Day 13 | -18°C or 0°F

Another bitter cold day with blue skies, winds, sun, and no new snow.  We had seven kids signed up for snowboard school with three instructors working.  I think it was the first time in history that we were all fighting for the low level classes.  None of us wanted to brave the cold temps in the Alpine, which is where the better riders would have to ride.  If you were to teach a lower level class, you could stay around the CLC area and not freeze your butt off.

I took the four kids in the level one class (again) which included one kid I had on Saturday.  They were all pretty cool and fun to hang with.  In the afternoon, I taught them how to use the handle tow, which is normally only used by the skiers.  Before that, they were walking up the Magic Carpet because it is still broken.  On the handle tow side, they didn't have to hike and they had much more terrain to work on.  By the end of the day, they all moved up to level two and they're working on turning.  Two of them are returning tomorrow and since the forecast still remains in the single digits at least through Friday, I think I'll have another day at the CLC...... trying to stay as warm as possible.

Day 12 | training RST

Bitter cold temps continue in Whistler with blue skies and sunny days.  I had a two hour training session that I was not looking forward to.  At 7am, temps in the Alpine were 0°F (-18°C) and the winds were whipping.  Even the penguins were cold!  The only good thing about this weather is that Whistler can kick the snow guns into high gear and blow snow 24/7 ... which is what they have been doing, particularly below mid-station.  They want to have enough snow for people to ski out, especially by the xmas rush.  Today the conditions on the ski-out changed from "marginal"... meaning: not enough snow cover..... to "avoid rocks and obstacles".... meaning: avoid rocks and obstacles.... but there should be plenty of snow cover.

When I reached the CLC, I was happy to learn we were going to be holding the training indoors and we weren't going to have to bare the frigid temps outside.  I had to get my one run in and since there was enough snow to ski down to the village, that's what I did.  It was still freezing cold!!  Not to mention, there were about 20 snow guns blasting snow in my face.   Arctic forecast continues for tomorrow and I am scheduled to work.  I'm keeping warm today and trying not to think about it.

Day 11 | cold is the new black

Today was the coldest day of the season and the winds were gusting like crazy in the Alpine.  When the temperature is 12°F (-12°C) with high winds and I have the choice between a high level class (ski lifts and freezing my butt) or a low level class (Magic Carpet and lots of hot cocoa breaks) ... guess which one I choose???  Wait!  Let me add we haven't had any new snow in over a week.

Yes, you guessed it, I chose to take the six never-evers and hang out at the Magic Carpet.  Another reason I did that is because there were six of them and only one Level 5.  They all seemed pretty cool and eager to learn how to board so that's another reason why I chose them.  When you have more than one kid, they entertain each other, when you have one kid, you're their sole source of entertainment.  Kind of like real life ..... go figure!  

Day 10 | forty seven miles

Looks like Flaik has final worked out the kinks in their website.  I logged in this afternoon to track the riding I did from today and yesterday.  46.75 miles!  It's a cool site as it takes a little skier guy and shows him riding up and down the mountain on the trail map for your entire day.

Today was my day off but because my rider from the last few days wanted to ride with a female instructor, my Supervisor added me to the schedule so I could work and spend the day with her.  We had three riders taking lessons including my kid.  Yesterday the only run she wanted to do was Whiskey Jack.  Today she was more keen on riding the rest of Whistler so we hit every run EXCEPT Whiskey Jack.  At the end of the day, we took a run through Marmot Trees.  I thought they would be icy but the snow wasn't bad.  I was pleasantly surprised and wished I had taken it a bit earlier in the day.

No new snow and no snow in the forecast.  Conditions are still hard packed.  It was mostly cloudy today so the temps were warmer.  Still an inversion for the day however.  

Day 9 | numero uno

Yesterday there were two, today there was one.  One kid in Snowboard School.  Luckily for me it was my return and I was requested.  We headed up the gondola, strapped in and headed down Whiskey Jack all before 9:30am.  It was another bluebird day with sunny skies and cold temperatures.  Because of an inversion (warmer on top than on the bottom), it was quite comfortable riding in the Alpine until the sun went behind the Peak around 1:30pm.  My student wasn't a big "adventure seeker" so we spent the entire morning and afternoon on Whiskey Jack with a couple laps down Ego Bowl and Jolly Green Giant.  With the hard packed conditions, it made for a very looooooooooooooong day.  OMG!  It was better than being sent home and she will probably be the only snowboarder again tomorrow.

Day 8 | half day

Two kids were signed up for Snowboard School.  I took a 12 year girl from Texas whom I had taught last season.  She was a level 4/5 so it meant I was able to leave the Magic Carpet area behind.  Skies today were blue without a cloud in sight!  Sun was shining but temps are cold with weather like this.  It was about 10°F (-10°C) so the snowmaking team was out in full force from the Roundhouse down to Midstation.  We took an easy warmup run down Whiskey Jack.  Conditions were hard packed with some icy spots here and there.  Nothing great but not bad.  Typical Northeast conditions to be honest.  During my rookie days back at Smugglers Notch, conditions like this wouldn't have phased me at all.  But now that I'm use to pristine powder, days like this make riding not so fun for me.  It's funny how spoiled people (Ronia Nash) can get.

Once we got to the Emerald Chair, Bonnie said she wasn't feeling very well and wanted to call her mom and go home.  We rode down to the CLC, called her mom and she was picked up around 11am.  It meant a half day of work for me.  But Bonnie is returning tomorrow so I know I'll be able to get another day of work under my belt.  I need to work 15 days in order to make holiday pay at Christmas.

I got the scoop on Paris Hilton in Whistler.  She is here and came with another rich guy who brought an entire entourage with him.  I didn't get his name but apparently she's only here to tag along with him.  I don't know why.  They hired about 13 private instructors for the entourage and they are not that hard to spot having lunch at the Roundhouse or on the slopes.  A few of my co-workers have had their pictures taken with her over the weekend.  Today she was doing a photoshoot and they are suppose to leave tomorrow.  Apparently they are all staying at the Four Seasons.  Is Hilton affiliated with Four Seasons????  Oh yea, and they also brought with them their personal chef!!!  Must be nice.....

  

Day 7 | one six almost seven

Thanksgiving weekend quickly came to a close with only five kids in snowboard school.  We had five instructors scheduled and most of them ended up going home.  I elected to stay and work since it's already going to be a slow season.  I might as well work when there is work to be worked  - (that sounds like something Dr. Seuss would say!)  I ended up with one kid who was six (but almost seven!) and he had never snowboarded before.  He was pretty good and learned how to zig zag on his heels before the day was out.  The Magic Carpet was still broken so the poor little guy had to walk up the bunny hill all day.  He was a trooper.  When his legs got tired, we went inside and did some coloring and drawing.  Having one kid is a breeze!

Day 6 | Team teaching LeVeL ones

Another busy day in snowboard school, twenty five kids or so.  I was assigned level one's.  To refresh your memory, these are kids who have never snowboarded before.  They usually spend the entire time on the bunny hill at the CLC.  We have a small moving carpet to carry the kids up the hill called the Magic Carpet.

There were nine kids in my class so Carly came over to help team teach.  We try to stick to no more than seven kids with one instructor.  We also don't allow kids under the age of 7 to take snowboard lessons.  Young ones tend to not pay attention in class and instead of working on the lesson plan, they normally strap on their snowboard, fly down the hill, make themselves fall, and repeat.  Well today we had two six year olds.  They were both turning seven in December so they were allowed to take a lesson.  Both of them were amazing little guys.  By the end of the day, they could sideslip on their heels and toes.  They were cute and fun to hang around.

For some reason the Magic Carpet was not running today.  A few Lift Maintenance guys were over in the morning to fix it but it's apparently super-broken as they all left shaking their heads in disbelief and having no idea HOW to fix it.  So the kids had to walk up the hill all day.  By the end of the day, they were so tired!  I bet they're all asleep by 8pm.  Especially the two six year olds.

I was told the conditions up top were very windy, especially in Harmony and 7th Heaven.  The higher you were, the better the snow.  The lower you were, the icier the snow.  It snowed most of today and more snow is forecasted for tomorrow so I'm sure the conditions will improve greatly within the next day or two.  Perhaps after all the holiday-ers leave .....

** if you're a regular visitor from the Toronto area, don't be shy: stop and say HI.   Leave a comment.  There are a couple of you out there! **

Day 5 | gobble gobble

Another Thanksgiving Day | Another first day back at work.  We started our morning meeting discussing the new GPS tracking system that every child and every instructor has to wear.  It's called Flaik: a real-time tracking device that measures vertical, distance, speed and more.  But best of all, if a child gets lost, it will tell you exactly where he is!  It's a great addition to Ski School.  Parents can log on to their website and see exactly where their child skied or rode that day.  It's free and it's part of Whistler Blackcomb's lesson program.  The bummer for us instructors:  too many hot chocolate breaks and we're in hot water!  LOL

We had 23 snowboarders today with 11 of them being first-timers.  I was told I was going to be teaching my Manager's and Supervisor's kids today (no pressure there!).  They were both young level 4 riders.  I was pretty happy with that considering the snow at the Childrens' Learning Center (CLC) was a sheet of ice!  We headed up the gondola to the Roundhouse and started our day.

The sun was shining and the skies were blue.  Unfortunately, rising freezing levels over the weekend combined with rain had left the conditions less than desirable.  We found some decent pow off Whiskey Jack into Ego Bowl but once we hit the groomer, it was mostly a sheet of ice.  We tried to stay off to the sides where the snow had been pushed around.  Once you got below Emerald Chair, forget it!  It was a total ice rink!!

For the past two seasons, I've taught a cool Hawaiian kid named Izayah.  I saw him at check in and spoke to his parents for a bit.  He was a level three so I didn't have him in my class but at the end of the day, he gave me a box of chocolate with macadamia nuts!  Last season I remember he made me some chocolate chip cookies.  He gave me a hug goodbye as they are heading back to Hawaii tomorrow but told me he would see me next year.  That really made my day and helped me to remember why I love this job so much.

  

Day 4 | Another 60 centimeters!!!!!!!!!!

Another 60cm (23 inches) of fresh snow has fallen again overnight!  This time I knew the lift line was going to be crazy so I decided to sleep in and take my time getting to the white stuff.  It was about 11am by the time I made my way to the Roundhouse.

Freezing levels had risen to about the Chic Pea.  I overheard people in the gondola saying the snow was thick and "muddy" not too far below Emerald Chair.  I decided to take a warm up lap down Whiskey Jack and found conditions past Chic Pea very disappointing.  The groomer was wet and packed but the fresh snow on the sides was amazing.  I made my way to the green chair where the lift line was past the fencing and since the temps were so warm, the footing was almost like a sheet of ice!

I headed up again and ventured off through the top section of the terrain park.   The features the park crew put in on opening day were completely buried.  Skiers left into Ego Bowl and there was plenty of fresh pow to be found.  You had to keep up your speed otherwise you'd get buried in waist high snow!  It was amazing how many runs were virtually untouched.  The reason for this was because the snow base is so high that if you don't get enough speed to keep your board moving on top of the snow, your nose gets buried and thus you are digging yourself out of .... well, waist high snow!!!

I saw a line off Ego Bowl towards Cougar and decided to go for it.  About halfway through, I felt my nose getting deeper and deeper until finally I was stuck!  Buried!  Once I dug my way out of there, I headed towards the bump zone besides Emerald Chair.  Once again, I saw a line and headed for it.  Not too far down I got a bit wobbly and oh crap!  Buried again!!  Dare I say it's almost as if there is too much snow...?   especially on the green sections of Whistler where the pitch isn't very steep.

Opening day's snow base was 100cm (39 inches).  A mere six days later, the snow base is 253cm (99 inches)!!!!!!!  Great news for Whistler and Whistler Tourism but for the guests it's going to make for a very crowded weekend, especially if they don't open Blackcomb.

Day 3 | +51 centimeters

I woke up at 6:15am and Whistler Blackcomb's snow report read 51 centimeters (20 inches) of new snow!!  I had to be at Millenium Place for Return Staff Orientation at 10am.  I thought to myself:  "if I get on the gondola at 8:30am, I can take a few runs before I have to be at my meeting."  How often does it snow almost two feet overnight?

By 8am the parking lots were almost full and the lift line was already back to the ticket kiosk.  I ran into some ski school buddies and we got in line.  It took thirty five minutes to reach the gondola entrance.  By now it was 9:05am and I had a 10am meeting.  Another 20 minutes up to the Roundhouse and by the time I strap in, it's 9:30.  I thought:  "one run down to mid-station and then to the Orientation."

Naturally I brought my powder board with me.  It's a Prior Khyber and it's specifically designed for deep snow days!!  I hit the trees off Whiskey Jack into Ego Bowl  and the snow was so deep.  Even with my powder board, which is designed with a wide nose to float on top of the snow, I got stuck.  I was up to my knees in snow and had to wedge my way to a line already tracked earlier.  Ego Bowl was groomed with beautiful corduroy so I surfed in and out between the groomed run and the deep pow on the side.  It was a great run down to mid-station.

I downloaded and headed to my meeting.  At 10am, the lift line was still past Zogs.  It must have been the second wave, the crowd that slept in.  After two hours of sitting around listening to what is going to happen during the Olympics, I went back up for more epic runs.  There is a ton of snow up there and every day keeps getting better and better.

Tonight's forecast calls for another 25-35 centimeters!  Looks like another perfect day for the powder board!

Day 2 | 214cm (7 feet!) in SE7EN days!!

Prior commitments have kept me from enjoying the endless fresh powder Whistler has been receiving for the past week.  Opening Day was a mere 4 days ago and the snowbase measured 100cm, today that snowbase is 193cm (75 inches)!  Whistler is on track for a record breaking November snowfall with another 140cm (4.5ft) in the forecast for the next four days!!!!

The parking lots were full but the liftlines were short.    I grabbed my good Burton board this time out as I couldn't find the right binding adjustment on opening day with my Prior board.  My Prior board is about 4 years old.  I call it my "rock board" and use it during early season conditions - if I run over a rock and damage the base because there isn't enough snow cover, I won't really care.  Anyhow, by noon my snowboard was strapped on and I was ready to ride.

First run was down Whiskey Jack with plenty of fresh pow to be found on the side of the run.  This green was groomed well down the center and it helped me get my balance and confidence back after a long off-season.  Instead of taking the Emerald Chair back up with the wind howling at my face, I decided to head down to mid-station for the comfy cozy gondola.  Below Emerald the snow was a bit more crusty, not bad but noticeably different.  I was hoping to find a ton of fresh powder under Olympic Chair.  I found some for the first 50 yards or so, but it quickly turned to ice with about 6inches of fresh snow on top, also known as dust on crust.  Not good.  I safely made my way to the gondola and headed back up.

Second run with through some trees and around Ego Bowl area.  So much fresh snow to be tracked.  Because there has been so much snowfall, the runs were a bit choppy but easy to maneuver through with the snow being so light and fluffy.  Ankles and calves burning, I made it back to Emerald Chair and headed up for another run.  As I mentioned in my first post, I've been working out 5 days a week for a month, and although those 800 squats and lunges helped my ass and quads, my calves and ankles were sore as hell.  Not to mention my right knee.  I froze my face off on the chair ride up and decided to ease back into the season slowly ....... I headed down for one last run.  I only rode for about an hour and a half.  I'm definitely still in summer mode and need to work my muscles into a daily routine slowly.  Luckily I have no more commitments and can ride every day until I start work in a week.

Day 1 | A New Season - A New Chapter

Whistler Opening Day 2009-
Riders and skiers stood in line starting at 4am.  By 7am, the line had wrapped through the maze, around the ticket kiosk and went back to The Keg!!!!!  It was said it was a half hour wait from Citta's to the beginning of the maze.  Not too bad, that's sounds pretty quick if you knew how far that is.  By 11am, over 5,000 visitors had made their way up the Village Gondola.  Biggest opening day on record.

With a Snowbase of 100cm (just over 3ft), opening day was a huge success.  There was plenty of fresh powder to be found to go along with the green groomers.  I reached the top of the gondi by 11:30am. The lift lines were long but expected with only a few lifts open, but the snow was amazing!  It took me a couple of runs to get my "snow legs" back.  I was in wakeboard stance for the first half hour and caught myself leaning back a few times during the day.  When riding a snowboard, you want to have your weight evenly distributed over the center of the board.

I was surprised how sore and tired my legs were, especially considering I've done between 800 and 1000 squats and lunges every week for the past five weeks!!  I was happy I had been working out otherwise I would have been toast.  More on tap for tomorrow --- Day 1 of 100 is in the books!

 Here's the WB video link ---> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEy8FWQesD8

It's Official: Opening Day Nov. 14, 2009 Whistler Blackcomb

Whistler Blackcomb has announced today it will open Saturday Nov. 14, 2009!!!  twelve days earlier than the scheduled Nov. 26th date.  70-100cm (up to 3ft) of snow in the last week (and counting!!!).... has prompted WB to open early.  The only question now is, what time do I dare get into the queue for the Whistler gondola?  Remember the lineup on Opening Day last season?

Where did the winter go?

First pic taken this season.

Another end to another 100 day season.  Time to reminisce.  Time to remember the good times, to remember the unforgettable days and to wish I were back in time.  When you reminisce, you understand things you never understood before.  For me, I now understand the 100 day season isn't about how many days I rode.  It's about making the most out of the opportunities presented.  I've done that.  And I've continued to do that through what's been a really tough season.

 

"Remember the good times.  They're smaller in number and easier to recall.

Don't spend too much time on the bad times.  They're staggering in number and will be heavy as lead on your mind.

Don't waste a moment unhappy - invaluable moments gone with the leakage of time.  

As we leave on our own separate journeys, moving west with the sun to a place buried deep within our minds, remember the good times." -- Willie Nelson

Day 111 - pushing snow

Took some turns with Jaime again.  The temps were a bit warmer than yesterday but there was a slight breeze that made for a chilly chair ride in the higher elevations.  Conditions were the same:  groomers were soft by noon and the runs were like a ghost town.  Ran into another couple of shredding buddies from Lift Ops (Nate and Kat).  We weren't out there too long as my legs were tired from pushing all that snow around.  It was still a great day - and the sun was shining strong.  

 

Day 110 - spring!

Spring!

Went out for some spring riding with a guy I met in Lift Ops last summer and kind of re-met him through other avenues recently.  Whistler is closed so we met at Wizard Chair on Blackcomb and headed to the Glacier/7th Heaven.  As you can see from the pic, it was a perfect blue bird day.  (I hope that goggle tan isn't coming back!)  By noon the snow warmed up nicely and the groomers were perfect.  It was a great day of spring skiing.... well, skiing for him - riding for me!  I wouldn't be caught dead on two planks....  

View of Whistler from 7th Heaven. Perfect "blue bird" day.

Day 109 - last day of Telus fest

My friend Linda made the trip up from the mainland to enjoy some spring shredding.  Loaded the gondola nice and early and found some crappy icy conditions on the groomers around Emerald.  Decided to hit the Terrain Garden on Blackcomb with hopes of finding some warm snow.  BINGO!  Lapped the Garden about three times, got some lunch at Rendezvous then back on the Peak to Peak to ride down Whistler.  End of the day cocktails at the GLC while listening to the last band at the Telus Fest perform on the village stage.  Not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Day 108 - No More Work/Instructor of the Year

Dress up your instructor day.  LOL - Good sport!

April 17th and WB received 7cm of fresh snow overnight with another 7cm during the day.  Snowboard school lessons are dwindling as we only have 11 kids.  I took the three level three's and they were all from England and pretty cool.  I didn't do any teaching today as the top of the mountain was completely ungroomed and completely full of powder.  Unfortunately, by the time you hit Pig Alley, the soft light snow turned wet and by the time you reached the bottom of Emerald Chair, the snow was basically sludge.  

After noon, the conditions up top turned from light flurries to complete blizzard/white out!  It was cold, it was windy, it was snowing, and there was no visibility.  I thought this was suppose to be Spring?  My kids were freezing after we got out of the Marmot Trees so I decided to take them on the Peak to Peak as a time killer.  By the time we took the roundtrip to Blackcomb, it was then time to download the village gondola and get the kids home.  We didn't ride too much but the conditions were tough conditions, meaning the kids were all out of energy and couldn't continue to ride without injury even if we wanted to.  By the time we reached the village, the sun was shining, the music was ripping (Telus Ski and Snowboard Festival) and I was told today would be my last day.  I didn't complain since I just worked 12 days in a row.  I could use a couple days off .... err, the next 6 months off.  

On another note,  I was nominated as my pod's Snowboard Instructor of the Year.  Besides the recognition, the award comes with a nice photo/plaque (see pic) and a $50 gift certificate to a local sports shop.

 : )

Day 107 - 11 days down->3 days to go

Today was my 11th day working in a row.  I'm not complaining because after Sunday, my 08/09 snowboard instructing season will be over and I will officially be.... a "BUM".  It's sad how quickly a season passes by.  It seems like just yesterday I was blogging my first day.  

Anyway, still lots of kids in snowboard lessons.  I think we had just over 20.  Most of my Level 3 kids moved up to the level four class.  That left me with the choice between level two Spanish kids who speak no English or three kids who never snowboarded before.  I opted for the never-ever kids (I have to learn how to speak Spanish!).  Turns out I made a good decision as we moved from Magic Carpet, to Super Carpet to Village Run all by the end of the day.  

Day 106 - OK! a fantastic day

Sun was shining.  No lift lines.  Temps of +1 at the Roundhouse.  Snow was soft packed most of the morning.  Had seven level 3 kids who were all excited to learn.  I made them work on their turning down most of the Family Zone.  After lunch, we hit the fun runs: Orange Peel to Freight Train to Hit Run.  Headed up the Red Chair where the kids convinced me to take the Peak to Peak over to the Terrain Garden on Blackcomb.  We ended up coming back down to the village about 15 minutes late.  Their parents weren't too amused but the kids had fun..... oh well.  Their parents will be thanking me when the kids are asleep early tonight.   ; )

Day 105 - OMG! one of those days

I started out with five low level 3 kids.  We immediately headed up to the Roundhouse where the conditions were soft packed with sunny skies.  Lunch was at noon and I decided to drop down the Creekside runs.  (If you know this part of the mountain, you know most these runs are cat tracks.  And cat tracks are murder on snowboarders, especially kid snowboarders who aren't very good to begin with)  ~~ Anyway, we hit the Papoose/Pony Trail crossroads and one of my kids fell so hard patrol sledded him out with a neck brace and on the backboard.  Not necessary, more precaution.  Well that took well over an hour, it was now time for lunch and we were very far from the lunch room.  All of a sudden, one of my kids said his legs were sore and sat on the run for 10 minutes at a time.  Then when he did get up, he would slide down on his butt.  It took us an hour to get back to the CLC.  It was 1pm (an hour late for lunch) and I was ready to be HOME!

Well, I made it through the day with the help of my Supervisor.  I saw the kid who fell after class and he was fine.  In fact, he might be back tomorrow.  That's good.  After work, I did my laundry and found ten dollars in the dryer.  So my day ended pretty well......  : )

Day 104 - I thought I was over it

I woke up this AM to huge snowflakes at the valley bottom.  We received 14cm (almost 6inches) of snow since yesterday.  I went to work today "over it".  I didn't want to be walking through the village in the snow.  I wanted the sun to be shining and I wanted to be working on my face tan.  I gave up a level 5/6 class so I could teach a level 3 class because I wasn't interested in checking out the conditions in the Alpine.  Unfortunately, I totally regretted it once I finally got to the Roundhouse.  Once I hit that powder I was completely back into it!  I heard the trees were amazing today.  I never got in there.   I heard there were faceshots on morning session.  I never got up early enough.  I heard fresh tracks was awesome.  I didn't care enough at the time.  Oh well.  I am keeping my fingers crossed for a few more Alpine pow days before my season is over.  Today will serve as a reminder not to get spring fever too early!

Day 103 - Easter Sunday SNOW! - (and rain....)

Believe it or not, it snowed all day today as low as mid-station.  Some people may be happy about it, but honestly, I'm over it.  I loved the sunny warm days we had last week.  It's spring and I'm suppose to be working in a tshirt and getting a tan, not bundled up and riding in the wet snow and rain.  

I had a small class consisting of two level two kids:  one from Turks and Caicos and one from Venezuela.  It's fascinating being able to meet children from all over the world.  I learn so much about their culture, their language, etc.  Anyway, I got both the boys turning by the end of the day.  One is returning tomorrow and requested to have me again.

It was also Hip Hop Easter Day!!  .... along with fun photo day.  Enjoy the pics! 

Day 102 - Easter weekend

I was happy to get a higher level class today until we went up top and found hard packed icy conditions.  It snowed about 2cm overnight but that did nothing to cover up the hard pack that has been melting since the beginning of the week.  Not to mention, it was cold and cloudy with a mix of freezing rain/snow.  Once you hit Emerald, the icy conditions immediately turned to slush!  I had a hard time taking my boys somewhere to ride.  The park was too icy, the trees were too icy, and the lower runs were too slushy.  It was a long day -- but it ended on a good note when the sun decided to start shining around 2pm.  

Day 101 - Good Friday

Good Friday was good for me as I finally got off the Magic Carpet and snarfed me up some level three kids.  It was great to finally get back up to the Roundhouse and to see how the snow was fairing.  For those interested, it's not bad.  There are some soft packed runs, some hard packed runs, and some icy spots.  I don't want to forget to mention the snow below the Emerald Chair:  slow and wet.  And don't even think about riding out below mid-station at the end of the day.  There is literally standing water on some of the runs.  It's bittersweet .....  

Day 100 - reflection

"A hundred days have made me older....

 A thousand lies have made me colder and I don't think I can look at this the same." - 3 Doors Down

As I spent my day (once again) standing on the Magic Carpet, I took the time to reflect on the last three seasons.  What started out as a trivial challenge has turned into a twist of fate.  My life, as I knew it, will now be changing course.  As I reflected on the last 307 days of riding, I couldn't help but wonder what lies ahead.  Everything happens for a reason and there is a reason why I will continue my stay in Canada on this beautiful mountain.  Maybe it is to make a difference in some little kid's life, maybe it is to meet my true soul mate, or maybe it's to find my own peace and harmony in my life.  Whatever it is, I will find it by keeping my eyes and heart open. 

"Watching fate as it flows down the path we have chosen." - Nine Inch Nails

Day 99 - more amazing Never Ever's

For the third time in a row, I got the shaft working Adventure Camp.  My one kid decided to transfer to Blackcomb so he could take his snowboard lessons with his friend.  No worry, I still snaked a class from Destination.  Unfortunately, it was another class of kids who have never snowboarded before.  Actually, I really don't mind teaching kids who have to spend their day on the Magic Carpet considering the conditions up top aren't anything to be bragging about.  In fact, a fellow instructor told me many of the runs were a sheet of ice before noon.

My class of six were just as amazing as the class I had the other day.  Once again, after lunch, I was able to take them to the village.  After that, most of them were turning down the Supercarpet.  In fact, two kids from Scotland moved from level one to level three (normally unheard of).  

The sun was behind clouds for most of today and temps were noticeably cooler.  Winds picked up by the end of the day as a front is moving through and forecasted to bring a couple CM's for the next few days.

Day 98 - hotter... hotter.... hotter

The best "snow couch" ever!

Another amazing spring day on Whistler Blackcomb.  Temps in the alpine reached close to 50°F.  I didn't get a chance to ride up there but I assume the conditions were just as slushy as below midstation.  I'm getting rid of the goggle tan and replacing it with raccoon eyes.  

Another large class (eight kids) with one being my AC kid.  He's turning down the Supercarpet but nervous on anything else.  A few of the other kids moved up a level.  Most stayed the same.  I got a tip at the end of the day, which will come in handy as I believe my AC kid moved over the Blackcomb to be with his friend.  That will leave me snaking a Destination class for the rest of the week.  I haven't had very good luck with Adventure Camp kids this year.  

Day 97 - hot .... hot ..... hot ......

Spring is here!  Easter week is here!  It's crazy busy!  40 snowboarders today and over 300 skiers!  It's madness.  And the temperatures are madness!  It's about 60°F in the Village at 5pm.  Even I only wore a tshirt today ... and I never just wear a tshirt as I'm always a bit chilly.  The sun was shining like mad today and I wore my sunnies with hopes of covering up a bit of my goggle tan.

Snowboard Adventure Camp is this week (since it's so busy) and I ended up with one "Never Ever" from Barbados who surfs.  I had to take some of the Destination kids (guys who are only in lessons for one day at a time) so my class was full at seven.  I didn't mind spending the day in the sun on the Magic Carpet as the conditions down there were exactly the same as the conditions up top .... but to my surprise, my entire class was AMAZING!!!  By lunchtime, I took all of them down to the village and not via a green run, I took them down Northern Lights (blue square).  Naturally they only zig zagged but for kids to be zig zagging in control just after two hours of lessons is unheard of!  Once in awhile you get one who can do it, but NEVER do you get seven who can all do it!  It was so much fun.  And half of them were turning.  A few are coming back tomorrow and I'm looking forward to another fun day in the sun!

Day 96 - Blizzard of Ahhhh's

Ski que first thing in the morning (very busy).

Ahhhh - first day of a very busy (Easter) week. Ahhhh - I have tomorrow off.    Ahhh - first run down to the village was a complete sheet of "ice". Ahhh - I had two level four boys who shred like crazy. Ahhhh - Marmot trees were where the powder hounds went. Ahhh - all the weekenders tracked out all the fresh pow. Ahhh - the forecast for the next four days calls for freezing levels above the Peak.    Ahhh - spring skiing is here!!!

Retro Day!

Day 95 - last day of amazing pow --????

Look at the fresh pow at the Magic Carpet!

Operations reported that 5 inches fell overnight but I can tell you there was a lot more fresh snow than just 5 inches.  My first run was down to the village from the CLC and I had fresh tracks the entire run down.  Granted it was only a green run, but it was freshies down the entire run.  

Once we got all the classes sorted, I ended up with low level fours and we hit the gondola to the Roundhouse.  Our first run was through Marmot trees.  Man that was fun.  So much powder!  Next run was through the terrain park.  Bad idea!  They weren't quite up to terrain park standards so we immediately bailed on that and went on a search for powder.  It wasn't hard to find as there was plenty of powder to be found on the sides of green runs (as always).  At Noon, Enchanted Forest was still untouched!  Gotta love it!

In the afternoon we hit the soft stuff on the Creekside side of things down to Freight Train which lets out on Bear Cub.  Back up Red Chair to hit the pow in Enchanted Forest again.  Unfortunately one kid sprained his ankle half way down and we spent over a half hour with Patrol getting him down in the "blood wagon".  After that it was time to get the kids back to their parents.  I should have run back up for one last run through the pow but I was pretty tired.

Weekend forecast calls for mainly sunny skies and freezing levels past 2000 meters.  That means all the nice powder will be crap!  boo hoo .... I guess spring skiing is always fun though.

Day 94 - April Fools

April fools!  It's not April fools..... but don't tell Mother Nature cause she thinks snow in the village on April 2nd is a joke.  Not for us, we love it.  We got 5 inches of snow in the last two days.  The powder conditions up top are amazing and so much fun.

My morning was great.  I took the level four class and we hit Marmot Trees down the Peak to Peak line, back up and through the terrain park for a couple laps.  I had two fast kids and two slow kids and by noon, the slow kids were spent!  So I put the fast kids in the level 5 class, one of the slow kids got whiplash and was taken home with patrol, and that left me with one slow tired kid.  We spent the afternoon with 7 level threes, team teaching with Ian.... which is always interesting.  

By the end of the day, temps in the village read 45°F on my truck thermometer.  Here's a pic of Cabo enjoying the sun!  Spring is here.