The first stop on my way to Sydney is Whistler, where I’ve just left some serious snow. Canada is BIG country – big mountains, big weather and big food!!!
This is my first time boarding outside Europe and the Canadians have got it down.
Used to the crowded slopes of Chamonix I was amazed at how much more time on the snow I got. Usually in France I feel like I spend most of the day either – queuing for a lift, waiting for the bus to the slopes or waiting for a table at lunch. Not the way things are done in Canada – things just run, well a bit more smoothly. They think of everything; driers for gloves, mountain tour guides and even sniffle stations?!
As for the après-ski well it involves a hot tub and a case of Kokanee. Admittedly I did miss the vin chaud and the unique Gaelic charm, however there’s a lot to be said for fresh cinnamon buns and sweet potato chips when you’re at the top of a freezing cold mountain!
The parks here are great, there is something for everyone, with a good selection of jumps and rails even for the likes of me. I seem to have mastered my fear of jumping (the little ones admittedly) and even managed a rail.
One of the best things I did in Whistler was join a day long group lesson. There were only four of us in the group, which meant we got some great coaching. I met Canadians, fellow Brits and an Aussie, which gave me a welcome break from my boyfriend’s extreme snowboarding chat J! I even met another girl who had joined the lesson to avoid falling out with her boyfriend…I’ll leave that to your imagination. The afternoon was dedicated to boarding the harder to find places that only the locals seem to know about – great bowls of powder and secret spots through the forest.
No matter where you go, as an enthusiastic amateur, I have realised my body has a three day rule – the exact amount of time it takes to stop hurting. Next stop Hawaii – I’m only there for 5 days so I better get going with those press-ups
