The Pipe

Snow Wave

As much as snowboarding inspires, surfing waves is my true love. Fortunately, snow is moved and shaped almost as much as the ocean and if you keep a close eye out, you'll find hidden powder stashes to throw rail into as well as the occasional snow wave which, with a little imagination, can morphe into a wedging left. This little bowl below actually had a closing lip which you could tuck under, close your eyes and almost feel the spray of the ocean....

Setting up for a snow carve

Snow Barrel

In reference to our previous post, you should click on the link below

http://video.citytv.com/video/detail/1418270661001.000000/dawn-goes-bobsledding-at-whistler/

Feel the Rythym, Feel the Ride.

It's fairly safe to assume that most people's first real insight into to the sport of bobsleigh, came via the quirky Disney film; Cool Runnings which was loosely based on the story of the Jamaican bobsleigh team's debut at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. Anyone who watched the movie will remember Jon Candy, who played the the infamous retired bobsleigh coach who took the crew of Jamaican sprinters and misfits and turned them into a reputable bobsleigh team, who became Jamaica's first representation at the Winter Olympics.


Ironically enough, one of our Pilots, who drives the tourist bobsleigh runs during our public bobsleigh sessions at the Sliding Centre, where I work, is a man by the name of Pat Brown. Interestingly enough, Pat is the actual original coach of the 1988 Jamaican Bobsleigh team who went to the 1988 Calgary Olympics, and is the man who Jon Candy's character Irv Blitzer is based upon. Although Pat still seems to relish his semi-infamy - he places cards (see a copy below) in a basket after each run and asks for donations, he seems slightly perturbed that Disney never consulted him, or any of his Jamaican athletes in creating the film, and that none of them ever saw a dime from the profits of the film. He did tell me, that the movie's narrative is a far cry from the actual events and that his Jamaican athletes were all ex-military and not the crew of misfits represented in the film. He also went on to tell me that, unlike Irv Blitzer in the film, he was never caught for cheating and in fact never represented the USA in an Olympics, despite being a team member for many years, and coaching various teams over and above Jamaica to various Olympic Games. Right now, we have the FIBT Bobsleigh world cup at the Track and Mr Pat Brown, the original cool runner, is coaching the Koreans, in seemingly another tale of underdog glory.

View from Work

Monarchy of Roses

Peak to Peak

The Peak to Peak gondola is the highest and longest continuous lift system in the world at over 4.4 kilometers long. Not only is it the highest lift of it's kind at 436 meters above the valley floor, it also has the longest unsupported span of 3.024kilomtres between the 2 nearest support structures. This is a record-breaking lift and has only been in operation since 2008. What this incredible piece of engineering does is connect Whistler mountain with Blackcomb mountain thus combining 2 massive area's of ski-able terrain. The views are truly breathtaking and if you time your crossing right, you'll get to ride one of the cabin's with a transparent floor, further enhancing the views down into the valley and forest below.

Hughes Heaven

There's a dirty wind blowing.

A Cold Cliche

If you’ll pardon the weather cliché that seems to be the common choice of topic in any random/awkward conversation; as I write, the Western Coast of Canada is 3 day’s into an ‘Arctic Flow’ weather system. Essentially what this means is that high winds from the North East have blown down cold air from the Arctic area around Russia. For the inhabitants of towns like whistler, what comes from such incidences, is a dramatic plunge in air temperature and moisture content.  So from a general average on a few degrees below freezing, and perhaps slightly cooler on the peak, we are now hunkering down through -18 degree’s Celsius with -20’s recorded up on the mountain.  Coinciding with these bitter cold temperatures is a constant dry snowfall and wind gusts of 40km, which reduces the chill factor exponentially. The positives are that one only really feel’s the extent of the cold when outside, as indoor temperatures are regulated everywhere. More importantly though, the cold air on the mountain dries out the wet fallen snow base which fluff’s up the snow making for a much higher quality in powder. This also ensures a higher longevity of this ‘Champagne’ powder. All that said, for now, skiing in these icy winds is not for the faint hearted and does require adequate preparation to ensure no skin is exposed to the air for too long. In fact, rumour has it that some of the higher lift operators were actually regulating skiers and snowboarders allowing only those with full facial protection on the chairlifts.

But, as quick as this ‘Arctic’ Flow ‘appears, so will it disband as temperatures are expected to rise above 0 as close as this weekend.

And so, although not the most pleasant of conditions, these brief cold spells are part and parcel of living in a North American ski resort and there is certainly an element of intrigue amongst us, as we exist through these very foreign and different weather conditions. And what’s more, we now have something to talk about during those awkward few minutes waiting with the stranger at the bus stop.

Pukage From The Balcony

As It Stands

There have been requests to provide a comprehensive update on our Canadian way of life via the written word so here it is;


With a month of Whistler living behind us, we're well dialed into the ebb and flow of a Winter ski season.
Thanks largely to our domestication of our home and like-minded housemates, we've carved out a cosy and comfortable home for ourselves at Unit 403, Lost Lake Lodge. With on-site gym, hot-tub, heated pool and pool table room amenities, as well as an ever-changing flow of holiday makers, it truly does feel like we're living in a holiday resort.


On the employment front - all 4 of us now have consistent jobs. Andy is still dominating his finance position with the mountain, Meg juggles her time between Guest Services at the Sliding Center and her retail position at OC2. Sam has stolen the hearts of both Esme and Mischa, as well as Doug and Renata, her employers and cruises the village in her car, entertaining her children with ice-skating, library and hot chocolate intervals. My industrious wife has also managed to get herself on the books of the Hilton and Fairmont Hotels, where she dog and baby sits on an ad-hoc basis. Thankfully, after a few weeks of searching, I've managed to secure a position as guest services host at the Sliding Centre. Along with Meg and 4 other colleagues, we essentially book, host and manage the guests who pay the $149 to take an adrenalin-fueled ride down the Olympic Ice Track on a bobsleigh or skeleton. The perks to said position are the hands-on nature of the job as well as the opportunity to occasionally hop on a skeleton or bob and fly down the track ourselves. It's a fascinating learning curve on a sport and industry we previously knew very little about and a privilege to work within such a world class facility that has been left behind as a legacy from the 2010 Winter Olympics.


On days off, we continue to explore the massive expanse of skiiable terrain on Whistler and Blackcomb and although the Christmas snow is dissipating, there's still so much powder to be found higher up on the peak. We've recently enjoyed 2 spectacular 'Blue-Bird' day's with clear skies and crisp winter sunshine but more snow is still on top of everyone's wish list at the moment, as is always the case in ski resorts.


While we continue to embrace this new lifestyle and soak up the countless new and unique experiences, we're already looking ahead and planning our US Pacific Northwest Roadtrip. With our 2000 mile route all but confirmed (Vancouver down to San Diego), we're still weighing up our transportation options. Renting a fully kitted RV or buying a mini-van seems to be the two most plausible at this stage, and so with only just over 3 months until our lease expires and the season ending, we're hoping to narrow this down fairly soon.


We'll endeavor to post a succession of photo's from recent events, so stay tuned and in touch.

Ice