Whistler Baby!

The last time we left our caped crusaders, they were in Jasper National park in Jasper, AB. 

Caped crusaders might be an overstatement, but whatever. The hotel in Jasper was nice, it had a kitchenette and enough beds for all of us. After a quick dip in the pool and the outdoor hot tub, we were all ready for a good nights sleep. The next morning, we headed to Whistler. Whistler was quite the drive away, around 10 hours. Knowing we had such a huge drive ahead of us, we got up super early and hit the road. The whole drive was actually pretty cool. We went through a lot of different terrain and things. 

There was one part of the drive that was pretty hairy. This was a mountain pass, and I mean a MOUNTAIN PASS. The entire thing was bumpy and narrow and, well mountainie. It was absolutely gorgeous, but Burt took a beating and kept on going. We were all very proud of him, and stopped after the road was over at a nice lake, took in the view and let Burt take a rest. 

When we arrive in Whistler we called up one of Malin’s friends who has been spending the season here. He’s a really cool guy and let us crash at his place for the night. That night we went out to the village where they were having a big air competition.

This thing was pretty official, and there were some really big names there. The big trick of the night was a switch 1440… that’s 4 complete rotations. That won the competition. The other really cool trick was a switch double backflip. Very cool stuff indeed. In any case, that night we got some drinks and headed to bed. It had been a really long day for everyone so we called it a night early-ish. 

This morning we woke up and unfortunately it was raining, so Malin and Dan decided not to go up today. They did buy a two day pass starting tomorrow, so they’ll go up in the morning. We found out that Emils (the guy we were staying with) room mates are all coming back today, so we’ve gotten out of his hair and checked into a hotel. We were all shocked by how nice this place is compared to how much it cost. Again, we’ve been lucky to stay around the $35 / night plan, and we have a sauna, 2 bathrooms, a kitchen, and a jacuzzi-tub, all in the room and a pretty decent view. Thank you Priceline and end of season deals!

We’ve been bumming around the village looking for good deals on things, being the end of season and everything. We did score some free stuff including some Shick razors, cologne samples, and Monster drinks. Apparently there were some free shirts running around somewhere, but we didn’t find them. Gotta love the festival atmosphere! The whole Telus Ski and Snowboard festival is going on for another 2 or 3 days, so it should be pretty cool around here. 

Tonight we’ve got some pasta to munch on… trying to keep it cheap. 

Thus far, Whistler has been great!

Banff and Lake Louise

So, we haven’t had the internet for the last few days while we were in Lake Louise since it was 10 bucks a day per computer. Lame. So we decided to skip on that. The day in Banff was really great. We ended up having an early night and waking up the next day and walking about town…

After we got tired of looking at all of the things that none of us can afford, we decided to head over to the Banff Fairmont, which was pretty cool to say the least. HUGE. Didn’t even look at prices, because it didn’t matter. We very clearly didn’t belong there and none of us cared at all. 

After we’d gotten our fill of ooh’s and aaah’s at the hotel, we headed down to Bow Falls for a bit. 

Bow Falls itself is actually to the left of the photo, but that’s a better photo anyways. That night we headed to HooDoo’s for free beer. Yep, free. When we walked in, the bouncer lady asked Jack if he was ‘With the Party’ and Jack immediately answered ‘Yes, yes we are.’ SO, we drank free until 11 or so and then it was cheap pitchers after that. Not a bad night, and one of the cheapest we’ve had in awhile. 

The next morning was a bit rough, but we woke up and headed to Lake Louise. We were there by 11 or so and the others who were skiing and boarding got a nice surprise when they got to the ticket counter. Because Fernie was closed for the days we were there, their lift passes were free. I found the hotel and headed to the lake to take in the view. Around 4 I went to pick the guys up from the hill and we went back to the lake for some photo ops.

It was absolutely gorgeous. We ended up having dinner there, and I have to say that the view was amazing, and it was only 3 or 4 bucks more than we were planning on spending anyways. It was kind of nice to crash such a posh hotel! That night we actually were all in bed by 9 or so and we watched a movie. It was kind of nice to be in a real hotel after the hostel experience. It probably won’t be the last on our trip, but we figured with having 4 people we can split a $120/ night room and pay the same as a hostel. 

The next day they went skiing again, and I headed to the Fairmont at Lake Louise for the afternoon. I finished ‘The Two Towers’ and took a little nap, all with a view of the lake. Not a bad day at all. When I went to pick them up from the hill, they had actually found some other Nonstoppers that were staying in Lake Louise as well, so that night we hooked up with them for some drinks and a horrible open mic night. Good fun all around. 

This morning we woke up and headed for Jasper, where we are now. The trip up was really cool and we stopped at a few places to check out the view and take a couple small hikes. 

Above is Peyto Lake, and it was a pretty good hike, even though we went about 10 minutes in the wrong direction first. We stopped in to some waterfalls and explored around there for awhile as well. 

Above is Athabasca Falls. Pretty cool even though it had a bit of ice on it. Down the river a ways there was an amazing lake that we stopped at for awhile.

Pretty sweet if you ask me. 

We got into a pretty cool hotel in Jasper, and for $15 more, we got a place with a kitchen so we can save some money on dining out. So tonight we’ll eat in, and tomorrow we’ll have a big breakfast before heading off to Whistler tomorrow. It’s going to be a long drive, but we’ll be stopping to take a look at Mount Robson, the tallest mountain in the Canadian Rockies. We’ll drop off Jack in Kamloops and then he’s going to meet back up with us in Vancouver. 

In any case, it’s going great. I’m absolutely loving it, and it’s going to be really crappy when this ends. But there’s lots of time before that happens. 

Time to try and hook up some dinner!

4 For The Road

This morning was terrible. It was absolutely heart wrenching to see everyone taking off to go back home. The entire time in Fernie has been absolutely legendary, and I can’t wait to go back next year. 

Around 1 or so, Malin, Dan, Jack and myself finally got the car packed and we headed out for Banff National Park. After a quick stop in Cranbrook to get the oil changed and the car looked over, we headed out. The car was (is) absolutely jam packed with stuff, but there’s no getting around it now. We even had to strap a board bag and a ski bag on the roof rack next to the grey top carrier on the other side. The drive up was very scenic and the weather was constantly changing. We went from windows down hot to plain old blizzard within a couple of hours. We didn’t really think things through and so it was kind of a shock at how much it is for a 4 day pass to Kootenay and Banff National parks. The mountains though were absolutely breathtaking. The first impressions of the town of Banff are that it’s much bigger and much more touristy than Fernie. MUCH more. But it’s a bigger resort and Fernie is known for being ’small town’. We arrived here about a half hour ago and quickly moved into a hostel for the night. I’ve learned very quickly that the lighter you can pack, the better off you are Hostel-style, so I’ve moved some stuff around to get lighter. 

We’re headed out to see the town tonight and maybe make a bite to eat. 

The road trip is officially underway.

Tomorrow at Noon

Tomorrow at noon I’ll be heading out of Fernie, which is not going to be happy in the least bit. My time here has been nothing short of amazing and I’m going to be very very sad to see it come to an end. There is some good news though, because my trip isn’t over.

We’re (Myself, Malin, Dan, and Jack) heading on our road trip and heading out to Banff National Park for the first couple of days. That’s as far as Jack is going with us, which is too bad, but his flight is out of Calgary, so he’s going to get a ride to there from Banff. The rest of us will head to Lake Louise on the 15th and then to Jasper on the 18th. Jasper is supposed to be amazing with Mount Robson, and I’m really looking forward to that. The 19th is going to be a long day because we’re headed all the way to Whistler which is about a 10 hour drive. It’s supposed to be a very scenic drive though, so that’s a plus. On the 21st, we’ll go down to Vancouver and then over to Vancouver Island on the 24th. The last leg for Malin and Dan will be back to Vancouver on the 27th to catch their flights. That night I’ll head down to Tacoma to see Kara until she kicks me out Then it’s a couple more day’s drive back home to Sioux Falls. I should be back home around the 1st or something like that. Don’t quote me on that, though, because it’s definitely subject to change!

Unfortunately before any of that can happen, I have to pack. I swear my bags got smaller since I’ve been here! There’s also a guitar to pack that I didn’t have before, either. I’m definitely going to start packing the car tonight, because tomorrow morning is going to be stressful enough without having to pack the car, also. 

It’s going to be great to see people again in Sioux Falls. It’s been so long and there’s a lot of catching up to do when I get back. Until then, I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures and keep writing in this as much as I can. 

For now, it’s time to hop in the shower and see if my wash is dry yet. The MotoGP race is on a bit later and I might watch a bit of that before I head up to the hill for one last beer at the Grizz with everyone. 

24 hours to go…

Hot Dog Day

With only 3 days left until we leave for our road trip, it’s really starting to sink in that we’re heading out of here. It all started with the boarders leaving on Monday morning.  Not all of them left, but lots did and a few pretty good friends as well. They were closely followed by the skiers leaving on Wednesday morning, and it was Hot Dog Day. 

On Tuesday we headed up to the mountain, and because some people were going to be leaving before Hot Dog Day, we kind of had our own Nonstop Hot Dog Day. Crappy timing on everyone’s part for not coordinating that better, but it wasn’t anyone’s fault, really. Hot Dog Day was originally scheduled for much earlier in the year, but it got pushed back because of weather. In any case, it was fun to see everyone dressed up in ridiculous 80’s ski garb and ski like morons all day.

The real highlight of the day though was a picnic up on the mountain. Since there was no way I was going to be skiing anywhere, the ski host for the course, Jenny had arranged with Ski Patrol to get me a snowmobile ride up to the Bear Chair, which I then rode up, and then got a ride down on another snowmobile to the picnic area! It was a ton of fun to get on one of those, and the ride up the Bear Chair was pretty surreal as well. It had been over 2 months since I’d been actually up on the mountain and it felt GREAT to get up there in the fresh air. 

After the picnic it was another snowmobile ride down to the base area where everyone was hanging out. We had a couple of beers and then headed to the Aquatic center for a swim. I have to say that was a pretty good time as well, and it felt good to get the knee exercised with a little resistance.

Tuesday night as well, we had our skiers farewell dinner. Awards were passed out, slideshows were watched and everyone had a very good meal. I even got an award! Granted, not the one I was hoping for, but that’s okay. Apparently at one of the instructors meetings they were talking about injuries this year and how they could have prevented them and my name came up. Unfortunately about a third of the instructors had no idea who I was because I was hurt so early in the course, so I got the ‘Where’s Waldo’ award! 

Wednesday was an incredibly mixed day because in the morning we had to see the skiers off. Luckily for us, most of us had decided to stay on for after the course was over for a few days, but not all. We did have to see Brendan off. I picked Brendan up from the Calgary airport, and he was the first person I met that was also doing this course, so it was hard to see him go. Polly and James were off as well, and I’d gotten to know them much better over the last week or so of the course. There were many more that left, and some will be back next year, and it will be great to see them then. I think it can go without saying that it was a tearful morning all around. 

The rest of Wednesday was Hot Dog Day and we headed up the hill around 1 or so. Had a bite to eat at Kelsey’s with Jonny while everyone was skiing. I was actually feeling really crappy, because people had left, sure, but I was also starting to come down with a cold that I haven’t been able to kick yet. I actually decided to go home and get some rest. I was just not feeling Hot Dog Day. That didn’t stop anyone else from having a good time though!

 

 

Apparently there was quite a bit going on up the mountain as well…

 

 

There were about half as many people on the other side as well, and the split in the middle is only because there is a huge jump right there. I saw a couple of video’s of people absolutely flying off it, it was just hilarious!

Thursday was pretty laid back, and today most people have gone up for the last few days of skiing they have left. 

With only 3 days left, we’re all determined to make the best of it.

Too Long, and Not Long Enough

So it’s been far too long since I’ve written a blog. Lots and lots and lots of stuff has happened since I did, and unfortunately, I don’t even know if there’s enough time to go through all of it, but I’ll do my best. 

I suppose I’ll start with the most recent happenings, because, well, why not? Tonight is going to be a bit of a sad and awesome night all at the same time. It’s the boarder’s last night here. Some will stay for an extra week or so, but most are headed home tomorrow bright and early to get flights back home. They are all actually at their ‘Farewell Dinner’ where they get awards and a pretty good meal, I think. The big dog Rupert, who owns Nonstop, came in a few hours ago and he’s going to be hanging out for the next couple of days. He should be there and it’ll be a good dinner for all the boarders to say goodbye. A couple of them have had old boards that they are getting everyone to sign, as well. It’s a pretty good idea and kind of makes me wish that ski’s were bigger… and that I had a pair I didn’t want. Maybe next year my twins will be shot and I’ll have the crew sign those. In any case, it should be a pretty heavy night tonight for everyone going out. 

For St. Paddy’s day, we went to the Pub and it was actually a couple peoples birthdays the same day, so it got pretty rowdy then as well. Most people were pretty skeptical about green beer, but I told them it was just food coloring and that it tasted the same. Crisis averted. 

Level 2 tests were a couple weeks ago, and most people actually passed them, which was a bit of a shock. Most people don’t pass their first time. Apparently we have a pretty good crew of skiers and boarders! There is another level 2 test next week and some people will be taking that, either because they didn’t pass the first one, or they decided to not take the first one. 

2 weeks ago I headed to Cranbrook to see the doctor about my knee. It had been 6 weeks since the accident and he said that everything was healing up nicely and he gave me some exercises to do that helped loosen up the knee. It’s been stiff to say the least. It’s been in a brace for 6 weeks before that, what do you expect?! That helped quite a bit. He also told me that I didn’t need to use crutches anymore, so that was sweet as well. I went back last Wednesday and talked to the doc again. He was happy with how much it’s loosened up  and he told me that if I was comfortable that I don’t need to use the brace anymore. So, for the last few days I haven’t been using a brace! I am supposed to use it when I go over rocky or uneven terrain or something like that, but lucky for me, the lodge doesn’t have rocks for flooring. It’s been feeling pretty good lately. A little wobbly, stiff and sore, for sure, but all in all it’s pretty good. It looks a little weird because of the scar tissue inside and things, but it gets better every day. I actually have been driving for the last few days as well (yes the doc said it was okay)! So it’s been nice to get out whenever I want, to say the least. I’m starting to feel normal again! He told me that I need to go see someone in the states in another month for a check-up, and that I should be able to do contact sports 2 months from now. 

I’ve been not shaving for a quite a bit. I say ‘not shaving’ and not ‘growing a beard’ because I’m not sure it qualifies as one. In any case, I’ve been preparing for Hot Dog Day, which is coming up on the 8th. The ‘Official’ Hot Dog Day is the 8th, but Nonstop’s is going to be on the 7th, because lots of people leave the morning of the 8th. I am planning on shaving so that I have huge mutton chops for the occasion. I honestly can’t wait to shave the night of the 6th. It’s going to be an epic day.

The road trip is all but official, and it’s going to be a great time. The tentative plan is Banff/Lake Louise, Revelstoke, Whistler, Vancouver, Vancouver Island, Seattle, Tacoma, Sioux Falls. Should be great!

On an unrelated note, I AM still reading The Two Towers. It’s getting there!

I keep thinking a lot about next year, and it’s going to be an amazing year, but the rest of this year is going to be epic as well. There isn’t a lot of time left, and I need to savor every moment. There is definitely not enough time left.