Christmas Tree Expedition

What fun today! The best way to go fetch a tree for Christmas.

After a quick cross country ski around the lake, Daryl and I hopped on a snowmobile and headed for the woods. The snow was awesome as its been snowing all day long so it was a thrill to drive a snowmobile.

We selected a nice looking tree and together we mastered the chain saw and down it came.

We towed it back behind the snowmobile and then I got cutting with the handsaw to chop it down to size for the bar.

Once it was up all the staff came down for a few cocktails and decorated the tree and the bar for our Christmas here. No lack of decorations- I tested about 20 sets of lights!

I even have a set of lights in my room now!

I'm not one for getting all Christmassy normally, but standing outside this log lodge, in twilight with the snow falling like crazy and soft smooth white stuff all around is pretty magical.

Heli assisted ski touring!

I started today in the dark at 7am, down on the Lake cross country skiing and watching the sun ride over the mountain. Only my 2nd try at this here and much better this time around! Even getting quite fast. I did the tour de lac in about 1 hour and came home for breakfast and lots of skype calls with the folks back home in UK.

Jason from Kokanee helicopters dropped in to the lodge at lunch time park is helicopter for Xmas so he gave Cliff and I a lift up to Crane Pass. The views at the peak of the ridge were awesome- a white winter wonderland as far as the eye could see.




We looked down at one white bowl of untouched snow below us and dropped in for our first turns on the fresh powder.


With the recent dump of 60cm this week- Descending down into the treeline the powder just got sweeter and sweeter and deeper and deeper.

We skinned and snowshoed back up to the ridge twice to get a couple more runs in then we hit Cinnabar road and the snowmobile track out at about 4pm ish and it was getting dark. We still had around 100om to descend on a fast narrow snowmobile track with trees overhanging each side.

To top that we had our headlamps on and could only see about 3m ahead- tough to avoid trees when you are hurtling down at 30km/hr or more! As the snow got cruddier I took my board off and hiked the last bit out- faster and safer than I was becoming on my board!

We finally made it out to my truck at 6pm- thoroughly knackered but big grins on our faces- what a rush!

Wow! What an awesome day!

Weekend in Whistler

Popped down to Whistler for the weekend to collect my snowboard gear and have a play on the pistes.

It was -15 and pretty icy on the mountain but a dusting of snow (2cm) made for better conditions than I expected. It did not take me long to remember how to snowboard and I got loads of runs in on my own and with no lift lines!

Still it all seems pretty tame compared to the backcountry. Nice to visit but looking forward to going back. I remember how much I like being one of only a few on a run!

Pretty great day on the hill before I drove the 4.5hrs back to Tyax over a very icy snowy Duffy Lake road.

Ice Hockey on the Lake

The lake froze over really thick this week and suddenly after the cold cold storms the sun came out, the ice was solid and so we had an impromptu game of ice hockey in our lunch hour.

Well did I mention I can't skate? It's even more interesting trying to skate with no barriers around the rink to stop you or hang on to and shuffle round. I soon forgot my fear of falling through the ice into a freezing lake though as my concentration on staying upright consumed all my brain cells!

Eventually I got the hang of it enough to join a game and using the hockey stick for support I provided much hilarity to all as I swiped at the puck beyond my reach and skating ability but competitive to a tee I found a way to play be it on the floor or performing an ungainly ice dance.

I ended up flat on the ice a few times and giggling my head off at my inability to stop when I had eventually got a move going!

Ah well it was such fun I intend to work harder and learn to skate even if my hockey might not improve!

Things I miss from home...

A parcel arrived from the UK this week with 2 gorgeous and huge bars of Cadbury's Dairy Milk- oh boy how I've missed you! Thanks Mum!

Yes living here is amazing but there are still some things I miss about the UK....

Cadburys Dairy Milk- they have it here but it does not taste the same! It's true I'm a chocoholic but not so much when I'm here as nothing satisfies that craving like Britich Cadburys!

Tea- they have it here too but it just does not taste like a true cup of Yarkshire brew!

Bacon Butties- bacon here is streaky and crispy, where's the meaty pigs for some yummy back bacon? I do miss my Friday morning bacon and egg butty treat!

Family- well of course I'm soppy but I do miss my neices and nephews, sisters and brothers and Mum and Dad so very much. Can't wait for them to come visit me some time in 2010!

Now back to my Cadbury's - I'm trying so hard to savour it til Christmas!

Cross Country Skiing

So many toys here- we just have to try them all out. Today it was cross country skiing! During the week Cliff and I dragged the trail groomer around on the back of a snowmobile. So we had a very very rough track set.

So Emily and I put on some silly looking shoes and clipped into the extremely narrow skis with much topple factor. We glided off (of a fashion) and then down the first descent and quickly found you cannot snow plough on these things so how do you stop- ah well too late I've fallen over so that stopped me! How ungainly?!

And so it continued - a most inefficient way of travelling if you are as skilled at me. Occasionally I got into a stride and glide then hit a rough patch of ground and I was wobbling and flailing or falling. I can't say I've taken to this form of transport but perhaps I need to persist as it will be the best form of exercise around here during the week.

The Lake had frozen over overnight this week as it dropped to -15c, you could almost walk on it. It was an amazingly quick transformation. But today its melted a little and the ice flows were floating about at the edges. No ice hockey yet.

A beautiful blue sky day- we also went snow shoeing over in Bralorne down to Fish Lake. That was completely frozen still.

Another great weekend playing in the snow.

Snowmobiles and Snowboards

Today we finally got to the ski run! It took 2 days of trail clearance on the snowmobiles last weekend and then another few hours this morning as we headed up again. This time I found some snowboard boots almost my size and a Prior Khyber board and some K2 bindings in the ski workshop. So I set those up and strapped them on the snowmobile.

Heading up the high trail was very tippy as an ATV had gone up and dug out trenches which were now rather hardened with crusty snow plus it was minus degrees with a horrid wind chill. Before too long I'd hit a rut and tipped over on the sled or rather the sled on top of me. From then on I had to stand with my weight on one side or the other just to stay upright.

Quite a few tipping incidents again today and lots of digging people out but Adam had some great techniques and skills to pass on which helped out a lot.

After clearing a few more trees we hit the bottom of the ski run, so we put on our snow shoes and strapped our snowboards on our backs and started following Cliff up through the trees as he skinned up. We went on for a long long time- well at least 40mins or so. The views were awesome and the trees are massively loaded with snow. Eventually we hit a massive windy bit and the snow in your face was like sand blasting!

Cold and tired we quickly tried to eject the snow shoes and don snowboards and put layers on.

Now... I have not snowboarded for 2 years almost and this was to be my first few turns on a challenging run! Adrenalin kicked in for sure. But as we took off in the deep powder it was awesome and I made my first few turns- all going well until Emily fell ahead of me and I managed to stay upright and traverse along to the treeline where I stopped but got dragged over by the deep snow. Then we descended into the trees- woah! Not great to be in tight trees on my first run of the season in deep snow! Lots of falling leaf through.

I emerged out with a few super sweet turns to the sleds at the base with everyone watching. I couldn't believe we were down already after such a long hike up! Ah well so great to have done some boarding at last.

We quickly mounted the sleds and headed down before it got dark as it was pretty cold now.

Great day- pretty tired and cold but happy!