21 December, 2005 (Wednesday)
This update comes somewhat belated. I wrote it about a week ago, but haven't had the opportunity to upload it since - blame work and the Big White Out. Our neighbours in 306 down the hallway have finally secured an ADSL that we are planning to capitalise on though - so look forward to some pictures to go with the prose. Unfortunately we've run into some technical difficulties with our mid-corridor firedoors (a legacy of the 80s, it wasn't just flouro that we have to thank from that decade), which has meant that the wireless signal is being blocked. Twice this week I've sat myself in the corridor around midnight to check email. Happy days.
18 December, 2005 (Sunday) Something about Sam’s
Snowshoes Sam’s – our local watering hole. At least this week. There really isn’t much of a choice on the mountain to tell the truth. Of a night you can try and sit in and watch bad TV, or it’s out and about to mix and mingle at one of the mountain pubs.
Down slope around Snowpines Estate the options are limited if you don’t want to hike all the way up hill. It’s all house parties and random gatherings – Snowpines itself is pure housing. Up in the village though you’ve got two main pubs – to choose from: Snowshoes Sam’s or Raakels. Each of the main hotels around here have their own bars, but they tend to be a bit too classy for the young on-mountain crowd (not to mention a little pricier) - the Chateau and its ilk are too good for the likes of us working class slobs.
Raakel’s is a few steps below ground and retains that dank and slightly seedy ambiance inside. Its low ceilings, smokey wood veneer and slow bar staff all contribute to an edgier vibe which is reflected in its clientele – think a mix of dreads and sports jerseys. To tell the truth, I haven’t seen much of the slimy underbelly of Big White. Rumour has it however that Raakel’s is a hotbed for such activity, with coke dealt under the counter and illicit substances consumed in the washrooms (note difference: in Australia I’d say bathrooms). Raakel’s tends to get less traffic than Sam’s, hidden away behind the main strip. It still fills on Tuesday with 30 cent wings night.
Which leaves good old Sam’s - just a 1 minute stroll from our front door (never mind the three flights of steps on the way back up to the apartment!). Sam’s apparently can hold 300+ people, with two smoking rooms, pool tables, arcade games and narrow bar. The bar is housed downstairs, with a restaurant for medium-level fine-dining upstairs. Bar girls wander the floor serving in designated areas. After a while you start to recognize the regulars – blonde Sarah with the attitude, dark Sarah with the black top and pants, Chloe with the Bandana, little Phoebe with the cheerful greeting.
21 December, 2005 (Wednesday) The Big White Out
The last three days Big White has lived up to it’s name. We’ve been having the Big White Out up here, with low hanging clouds obscuring the whole village. It manifests as a kind of fog, which is so thick that you have trouble seeing a few feet in front of you. Never mind the lay of the land. Still, with it has come the snow clouds and a few centimeters of snow.
Today I had to ski back from my morning at the Ridge, but a generous fall of sleet obscured my goggles and I found myself skiing blind down the mountain. With the holiday season upon us, there were a lot more people on the mountain, so I found myself doing a lot of last minute dodging and side-hugging to avoid ignorant tourists who had decided to camp right in the middle of runs. On the way down Highway 33 I caught an edge and stacked – knocking my head and almost losing my goggles. Later, after meeting up with Dave, Josh, Hills and Liz I waited back for Josh and ended up losing the rest in the Telus Park area. My first attempt at a slide lost me a ski and not a little dignity.
So a light day of skiing for me. It’s still falling snow (although our balcony is a long way from needing a sweep), and hopefully we’ll see the ski starting to clear up, so that we have the visibility to give skiing a proper go. I think I’m overdue lessons.
One month down? Don’t ask about the rental. Crazy!
Happy Valley - “Happy, happy, happy valley! How can I help you?” Kasia, Big White Tickets 2005/06 answering the phone.
Happy Valley - home to the Happy Valley Day Lodge (even thought it is still open nights), Kettle Valley Stakehouse, Loose Moose Cafeteria, foot of Lara's Gondola, bunny hill (for beginner skiiers), tubing mountain... and of course the outdoor skating rink. In tickets there's a general resentment of Happy Valley shifts with its wet, rusting and blunt skates, demanding swarms of customers and invariable late ending shifts. As a result the crew has taken to calling Happy Valley a variety of names ranging in acidity and crassness. By and large we've taken to calling it Crappy Valley. Let's face it, the original name was just begging for it.
Skate rental and a rink ticket costs on average $11.16 CAD (with 25% for season pass holders). Every skate rented must come with a 5-signature rental form ("Please sign here, here and here... and on the back initial here and sign here.") which also acts as a liability waver ("This means you can't sue Big White if you stack it, just because we're such nice people"). For the majority of punters we also require a credit card imprint as security, although I've also taken everything from licence numbers imprints to car keys. No kidneys as yet. I've had more than a few customers complain that their mortgage was easier to come by. The paperwork is a pain. Trying to work out who has returned skates can be even worse. At least the company isn't too bad.
Actually, I enjoy sorting the skates into their different pidgeon holes. There's something mildly therapeutic about it: Pick up pair of skates; Look for serial number; Match number with corresponding space; Pick up skates...
I think part of the problem with the Happy Valley shift is the combination of parents with families and hordes of kids. I never realised before how annoying parents could be - trying to impress their kids or going on the offensive about some imagined injustice or over-pricing. Sure, paying $68.48 for a day skiing pass or $16.05 for a 2 hour tubing ticket when only 30 minutes remain before we close up might be tough - but they should have known the deal before they turned up. It's not like we can justify keeping the circuit open just because they decided that we closed at 11pm. Then there's the irate parents who want to talk to The Manager or decide they deserve kind of refund because of the conditions (last time I checked controlling the weather wasn't within my control). I've acquired a habit of calling anybody to "check with my Manager" as a means of dealing with these incidents - the deniability of having consulted management and enforcing a standard policy is somehow easier than making the whole incident personal. It's not personal, it's all customer service!
Happy Valley - I haven't even made it onto the ice this season, let alone ridden a tube... yet. I guess it's just a matter of time. Maybe things will be different when I'm on the other side. Maybe things will get better when the holiday 'rush' eases. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.
18 December, 2005 (Sunday) Something about Sam’s
Snowshoes Sam’s – our local watering hole. At least this week. There really isn’t much of a choice on the mountain to tell the truth. Of a night you can try and sit in and watch bad TV, or it’s out and about to mix and mingle at one of the mountain pubs.
Down slope around Snowpines Estate the options are limited if you don’t want to hike all the way up hill. It’s all house parties and random gatherings – Snowpines itself is pure housing. Up in the village though you’ve got two main pubs – to choose from: Snowshoes Sam’s or Raakels. Each of the main hotels around here have their own bars, but they tend to be a bit too classy for the young on-mountain crowd (not to mention a little pricier) - the Chateau and its ilk are too good for the likes of us working class slobs.
Raakel’s is a few steps below ground and retains that dank and slightly seedy ambiance inside. Its low ceilings, smokey wood veneer and slow bar staff all contribute to an edgier vibe which is reflected in its clientele – think a mix of dreads and sports jerseys. To tell the truth, I haven’t seen much of the slimy underbelly of Big White. Rumour has it however that Raakel’s is a hotbed for such activity, with coke dealt under the counter and illicit substances consumed in the washrooms (note difference: in Australia I’d say bathrooms). Raakel’s tends to get less traffic than Sam’s, hidden away behind the main strip. It still fills on Tuesday with 30 cent wings night.
Which leaves good old Sam’s - just a 1 minute stroll from our front door (never mind the three flights of steps on the way back up to the apartment!). Sam’s apparently can hold 300+ people, with two smoking rooms, pool tables, arcade games and narrow bar. The bar is housed downstairs, with a restaurant for medium-level fine-dining upstairs. Bar girls wander the floor serving in designated areas. After a while you start to recognize the regulars – blonde Sarah with the attitude, dark Sarah with the black top and pants, Chloe with the Bandana, little Phoebe with the cheerful greeting.
21 December, 2005 (Wednesday) The Big White Out
The last three days Big White has lived up to it’s name. We’ve been having the Big White Out up here, with low hanging clouds obscuring the whole village. It manifests as a kind of fog, which is so thick that you have trouble seeing a few feet in front of you. Never mind the lay of the land. Still, with it has come the snow clouds and a few centimeters of snow.
Today I had to ski back from my morning at the Ridge, but a generous fall of sleet obscured my goggles and I found myself skiing blind down the mountain. With the holiday season upon us, there were a lot more people on the mountain, so I found myself doing a lot of last minute dodging and side-hugging to avoid ignorant tourists who had decided to camp right in the middle of runs. On the way down Highway 33 I caught an edge and stacked – knocking my head and almost losing my goggles. Later, after meeting up with Dave, Josh, Hills and Liz I waited back for Josh and ended up losing the rest in the Telus Park area. My first attempt at a slide lost me a ski and not a little dignity.
So a light day of skiing for me. It’s still falling snow (although our balcony is a long way from needing a sweep), and hopefully we’ll see the ski starting to clear up, so that we have the visibility to give skiing a proper go. I think I’m overdue lessons.
One month down? Don’t ask about the rental. Crazy!
Happy Valley - “Happy, happy, happy valley! How can I help you?” Kasia, Big White Tickets 2005/06 answering the phone.
Happy Valley - home to the Happy Valley Day Lodge (even thought it is still open nights), Kettle Valley Stakehouse, Loose Moose Cafeteria, foot of Lara's Gondola, bunny hill (for beginner skiiers), tubing mountain... and of course the outdoor skating rink. In tickets there's a general resentment of Happy Valley shifts with its wet, rusting and blunt skates, demanding swarms of customers and invariable late ending shifts. As a result the crew has taken to calling Happy Valley a variety of names ranging in acidity and crassness. By and large we've taken to calling it Crappy Valley. Let's face it, the original name was just begging for it.
Skate rental and a rink ticket costs on average $11.16 CAD (with 25% for season pass holders). Every skate rented must come with a 5-signature rental form ("Please sign here, here and here... and on the back initial here and sign here.") which also acts as a liability waver ("This means you can't sue Big White if you stack it, just because we're such nice people"). For the majority of punters we also require a credit card imprint as security, although I've also taken everything from licence numbers imprints to car keys. No kidneys as yet. I've had more than a few customers complain that their mortgage was easier to come by. The paperwork is a pain. Trying to work out who has returned skates can be even worse. At least the company isn't too bad.
Actually, I enjoy sorting the skates into their different pidgeon holes. There's something mildly therapeutic about it: Pick up pair of skates; Look for serial number; Match number with corresponding space; Pick up skates...
I think part of the problem with the Happy Valley shift is the combination of parents with families and hordes of kids. I never realised before how annoying parents could be - trying to impress their kids or going on the offensive about some imagined injustice or over-pricing. Sure, paying $68.48 for a day skiing pass or $16.05 for a 2 hour tubing ticket when only 30 minutes remain before we close up might be tough - but they should have known the deal before they turned up. It's not like we can justify keeping the circuit open just because they decided that we closed at 11pm. Then there's the irate parents who want to talk to The Manager or decide they deserve kind of refund because of the conditions (last time I checked controlling the weather wasn't within my control). I've acquired a habit of calling anybody to "check with my Manager" as a means of dealing with these incidents - the deniability of having consulted management and enforcing a standard policy is somehow easier than making the whole incident personal. It's not personal, it's all customer service!
Happy Valley - I haven't even made it onto the ice this season, let alone ridden a tube... yet. I guess it's just a matter of time. Maybe things will be different when I'm on the other side. Maybe things will get better when the holiday 'rush' eases. Maybe. Perhaps. Possibly.
posted by the wastrel @ 10:54 PM
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