Hey Folks, here is the report of the week.

Shred Night

We all thought that the days of powder were long, long gone. Not so, on Wednesday I noticed that the predicted snowfall for Friday (my first day off of 3) was 5-10cm… infact we got 15cm!. It was also a statutory holiday (Good Friday), so everyone got the day off work and got paid thier average hours from the last month! For me that ment I get an extra day’s pay on the next paycheque!

Anyway, we promptly organised a massive ski break for the office, all invited. Donn even agrees to come (first time on one of the office ski breaks this year for her!). However, the night before things start going a bit wrong at my end…

You see, it was Shred Night on Thursday (as it is every Thursday), however, thanks to the Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival being in town, Merlin’s had been taken over, so Shred Night went to GLC. It also turned out that it wasn’t $1 + a beer ticket as normal, infact it was a free beer with a ticket. Things kind of snowballed with us all… ok, mostly me. To cut a long story short, Alan and Hayley eventually talked me into coming home with them so I would stop telling Rachel’s joke about what boys are for, which I had turned into the “bases”.

Rachel’s “What Boys are for” joke

This happened a few weeks ago when I was talking to Rachel about what she had been getting up to after Longhorn’s one night. I was rattling on about her hooking up etc (that does not mean shagging, folks!). Eventually she splirts out “Henry, that’s wrong! Boys are for holding hands with and nothing more, anything else could get you pregnant!”.

I could see some longjevity in this one. Now its turned into a joke about the bases, which are now:

• First Base: “Hello!”
• Second Base: “How are you?”
• Third Base: Holding one hand
• Home: Holding both hands

Powder Day
So the next morning comes around. Do I wake up at 7:45 as I had set my alarm? Do I hell. Eventually Frank calls me and asks where I am at 8:20 (the meeting time). I throw on my gear and get down there for 8:30ish, just in time to see them go up the lifts, and then I realise I left my pass back in my flat. 20 minutes of beautiful, untracked powder lost because of that debacle.

Eventually me (and Liam who I met on the way) get up there and do a few fresh runs, much to our delight. Rachel and I decide to get our skis waxed (properly rather than the crap job I did last time) while we have breaky. We then promptly head to Crystal Chair as 7th and Glacier were both still closed (damnit, the best runs of them all on a Powder day). We meet Donn there and blast down a few glades and the northside runs.

It was clear all day that all of Whistler and as many of the region as could get here had come up, and seemingly all come up Blackcomb. The lifts were rammed, however, we were all able to pick great runs which lead us to the quieter lifts, the glades near 7th for example. Glades were easily the best runs to do after all the runs had got tracked up.

Anyway, in one of the last runs we did, we headed off Crystal chair and into some glades (yes, more glades) which most of us just go in for the tight skiing and kickers before heading to something greater, however, today, some people got lost and ended up skiing down some of the densest forest on the mountain. I’ve done this volunteraly before and its not easy… by any means, but I was expecting it.

After 10 minutes waiting at the lift, hoping they wern’t trapped or under bear attack or something, they all reappear, covered in the powder. A few final runs, a trip to the Terrain Garden (where I hit a spine miles to fast and stacked mightily) and we’re off to prepare for Big Dave’s goodbye meal.

Bye Dave!

Twas the night before Big Dave left so we all went to the Wildwood near Whistler Tennis Club. Its a great place, 8oz Steak with Mash + Veg for $13 and they all gave us seperate cheques so no farting around with money! Got talking to Andy about what I did wrong on the spine, should have hit it straight as it turned out.

Shane and Caroline had crabs legs with thier steak, which were the most mutantly long crabs legs I had ever seen! I’ve no idea where they found them, but Chernobyl was probably thier progenetor. I can also believe that it was a case of “its them or us” when they were fished up and released from thier pots. Hopefully the fishermen still have thier legs.

The steak was delicious and the view was spectacular! We then follow this up by going to Mojo’s (less impressive), where Jagerbombs were had.

Stayed till about 1:30 then said goodbye to Dave and Erin. Dave is off round the States for a few weeks before coming back here for a visit, then back to Austrailia for a while. Dave (I hope your reading this) good luck to you, and text me when you get back here!

Met Alan and Hayley in the pie shop and got a taxi home with them. When I get back I remember why living in HOUSE is more akin to living in uni, see photo, left.

Powder Day 2

Saturday was another powder day! 10 cm of fresh that me, Alan and Janet took advantage of. Lots of runs, were done. 7th and Glacier both opened today so we did Xhiggy’s Bowl (Zigg-hes Bowl is how you pronouce it), which was flat out awesome. Steep, powdery and fun! We did, however, loose Janet in it… oh well, there are no friends on a powder day!

Collected Janet from Lost and Found at the lift and headed back up to do the backside of the glacier. The hike in usualy takes 5 minutes, it took 10 this time because of drifting snow. We had a rest (Janet and Alan, you lasy buggers) where we took a few photos (on my camera phone):

The Glacier was stunning, as was the powder that we found in it. Alan loved the whole thing because it was his first time in there!

Later, we headed to the base of Whistler to check out this festival lark. This prompty turned into an all out looting session of free stuff. Plenty of Yop was had, I signed up for a credit card to get a free bag (I think the lass worked it out when I wrote my DOB wrong). We alsp tried to play phone tag with Telus. However, it didn’t work because we don’t have Telus phones. The idea was that you have a numbered badge around your neck and you go around texting in other people’s numbers (and they text in yours), at the end of the day the person who is sad enough to have the most wins something.

On the way to IGA we stopped to watch a clown juggle some stuff (axe, bowling ball, flaming torch). We were about to go when he calls 8 people, me and Alan included, out of the audience. Eventually we are asked to hold a rope tight while he tightrope walks on it and juggles flaming torches. Trouble finds us doesn’t it…

Later that evening we came down agian to watch the Rail Jam and freeze nearly to death. The bus was crammed, we almost had to fight to get on and many didn’t. The rail jame was just a lot of 270s, the eventual winner of the crowd’s favorite trick award was someone who did a frontside flip. More impressive when you remember they are doing this off about 10ft worth of stairs with some rails on them and an artificial slope above.

We were so cold we got a taxi home.

Sunday

Got up, videoconfrenced with home then went and demoed a load of skis. Here is how I described it in email because I’m tried of typing…

Been there, done that, demoed the skis.

Runs of the day: Sun Slope on Prior Original Skis, Coyote on some Salomon Racers, Sun Bowl on Prior Original Skis again (leading into Harmoney) and Raven and Dave Murray on Salomon TenEighty Guns.

Muffin of the day: Lemon Poppy Seed

What now then?

I’ll let Janet explain, as only she can!