Day 17 | home early
We started the day with four snowboard classes but ended the day with only three. I took one level two kid who was ready to learn how to turn. After one run down to the village and a lesson on how to turn, he was ready to hang with the level three kid so I pawned my kid off on Devon and went home around 1pm.
Day 16 | Magic Carpet is back!
We had quite a few kids in Snowboard School today with 9 never-evers, 6 level twos, and one level 6. I took the level twos and got to do some riding between mid-station and the village. Flaik tells me we rode 5.92 miles, not bad for level twos. They were all strong zig zaggers so we took two runs down to the village, a run on Olympic Chair and some extra practice on the Magic Carpet. It was snowing in the morning and I believe the Alpine received a bit of a dusting. Overall it was a productive day as three out of my six were turning by the end and moved up one level. It was also "fun photo day"!!! - which is when we have Coast Mountain Photo come in and take professional group shots of our classes, individual shots of the kids, and fun shots of the instructors.
Day 15 | long day ~ long week
Conditions: same! (icy in need of fresh snow)
With only four kids signed up for Snowboard School and three instructors scheduled, I was hoping and praying to go home. No such luck, four kids --> three classes.
Another day in the CLC area with one kid who was 7 years old and yesterday was his first day ever snowboarding. We worked on front side zig zags, toe side, and some turns. He learned how to use the handle tow and luckily for me, he LOVED hot chocolate!!!! We took lots of breaks and tried to keep warm.
** TOOLS OF THE TRADE**
cup of coffee
jug of hot chocolate
plastic gloves for handling food
mug of tea
cellphone
pen
Day 14 | wicked arctic
I took the level two class today. It was a couple of returning students from yesterday. They worked pretty hard at getting confident on zig zags so I decided to take them down Lower Olympic after lunch. Riding down to the village from midstation is a great way to "kill" an afternoon with lower level classes because it will take them, on average, one hour to make their way down. It's an hour spent snowboarding vs. an hour spent staring at my watch standing around. Even if the kids are only zig zagging, they get so excited being able to leave the Magic Carpet area. I can't blame them, it is pretty fun. And it makes for unbelievable stories with mom and dad at the end of the day. These guys were good enough to fit in two runs down to the village. Needless to say, moms and dads were thrilled ... which lead to the first tip ($$) of the season!!
Day 13 | -18°C or 0°F
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
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.....
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
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! LOLWe 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!!!!!!!!!!
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!!!
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
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!!
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
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
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.
