Backflips, bears and barbeques

Quite a lot depends on the weather in Whistler. In the winter, snow is king. First lifts are packed on powder days, and if it hasn't snowed in weeks people start to get depressed. In the spring, the combination of sun and snow keeps people on the mountain. We had so many blue sky days in April and May, and spring riding was almost as good as the powder of November.

At the moment, the weather is miserable. A couple of weeks ago though we were treated to a glimpse of what the summer will be like. Sunny days by the lake, BBQs and regular bear sightings should make the next couple of months quite enjoyable.

Both mountains are now officially closed to skiers and snowboarders. As I mentioned though, Whistler has still been making the most of the rapidly melting snow. May saw a few excellent park days in the sun. Whilst I didn't manage to master the elusive 180, I was hitting the large jumps, nailing the hips and even riding the half pipe. Another few weeks and I'd be better than Shaun White, but that will have to wait now.

The snow has been melting though, and ponds and puddles started appearing on Blackcomb at the start of May. Clearly, the only sensible thing to do was to try and snowboard over the biggest one. As my Facebook friends will have seen, I didn't make it across. As you would expect, the water was freezing and the first time I went in was probably the coldest I've ever been. The shock literally left me speechless. The subsequent four dunks weren't so bad, but were all equally unsuccessful.

I was getting pretty tired of snowboarding home soaking wet and vowed not to try the pond again. That was, until someone built a jump into it. After a couple of minutes of indecision, me and Russell decided the best way to tackle this obstacle was to backflip off it. I got wet again, but this time it was totally worth it. Videos and photos do exist, and as soon as I get hold of them they will be online.

Icy-cold ponds aren't the only result of the melting snow. With summer almost upon us, Whistler's bear population has been enjoying the warmer weather. I've seen several from the chairlifts on Blackcomb, but the best sighting was just a couple of minutes' walk from the house.  Walking home with my shopping I almost went right past a young bear, grazing away in a creek bed. It popped it's head up curiously, decided I wasn't as interesting as it's dinner and carried on munching away. Amazing.

In a bit of good news, I now have a job! I'm working in the kitchen of the Elephant and Castle pub where my roommate Nick works. My first shift is tonight, and I know pretty much everyone that works there so hopefully the settling-in period will be brief. Looking forward to my halibut and chips.

The World Cup starts in two weeks. I CAN'T WAIT!

Today's wisdom: Tapleys?

Whistler, Part Two

The winter season is almost over, and Whistler is in transition. There are only a couple of weeks of snowboarding left before the mountain closes, and transforms into a bike park. It's a bit depressing in a way. The village is empty, half of the people I've spent the last six months with are leaving and there are approximately no jobs.


Luckily, I've had plenty to distract me over the past two weeks. Last week we had a leaving party at the Bayshores house, which was the perfect way to end the winter season. I'm pretty sure everyone in the house had a good time, we all got very drunk, we had an awesome DJ play and the police weren't called. Craig even managed not to set the house on fire. Bonus. I would put some photos up, but I don't think anyone needs to see my face in the state it was.

The day after the party was spent mostly in bed, followed by the Big House Clean. Then we said our goodbyes to the old house, and moved in to the Dream House Version 2.0. Nick and I have moved in with Dan, who I used to work with at Billabong, Faith and Ally, a couple that Dan knows, and Adam, also from Billabong. The house is amazing. It looks out over a golf course, is five minutes walk from Lost Lake and has the world's best shower. Seriously - it has two shower heads, and two seats. It's like showering in a car wash. And you can shower in pairs! (Turn to camera) Mmmmm, efficient.

Dan wanted me to mention something about him in this week's blog, so here's a brief bio: he loves Sunderland AFC, is rubbish at football and wears girl's jeans. A real man's man.

The next couple of weeks are going to involve many noodle sandwiches, and a whole lot of job hunting. Unfortunately most places in Whistler don't have enough hours for their current staff, so aren't looking to hire the Fastest Dishwasher in the West. Luckily I am a man of many talents, so I should be telling you about my fantastic new job as King of Whistler in a matter of weeks.

Today's wisdom: DOUBLE SHOWER!!!!


Just a few photos of the new place:

No bunk beds!

Massive wardrobe, plenty of room for parties

The living room, complete with fire place and resident goblin

The view from upstairs. Spacious eh?

Kitchen. Check out that sink

Chandelier. Classy

Golf course, just outside the window. Plenty of room for heads and volleys

Balcony feat. BBQ

Wouldn't be complete without the Hoff

Half of the Greatest Shower on Earth