31 January, 2006 (Tuesday)

A brief update
Another week has passed and I'm behind again in my updates. In my defence, the last 7 days have been pretty jam-packed... and the snow continues to fall outside. I think that's the theme for January at Big White - snow drifts and big snow flakes.

What have I been up to? There was the Rocket's hockey game on Wednesday night, followed straight on by Australia Day celebrations and then the weekend (of work). I had my first ski lesson here (yesterday) and today I was down in K-town (as I've begun calling it) doing the weekly rent payment and shopping.

No huge happenings personally, but the last few weeks have been nothing if not entertaining and instructive. I think what I really need right now is a week or two just to catch my breath and take it all in. The cough is back after last week's revelry and I've got a long backlog of 'things to do'.

(Image: Clouds and snow ghosts - Falcon Chair)

Big White news:

• Kelowna Rockets: Last Wednesday the Kelowna Rockets truimphed over the Left Bridge Hurricanes 4-1. The game was hard and fast with the Rockets dominating from the start. It was a great introduction to live hockey, with a big game atmosphere, lots of physicality and not a few scuffles. While I'm not a fan of the cheesy music and between period spruiking of motor oil products, I really enjoyed the atmosphere and the game itself. No, I haven't bought myself a Rockets jersey (yet).
  
• Australia Day abroad: As expected, Australia Day away from home was a completely different experience. Everybody came out of the woodwork to wave the Australian colours and drink too much alcohol. There were blue wife beaters on display, gangly white legs sticking out of board shorts and not a little fake tan. I had a steady day at work before getting out with the gang and taking lots of photos. By the end of the night the dance floor was speckled with the Union Jack, Southern Cross and Green & Gold. Thanks Jess and Georgia for the great flag t-shirt! Nobody else could compete.
• Jae returns: Jae has just got back from a few days down at Whistler hanging out with relatives. Apparently the night before he went out boarding it dumped down 40cm of snow, so he's dispelled all those 'Whistler has no snow' myths that have been floating around. It's also Merv's last week with us and Tanya is due to fly out on Saturday. The exodus begins.
• Valentines: Two weeks to Valentines Day. I wonder if this one will score a blip on the Big White radar? Is this just another excuse for on-mountain shenanigans?
  

25 January, 2006 (Wednesday)
Rush the bus
After 8 hours at Happy, it was a bit of a rush to get ready for the hockey game. Josh was still soaping it up in the shower (it can be darn inconvenient sharing a bathroom with 3 other guys), which in the end left only 20 minutes for Dave and I to get ourselves suitably attired. I think I missed out washing my ears properly as a result.

Sleeping on a coach
Nevertheless, both of us were warmly seated in the coach by 5:30pm. Dave had his two-four of Pilsner and Chai for company (I know which one he treated more affectionately), while I was seated toward the back with Tanya and Kate behind (I’d got the tickets for Tanya as a farewell present). I guess I must have still smelt funny or something because nobody seemed too eager to sit next to me. Well, the girls had also dumped their personals on my companion seat. Neither of the jackets fit.

The hour bus trip sped by in near darkness, the clinking of glass bottles and metallic ring of stainless steel cans breaking up the constant chatter. Kate told us a few stories of growing up; about lots of snow time, living for a year in Alaska and most recently settling in Port Macquarie. She showed us pictures of her family, to which Tanya cooed enthusiastically at the cuteness of her brother. Hot, hot, hot? I didn’t have too much to say. He kind of wasn’t my type. Gender. Whatever.

Welcome to the hockey, please have your passes ready
The bus pulled up at Prospera Place, home venue of the Kelowna Rockets with only a quarter of an hour to spare before the game – Kelowna Rockets vs Left Bridge Hurricanes. The group of Big White-ans (not just staff) tumbled out onto the pavement to join the crowd moving to the entry doors. It looked busy inside and out, but everything was moving along steadily.

Inside the doors we were stopped by three solid women, two uniformed. The first woman seemed to be supervising, the second randomly searching bags and patting down suspicious bulges (usually jacket pockets, but I wasn’t there long enough to see if they went further), and the third scanning tickets. Thankfully I was previously warned and was missed over for the search, my big black jacket concealing my camera and mickey. Chai wasn’t so lucky, his $20 bottle of Captain Morgan’s captured after he was randomly searched. I guess the security gal just thought he was the right type to pat down.

Past the doors I was hit by the big game ambiance. The obligatory program stand took pride of place in the middle of the room, flanked by guys in yellow hats and shirts spruiking 50/50 raffle tickets for a mid-game draw. Food and beverages were up against the wall under bright fluorescent lights, a growing swell of punters lining up for their $7 plastic cup of beer and $5 hotdog. Business seemed good.

The food and beverage gals who served me my chicken wrap and beer dinner asked for identification before they’d let me pay. I wasn’t sure whether I should be flattered or annoyed. The legal drinking age in BC is 19, with a similar stipulation to New South Wales that identification should be requested of anybody who looks under 25. In general British Columbia is pretty strict on drinking ages in its pubs. On the mountain we’ve had the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) visit each weekend to check venue capacity and scout for underage drinkers. Apparently they’ve caught more than a few.

Warning: Section 106
Big White had been allocated seats in areas 105 and 106 of the main stadium (I’m not sure where the first 100 sections are located, maybe they keep them in the basement?). I recognized the odd face scattered about. Our seats were in Section 106, Row S – right at the back to the left of the goals. The seats were the usual sports flip-down affair, but provided a good view of the rink. Behind us were the corporate boxes, each sponsor labeled neatly with company insignia.

An aside on Hockey:
I can’t admit to being a total hockey buff like Jae or Dave, I don’t know any of the players in the NHL or team mascots or even who is on top of the ladder and destined for the playoffs. But since arriving here in the land of the Maple Leaf I guess I’ve watched a few snippets of the game and absorbed at least a little. The basics? Well, to begin with, in Canada you NEVER refer to the game as “ice hockey”, it is quite simply “hockey” – there is no other game.

Hockey is played with 6 a side on the ice, usually with a goal keeper and the remaining 5 players split between defensive and attacking positions. Replacements (usually about twice the number of players on the ice) stand in the wings, ready to jump straight into the game.

The game is composed of 3 periods (before overtime), each 20 minutes in duration – no quarters or halves just periods. The rink itself is encircled by waist-high plastic barriers, topped by transparent sidings. These get a regular work out with body impacts common for attackers trying to flank or defenders trying to clear the puck from their goal end.

Go Rockets!
The Rockets (in their green and white) and their opponents came out and faced off from opposite sides of the ice. The home team received a rousing cheer, which was shortly followed by a rendition of the Canadian national anthem. I remember standing there, watching Tanya and Kate stuff chips into their mouths with the Canadian national anthem being mouthed around me, thinking that, as anthems go, it worked but… was of a different flavour to our own Advance Australia Fair. A hint of patriotism, from me? Perhaps. It’s possible. I just remember basking in the memory of other events, of other places and other times. It didn’t last too long though.

The game started with the drop of a puck. For the first few minutes it took some concentration to keep track of who had possession and where it was flying on the ice. While the players might lack the size and ferocity of the pro-league NHL, it was still fast and physical. Right from the start there were plenty of body shots, impacts on barriers and frantic clashing of sticks. Players powered over the ice, cutting fast zig-zags and sending ice chips flying with short sharp stops in an effort to evade their opposite number.

The atmosphere amongst the crowd was pumped, with lots of alcohol flowing. From the start the Rockets were all over the Hurricanes, dominating aggressively. Within the first few seconds the Rockets scored, only to have the Hurricanes level in the next five minutes. Shots at goals were punctuated by excited cheers and cheesy music, misses by disappointed “ohs”. The first half finished too soon.

First break
At first break the team mascots paced around the ice at our end. The Rocket’s Raccoon pursuing the Hurricane’s Wolf, spraying him (I assume it was a him?) with a water bottle. There was the requisite prized draw and featuring of a corporate box. The last ten minutes of break were taken up with a Junior Dragons game, the ice split into two mini fields with two sets of nets. Kids no older than 10 or 11 came out to scramble after a puck. After a quick resurface by the zambonis the game resumed.

Second period
The second period was hard fought and just as fast. Ice chips rained down on the brink and the barriers rattled with the impact of shoulder-padded bodies. Tensions were raised with the referees having to intervene more than once, sending off players from both teams (although probably more Rockets than Hurricanes).

Second break
During second break I popped out to refresh, catching Ryan and the twins (Mike and John). More prize draws, more cheesy music and the zambonis returned to the ice.

Final period
Third period tempers flared again, with more than a few scuffles. Towards the end with, Kelowna at a decisive 4/1 advantage, there was a full scale fight. Both teams dumped their gloves, dropped their sticks and went for it, piling up on the ice. Helmets were ripped off. Fists flew. Neither teams held back. This availed the Hurricanes nothing, with Kelowna easily defending their lead through the final minutes.

No overtime?
As the game ended the crowd quickly dispersed. The buses loaded and we were pulling out within 15 minutes. On the way back Tanya was motion sick and found her way to the front of the bus to rest her head in her lap. The rest of the bus however was in fine spirits, still riding the high of the Rocket’s win and a lot of alcohol. Drinking songs were sang and more cans were crushed.

Before we knew it we were pulling up to Happy Valley. It was cold and snowing out and the wind was just starting to pick up. With the hour approaching 11pm, the Gondola was closed for the night leaving a long walk up the hill. Tanya wasn’t in a good way, shivering uncontrollably and looking green. With Kate flanking Tanya’s other side we started the long trudge through the new snow. Before we got too far however the bus driver had a change of heart and offered to take us to the main village centre.

Most of the survivors of the game headed straight off to Sam’s but, being the responsible soul that I am, I volunteered to walk Tanya back home and made sure she was okay before setting back out. So we limped back to Tanya's and after a glass of water I started the long way up the ski slope to Sam’s. Despite an uphill hike in slippery new snow I finally found back, where the party was still going. A lot of the crew had headed off, but there were still plenty about celebrating the Rocket's win.

All in all it was an enjoyable evening (although I’m still gasping at the prices they can charge for food and alcohol!). The game was terrific and the atmosphere fun, so I’m looking forward to getting out there again this season to see the Rockets in action.

24 January, 2006 (Tuesday)

A brief update
Here at Big White another week seems to mean another few centimeters of snow. It’s becoming almost routine to look out the window and see the snow heaped up with more of the fluffy white stuff drifting down. The novelty is wearing off though because, while it might mean some fine skiing, it also means slippery footing, having to trudge through knee deep powder and snowbanks everywhere.



Big White news:

• Australia Day: With around 70% of staff from Australian, celebrations for Australia Day will no doubt be off the scale. Already there are rumours that the mountain Senior Vice President has ordered in a case of VB (to tell the truth, not my favourite choice of swill but beggars can’t be choosers as my old dad used to say). Other than that I’m expecting to see quite a few crocadile hunter wannabes in stubbies, thongs and wife-beater singlets (makes you proud to see people in traditional garb) nursing cold cans of brew. For myself, I think I’m working in the main Village centre (my first shift there for a month!) so I’ll have to behave. Like I don’t anyway...
• Silverstar: The free staff shuttle to Silverstar was a success. Two greyhound buses left Big White Central Reservations right on 7:30am and took the two hour drive up to Silverstar Ski Resort.
  The day was clear and the skiing conditions great. Silverstar is definitely more of a skiers mountain with wide groomed runs that are steep but lack the rolling quality of Big White. They have about 30cm less snow (which is strangely quite noticeable) compared to here, with closely planted pines that preclude glade skiing.
  Most of the crew that went over were snowboarders and they complained about the steep terrain, lack of jumps and style of mountain. For myself, I quite enjoyed the change in scenery – Silverstar as a mountain felt entirely different to Big White, not just because the snow was a lot more packed down.
  We returned (exhausted) just past 6pm, a long day. I definitely wouldn’t mind visiting again sometime.
• Visitors in 311: Jae has two friends visiting the mountain right now – Terry, with his girlfriend Rita, and Merv, who has just moved in with us for the week. Both guys are (allegedly) snowboarders, although I haven’t had the opportunity to see either in action as yet. I think Terry is due to leave in the next few days, but there is still hope for Merv. So with both Jae and Josh having nights off we’ve reached near capacity in our little apartment. We haven’t quite reached the stage where we are sharing beds... yet. But there’s still hope.

21 January, 2006 (Saturday)
Slept in again. Ever since I’ve gotten here I’ve been able to just pass straight out. Not sure if that’s a symptom of lower stress levels or merely the mountain air working it’s magic.

A relatively lazy morning (once I managed to lever myself up), spent with Jae and Josh watching Inked, a reality television show about a Vegas tattoo parlour. It’s an entertaining show, with well developed characters full of angst and deep seated personal issues, juggling their personal lives and their business. In fact, most of the program isn’t so much about tattooing or even the customers as it is about the lives of the owners and their employees. (IS that where drama comes from - characters and the audience developing some level of identification and empathy? Deep).

Aside on tattoos: Sitting in front of the television watching Inked I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to get a tattoo. Not just whether or not it would hurt (and apparently it does...) but what I’d get and where I’d put it and whether I'd be able to put up with it.

The whole body art scene in the past few decades seems to have moved on from being a means of identification for military personnel or organized crime, to an alternative method of self expression, to a mainstream fashion accessory that adds that bit of faux edge / attitude. But I guess it isn't just the scene that's changed, but also the style. These days there seems to be a pretty big variety in tattoos - from comic pictures to masterfully shaded art. You can get words and hieroglyphs and caricatures and real-life drawing. It’s no longer just the skull and crossbones or heart with ‘mom’, these days it can be pretty much anything that catches your fancy.

What do I mean about tattoos becoming mainstream? Well, at any Sydney beach you can expect to see gals with tribal designs on their lower backs and guys with black and white squiggles on their arms. It has become a going joke that what trendy Chinese characters say and what they were sold as saying are often two entirely different things – ‘chicken soup’ anybody? Here on mountain there seems a higher than normal proportion of tattooed youths. I’m not sure if it’s a reflection of snow culture or the type of person who chooses to live on mountain.


What’s the attraction? Well, I can understand wanting to express some idea or remind yourself of a particular point in time, but locking it in forever... that I’m trying to work out.
I don’t know. . . a lot of tattooing today just screams to me of wholesale monoculture group think: just more misguided individuals craving a sense of belonging and identification, expressed through a common symbol, but lacking any real understanding or theme. Perhaps I’m expecting too much meaning and forethought, but doing something just because it is currently ‘cool’ gets dated pretty quickly. If you’re justification is individual expression, then choosing a design that will decorate your body for the rest of your natural life (for the bargain prices of $40, unless you manage to sandpaper it off before then) that, being a standard design, also happens to decorate another few hundred people, is just a bit beyond me. Maybe it’s that old fashioned inner conservative expressing itself, but I just don’t get it. I don’t think that getting a ‘tatt’ will make me any tougher and right now I can’t think of a design that I’d want to keep for more than 6 months. Am I just fickle?

PS – Leigh-burger, know a chickie who had a snowflake designed for her and inked onto her lower back this week. She loves it, but keeps on complaining about how much it still hurts (apparently it took all of four minutes to put on). I think she’s just fishing for sympathy. Not to be nasty, but it looks a bit too much like a home job.

One of our neighbours has a Chinese dragon curving down his right arm. He’s thinking about getting a phoenix on the left. He had the dragon done back home, in the Isle of Man, by a professional artist. You can see the difference in the depth and shading.
Zia, our second in charge in tickets showed me one of her tattoos today. Apparently her next addition is going to be a tribal inspired butterfly. I wonder how that will look?

Work was at Happy Valley (again) from 1:00pm until 9:00pm. When I got into the main office Zia informed me that I was going to be taught how to sharpen skates during the shift. The first few hours went relatively fast. Carla was back (with a fractured back – courtesy of a snowboarding mishap back in Victoria Island where she’d gone to visit her parents), and spent a good hour showing me pictures of her home and niece (and complaining about how this would put her out of action, romantically).

The evening passed relatively quickly. Jeff (from Retail – boot fitting) turned up to teach me the basics of sharpening skates. Apparently he used to work at Sportchek (the local sports store, like Rebel back home) and did a lot of it there with an automated machine. Unfortunately the one that we have in the ticket office is manual. After half an hour I had a fair idea of what to be looking for – even grade, sharp sides tested by running the back of my finger nail along the edges, blunted front and back, removal of any burrs on the edges. I spent the rest of the evening going through as many pairs of skates as possible. I got through the rack (5 rows of 6 pairs either side = approximately 50 skates) and a goodly portion of the boxed skates.

Outside the skating rink wasn’t as busy as expected, although there was a marriage reception in full swing. The bride was married in traditional white but wearing skates on the ice. Carla popped out to get photos of the marriage party. Apparently it was a nice ceremony. I’m not sure if I’d be able to stomach a white wedding like that. Not last because of the risk of having the bride slip and end up on her face. The thought spending my marriage night watching my bride getting her nose re-set just doesn’t appeal to me... I guess I’m just an old fashioned romantic.

I popped into Sam’s again (with another 30 minute wait). Strangely Dave begged out as being too tired (now pigs will fly!). As soon as I entered I saw Tanya and Emma (her flatmate). We had a bit of a chat, then I was off circulating to greet some other friendly faces. By midnight I’d had enough, I said my final goodbyes to Kath, Ryan and Mel and got out of there.


22 January, 2006 (Sunday)
I was persuaded to ski early, following promises made to multiple parties the night before. The day started overcast, but that soon burnt off to a clear still day, perfect for skiing.

I met up with Retail Sarah around 10am and we made our way down from the Ridge to Gem Lake. We skied down a variety of runs, starting with a freshly groomed Powder Keg, through Corkscrew and (facing the scene of my painful stack) down Blackout. The runs were steep and often deeply tracked. We ventured into the new Gem Lake ski area that was only cut last season, now re-badged Black runs (Caution: Not recommended for skiing due to uneven snow cover). Blue Moon was bumpy, with unpacked powder bumps and moguls (large bumps in the snow, often accentuated by previous skiers hitting the same path, cutting hard trails into otherwise soft snow). I worked on absorbing the impact and rolling with the hill, which wasn’t so bad.

Stopping for a midday break at the Westridge Warming Hut (next to the Gem Lake lift), we came across Josh and Jae’s friends – Terry and Merv. They were about ready to head in, but Josh was eager to see some more of the mountain. After wolfing down a hot coffee and sugared bun (thanks Jess!) we got back out. Up Gem lift, then down Blue Sapphire – a wide beautifully groomed run with steep but even slopes. From there it was up Falcon and down Grizzly. By this time visibility was starting to suffer and my thighs were burning cutting down the steeper slopes. I’d had a decent day out but it was time to head in before I collapsed.

The evening was spent at a surprise birthday celebration for Grace, one of the retail gals from Melbourne. A group of 20 of us hid in giggling near silence in her apartment (shared with Mick from rentals and Andrew who originally interviewed me for Big White in Sydney – small world), which had been decked out in balloons and streamers.

Grace walked in with Marissa (who organized the gathering) after a few celebratory birthday drinks with the comment of “it smells in here!”. This was greeted with a rowdy “Happy Birthday”, followed by pictures and cake. The group dined at the Copper Kettle, heading to Sam’s afterwards. (I popped out briefly to see if Jae was, as he’d promised, at the skating rink. No luck. He wasn’t answering his phone either. I guess he was waylaid.) The party slowly dissipated after 9pm, with almost everybody gone by 11ish. Early starts in the morning? Well, it was a Sunday night!


23 January, 2006 (Monday)
An early morning, rising at 6:30am for my day trip to Silverstar (our sister mountain). The buses were ready to go at 7:30, full of bleary eyed snow bunnies. Silverstar is north of Big White, just a short hop from the town of Vernon. It was a 2 hour bus ride there, which most of us spent passed out trying to catch up on sleep.

First Impressions
My first impressions of Silverstar were a half-empty car park with snow banked a half-meter to the side, hardly what you’d classify as picturesque. Once in the main village however it was a different story. All the storefronts were brightly painted, with a variety of retail and resort services offices scatter along the central strip. What struck me most was how compact the village seemed to be – with pretty much all the shops and eateries located within a 50 metre area.

Despite having acquired a trail map I wasn’t really sure where to start off. My usual skiing buddies were back at Big White and, while I knew more than a few of the other Big White-ans who were there for the day, most were boarders and there with their pals. In the end I decided I’d head my own way and if I found others, then so be it.

Riding the Comet
My first foray was down one of the main access ways to the Comet Express, a new 6-seater chairlift that was apparently once upon a time destined for Big White. As lifts go it was comfortable (love the padded seats, it’s just the walls I’m wary of) and moved at a decent clip, giving access to the front and back slopes of the mountain.

I skied most of the blue rated runs on the front face of the mountain in my first few hours (Milky Way, Exhibition, Whiskeyjack, Middle Dipper, FIS, Constellation). They tended to be long and steep but well groomed, with tightly packed powder that had me speeding through and my thighs burning midway down. I tried to work on making my turns more parallel and not riding too much on my heels. I think it’s past time for a real ski lesson.

Picnic in Silverwoods
From there I found my way into the Silverwoods area, only opened this last season. Perhaps modeled after Big White’s Black Forest area, it offered a variety of treed runs, which tended to be at a consistent slope, quite bumpy with thickly treed sides which precluded jumping between runs. After four rides up the Silverwoods quad I’d had my fill and went back up to explore the other front face of the mountain before lunch.

Silver Johns Pub
By 12:30 my legs were caned and I decided it was time for a break. I headed back to the main Village, took a few pictures and ended up having a midday pint with Craig from rentals (an Australian who has previously done a season at Perisher). Around 1pm the ticket gals (Precious and Sarah) walked into the pub with some of their boarding friends (Adana, Renae and Chloe) who I joined for lunch.

The gals had either soup and sandwiches or nachos. For my $10 I ended up ordering an Irish Whiskey Stew, which arrived in a bowl made of bread. The stew was great – the meat tender and the gravy thick. (That’s one of the things I’ve been missing about home – being able to enjoy a good stew, especially when it is cold.) Energised, I made my way back out into the cooling afternoon.

An Afternoon in Powder
The rest of my day I spent making my way around to the back of the mountain. To get there I found my way back to the Comet Express and took their longest run (at 8km), El Dorado, around to their Powder Gulch chair. El Dorado is mostly a long, almost flat, cat trail that winds its way around. Towards the end however it becomes a steeply iced ramp which you can really fly down. At first I made some effort to cut my edges in to bleed off speed, but by the middle I decided that it looked flat enough to ride out. I call it helmet courage.

The Powder Gulch area of Silverstar is mainly made up with advanced and expert ski runs; a disproportionate number of blacks and double blacks. The runs seem to either sit above the trees on narrow cause ways, or are cut below with exposed tree roots still sticking out the sides. They are all insanely steep, badly bumped, or both. Below the lift line they also have a little restaurant. It sits by itself at the center of the run. I can’t imagine it gets too busy except on weekends.

Chatting to a local on the lift up, he recommended I get my teeth wet on one of the few blue runs before I threw myself at any of the blacks. With the sky darkening, I wasn’t sure how much I could fit in. In the end I took a sedate green called Aunt Gladys around, peering at nasty looking double blacks with names like Chute 5, before settling on a wide blue called Gypsy Queen.

Midway through I was struggling to hold it together, my recently awakened thighs screaming as I crisscrossed my way down the steeply graded sides of the mountain. While the run was wide, it just ran all the way down, without any parts that leveled decently. I ended up taking the last 100 metres at a pace, gunning it without even bothering with turns.

The wind had started to bite by this time, so I thought it was time to call it a day. I made my way to the lift and then the t-bar, heading off home. Skating back along the Village access I had second thoughts, and decided to give the front face one last go, so I jumped onto Whiskeyjack and onto the Comet for my final hurrah at Silverstar.

After a bit of traversing across, I settled on Show-Off, a black run that drops down the slope facing the main Village. It has the odd tree but is relatively clear. Of course, on my way down I managed to stack it just at the tree and got stuck in the branches. In order to extricate myself I ended up having to remove my right ski.

My impressions of Silverstar?
My impressions: The staff at Silverstar appear to be organized differently and seem to be spread more sparsely (but then we went on a Monday, which isn’t really their busiest day). They have people whose sole job seems to be scanning tickets. Their lifties are less obvious and seem to have less snow to shovel. The uniforms look basically the same though.

The mountain is wider and steeper, with less rollers and jumps off the side of runs. The trees are also a lot more closely spaced. Apparently this is a result of some kind of wilderness protection which precludes any thinning of trees. As a result they don’t have ski-able glades. I’m becoming quite fond of my ski-able glade areas. Its fun making new tracks in deep powder, even if I end up stuck hip-deep half the time.

The snow is more hard-packed and perhaps better groomed as a result. It isn’t as deep as Big White, I guess they just haven’t had as regular snowfalls as us lately. The runs tend to be longer and they have a lot more advanced terrain.

Silverstar Village is more compact, with the retail stores more varied and less hidden away. It probably doesn’t have as many pubs and restaurants, but everything is closer together. No need for a Gondola or half-hour round shuttle. The brightly coloured facades add to the feeling of newness, which is reinforced by the chair lifts and general grooming of the resort. Neat trees. New lifts. New equipment. Modern resort. Still wooden frontages, but they’re brightly coloured and fresh. Very cute.

I think I’d like to visit Silverstar again this season, if only to give some of those blacks and double blacks a proper go. It is a change from our mountain (yes, I’ve started referring to it with some sense of ownership), and gives a different kind of riding experience. I wouldn’t mind exploring the nooks and crannies there, but I think I’m due a night out in Kelowna before that happens. Fingers crossed, eh? (...and before you get any ideas, that ‘eh’ was completely voluntary and premeditated).


The eternal carrots
The baby carrots are still fine. I just checked and they’re sitting in the freezer box in all their orange carrot goodness. They live quietly in their big plastic bag (which provides zip-locked freshness) free from grief or trouble.

The baby carrots arrived in the first week of my arrival following our beginning of season hall party, a memento from our landlords, the Kirby’s. Since then they’ve sat there preserved in the icy depths of our refridgerator, their number only slightly reduced by pasta sauces and salads.

Now, many people would scoff at the thought of a 1kg zip-locked bag of baby carrots as a housewarming gift. (Nevermind that they’re pre-peeled and of a perfectly snackable size.) Yet, after 2 months those baby carrots are going strong. They haven’t gone brown, mutant or freaky. They still taste relatively fresh. No strange growths. No funny colours. They’re almost as I first remember them.

Actually, I've been thinking (always a dangerous proposition at the best of times) and I've come to the (shaky) conclusion that they’re actually eternal carrots. A special stock that never dies. Is the secret the vacuum sealed ziplock bag or is it just one of those unexplainable phenomena like belly button lint and the fashion appeal of ugg boots? Right now those baby carrots are the magic in my life. One of life’s deep mysteries that I’m trying to come to terms with and just accept. But I'm not just the accepting type so it's a struggle.

Missing Home
Last week one of my close friends back in Sydney asked me what I miss most about home. It stopped me for a few minutes because I don't think I've been seriously homesick (knock on wood) - there's always too much stimulus. But once I'd digested the question and given it a bit of thought, I started to consider differences and similarities in places, as well as the little things which have taken on special significance and comfort since I came all the way over here. I could spiel off the usual list of family and friends, home cooking and the sun. It would be true too. But there's more than that.

What do I miss most? I honestly think priorities differ from day to day. I definitely miss the knowledge that friends and family are within shouting distance. There's a certain security in that. I miss those regular get togethers with the gang - being able to hang out, relax, enjoy the injokes and venting sessions. Not to say that I don't have some of that here, but once you've got 7+ years of history with people (and yes, it's been that long and just thinking about it makes me feel old) then some reactions become natural and some things no longer have to be said. I miss navel gazing conversation and reflection, finding that wavelength where, over a good coffee, you can just meander through your current reality and choices and issues. I miss having a certain reputation and not having to project quite so much.

I don't mind mixing it up at the pub now and then, but I don't like the feeling of sameness that starts to set in after a while. The same people in the same place with the same vibe. It's some times a bit monotyped here. Like the mountain attracts a certain kind of youth and they're all cloned from the same template. It can be a little two-dimensional. Conversations superficially rotate around the same questions and the same topics. No wonder some of these kids drink so much! Unfortunately I can't even do the wise little man meditating on the hill thing here, it's just too cold! (So to answer the question of all you punters out there, no I haven't really gained any weight. Even with the extra helpings of lard!)

Then there are little things, like missing food - less sugared bread, less processed goods, more fresh fruit and vege. The chocolate isn't as creamy and the cream is more sweet. The milk is rated by percentage and the cheese is orange!

But all of that said, I like the fresh air here and the snow. The skiing is great and I'm enjoying meeting new people and hearing different stories. I like the idea of travelling and seeing new things, new experiences in new places (well, new places for me). I enjoy the challenge of adapting and finding my way and finding how I fit into a new place. It's a challenge and I'm working my way in and out of comfort zones... and somehow that's all good for me.

So, yes - I miss bits of home, but that doesn't stop me from enjoying where I am now. I guess when that novelty starts to fray I'll be running for home, but right now I think I'm looking forward to what happens next.


A Rant On... Parents
In my current role as a ticket facilitations operative I have had an increase in the parental interactions (both in duration and volume) that I have had to undergo. Which considering, really isn’t so strange. Back at home I only ever underwent the parental interview infrequently, the gals I was seeing tending to have passed that requirement of immediate parental approval. I’ve never been met by a shotgun (been seeing the wrong gals?), although I came close to the meat cleaver once or twice.

Now I’m on the other side of the counter, serving parents and their brood. Some days it’s not so bad, I can fall into inane banter and even drop some good comments now and then. Really lips smackers. But often it is just painful. You wonder how these people could breed, how they could do such a thing to the gene pool!

Parents and kids? Echoes back to my final year (good ol' 98):
"And all the stupid people are breeding; Cretins cloning and feedings; And I don't even own a TV..." (thank you Harvey Danger)

Not to get scientific, but lately I can’t help but think that Darwin's theory of natural selection (or whatever it was that he was nattering about in "Origin of Species"... to tell the truth even the pictures got a bit boring after a while) is today defunct. It's total hogwash. Somehow we’ve got on top of the food chain and then decided to just change the rules. (I read once upon a time that the laws of physics aren’t necessarily stable but can change at any time. They aren’t actually immutable but just as changeable as anything else in our environment. Not that I totally understand the theory behind it, but to me that’s some pretty freaky stuff. Worth losing sleep over? Well, explains those dreams where I’m just falling and falling and... Anyway I was saying...)

Today's society molly-coddles the population with warnings and legal protections and threats to sue. We perpetuate the existence of people without survival instinct, intelligence or tact. Heck if you want examples just look at daytime TV (we get a lot of Jerry Springer over here)! So of course when you go to a resort setting with lots of families (inherited wealth of just an extreme case of Murphy's law?) you can expect to be greeted by a manangerie of these genetic misfits.

How do I deal with it personally? I think not so nice thoughts, smile a lot, pretend to make cow eyes at the moustached mothers, restrain myself from slapping their spawn and make sure I charge them full price. Hell, upsell if possible. In fact, I'm starting to see how the North American sales mentality got started. Sad but true. It’s not that this place is getting to me, I just consider this part of my life learning. I can now return home an embittered but wiser man.


8 Weeks Into Eternity
So I'm almost through my second month abroad, although most of that time seems to have been spent sitting in that infernal skating rink smiling at peroxide mothers from Australia and their drooling cross-eyed brood... all for $8/hr. But I've only got another 3 months of this to look forward to (or is that endure?) before I travel more broadly.

What have I got to look forward to this year? Right now I'm looking forward to seeing more of Western Canada – perhaps spend a week in Vancouver then visit Victoria (south of Van) and Tofino (surf and views, I guess the Byron Bay of BC [British Columbia]). From there I will hopefully have the cash to travel over the border to Seattle and then down to San Francisco. Nick has mentioned Vegas as a possibility (show girls and neon signs, but I draw the line at having a shotgun wedding!) before finding my way over to Toronto.

I’m thinking that I’d like to experience some of the ‘real’ Canada. Living on a resort is kind of artificial, especially when you’re surrounded by young Aussies who are here to play in the snow and drink copious amounts of alcohol. So the idea of settling somewhere and working for 6 months is quite attractive.

But what will I be working at? I’ve been thinking that perhaps I'll become a professional muse... or maybe I could start a career in door-to-door vacuum sales… I wonder if there’s much demand for chimney sweeps? I'm open to sugestions. After that... we'll see what happens. Perhaps a visit to London might be in order - I hear it's a nice place to visit... for a while. That’s if I could come to terms with the weather.

20 January 2006 (Friday)

A Brief Update
I’ve spent the better part of this week hobbling around, my left knee injured in an unfortunate skiing mishap. (I wonder if the furrow I made is still there?) Of course, this hasn’t managed to cramp either my working or social lives, but it’s still been an annoying impediment. Bragging rights compensate a little, but people have been too busy skiing to spare any real sympathy ;)

As far as the mountain goes, it has continued to be relatively quiet, with regular snowfall continuing to build our snowbase. Last night we scored another 14cm, and the forecast is for more of the same for the coming days.

Big White news:

• The job market: As the trickle of employees leaving the mountain increases we are getting more and more jobs being advertised (just checkout http://www.bigwhite.com!). This week we had another hire in tickets and Steve has suggested that he’s lining up another. I wonder if he’s aware of . . .
• New skis: Dave is the proud owner of a new set of Rossignol Z5s. He’s officially christened them on the Easter Chutes down the back of the Bullet / Black Forest (although Dave would claim that the christening occurred when he licked them, but I won’t go there).
• Silverstar bus: There is a free greyhound bus for staff running to Silverstar on Monday. My knee is still a bit stiff, but I’m considering signing up, assuming there are spaces left. Could be a good day out. Dave made it the other week and he said that the runs were steeper but more haphazard. Hmmm…

14 January, 2006 (Saturday)
Popped my head out into a brilliant morning – the sky was clear and there was a mountain of fresh powder gathered on our balcony. I immediately set out to getting myself functional and within half an hour headed out with Josh to make some fresh tracks.

Fresh tracks
Of course, being a Saturday we had lots of tourists and locals heading up to spend their weekend in snow-covered bliss. Weekends tend to be busy on-mountain as it is, and this brilliant Saturday was no exception. There was a ten-minute wait on the Ridge quad-chair and a further 20 minute on the Powder tri-chair. On the way down to Powder Josh and I glided through the trees off Serwa’s, getting stuck in hip deep powder stashes and making new tracks. The trees were clothed in thick white, and the snow was light and fluffy, requiring some pace to avoid getting bogged down.

Powder Keg was (reliably) fantastic, its steep sides a little tracked but still relatively even. We both flew down, making small turns and hardly bleeding off any speed. At the chair, even the singles line took a long time to move along. The view once on the lift was breath-taking. If you were feeling a bit imaginative you could make out figures and shapes in the snow-covered trees. I saw a pirate with a parrot on his shoulder and a pair of sumo wrestlers facing off. Weird.

Pelted down Corkscrew, which was much more manageable with the rocks and big bumps smoothed out by snowfall. I then ran off Corkscrew into Blackout and then into Gem via the Ogo Slow cat trail. No major falls, although parts of both runs got hairy with steeper gradient slopes and out-hanging tree branches.

Gem Delay
The Gem was packed out, a swarming mass of humanity slipping and sliding their way along. Joining the lift line it took a few minutes to realize that things didn’t seem to be moving. Indeed after ten minutes we came to the conclusion that the lift was spending more time stationary than moving people along.

At first we assumed it was just bad lift management, but as we got closer the story filtered through that in fact it was a technical issue with the lifts themselves. Apparently the sun and warmth was melting ice at the top of the lift towers, which was breaking off icicles that were in turn interfering with the safety forks. The forks ensure that the lift lines are holding, so each time an icicle broke and fell the fork assumed that the lift line had been cut and stopped the lift. Resetting the forks is a manual process, so each time it occurred a maintenance guy on a skidoo had to race down to the tower, climb up and fix the fork before they could start the lift again.

Anyway, as a result of this technical glitch the line hardly seemed to move and I spent a goodly 50 minutes standing in line, getting increasingly impatient as I was due into the Lift Tickets office by 1pm for my afternoon Cabin shift.

Eventually we managed to get on the lift, which only stopped once (and then briefly) on the way up. Up top it was chilly (as you’d expect from the top of a mountain) but clear. Awe inspiring snow-capped vistas and low hanging cloud had me freezing my fingers as I brought the camera out.

The Playground
Josh and I dropped off the lip of the back of Gem into a double black called Playground. It had a few steep drops, followed by a sharply curved funnel. A few stray rocks were still jutting out and the narrowness of the run precluded leisurely turning. So as Josh edged his way down I got impatient and took it at a decent speed. Going down I managed to get bogged only once or twice in the hip thick powder (avoiding other more cautious punters). From there we dropped into the Falcon Chair and made our way to the Ridge and then down to the main Village. A hurried change and I managed to make it into work with a few minutes to spare.

The evening at the cabin was steadily busy. Jared and Morgan (lifties) popped in to chat a few times. A quick night with few hassles.


15 January, 2006 (Sunday)
Kelowna
I had booked with Jae to catch the staff shuttle down into Kelowna to do a touch of shopping and maybe have lunch with Trish (if she was about and able to separate herself from the books). The bus left promptly at 9am with the hour drive absorbed by the movie Dodgeball.

Kelowna was quiet on a Sunday, with most of the shops still closed when I did my first round of Orchard Plaza at 10am. Jae and I ended up at Chapters, the local book chain, where indulged myself and stocked up on a half-dozen gems, most of them pulp. To round off my nerd shopping I popped into Future Shop (like Harvey Norman).

Trish met up with us at 1pm and we lunched at a local restaurant - Whitespot. After a quick meal we split, with Trish generously offering Jae a lift to the airport to greet and pickup his friend who had just arrived. I made my way back up with a loaded bag to Big White.

Tickets Party
The Big White Tickets crew were booked in at Happy Valley Day Lodge for afternoon ‘appreciation’ drinks at 4pm. Most of the crew had by this time recovered from the flu and were raring for a night out. Rolling out of the shopping bus I hurried into the skating rentals area and looked to see who was about.

Tanya, Gabbi, Tim and myself were seated and waiting for the alcohol to flow right on 4pm. The rest of the group trickled in soon after, with Steve and Zia dragging a full plastic bag of mystery items. These turned out to be our Big White staff hats, which came at the price of sitting through the usual listing of ticketing dos and don’ts. Rivetting.

A few jugs of beer and a pile of multi-hued nachos later (courtesy of Steve, our glorious leader) we were finding our own way to the bar to restock. The department bar tab lasted only a few rounds and everybody was ready to blow off a bit of steam. The rest of the night blurred into mixing it up at Happy Valley. At one point I popped down to the skating rentals area to see if Sam needed any help (she was left to hold the fort, being the newest recruit), but soon found my way back upstairs.

From Happy Valley the majority of the group found their way to Sam’s (as you’d expect). On the way back to the apartment to drop off my backpack load of shopping I found my way into 306 who were eating cake for Luke’s birthday. The cake was tasty.

Back at Sam’s Sarah and Tim were partying it up hard, with Tim flashing the camera at any opportunity. The end of the night found everybody strutting their stuff on a packed dance floor. A good but expensive night out with the crew. Is that what living on a ski resort is supposed to be about?


16 January, 2006 (Monday)
Being my second day off of course I slept in. When I rose it looked a little foggy out, but Josh soon persuaded me that I needed to get on the slopes. We did a few warm-up runs before meeting up with Commissionaire Jess. (I’d first met Jess outside Sam’s one night, boarding down the icy hill into the main village. She offered me a go and I promptly stacked it. Three tries later I made it two-thirds of the way down, but the dog was still doing better. Since then I’ve ran into her on a couple of occasions, including New Years when she cleared out the Moguls party and one day at Happy where she inquired about our Avalanche Awareness weekend.)

With visibility still average we ended up riding through the Black Forest, cutting through trees and jumping between runs. I only lasted an hour and a half before begging out on account of tiredness. Josh and Jess kept on going on.

Back at home I did the usual ‘Ben the house mom’ act, cleaning up and making the place smell nice. It’s amazing how long things can be left around with nobody making an attempt to clean up. Heck, since I’ve been here I think we’ve vacuumed once, and I’m pretty sure that my full bathroom job on Christmas day is the only time it’s been done from bath to bench top. Yes, it’s hard having a defined standard in cleanliness.

In the afternoon Josh, Jae and I helped out Jerry (the apartment caretaker) clear the roof of snow. The Ptarmigan has a flat roof, perhaps a legacy of the mid-70s design, which requires regular clearing. As such, we can access the roof via a ladder and access hatch in our back stairwell.

Jerry had us variously break up packed snow, clear the cornices and shovel snow off the top. Meanwhile he wandered the roof with his trusty snowblower launching big gouts of snow up and onto the three metre high (and building) snow bank to the side of our building. We were warned not to get too close to the edge as, 3 stories up, it is a long drop down. Jae however, in a fit of enthustic shovelling, managed to throw a plastic shovel off the top (but thankfully not himself). Luckily nobody was walking underneath at the time.

It was an intense hour and a half of work, but we managed to clear a goodly part of the build-up. Of course, next snowfall we can expect more of the same. I have to admit that there is something satisfying about the sound of a shovel full of snow hitting the ground 14 metres below you. The sliding sound as it leaves your shovel and the solid whumph as it impacts brings a big cheery grin to my face. All part of the Canadian experience I guess.

That night we had guests. Amy and Mel, a pair of sisters from Sydney who used to live down the corridor, dropped down for some chips and conversation which extended to dinner. Jae and I owed them a dinner in any case, having imposed on their hospitality at their SnowPines house the other week. From dinner (Jae cooking – pasta, tomato-based sauce with mushrooms and garlic honey chicken) we went to dessert (my treat!) with apple strudel, pancakes and an aborted attempt at brownies (sorry Mel!). We finished late into the night after more chatting.


17 January, 2006 (Tuesday)
The day started with thick fog early on. I closed my eyes, only to open them an hour later to a beautiful day. The fog had burnt off to reveal an open sky and still day. So of course in Big White Ptarmigan Inn apartment 311 tradition I went out with Josh, with the intention of catching Tanya at Gem.

The usual routine
As usual we went up the Rocket and then down Powder Keg. From the Powder chair I got a bit adventurous and skied fast down two quick drops and off a jump to land on my back in thick powder. Got to learn how to stick those!

We bumped down Corkscrew and then peeled off left into the glades; spaced trees in untracked hip-deep powder. Dodging in and out both Josh and I found ourselves stuck more than a few times before popping back onto the main run.

Leading off Corkscrew we bumped down Blackout. Going at speed I leaned in, hitting a v-shaped gully. Going downslope was fun, however with my weight still forward I impacted on the upslopes and came over my skis. Most of the force collected into my left knee, compacting the joint and leaving me rolling in agony. Josh came by and, being the sympathetic soul that he is, started laughing. When he’d finished he asked if I was alright. “No. It hurts. A lot.”

I limped the rest of the way home (thankfully not as steep or nasty), down Gem then Green runned it into the village. Movement kept the joint functional, but it still throbbed most of the way down. Back at the apartment I settled myself in, ate and then gimped my way to Happy Valley for my evening shift.

Pimping it up
Back home at 9:30pm, I’d only got in the door when Mel and Amy rang the buzzer. No sooner had I let them in than Josh arose, bleary eyed but ready to spiff it up for Sam’s annual “Pimps & Ho’s night”. Josh dressed in all black while I donned my green and red bowling shoes, got my leather jacket out of the cupboard, slicked my hair back with a criminal amount of product and flipped out my rose coloured pimp glasses (a great investment).

We arrived outside Sam’s at 10:30 to a line up outside the door. It was cold out and we huddled close, the girls not really clothed for sub-zero temperatures. It was freezing. Literally.

After only 5 minutes we managed to weasel our way inside the foyer, but spent the next 45 minutes waiting to get in to the bar (held back by egotistical bouncesr on the pretence of the bar reaching capacity). The crowd behind us had a bit too much alcohol and testosterone going, boisterously pushing, yelling and proving how annoying they could be. Despite pushing, yelling and hassling the bouncers they managed to get a few of their number in before us. We passed Dave who was on his way out – he wasn’t overly impressed by the party. Too much of the same apparently, although I believe that was his sixth night straight.

When we finally got in it was past 11pm. The freaks were out in force, with some guys taking the occasion as an excuse to dress up in drag (smudged lipstick with a 5 o’clock shadow has never been considered attractive as far as I know). There were also a lot of people about who had obviously not even bothered. The place was definitely not at capacity, with the back smoking room, front side and pool table areas practically empty. While it’s likely that the bouncers were still smarting from Sam’s being fined the past weekend for exceeding capacity and under-age drinkers, they could at least have made an effort to regulate the lines more effectively. Too busy playing with the hair I guess, eh Jessie?

Quite a few girls wandering around in little more than eye liner and makeup. Guys tend to either go for bling (there was a guy wandering around with an over-sized clock) or bath robes. I think Heff would take offense if he thought he was categorized as a pimp. (I always thought of him as more a gentleman of leisure than a pimp.) Still, lots of familiar faces were about. I circulated for the night, moving between groups of mountain people.

We stayed until close. There was some mention of after parties, but they were slow to move. Amy ended up coming back to our place for pancakes. The three of us sat around the kitchen table and talked about home, family and relationships until about 2:30am. Then we all crashed out.


18 January, 2006 (Wednesday)
Due in for 8am at Happy. I cooked a quick breakfast of bacon and eggs (been missing those fried breakfasts) and ran out the door.

Happy was relatively quiet. A nice shift, although the day sometimes drags when it’s like that. For a change I had a quiet night. The whole house was still tired from the night before.


19 January, 2006 (Thursday)
Started my 8am shift at the Village, but Jess had called in sick (again!), so at 8:30 I was sent down to the Ridge. It was cold and snowing outside, and my first Ridge shift that I hadn’t skied down. Usually ticket staff walk down Hummingbird, the main run down to the Ridge Rocket, but I decided to trek through the side of the village and down. The trek through the deepening snow was cold and slippery, but I made it in 10 minutes.

I had time to setup and get comfortable before the rush came. Coopers vouchers were at a premium (a discount voucher available in Kelowna which provides a day ticket at a $13 discount to buying on mountain – very popular with locals). The day passed steadily. I had a group from Hawaii purchase tickets as well as a variety of locals and visitors from Washington State (Seattle way) and Ontario (Toronto way).

I balanced.


20 January, 2006 (Friday)
Just another day. Slept in and eventually found my way over to 306 to do the online essentials.

I made it to my cabin shift in the afternoon. It was a quiet evening with Freaky Friday unleashed. Only a few families and the odd group of youths. I managed to get a few pages through my book between chatting to the lifties who work the tube park. Seems like Jared (who runs the lifties at the tub park) will be staying around for a bit longer. Apparently due to liability concerns Big White does not condone any use of sleds or toboggans on the mountain. We’re big on liability here.

Morgan: Morgan is a local who works in the Tube Park. He’s of average height and medium build with round rimmed glasses and dreadlocks. Overall his look is somewhere between Rastafarian and gun snowboarder. This is Morgan’s second season here at the Big White working lifts. He’s generally allocated out to the mini-snowmobiles (known around here as ‘Mini Zs’) which he seems pretty happy about, it is, as he puts it, “pretty chill”.
Morgan belongs to a local snowboarding group called the ‘Renegades’. They’re pretty well known in these parts for being snowboarders par excellence, and have recently released their own video (with a big launch party earlier in the season at Raakels).
I often find myself chatting to Morgan when I’m working the tubing cabin. Most week days it isn’t too busy with the Mini Zs so he likes to pop into the cabin and cram packet French Fries into his face.
The other week Morgan shared with me his philosophy of snowboarding. He claims to meditate prior to boarding each day, and likes to load himself up with lots of positive energy prior to getting out on snow (this is done by ingesting a lot of sugar and red bull). On the snow Morgan claims to be searching for some sort of zen, mind / no-mind, state when he is snowboarding. A place where he is only acting and that he is “one” with his snowboard. To assist this he abstains from alcohol and substances which may interfere with his quest for snowboarding nirvana.

After my shift finished I found myself with the Ptarmigan Regulars (Dave, Liz and Caleb) at Sam’s. We lasted until 12:30am then went our separate ways. Dave was a little tired.

13 January, 2006 (Friday)

A brief update
Another day, another 17cm of snow. I woke up this morning to another day of the Big White Out. The thick fog-cloud was back and I could barely make out the Village Centre from our windows. On the balcony the snowbank had grown again and it was still snowing. When does it end? Obviously not in mid-January, that's for sure.

Another day at Happy Valley. They requested that we find out where people were coming from each time we sold a lift ticket. Apparently it's in response to an increase in local Big White advertising.

Michael J mate, just between you and me I don't think that throwing more money at Silk FM is going to get a decent return on your advertising dollar. For one, I don't think you've got the right target audience because nobody in their right mind listens to that trash, and for a second if you were to target anywhere (beyond Getaway in Australia - apparently you're doing okay with 85% of the Australian overseas skiing holiday market in Canada) wouldn't you hit a wider demographic rather than your captive local audience? But hey, I'm not marketing guru so what do I really know? By the way, love the white boots. Very trademark. Very authentic.

Overall a steady day. The rink was open, but quiet. A fair bit of interest in our Five Dollar Friday deal (the Friday Night Special) where you can night ski on our hill for $5 (before tax), with rentals only another $10. Bargain! A big hit with the locals. I also managed to finish my latest trash novel and start a shopping list for Sunday's adventure to Kelowna. I was even able to start in on another postcard. Very intense.

The highlight was spending my $12 lunch voucher that I scored the other week for doing a 13 hour shift (return to Happy Valley). Unfortunately the $12 doesn't take in the 50% staff discount that you normally get at the cafeteria, so in reality it's more of a $6 lunch voucher. Not quite so impressive. I ended up spending big, with $3.01 excess being deducted from my bank account. What did I get for my $15? A mozza chicken burger, 591mL bottle of pink grapefruit juice and a muffin. The chicken burger was good. I'm not sure how that makes $15 of value though.


Worth 1000 words?
1. View from Ridge TicketsThis is the view from the side window of the Ridge Ticket office. On a fine day you can see all the way up to the peak of the Ridge. Off to the right is the lift, which can get some pretty big crowds during peak season. At the worst after Christmas there were lines which took half an hour to get through. Brutal.

2. Gondola View
Lara's Gondola is the only real option to ride down from the Village Centre to Happy Valley. The yellow pods aren't heated however, which can mean for a chilly morning or evening ride. The fact that people have added to this deficiency by knocking out the windows over New Years doesn't help either. Still, they look pretty drifting up and down the mountain all day. Who'd believe that they took $3.5M to install a few years ago. You'd think for that price that they'd be able to give you a softer landing at the end.

3. Ridge Rocket SunshineThe Rocket was one of the first lifts to open this season and is one of the main gateways to the West side of the mountain (Powder Keg ho!). It's a nice quad lift with great views right out through the valley. The Rocket runs relatively steadily with few breakdowns, although being located so close to the main beginner runs it often stops as neophyte snowboarders eat snow at the disembarkation point. The Rocket is a favourite of Jae's who seems hell-bent on facing down his arch nemisis Highway 33 for the rest of the season. Jae, move on before it eats you - you can't beat a mountain!

4. Ticket tarts
This is a quartet of our Big White ticketing staff at our Sam's White-On-White party, just before Christmas. On the left is Sarah (I think that's a vodka in hand) , Tim (definitely a beer), Tanya (no she's not getting married, it's just some kind of white head dress she donned for the night... or perhaps she does have Muriel moments?) and myself. It was a good night, big crowd. Lots of fun. As a group we too often find ourselves congregating at Sam's, along with Kate and Precious (it's her last name so that's what we call her!).
Sam's... where everybody knows your name...

5. The housemates: Dave
This is a classic picture of Dave, brew in hand. It was taken at Raakel's pub one night in the first few weeks after I arrived. Dave likes a beer (or jug full), although I think he misses the Australian schooner glasses.

Raakel's, like most of the pubs that I've found in Canada, has a big screen which often shows the night's hockey game. It also has a twin pair of pool tables and a dance floor hidden up the back (along with more than a few dark corners). These days Raakel's only seems to fill when the tourists are in town of a weekend. The rest of the week it is relatively dead. When I was in there last week it was just two groups playing pool and three people in the smoking room. Busy night.

6. The housemates: JoshThis is a self-portrait by Josh on the White-On-White night. He's wearing my pink pimp glasses (I wonder where they are right now?) and his trademark beanie. Josh often comes out for a drink of a night, but tends to disappear just short of midnight due to his shift hours. Of course, that doesn't stop him from partying it up. His posting at the Inn at Big White seems to be a venue for all sorts of shenanigans - we've had stories of midnight propositions, pole dancing in the foyer and odd hour disturbances. I guess it makes the night go more quickly.

7. Big White Christmas party
This shot is of Josh feeding the moose. The moose sits on the upper floor of the Happy Valley Day Lodge, just past the bar. It takes pride of place on the wall and tends to keep pretty quiet most of the time. Earlier in the night the moose was ridden by a diminutive blonde who later allegedly christened one of the Gondola pods. Nice claim to fame.

12 January, 2006 (Thursday)

A brief update
A quieter week. The festive season crowds have gone off back to wherever they were spawned, so it's just locals and a few stray Australians on holiday. This means that the mountain is back in the hands of the employees (well, until the weekend) and that the lift lines are once again straight through. No mid-run campers. No packed out Village Centre Mall (VCM). Everybody seems more relaxed. Smiling. Things are as they should be. Pity it's putting me to sleep at work.


Big White news:

• Snow is in for the season! Regular snow fall has meant that the alpine base has grown about 60cm in the past week. We're expecting more snow in the next couple of days, which means that the last remaining chair lift (the Falcon Chair) should open soon. I still haven't made it to the Cliff yet!
• Emptying the mountain: All of the Australian university students working on the mountain will start peeling off in the next month or so. Since New Years we've had a few leave, which has meant that despite the crowds receding there has been a bit of a recruitment drive going on-mountain. Could be a good time to start seeing what's available in the job market around here. How much is my pound of flesh worth?
  
• Count down to Australia Day: It isn't even mid-January, but people are already talking about their Australia Day plans. They've all started airing their flags, ordering their tim-tams and reminiscing about good times with cases of VB and BBQ-ed hunks of meat. I can feel that it's going to get downright patriotic around here soon. Which is kind of funny, because I've never really considered Australians to be particularly patriotic (in the North American sense in any case). I guess that's what happens when you go abroad.

Snow report:
Snow cover: 3cm overnight, with an alpine base of around 179cm. We're almost hitting the 2m mark with conditions improving day-on-day.
Visibility: Varies, although I've noticed that most days that I'm off work you can't make out your own hand. The last few days have been clear in the morning up-top with some great skiing to be had. This afternoon coming down Highway 33 from The Ridge I once again couldn't see my hand in front of my face, let alone the bumps in front of my skis.


10 January, 2006 (Tuesday)
Back to work. It was a quiet day in Happy Valley. Quiet? Okay silent. With 14cm of snow overnight and the rink operator calling in sick, the skating rink wasn't opened until 3:30pm. I took a total of $13.86 for the whole day (plus $US20). At one point I thought I might end up negative after float. On the positive side I managed to balance.

Tuesday night was staff night at Sam's. Everybody was back and in great cheer. I think we've all been taking it a bit easier since New Years. Aenne was out with Per (her boyfriend) and his sister Liza who is visiting from Germany. Gabbi was flashing her high heels around (she hasn't been out for at least a month after suffering a kidney infection and then the flu) and kicking it up on the dance floor (Picture: Gabbi and I). Tanya was hunting some guy in a tight white shirt and not taking kindly to my offerings of moral support - "Come on Tan, get in there! What are you doing? Don't hold back. Hit hard and fast! Do it for the team!". Sarah and Anthea were hanging out and drinking long island iced teas (except they don't make them right over here. In these parts it's a single shot drink with lots of ice and cola). Chris, our neighbour was just out for a good night.

Josh and I had a few drinks then decided to get creative with shots. I ordered a round of liquid cocaine, a favourite of bar gal Sarah (Chloe's sister), which tastes of rancid cane sugar and has a bit of a kick. Josh said we had to have vulcan mindprobes (love the Star Trek references), which contain some sort of mix of vodka and white curacao. Fun, fun, fun. Home by midnight.

11 January, 2006 (Wednesday)
Back again to Happy Valley. Thank goodness Josh brought me back some pulp from his shopping expedition the day before. I spent most of the day reading the book and looking attentive whenever customers came to buy tickets. The rink opened at midday and we had a school group come through. I was out by 4pm, trying to psyche myself for the night ahead.

The employees of the month gathered at the front of Central Reservations at quarter to 5, all ready for a night of bowling badness. We were directed onto a greyhound type bus and before we knew it were winding our way down to Kelowna. (Picture: James and I at the bowling alley)

In all there was about a dozen of us - Carmen (Central Res), Nick (Retail), Pez (Rentals), James and Neal (Lifties - James is with Kiwi Kate and Neal is with Gabbi, both from Tickets), Christian (Ski School), Karyn (Kid's Centre), Sue (Slope Watch / Ski Patrol), Lauren (Carvers), Will (Guest Services) and a few others. Jay Hayashi, General Manager for Mountain Operations, was our host for the night. The deal was all we could eat, drink and bowl at Freddy's, a local restaurant / bowling alley. The bus was due to arrive at 6pm sharp and leave at 10pm. No stragglers.

Dinner was a lot of fun. 20 of us sprawled over two tables in Freddy's (we picked up some additionals when we hit Kelowna). Jay ordered up entrees and we got a huge yard-glass like contraption of Kokanee brew. It held 42oz and took up a quarter of a table. During the course of the night we managed to drain 3 of these between 9 of us. Most of us ordered surf and turf (medium rarefor me - I like to taste the meat), but were initially kept busy by the large platters of entrees - fried jalepenos, garlic bread, chicken wings (a Canadian tradition?), carrots, celery, pasties and a selection of other fried delicacies.

Dessert were a round of Jager-bombs (Jagermeister shots dumped in Red Bull) and cheese cake. Pez suggested we start on Corona's, which became our staple for the rest of the night.

Wednesday night is cosmic bowling at Freddy's, so the lights were flashing and music blaring as we took over a corner of the bowling alley. I was on with Jay, Nick, Pez, James and Neal. Somebody had the bright idea that we have a shot with every strike, so within two rounds we were all pretty merrily on our way. There was a lot of shouting and backslapping and high fiving as we gutter-balled our way through our first round of ten. Nick had obviously bowled before, getting a good number of strikes. I acquitted myself respectably, breaking 100, although I was too inconsistent to make the most of my strikes. We shotted our way through a variety of ill-named shots, from Dirty Hookers to Cowboys. The Corona's helped wash down the taste, but I'm pretty sure we were behind at the end of the first round.

By the second game things started to get a little more ragged. Still lots of shouting and high fiving, but consistency was suffering. Somewhere along the way people started changing the names on the board. Jay became "The Boss", Nick "Tin Ass" and Pez "Snozberry". I changed Neal to "Nil" and I became first "Farva" and then "Feckles". We were in hysterics.

At the end of the night we fled the alley, Carmen and I having secured the new bowling shoes that they'd loaned us. Intoxicated petty thievery has a certain charm. Apparently the final bar bill was in the region of $3000, between 20 of us, although I suspect that this included dinner and bowling as well.

On the way back I just slept (still recovering from the flu), although the others were still partying it up - singing and insisting on visiting a bottle-o. They all got out and bought six packs of beer. Somewhere along the line we stopped and everybody got out. I naturally assumed that we'd arrived back at Big White, but I was mistaken. It was a toilet stop. All the guys were facing into snowbanks, deep in concentration. Woops! Class. All class.

We arrived back on the mountain around 11:30pm. I was tired and gutted so headed straight home. Apparently the stalwart few made it to Sam's and lasted until closing. I saw Neal the next morning and he was looking worse for wear. Myself, I emptied my pockets and crashed out. Woke refreshed and bright eyed for the Ridge. Go figure.

12 January, 2006 (Thursday)
Today was a Ridge day. Got in around 10 to 8 at The Village and met our newest recruit, Sam. Zia recruited her two days ago and she's just settling in. Sam: Tall, raven haired, a nose ring but doesn't ooze attitude like our Jo used to.

Skiied down to The Ridge as usual (yes Carla, it's worth the effort!) and settled in for a quiet day. It was a clear morning (you could see all the way to the top), but started to get blowy as the afternoon progressed. I processed a respectable $400 in cash (about four times that in credit and debit) and did some work on packing down the snow in front of our ticket office in the afternoon. The ski down Highway 33 back to the Village was the usual "I can't see anything" affair. I bumped down blind but managed not to collect anything.

Back at the office Steve let me know that I'd scored a few night shifts for the next week and would have Sunday and Monday off again. Almost the weekend!

11 January, 2006 (Wednesday)

Been a while
To start with – yes, it has been a while, apologies for my absence. Unfortunately the last two weeks have escaped me, and not by my own choice. I have been waylaid by the peak season here at the resort, by snowfall (at least that’s meant good skiing… well, at times), by variable internet access and most recently by a killer flu.

But I’m back and trying to catch up… and some how amongst it all a new year has dawned. So, Happy New Year! Hoping that the new year has been kind to you thus far. I’m still trying to make heads and tails of mine…

Toiling under the chipmunk music
Here at Big White Ski Resort (tm) peak season runs from just before Christmas through to the week following New Years. The whole resort goes into overdrive as we reach bed capacity (approximately 15,000 heads), lift capacity and sleep deprivation capacity. It’s a tough run, even more so with department staffing that offers very little leeway for misadventure.

Our Big White ticketing department has been run ragged, with attrition (sickness and patience) stretching us thin. Long hours become the norm, with few (if any) rest days. Immune systems get run down. Bags accumulate under the eyes and grumbling reaches new heights.

During this period I averaged just over 50 hours a week, mainly in split (8am-11am then 4pm to close) and evening (1pm to close) shifts. This has made for some pretty long days, often not finishing up until close to 10pm. Split shifts have some compensation though. It usually means middle of the day skiing, which isn’t all bad.

Trying to rationalize my need to get out middle of the day, I think it’s almost as though I feel a need to maximize my on-snow time to compensate for the fact that I’m working two separate ends. I guess the thrifty side of me is just trying to get the most out of that season’s pass and the investment I’ve made in my new ski gear. Not that the snow conditions have been bad at all. Well, the first few weeks were painful visibility-wise, but things have since improved. Anyway, I’ve worked 10-days straight and basically run myself to the bone for my $6 after tax.

Among my achievements for this period were a 13-hours straight day, and working Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Years Eve and New Years, and selling lots of lift, tubing and skating tickets. Holiday season, sorry?

The last week things have unfortunately failed to ease, with two employees leaving right on New Years day. Jo just put her foot down and said she wasn’t here to work 40-hours a week, while Kasia found her way into the drunk tank in Kelowna on New Years and never surfaced again. Added to this is a killer flu which has left half the mountain staff with big hacking coughs (put me down as Exhibit A). Through all of this, January has arrived with some big big snow days.

Last Monday (2 January, 2006) was what we refer to here as a “mega powder day”, with 20cm of fresh snowfall overnight. The pines were cloaked in white, their long branches bending under the weight of the new snow. The ski runs looked soft under their fresh blanket, all rounded bumps and deceptive drops. Skiing through it was a challenge, easily getting bogged if you lacked momentum or timing. My thighs were sore halfway down the mountain with all the turning. Let’s not talk about the bit where I got my skis tangled flying down a cat trail, ending up limbs akimbo face down with my skis embedded half a metre in a powder drift. Poetry in powder.

A New Year
There is something about a new year that excites me. I think part of it is the whole idea of new beginnings and fresh starts. I’m fascinated by the idea that, with the turning of a new day, suddenly I can be free of all that old dross that I’ve been dragging along behind me for so long.

There’s an un-deniable attraction to the idea of a clean slate. To being able to wake with a few new resolutions and the feeling that you can do things differently, start afresh and just re-align. Perhaps it is an artificial imposition, but it’s one that works. All of that said, this year kind of crept up out of nowhere. The days are blending here and somewhere along the way a new year dawned and I had no resolutions let alone a slate handy that I could clean. Any suggestions for resolutions out there?


29 December, 2005 (Thursday)
Today felt like a Friday. Although with the whole Big White time warp that isn’t a big shock. Started shift at 8am at Happy Valley with Kasia (our favourite Victorian islander). The first quarter of an hour was relatively quiet, then the customers started coming. From 8:15am through to 3pm it was flat out, without an opportunity to eat or drink, let alone dodge out for a washroom break. Lines were winding out the door, with a few irate customers complaining that 28 minutes in line was a North American ski record. Wingers.

I honestly don’t know how many credit cards I put through, but it was steady to frantic for most of the shift. Somewhere around 3pm Steve (the glorious leader) gave me a call. I was stuck with customers so kept him waiting for 5 minutes, which didn’t please him at all. Aenne had called in sick – her boyfriend’s cousin had had a snowboarding accident and broken her back, so she was headed down to Kelowna to make sure that she was okay. Which mean that we were a person short in Happy Valley. Steve was just calling to see if I’d be willing to work back to 8pm, depending on demand. Sure, why not? The cough was back with a vengeance after such abuse, so what would a few more hours mean?

I ended up closing at 9:30pm. It was a pretty busy night on the rink. Midway through Sarah was called up to assist at the Village, which left just me and Kate. Thank goodness for Kate – she’s good company. All in all I managed to collect a modest $16,000+ in my 13.5 hours. $2,500 of that in cold hard cash.

Managed to persuade Tanya (who had spent the evening in the Tubing Cabin) out for a drink at Raakel’s (having sworn off Sam’s for a week). We ended up meeting up with her housemates and their newest addition, Kate (from Port Macquarie) who is visiting for a few weeks. Nice timing. The snow is just starting to fall. Walked Tanya home around midnight and then popped in to (the Inn at Big White) visit Josh. Thank goodness I’ve got tomorrow off.


30 December, 2005 (Friday)
Snow report: 5.5cm new snow overnight. Snow base of approximately 110cm.
Ski conditions: Fair to good. Decent coverage with a powdering of new snow.
Visibility: Moderate. Foggy at the top of the Ridge, with intermittent snow fall.

Slept in until 8am and was supposed to meet up with some of Tanya’s housemates to hit the slopes. Unfortunately they’d had a late night so I ended up skiing solo.

Ran down the Ridge Rocket a few times (2 stacks – Perfection was fantastic and Paradise was a bit ugly) in my new helmet, before deciding to try the newly opened Powder Chair – the first set of advanced skiing available on mountain. Powder Keg down into the powder valley was awesome. Steep slopes with wooded sides, fresh powder thick but not too bumpy. The easiest black I’ve done here at Big White.

Lift lines were about 10 minutes wait (although you move through a lot faster here as a single) and before I knew it I was limping down Corkscrew. My poor skis copped a battering with a few hidden rocks and lots of steep bumps. I crashed out a good half dozen times trying to find myself down. Josh called around 10 and we met up at the top of the Ridge. Skied down a good half dozen times, accidentally going off Goat’s Kick (a nasty nasty black with lots of bumps. I managed to do 2 big stacks, including a full contact belly flop losing skis). Tried a few blues, including Whitetail off the Ridge, which provided a picturesque ski through knee deep powder amongst the trees. A few steep gullies, but overall a very enjoyable ride. Packed it in after 3.5 hours, lunching with Josh at Raakel’s Pub. I really needed the Mountain Burger. It tasted so good.

A hot tub and a nap later, prepared a stir fry for dinner then visited some of Dave’s friends at Bumps Hostel (a dodgy joint if ever I saw one!). Half an hour at Sam’s then into bed by 11:30. An early start tomorrow. Gem Lake is supposed to open tomorrow, and I’ve been asked to start 2 hours early – a midday start for me going until 9:30pm. What a way to spend New Years! A few house parties after that. Just hope that I’m in good enough shape to survive it. The cough is back. Yesterday killed me, so now it’s really chesty. Just hope a bit of self-help will make the difference tonight. I’m sure the berocca will help.


31 December, 2005 (Saturday – New Years eve)
I worked the evening at the cabin (as seems to be the pattern of late), and met Sarah, Jo and Precious back at Happy Valley. Within five minutes of closing up the rink we were standing in front of the building, each with our own drink in hand. Security took their own sweet time turning up, so it wasn’t until past 9:30pm that I’d dropped off my float and till into the security box and started getting ready for the night ahead.

It took about 20 minutes to get comfortable and clean, and I didn’t hold back - all my plumage was out – from patterned dyed jeans (not as trendite as they sound), to black long-sleeved shirt and eye-wrenching lime green striped polo. Definitely more style than most of the ski slobs who stand with beer in hand, grunting at one another.

First stop was Kiwi Kate’s party at Powder Ridge, just a short walk from the Ptarmigan to where it quietly nestled away off the road. (Picture: Me, Kate, Lesley, Sarah) The party was already in full swing when I arrived, with a mixture of nationalities filling the house comfortably (at a guess somewhere between two and three dozen). I hung around for a bit, got a few happy snaps with some of the ticket-tarts, chatted to Kate and a few of the others floating around before heading off to the big party on the mountain – Moguls.

Moguls is set behind the Samesun backpackers, about 5 minutes walk up the hill. It’s a large apartment complex, about 10 stories high, with double door security and more class than a lot of the other digs on mountain. The party was being held at 606, a large multi-leveled apartment with high ceilings, open wooden rafters and a great view of the ski village beneath. I knew a few of the hosts – Mel and Ryan from Sydney and Bec and Anthea from friends of friends. Bec is always around Sam’s and when we’re out we always play this game where we stare at each other, then tell the other that we’re watching them. Okay, so I don’t get out that much...

The party was an open invitation affair, with a good 40 or 50 people partying it up when I arrived. People were in various states of disrepair. Dave was already well into it, dressed only in his red sleeveless and board shorts. He wasn’t the only one. Sturdy (better known in our apartment as ‘Wonderboy’ – see Jae’s blog for further clarification) was in his usual form, shirt off and three sheets to the wind. I guess that means that he was having a good night? Some things you just don’t ask questions about.

I wandered in and started the big round of greetings – Caleb (from downstairs. Sturdy's housemate) and Hills (with the Blue-Steel posed season pass photo from my first week at tickets), Liz (Hill’s best friend who Josh and Dave once dumped in the snow mid-hot tub) and Sarah (my skiing friend from retail), Kath (aka ‘Fluff’ from rentals) and Dave (Tanya’s housemate, the thinner twin), Chai (a mate of Dave’s) and Jeff (who runs rentals), Skye and a half dozen others.

Before I knew it, it was ten to midnight and there were fireworks to view in the Village Centre. The crowd was slow to move, so Skye and myself got tired of waiting and made our own way out. We were stumbling down the steps past Sam’s into the main village when it hit midnight.

The hands of the big Village Centre clock swung their way lazily across and suddenly there were fireworks in the air. The Village Centre itself was packed out with bodies, a sea of humanity spanning from the Kid’s Centre across to the Gondola. Clumps and clumps of people had gathered to bring in the New Year and watch the fireworks. We made our way into the middle of it all and watched the multi-hued explosions shouting green and red and blue across the night sky (no pun intended). The fireworks went for a goodly ten minutes. It was quite beautiful.

Afterwards we wandered the mass of people running into friends and acquaintances. The ticketing group were out in force, so I was able to welcome Gabs and Aenne and Kate into the New Year. Skye went and hugged the security guards. After half an hour we decided to make our way back to Moguls and see how the party was going.

When we arrived back in the Commissionaire’s and building security were breaking up the party. They were trying to empty the place of people, and were almost done by the time we arrived back upstairs. We sidled in on the pretence of a ‘missing toque’ and gathered in one of the upstairs bedrooms. Most people were a bit worse for wear, with a group babbling nonsense behind us. After about ten minutes of this we thought we’d try looking for Dave, so made our way next door to ‘Bumps’ (the old hostel). Hills, Liz, Chai and JC were still partying when we got there but no sign of Dave. It was getting on past 1 by this time, so we stayed for a bit then decided to call it a night.

I crashed out at home by 2am. It was a nice night and I’d just had enough. Dave on the other hand wandered in somewhere around quarter to 8 in the morning. He’d apparently found his way down in Trailside after the Gondola closed, and from there he and Jeff apparently joined another party and hit the hot tub. The story goes that they had a few more beers then decided to hike through hip deep snow uphill back to the apartment. I think Dave was a little worse for wear on New Years.

Into the New Year
I worked New Years night at the Cabin again. There were a few families about, and I was getting quite a bit of recognition from repeat visitors. They’d walk in with their brood and greet me by name. Almost as good as a Cheers bar, but without the alcohol and with more kids.

I had Monday off, which was terrific. A huge snow fall the night before and most of the mountain open. Josh and I explored the Gem Lake area with Chris, one of our neighbours. We popped in to visit Tanya in the Gem Lake warming hut and managed to get in some great skiing. Blue Sapphire was beautiful, a wide and steep run framed by trees that seems to just go forever. Powder Keg was thigh deep in fresh powder snow, a few easy turns then straight down the last slope. Kalina’s Rainbow had some great kicks and rises taking a good 20 minutes to half an hour to race down.


Being infected - losing a week
Somewhere along the way I managed to get the flu full-ball. It started with a new twist on the cough and just went into the chest from there. The rest of the week was spent at work or asleep. I went foetal with aches and a fever, off my food and just zombie-ing through my days. I’m not sure how I managed to get through without missing any time off work. Certainly I was processing at sub-optimum levels. The week was a struggle, and I was glad to finally get to Sunday and have a pure day of rest. Of course, by that time I’d slept most of it off.


8 January, 2006 (Monday)
For my second day off I took the liberty of sleeping in. I'm still getting over the flu, so sleep is coming easier lately. I just have to shut my eyes and I'm out like a light. Josh came in around 10am, so somehow I got myself up, did the breakfast essentials and found my way onto the snow.

It felt good to be back in the skis. The first few runs are always rough, with lots of jouncing, but then the knees start to work at absorbing it all. Visibility wasn't terrific, so after a few warming up runs we made our way down to the Black Forest.

Black Forest is the place to be when it's blowy, sleeting or just too foggy / cloud. The narrower treed runs on that side of the mountain tend to cut out the wind and fog / cloud, and the close set trees hold powder stashes that can be fun to ski through. Josh said that he was going to follow my tracks, so we played a game of ski-'follow the leader' where I set the pace, dodging into the trees and between different runs. After an hour we headed over to the Ridge where we met up with our neighbours Chris and Luke. Visibility started to suffer, but we still managed to be out until last runs (at 3:30pm).

Tanya called that afternoon, asking to meet up at the Gondola. When I found my way over she was all dressed up with camera in hand. Apparently the plan was to take some pics, in particular off the Gondola drop and the snowman family next to the main Village Centre. We took a few snaps and popped into work to check our shift times for the week ahead.

While we were there Steve (the glorious leader) said he had some good news for me. Apparently they run an Employee of the Month and for December I'd been nominated. I asked how they decided when everybody was working so hard, and Steve said that it had been a tough choice, but in the end I'd been drawn out of a hat. Good to know I was chosen on firm criteria. The prize was to be dinner, bowling and a few drinks in Kelowna later in the week with recipients from other departments.

Tanya and I popped into the White Crystal Inn for a drink at the Copper Kettle Grille. I hit up the single-malt scotch list again (Auchentoshen this time around - sweeter, almost like a bourbon, but with a mean bite), while Tan had a Pina Colada. We had a quiet chat then went out separate ways. Tan said she might pop around to the apartment later in the night, which she did with her housemate Emma (who is a masseusse - handy skill to have) and visiting friend Kate. Dave was camped out on the lounge watching TV, the Simpsons then the Family Guy. We chatted a bit and I cooked up some pancakes with Maple Syrup. Went down a treat.