When I was 4yrs old, my Mom and Dad taught me how to ski. The hill we skied on was part of the bunker on the forth hole at the Eastbourne Golf course on Lake Simcoe. There were a few different 'lines' down this 10ft high hill. I can remember my brother and I 'lapping' this hill endlessly back in 1967. This was when it all started for me. For the next 20 or so years, I skied at the 'Honey Pot' ski hill in Toronto (now Eagles Nest golf course), Snow Valley in Barrie, Caledon Ski club near Orangeville (and more). Still learning to ski the whole time. Then in 1988, almost exaclty 1/2 my life ago, I arrived at Apex (south Okanagan). Until now, I had always said to myself that this is when I learned to ski, for real. I spent 2 years on that hill and probably skied in excess of 150days there. Well, 23 years later, I think I've 'learned' how to ski all over again!
Yesterday (Thurs) was a nice clear day. The air was crisp, so the snow was nice. I met up with 'Richard from Calgary' at the lightboard at the top of Whislter, the fellow I had skied with the afternoon before, when Wommie left the hill. We headed off in search of some good turns. He and I seem to have the same sence of what a good run is: quality over quantity for sure. In the Symphony Amphatheatre, the hike to Flute bowl was littered with skiers and boarders. Not having the right gear with us (read: avy gear), we decided going to the top was not a great idea. We did however hit some nice lines on the lower section. From there, we tested every aspect of the Piccalo bowl for good snow. Then over to Harmony bowl for a few runs. We hit the Peak chair next and found that runs like 'Doom and Gloom' and 'Sneaky Pete's' had the softest snow on the mountain. We spent the next couple of hours tearing up these and other runs off the Peak. You can 'lap' the Peak chair in 12 minutes!
I left the hill at 3pm to shop in the village. Lots and lots of sales on now. After filling up a few bags, I headed back to Pemberton for the 'last supper' with Jeff and Mat. We had a blast last evening, taking pictures and making videos, doing guy stuff (see pics). Mat has become my 'pseudo son' for sure. I just said goodbye to him as he headed off to school this morning. We will stay in touch through Facebook (he's a FB junkie just like my kids).
Today I will pack up all my stuff (see Feb9 photos), go for a Mtn bike tour around the Pemberton trails and head down to Vancouver. Scott Firth (aka Filthy) will pick me up at the Hyatt and we will head of the see Lisa and his kids at their house in Richmond. They have kindly offered me a bed before my 8am flight Saturday back to Toronto.
Though I've been here for 25 days, it feels like a week. I will be leaving 'my heart' here in BC for sure.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment