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Thu
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19/03/09
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Everyone in the house apart
from Jack, who's out with his parents, heads for first lift to
make use of the fresh snow. We 'warm up' with Backpackers, which
goes through the trees on Blackcomb. After that we traverse around
a slope underneath the 'Glacier' chair. Nick is wanting to keep
his speed up on the slightly uphill bit to come, shouts 'coming
through' and piles straight into me. Just one of many comedy
crashes that day. Sleigh videos one of mine just a little later -
James's simultaneous fall into the tree well escapes the video
camera. At about half ten we head over to Whistler on the
Peak2Peak, just in time for the breakfast sandwich at the
Roundhouse, where Sleigh's dad joins us. James has promised to
show the rest of the guys 'Million Dollar Ridge', and timely too.
There is no visibility in the alpine, and the wind is so strong it
nearly slams me into the cliff down the side of the 'Upper Peak to
Creek'. Everyone is having a wicked time once we get into the
trees. You can't see anyone, but there is whooping alternating
with little shrieks of alarm all around. It gets even more
entertaining once we emerge onto 'Big Timber' and then 'Homerun',
because now you can actually watch people crash. More hilarity all
around. Until we get down to the bottom, where it's raining.
We head home and James strikes
me a deal. I'll finally get onto the job application for the dog
sledding, and cook dinner, and he'll wax the snowboards. Deal.
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Fri
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20/03/09
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Over breakfast we meet Henry's
sister Louise and her boyfriend Stuart, who arrived late last
night, and are staying at the house for a two week holiday. Nobody
is very talkative, as we are all in a hurry to get out for the
first lift, hoping for another epic day in the powder. James and I
are out with Sleigh and Nick on Blackcomb, and do lots of runs in
the trees, like 'Gnarly Knots' and 'Fraggle Rock' – in places
it's knee deep. It's also snowing so hard that the tracks on piste
fill up pretty much as fast as people are carving them. We head
down 'Grubstake' just after lunch, and it seems untouched. Down in
the valley it's raining again. Still, high hopes for tomorrow. It
must be coming down hard up there, and none of the alpine lift
actually opened. When it happens, it will be good!
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Sat
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21/03/09
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It happens and it is good! The
sun is out, and Toby, Sleigh, James and I, Nick and his friend Ian
have got the timing just right. From the top of Harmony Ridge we
spot the Symphony lift starting to move, and head down
'Robertson's' – I'm still not happy on that run, but moving much
faster than I did last time. We get to the lift and ski straight
on, with no queue at all, and then hit Piccolo Face. There are a
few tracks going straight down it, but after we walk up to the
little summit a few yards up from the lift, we get fresh tracks.
Most of the boys jump off the cornice – I'm not feeling that
brave and ski round it, then down … Still, it's a first for
me, because last time the guys were doing Piccolo face, I skied
down the piste instead. I get all the way down in one hit too.
Everyone is very happy, and we race back down to the lift to then
do it again! The boys jump off another cornice, and Sleigh even
does a back flip of it! We then decide to hit 'Flute'.
Unfortunately James and I left the skins in the garage, so we are
doing it traditional style, carrying the skis. On top we bump into
Henry and Stuart, and all head down together. The first half for
me is a little off the fall line, but still great! The second half
is just awesome, and I'm very happy with my turns! Later we go
back to our new favourite run, 'Million Dollar Ridge', but by that
time I am so exhausted I don't ski it nearly as well as on
previous occasions. Turns out everyone else is knackered as well,
and our next stop is 'Longhorns' for beers. We have a couple of
pitchers there, then move on to 'Merlin's', where we sit on the
terrace and watch 'King of the Rail'.
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Sun
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22/03/09
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James and I take a day off,
and chill out at home. In the evening Jack cooks for everyone in
the house, and his mum, step dad, step brother and fiancee, who
are in town for a holiday.
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Mon
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23/03/09
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James and I have a late start,
then head out on the boards, although I am concerned I might have
a broken toe. Turns out it is fine boarding, it's just walking
that hurts. We mess around on 'Ego Bowl' trying some switch turns
and some popping. Later Stuart and Louise cook up a feast for
everyone.
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Tue
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24/03/09
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James and I are back out on
the boards, but don't last too long – it's a pretty foul day out
there.
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Wed
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25/03/09
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It's Toby's last day out on
the slopes, and the gods are smiling, apparently. We have fresh
snow on a couple of runs down the side of the T-bars on Blackcomb
Glacier, then stop for a hot drink at the 'Horstman's Hut'. As we
head back out the cloud is breaking up, as was forecast, and we
make our way up to the East Col on foot. After a little traverse
round we find the top of our chosen adventure: 'Dead on Arrival' -
a gulley with just enough space to turn in. I'm not quite scared
to death yet, but choose not to look down it before I'm actually
ready to make my way down there, in order to not stress myself out
prematurely. Once I get moving, it does become quite clear this is
the hardest thing I've ever attempted. I do make it down the
gulley with little style, then complain to the boys waiting at the
bottom, that my efforts can hardly be called skiing. The consensus
is, that as I had skis on my feet, and came down on my feet rather
than on my front or backside, I did by definition ski it! Woah! At
this point we have the powder slopes below to play on, and it's
great! I head off last, and as I come close to catch up with the
group, they are all shouting 'right, right'. Seems to me they are
warning me about the rocks just below me, which I had already
spotted anyway, so I ski round the rocks and then proceed to
rejoin my group. They keep on shouting 'right' and I tell them I
don't understand, continuing to make my way towards them.
Eventually it turns out they are standing on a cornice, which
Toby has already fallen off, and which is just off the side a
little from a band of rocks, which would almost certainly be
lethal to anyone skiing off it – it's a long, long drop with a
more than uncomfortable landing. I take issue with James for just
shouting 'right' and not mentioning that I wasn't meant to be
coming to where they are, or that there is a big drop there,
whilst he informs me that in the mountains my job is to follow my
husband's instructions promptly and without questioning. We nearly
treat the other guys to a full-blown domestic half way down the
mountain, but just rein ourselves in again. Turns out James is
rather stressed, because he nearly skied off the cliff himself,
and only just managed to warn everyone else. After all the
excitement we head back to Horstman's for some lunch, and bump
into Ani, Henry and Stuart. They are heading down, and I decide to
join them - enough adrenaline for one day for me. We have a fast
run down and then join Louise and some friends on the terrace at
'Black's' for a beer. Meanwhile James, Sleigh, Toby and Nick are
pursuing another off-piste adventure, doing 'Husume' - another
awesome looking line. They catch up with us again at the 'Savage
Beagle', where it's 'European Apres'. As always a few
'Jaegerbombs' is all it takes to get the party started and by the
time the DJ is digging out the 'Eisbaer' song, and 'Tony aus
Tirol', everyone is dancing. Late, late at night the house mates
reconvene back at home – turns out it's 10 PM ...
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Thu
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26/03/09
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All is quiet at Haus Dorle,
with everyone nursing their hangovers. Then the bad news hit: We
are being evicted after all. The court has ruled that Basecamp
have broken their agreement with Sylvia to only let the house to
thirty-somethings, and we'll have to be out on Monday. My thoughts
are revolving around revenge, but maybe there is no need for that,
as one of the more responsible thirty-somethings, coming home
drunk last night, has already found an inspired way to express
their opinions about the lady of the house, which has potential to
bring festive joy for years to come … pissing on the Christmas
deco ... Genius! And honestly, this is the only bad thing any of
us have done...
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Fri
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27/03/09
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The witch is coming round the
house to take photos, and it puts a bit of a dampener on
everyone's day. Only a few more days until we are being kicked out
anyway, why can't she at least wait until then? James and I decide
to go for a climb to clear our heads. In the afternoon everyone is
taking their final good bye from Toby at the Amsterdam Pub.
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Sat
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28/03/09
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James and I decide not to rush
out. We make a few phone calls instead, mess around with Facebook
and push the boundaries of recreation yet further. Tough life,
this being on holiday permanently!
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Sun
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29/03/09
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The weather is glorious and
there are a few centimetres of fresh snow. We take the boards out
on Blackcomb and do Ridge Runner and Rock'n'Roll, which have got
the most pleasant snow ever. We're messing around with switch
turns, spins and pops. My spins are coming along nicely. James is
jumping as well, whereas I'm still a little scared still. Too much
to try and concentrate on all at once: get the speed right for the
jump, put the board flat just before you get there, keep your
weight central, land, regain control... At lunch time it's plenty
hot enough to sit on the terrace at Glacier Creek, where we bump
into Ryan from the Avi course. By the time we make it to the hot
tub at home at 5 it's still sunny outside, and James reveals he
thinks there was a bear outside last night. Spring is definitely
in the air.
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Mon
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30/03/09
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D-Day. Eviction from Haus
Dorle is now! James and I have breakfast at the café, then pack
our stuff. Henry comes round at about 11 and picks up a car load
of things, then gets stuck at the other end with a flat battery.
Fortunately Nick Portman doesn't mind coming round to give a hand
– and charge Basecamp for the favour. At Eagle Ridge, our new
home for the next four weeks, it is reality check time. This place
is certainly more normal. Less show home. Less Sylvia. It's got to
be good, even if it's a bit shabby. The double room is tiny
though, and I arrange a swap with Nick, then set to work
dismantling one of the single beds and setting up a playing field
on the floor complete with mini canopy. Whilst I am happily
nesting, James is playing fighting games on the X-Box downstairs,
keeping out of the way as requested.
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Tue
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31/03/09
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We wake to the sound of X-Box
excitement – this may become rather a feature of this episode of
Whistler life. Nick and the James's ice themselves loose though
and head out, Jack comes out later with James and me. We do a
repeater of Sunday's programme on Blackcomb on the snowboards,
then head back down mid afternoon, so I can still get myself to
yoga. Christina is back, and has us doing a new arm balancing
trick, which I manage quite easily on one side, and not at all on
the other.
When I come home Henry is
there telling us what Sylvia thinks is broken in the house – an
endlessly ridiculous list. Henry has had a fun day apparently,
spending two whole hours listening to Sylvia's outpouring of anal
retentiveness.
In the evening we're heading
out to Dusty's, where Nick and Justine are having their
leaving-do, before heading south.
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Wed
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01/04/09
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James and Nick want to watch
the football at lunch time, and, too lazy to get out early, we're
having a lie-in, then lounge around the house. I blame it on
Basecamp and our housing situation. Deprivation causes health
problems after all. Last week this time we would have been out
skiing. Now we're just being unhealthy. Or is it satiated? Less
hungry for skiing now? More hungry for apres? Early afternoon we
head to 'Citta's' to see off Louise and Stuart.
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