the next day that someone pointed out that I could have just put on a pair of snowboard boots!
Not wanting to waste time, once I left work I headed straight to Merlin's where I had left Chris earlier in the day. The next 5 hours were spent happily talking, drinking and celebrating each New Years day as it came in around the world. The major talking point seemed to be around me being the only one in the bar still in ski gear, but as I had work the next day I decided to head to the fireworks at midnight in the village, and then quickly home to bed.
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| New Year's Day at Whistler Blackcomb |
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| The Holiday Inn looking good in the sun |
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| Bacon & Egg Pie |
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