Day 59 - Top to Bottom

Last day of Adventure Camp for my five kids. They all did very well and moved up one level after three days. I was pretty tired by the end of today. I'm not use to riding all day for three days in a row. Thank God I've been riding (at least one run) for the past 50-something days, otherwise I'd be totally exhausted!!!

It snowed all morning and the visibility was horrible. We ran the Lower Olympic trail until lunch. After lunch, (lunch is horrible by the way. The only good thing about lunch at the CLC is ALL YOU CAN EAT RICE KRISPY TREATS!! Oh yea!) the sun started shining. I took the kids to the top of the Gondola and we all rode down to the village. Quite a long run for 7 and 9 year olds who are only riding green runs. At the end of the day, the kids had some apres which consisted of a big choc chip cookie and an ice cream cup. Then a big soccer game took place for about a half hour. Once we got back to the village for sign-outs, the kids were given certificates, a hat, keychains, and report cards. Besides the big money $$ tip I got from one of the parents, the best thing for me was the hug I got from Sam.

Day 58 - 5 kids and the sunshine

Day 58: The weather was beautiful. Blue skies and the sun shined all day. The temps were cold (with the clear skies) but the sun kept you feeling warm. Two of my kids from yesterday needed to drop down a level to work on their turning but I picked up a Destination kid who is in snowboarding school til Wednesday. He is from Sweden and snowboarded all last week at Silver Star in the Okanogan.

My lil crew is getting pretty good at shredding the gnar so today we took the green trail down from midstation to the gondola and back up to midstation, etc. etc. The kids practiced some jumps, worked on their turns, and had a good time going "all over the mountain". Little do they know exactly how big this mountain is ..... we only rode on maybe 10% of it (if that). Kids are so cute.

Day 57 - Adventure Camp

Today was my first day at Adventure Camp. Kids from out of town sign up for a 3-5 day camp for snowboarding (or skiing). Instructors have the same kids for the entire duration of the camp so you can build up a good relationship with the kids. Compared to Ride Tribe (which are local school kids) .... Schools don't guarantee the same instructors week after week and Ride Tribe kids usually come once a week or once every other week.

I had six kids in my group today on Day 57. A brother and sister from NY (damn Yankees fans), a kid from Keene NH (believe it or not, he was also a Yankees fan .... trader). One from Canada and one from Vietnam. The last kid is from Ohio. His father is in the Army and currently serving in Iraq. He hasn't seen his dad in over 7 months. : (

Anyway, we spent the day under the Olympic chair on Whistler. This is a level 2 group, so we worked on linking our turns. Though the kids had the most fun when I let them "free ride" down the trail and go as fast as they wanted. To keep it interesting, I tried to get them going through some powder by the tree line. Once they hit about 6inches of the fluffy stuff, they would bury the nose of their board and wipe out. They came up covered in snow and completely loved it. It was fun. Tomorrow we will hit the green runs down to the Village and back up the gondola.

Day 56 - Symphony Powder

Kevin and I woke up fairly early today and headed up to Whistler. We had planned to do fresh tracks (knowing there would be a good 6inches ... at least! Of fresh powder) but when the alarm went off at 5am, we both said "FORGET IT" and rolled back over in our warm comfy bed. Unfortunately, the snow was sooo awesome today that we totally regretted not getting up the hill early to enjoy the fresh powder. I estimated there was a good 6-10inches of new stuff.

When we made it through the long line at the Creekside Gondola, the line at the Red Chair was just as crowded. We decided to take a warm up run down to Garbonzo. Thinking Symphony: we went from Garbonzo down to Franz and up the Peak Chair to traverse over to Harmony.

When we hit Symphony, it was O MY GOD awesome!! I was literally up to my knees in snow through some of the untouched tree runs. We stayed in Symphony til 2pm when the front rolled through and completely blocked our visibility. I have to admit, I was the first to call "last run" today. Kevin was firing on two burners today and shredded through that POW with no problems at all. After a full day of tree running, I was pretty wiped out. Day 56 was awesome. It puts a smile on my face to know we are only half way through our season. : )

Double Nickels

Can you see?

Day 55: Alli and I headed up to shred it. After she picked up her season pass.... yes, this kid has a season pass to two different ski resorts (Big White & Whistler)- we headed up Blackcomb. It was snowing first thing in the morning so we trekked it over to 7th Heaven. The tourists were out in full force in Heaven and the visibility was horrible so we headed back to the Alpine. Once back at the Excelerator Chair, we ran into Simon (that infamous Kiwi) and took a run down off the Crystal Chair, back up to Jersey Cream, down Jersey and up the Glacier Express, down the Glacier run and finally in for lunch. After lunch the sun was shining!!! But only over a small section of the mountain. Once we got 1/3rd way down Jersey, it was completed fogged in again. We had the most fun right off of Solar Coaster though..... down Cruiser and in the trees. No one was hitting that powder and there was a ton of snow in those trees. It was sweet. We hit that run about three times today. By 3pm, we were pretty spent (well, Alli was pretty spent). On our way down, we caught about a half hour of the Showcase Showdown, a big half pipe competition. It started snowing again, we were getting cold, and the female competitors were stinking up the pipe so we drove back home. A great day in the books, despite the lack of visibility. Best part, more snow is on the way!

Day 54 - Last day tied to a desk

Let me start by saying, "I AM A DUMBAZZ!" -- For the past 50 days, I've been doing all my riding at lunch ... late in the afternoon vs. first thing in the AM. Getting out for a run during the day broke up my work day and helped it go by faster. I thought taking a run first thing in the morning would make my day drag on. The last two days I've been up on the slopes early and the difference between early morning riding and late afternoon riding is INCREDIBLE!!! Getting first tracks in the morning is awesome. Today (Day 54) there was about 6inches of fresh powder. Every trail I was on, I made fresh tracks all the way down the run. I can't believe I didn't know anything about this earlier ..... like I said: I am a dumbazz!

Anyway, today was my last day at the office. No more desk job.... which makes me feel even more stupid because now I won't have any more opportunities to get out and ride early unless I show up for Fresh Tracks. On the bright side, I will be out on the slopes every day instructing. And maybe I can talk Kevin into getting up extra early one weekend after a big snowfall ......

Day 53 - Fresh Tracks

Whistler Fresh Tracks is an upgraded lift ticket that allows access up the gondola an hour before the regular lift tickets. Once at the Roundhouse, you are treated to an all-u-can-eat breakfast buffet. Better yet, once avalanche control has cleared the area, you are the first ones on the slopes (making fresh tracks). Quite a popular attraction when it snows about 2ft the night before.

I was given a fresh tracks ticket about a month ago at work for a teambuilding meeting. Unfortunately, I was ill that day and didn't get to spend breakfast (or the riding) with my co-workers. The ticket was good for any day so I thought today would be a good day to use it. I asked my buddy Simon to join me. Naturally he was up for a good ski and we met at 7:15am.

After breakfast we headed toward the Red Chair. The groomers had about an inch or two of powder on top of them and when you carved, you could feel the corduroy underneath. We were one of the last one's in line so by the time we hit Big Red, some people were already unloading from the Creekside Gondola. We took another quick run down to Garbonzo. There weren't many people on the runs, it was super quiet, and super peaceful. By the time we got up Garbonzo, it was 9am and decided we better head back to the office. Once at the bottom of Whistler, we forgot about the President's Day crowd still standing in line at the gondola. ugh! these tourists are killing me!!

Day 53 was early but well worth it. It snowed all day today and I'm hoping for it to snow all night. Plan for another early ride tomorrow.

yum, yum .... good breakfast

Day 52 - another family day

6 inches of snow overnight and snow during the day makes for some awesome riding! The family headed up to Whistler for Day 52 of my quest. Kevin, Alli, and Kerry were all pretty tired from the day before but they made it up. The visibility at mid-station and below was horrible and it looked like Harmony and Symphony were equally as bad so we stayed by the Franz chair where we found some wonderful pow through the trees. The winds were moderate, so the slow chair ride up was cold with snow blowing in your face. I think we did about four runs together before we all got separated. Kevin was tired and headed back to Creekside where he found Alli and Kerry at Subway. Kerry took quite a spill and was ready to call it a day also. I couldn't quite understand how everybody got so tired so quickly...... tee hee. Oh yea, must be all that riding I do EVERY DAY!! Not just once a week ....

Kerry getting some air off the pow.

Alli shreddin' it!

Day 51 - wit da family

Alli and her boyfriend Kerry are on spring break from UBC Kelowna and decided to come for a visit. Naturally, we hit up Whistler for Day 51. We headed up Creekside and b-lined it straight for Symphony. Once in the amphitheatre, we took about four runs through the glades. It was amazing. The snow was soft and we were able to find some powder off the beaten paths. Unfortunately, the winds kicked up late in the afternoon and Symphony/Harmony both shut down around 2pm. We were pretty tired by this point anyhow, so we made our way to the Garbonzo chair and "raced" down to Creekside. Forecast calls for 15cm of snow overnight, so we're all looking forward to tomorrow.... after a good night's rest, of course.

Day 50 - the half way mark!!!!!

Day 50 was another working day with Ride Tribe...... level 2 high school kids. I had 6 dudes and a chic. Level 2 means you are working on your basic turns and you should be able to slide slip down the harder runs if necessarily. Two out of the seven could turn with no problem, the rest were still working on it, so we spent the morning on the super sloooooow Magic Chair (can you tell by now that I can't stand this chair). By the afternoon, they all GOT IT! so we hit the Wizard and headed up to higher elevations. I had them running down blue runs for the entire afternoon. I wore their butts out! tee hee Yesterday's rain has left the entire mountain like a sheet of ice. Very, very disappointing. I haven't had a chance to check the forecast, but it was suppose to snow all day today and there was not a flake in sight so the weekend is probably going to be just as crappy. It's kind of weird cause we started out the season with such a bang. Luckily we have another 3 1/2 months ..... it should snow a time or two before that, don't you think??

Day 49 - i LUV this job!!!

The good and the bad of Day 49. Let's start with the bad: instead of snowing all day, it rained all day. Rumor has it, it was raining at the Alpine for most of the afternoon. bummer!! Hopefully the temps will drop and that rain will turn to snow overnight. My fingers are crossed.

Now the good: I love this snowboard instructing job! Today I had 9 level 2 riders, all 12yrs old. We spent the morning on the Magic Chair (the slowest chair from hell by the way). Ate lunch at the Wizard (way better food than 18below) and then took the Excalibur Gondola up Blackcomb. It was a first time gondola ride for a few of the boys, so they were stoked to go up in it. We then hit the Wizard chair, back to gondola (etc.) for the rest of the afternoon. It was an all around great day! and the guys went home pumped up to come back next week!

Day 48 - still snowing....

It snowed for most of the day today. The pow is starting to accumulate ... slowly but surely. Snow is in the forecast for the next 4 days. Just in time for the President's Week tourists (joy!). Day 48, Simon told me to hit up Crystal Chair. I followed Ridge Runner down to the tree line and ventured into the trees. Once again, I somehow ended up in some trees looking over a cliff (why do I always get myself stuck in these situations?) -- Anyway, I sat on my butt and carefully slid myself down to the cat track. Headed back up on the Excelerator Chair and took Cruiser back down to the office.

Day 47 - a run with the Kiwi

On Day 47, Simon and I headed out for a long lunch break. It was great to get out of the office, especially when the weather is so nice. We took a blue run down from Solar Coaster to Excelerator Chair. Since I had never been up Glacier Express, Simon decided I should give it a try. Being a bit of a chicken, I made him keep me on the easier runs and we stayed away from the double black diamonds the Kiwi normally runs. The snow was wonderful up there. We headed towards the Crystal Chair and followed Ridge Runner (my favorite Blackcomb blue run) back to Excelerator. I wasn't ready to go back to my desk, so we headed up Excelerator one more time. Followed the blues down from there.... me taking my time, and Simon ripping it up!!!!

Day 46 - the snow is coming back

About 6inches of snow fell in the last 24hrs. By the time I got up to the Alpine on Day 46 (around noon), much of the groomed runs were tracked out. The snow is building back up on the runs ...... there were some icey spots where the snow had been pushed off to the sides but the conditions are getting much better. Visibility was poor when I was riding (see pic). The 5 day forecast has about 2ft of snow heading our way. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the freezing levels stay at the valley, but it's projected to be warm at least up to 1000 metres (midstation) for a couple of days. We'll wait and see.

Day 45 - another day at "the office"

tee hee, it was another busy day at "the office" ...(check out the pic). Day 45 was with Ride Tribe with over 1,300 kids coming in to spend the day with us. My group was a Level 1 high school group from Burnaby. Funny thing about high school kids, they care more about the social aspect of snowboarding rather than the riding itself (especially the girls). Because some of the kids had never ridden before, we spent the day on the Magic Carpet and Magic Chair.

Day 44 - the clouds are back

Took over an hour and a half break from the office today. I'm in the middle of working 12 days in a row (kill me now!!), so any chance to get out on the hill I take. It snowed very lightly on the Alpine, it was cloudy/foggy. The temps are beginning to drop. I took the Wizard Chair and Solar Coaster up to the top. Followed the green line down to Catskinner and took that chair back up.... hoping to see some guys getting some huge air in the terrain park. No luck. Followed the green line down the office .... working on ollies (I can't get air on those things). Day 44 in the books.

Day 43 - I think this counts as a day

I had to work Ride Tribe today. We had over 600 kids come in for a full day of snowboarding or skiing. I worked as a team with a girl named Pip. She was really cool. Another Kiwi from New Zealand. We "shared" 14 Level one riders ... which means they have never snowboarded before. Spent the entire day on the Magic Carpet and Magic Chair. Didn't get much riding in, but I was outside on the hill all day so I'm counting that as Day 43.

Day 42 - warm weather continues / no snow

Work has been pretty busy so getting out for a good long run has been hard to do. But because the conditions are so cruddy right now, I guess it really doesn't matter. Day 42 was another warm day. The conditions on the Alpine were icey while the snow below mid-mountain is really wet and soft..... best described as the kind of snow you would find in MAY! Very odd. Unfortunately there is no snow in sight. grrr.... Oh well. It's still early Feb.

Day 41 - quick run from Mid-station

The weather is still on it's unusual pattern for this time of year. Today there was an inversion ….. that's where the temps at the top of the mountains are warmer than the bottom of the mountains. My co-worker Linda wanted to try out her new boots so we took a very quick run from the top of the Blackcomb Gondola back down to the office.

Day 40- Paid to play!

Today was my first day for Ride Tribe. Four buses of North Vancouver school kids came up to ski/ride for the day. I had to "shadow" another instructor (Andy) and we took 9 twelve year old skiers and riders up Blackcomb all day. These guys were Level 4 shredders, which means they were working on 180s and 360s off the jibs. Unfortunately for them, their school wouldn't allow them in the terrain park otherwise we would have spent the entire day there. That was lucky for me since I'm nowhere near doing jumps never mind 180s and 360s and especially in the terrain park!!! YIKES!!! Andy and I took the kids up to 7th Heaven for the morning, then down to Rock and Roll after lunch. It was a glorious day. Sun was shining, no wind, and the temps were warm. Nothing like riding around all day for Day 40 with some fun kids and getting paid for it! SWEET! I think I'm going to like this job.

Day 39 - Whistler Kids training continued

Because of my barfing episode during my Basic Survival Training on Saturday, I had to complete the second half of the course today. Day 39 was my day to finish it up. I met my team at Whistler mid-station and we took a couple runs down. It was nothing exciting. The weather was amazingly beautiful. Another "spring-conditions" day with warm temps, blue skies, and the sun shining.