Canada Week Two: Skiing, Shivering and Sports Social

We had a fantastic evening meeting all the new Nonstoppers at the Rose and Crown pub. It has set the scene for a great 3 weeks on our instructor course. Although you have to feel sorry for the 4 girls on the course as they are being constantly mobbed by numerous guys... surprising not me though as I am just having fun being here and bleerrgh 6 months is plenty of time to work my charm :)

Our first day skiing at Sunshine blew my mind. Fresh, deep, fluffy white powder lay like a pure white blanket over the three mountains that make up the resort. However it wasn't quite deep enough and pretty much all of us (Myself, Yannick 1 and 2 and the Cougar Boys) ended up with some vicious scrapes in our skis! However, the exhilarating, smile on your face feeling that we all got was well worth it. In the evening we went for the welcome meal at the Elk and Oarsman , again just getting to know more and more of the crew. There are 3 Glaswegians on the course who have a severe case of verbal diarrhoea, and they look to be the in-flight entertainment for the three weeks!

So onto the course.... So far we have been learning loads of new stuff, getting us away from the European parallel (legs locked looking like a nancy boy who should probably be part of a boy band) and onto Canadian style (a little more duuuuude and a little less westlife). The temperature has been painfully cold. On Monday the gondola was closed as it was minus 51 degrees! Sitting on the lifts, huddled against the biting cold, ice whipped into your face by the wind that blows straight through as many layers as you are wearing onto your shivering body is not for the feint hearted. But when the cloud breaks and the sun bursts through, as they say 'the juice is worth the squeeze!'. Some of the scenery, no all of the scenery here is outstandingly beautiful.

In terms of the skiing, we have been trying out skiing on one ski, no poles, poles behind the legs, screaming some great carving turns and YESSSS the BIG one ... snowplow! Its been, god I don't know how many years, but I have still got this ultimate ski move. Haha its great to see normally very stylish (almost as stylish as Mum) turn into hideous, as-bad-as-Nick-Clegg-is-at-keeping-promises, skiers in a matter of seconds! But is always useful to go back to basics.

I have renewed my gym membership and I still have my little followers so we are still getting strange looks when I'm teaching three other guys how to do some new exercises. But its great to be able to keep in shape... and having a good steam and hot tub after a hard day ripping down the slopes is hardly a bad thing! On Monday we had a day off so we decided to go out after the ski tuning technical session. We played ring of fire with a few new Canadian inputs, always a great way to drink too much, but its good as the alcohol is sooo expensive here. On Tuesday we watched Harry Potter, what a film! My respect for Dobby is up here now ... right up there in the clouds. I feel a little part of me is missing now... :( The sports social night ... yeaaah right up my street. Literally as the sports centre is up Beaver St, my team took on Emily and Co, demolishing the football. I got so into it that I ended up trying to;do an overhead kick, not the best of my ideas, in fact almost up there with trying to get out of the car when there were two lions about, but anyway fun fun! And then the problemo of the week. Me and Hans decided that we would be a little crazy at wake up at 2:30 in the morning to go to Lake Louise as there was a press conference for this weekends Winterstart Worldcup downhill races, and we were going to get free breakfast, free merchandise and a chance to chat to some of the world cup skiers (Bode Miller etc), so we treached out in the freezing cold for the bus at 3:15 and did it show ... well note the 'going to' not 'went to' phrase.. NO IT DID NOT!! We still don't know why, and we're not bothered about waking up early but having missed such a good opportunity (and a free breakfast grrr).

My job hunt is going well. I walked down Banff Ave selling myself to every shop I could set my eyes on and I have got an interview at Monod Sports (loads of greeeat gear so if I get a job then il be able to get great discounts :) ) The rest of the Beaver gang arrive today so it will be great to meet everyone. Ohh I forgot to mention that once again I have been trekking back to the ski lounge almost daily still as I managed to snap the buckle on the left boot, almost unheard of apparently and bugger bugger bugger, its just another annoyance but hey things happen I guess. Im in some rental boots for now and my toes are rioting against me!

Missing everyone back home... keep me posted of stuff :)

PS Congrats Kirst and Ceit, blow that UCAS s**t away!!