Less than 2 weeks..

Well the countdown calendar on my wall at work is looking well and truly crossed out now, and every night and lunch time seems to be booked with final catch-ups and family gatherings. I still haven't started packing as I'm hoping to get a final few days up on Mt Ruapehu this labour weekend. The weather isn't looking the best it can be, but anyone who spends enough time on the mountains knows that it has it's own ideas when it comes to weather and sometimes you just have to be there.

Counting down in the office...

This week was the realisation that I will be arriving in Vancouver on October 31st... Halloween. Unlike New Zealand, where typically the most you will see of this public holiday is a few children squirting water pistols around the street after gorging on large volumes of candy provided by complete strangers... it looks like Vancouver is going to be party central the night I arrive, and costumes are mandatory!

Do you think I'll be getting any sleep tonight?

So the theory is if I stay on the NZ time zone during the flight, when I am still awake and partying at midnight in Vancouver it will only feel like 8pm! That's the theory anyway.. stay tuned for how it actually turns out.

While the closer it gets, the more I feel like I'm cutting things fine by only spending 3 days in Vancouver before heading up the Sea to Sky to Whistler, I am lucky enough that there's already a huge group of fantastic people heading over before me that are constantly feeding back tips. If you haven't already, make sure you join up the Whistler 2012 Facebook group! Here are some gems that have already been shared;

• Make sure you have a towel for your stay at hostels in Vancouver, as they aren't provided.
• Kiwi's and Australians will continue to debate 'Thongs or Jandals' throughout the season
• High heels while desirable, are not required or practical
• Everyone wants a single room for staff housing, not many will get them
• Getting appropriate insurance for off-piste/off-trail cover can be a nightmare (I think this could warrant a blog post on it's own)
• If you're flying in to Vancouver within a month of starting, it's almost guaranteed someone else heading to Whistler for the season will be on your flight
• The team at The Working Holiday Club love to get involved

If you've got some sweet tips that have come from your experiences then comment them below!

Finally, thanks to Max Verwey for a sweet house mix that's kept me entertained writing this morning, you can find it here; http://soundcloud.com/max-e-mix/vibes-no-2