let it snow, let it snow, let us ski!

28 Dec 2006,


MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OUT THERE!

For everyone who i didn't get the chance to speak with- i was definitly thinking of you all on Christmas. I hope that your times were all great this season....plenty of quality family time, sunshine, good food, giving sharing, R&R, and over indulgence in what ever it is that gets you really enthusiastic about being merry!

in Lake Louise on the 24th of Dec my thoughts, descussions with friends, and warming feelings were associated with....

knowing that the most important people in my life all being together and celebrating it

relaxing days. beaches. lakes. water skiing. fishing. biking. walks. surfing.

wine. food. hugs and kisses.

great memories of loved ones lost to another wonderful place.

everyone here was really good at recognising the kiwi christmas day- and shared the joy.
"merry christmas's " all around.

Christmas eve was a fairly tame one to say the least.....i knew i was going to be up for a big one the following day..so i saved myself for this. thankfully........
i came home from work to an amazing nz lamb roast and dug right on in.

My first white Christmas in Canada~

Well it was definitly a chart topper!
starting off the day with a Champagne & Croissant breaky with the kiwi flatties was a great eye opener

all amping and ready to spread the merry spirit we headed out for a exciting day of work....
riding the 7cm of freshies under blue skies! yeeeah.

sharing coffees with frangelico, baileys, or whatever- was a nice way to warm the bodies.
presents were handed out from under the tree, in the boot room, from secret santas - plenty of laughs were had.
santa had obviously known that id been a good girl: i was blessed with a day on summit with two of my best mates here. summit is the tops. it offers so much accessible fun terrain, minimal accidents, and usually a very low list on the job sheet. only one body needs to keep circulating the front side of summit...whilst the other two can drop back side into any one of the many ngarly gullies awaiting.
Dave, Marc and myself had the best day at work ever.
starting off with run checks- fresh tracks were made.
posting new signs for special runs on the back side were next. we didn't mind having to mission it out of bounds for this task.

checking the 'sun spot' was a job unlisted- but definitly high on the prioriy list. its one of the few employee made secret spots on the hill where seats, bbqs, tables, spec views etc lay. more coffee....and this time with tia maria, facilitated the morning warm up a bit more.

Eagle cabin (another patroller hut) had on offer a very enticing feature happening all day long- fresh french toast cooked on the bbq. everyone was invited to drop on in when ever they felt the need for a re-full, hang out, and share the christmas joy. as much as i wanted to make this call in, i think i was the only person to not make it there! i was so surprised with myself as i know very well my love of the deluctable toast from france. the skiing was just too good! i couldn't stop myself for the detour over to eagle side of the hill!
i don't think i have skied so hard for one whole day in my life.
it was incredible. fresh tracks all day long- even my end run.
some more exploring- and discovering new terrain= my element was present.
i attended one very minor accident with Mrs Claus herself! dressed in a red santa-dress outfit thingy. i had to chuckle to myself. i was happy to help out for her sore knee. and it reminded me that i was actually at work.
for about 10 minutes.

the day ended way to fast..and before i new it we were off to spread the merry mood throughout the town of banff. The summit crew landed at Karem's (kiwi) house to be greated with suculant aromas and very happy people. a roast of turkey, ham off the bone, salads, veges, and yummy beverages was awaiting. what an excellent way to end a perfect day.
a nice chat to loved ones back home.
and a few more beverages and a visit to friends accross the street.
the night grew to morn and i couldn't handle too much partying- my body felt wobblier than the jello on my stuffed bird and i took a hold of as much sleep as i could ready for the next day at work...in preparence for a busy busy one.

ahhhhh. what a christmas i thought all day long.
ahhhhhhhh. what a christmas i think, as i look back.
filled with fun times, great friends,
and the best possible conditions i could ever ask for.

i would love to hear all about everyone's christmas time back home- so please do drop me a line or a hundy if you get the chance.

take great care
and enjoy the time off over this summer holidays

all my love
hugs and kisses to you all
xoxoxoxoxoxoxox
LOTS OF LOVE
ERIN

Reflecting on the days....

Morena.
And a good morning it is.
Although I am lying in bed, nursing a cold, and its 11:30- I am feeling pretty good about everything.
It is maybe my second full day off the slopes since having started work...and my body is loving me for it. The tired legs. Sore head. achy back.
The past week has been filled with good times at work..fun days off...and plenty of socialising. I am completly happy to have a whole day to myself- at home!

So whats been happening with the ski patrol life......
Work just keeps getting better.

I keep finding more terrain, more soft snow...and different fun things to do at work.
I am slowly developing a love for tree skiing, as my turns begin to get quicker- and i can deal with the large obsticles accordingly and get the most out of their sheltered, soft soft areas :)

Hut duties are becoming more and more entertaining as each day goes by.
whether is building booters...or giving the Ausie lifties heaps...

This is a view of Eagle Cabin one morning. Next photo is inside- the kiwi girls! from left- Bobbie (flat mate, from whakapapa), Andrea (from Porter Heights), and Kristin (from Tauranga). Missing one other Kiwi flatmate 'Kat'.

This is 'Eagle Cabin'....with Art poseing as the man he thinks he is....after having built these two little booters...the boys get into a jibbing session- off the roof.

Other hut duties can be a little more low-key.
Days like yesturday....when the weather is terrible outside.and you know that your legs just don't wana take it.
the little gas heaters make for a cosy place to sit and listen to the radio- ready to respond to accidents. heat up your lunch. read a book. or even crochette a beanie!
Canadian's won't accept 'beanie' as such a name. its Tuke.

Although some days are pretty uneventful at work- there is plenty of learning to be had.
Sometimes scenarios are put on- for rescues.
Some days I go out with the Avalanche Crewe and learn about the terrain, how and where to ski cut when we have fresh falls.
Plenty of other days...there is just lots of terrain orientation to be done ;)

Some days just take my breath away that much more than others...and i can't help but get out the camera...

On Monday night i worked a 'Torch light Dinner'.

This is when there is a big dinner put on, at Whitehorn Lodge, which is half way up the field on the front side.
It was put on for some of the staff this time....and turned out to be so much fun to work!
we start as soon as we finish sweep of the mountain- at about 5pm.
usually 5 patrollers work it. first we have to take up all the people who missed the last gondola ride....on Sleds.
This in it self is pretty fun. once we have dropped off our passengers- the rules are to ourselves....and just quietly....speed limits are our own responsibility. I love Sleds! they're just that much more fun than quad bikes- because they're on snow. ringadingdingding!
then we join everyone up in the dinner room.

its a full on dinner i havn't eaten so good since i have been here! food is brought out with fire...sparklers...dancing...the limbo...etc.
muscles, prawns, salads, melon plenty of the good stuff.
(oh yeah- and cheese cake henk(no where near as good as yours tho)

we can drink..but no alcohol.there's singing and dancing.....and then everyone, that can, skies down holding bamboo lit with fire..following a trail of red torches down the mountain.
our job is to sled down everyone who is too drunk to ski hehe!

i didn't mind getting paid for all of that at all!

these happen every week apparently. more fun times to come.

Last week we had a fooze ball tournament at our flat...we have a basement which catered well for a large portion of lake louise ski patrol. and it turned out to be a really fun night- the winners took away over $100 so they were pretty stoked.
friends also brought over a air hockey table- it was quite the games night!

Last week my days off were Friday and Saturday...I had lazy starts but made sure that I got into a bit of the back country which i have been eyeing up since starting here...............

the slack country missions i took in the afternoons started from the top of the lift on "Larch" which an area of Lake Louise but is on a separate hill.
The first day was quite a short one...up to the Elevator Shaft (which had just opened that morning)- I got fresh tracks...it was great! i went up there with a guy that i work with- chris. he's been skiing here since he could walk, so it was really good to be shown the cool places to play even when you drop down lower into the 'rock gardens' and 'flush bowls'.
i hope you can see where i am talking about....

The next day we hiked up and over the Elevator shaft, Silver tip, North face and over to the top of Purple Bowl. It was so beautiful. turned out a stunning day...and it was great to see over the back of these bowls also....to spot the lines for more missions. i did this with karem (kiwi)

i got a video of the view from here but unfortunitly cant post it on this site

Well i should really get out of bed now...not much planned for the rest of the day...tomorow i will also try and keep myself far from my wonderful work place - I want to be really rested up for a great week starting off with the fresh flurries we are receiving right now......

take care all

xoxo

erin

Powder Yeeeehaaaaa!

Sun, 03 Dec 2006
POWDER YEEEEEHAAAAAAA!
yesturday (saturday 2nd) was my best day on snow in my life as yet! i can truely tell you that i had never quite known what i was dreaming about until then. Kicking Horse is a ski resort 5min from the town of Golden (about 1 - 1 1/2 hours north of Lake Louise). it is known for its huge dumps of snow- and steep steep terrain...... Yesturday was their opening day. and i was there with bells and whistles on with a couple of groups of mates. not worried at the time about having to fork out for the lift ticket..we all charged on through the quick cash line and got a spot in the massive que for the gondola. you see, this place had just had a shy one and a half metres dumped on em over the past couple of weeks. thats pretty huge. and so were the ques. we didn't care too much- it was all worth the long lasting runs down powder filled tree runs and shoots off faces that hadn't been touched yet. it got tracked really quickly..and there wasn't all that much open in the ways of back country...but you couldn't really expect much more with the 3 and a half metres they've had to control over the past month. it was soooo deep. i found myself saturated by mid-day from swimming/getting stuck in powder and constant kartwheels. there were two vans of people i went with...one was with some kiwis and ausies from banff, and the other was all canadians..one of which i work with. we all headed to golden on friday night and stayed in rooms in a cheapish hotel....had a few drinks and talked riding all night. where the first lines would be, what we wanted to accomplish etc. we were all pretty dam pumped! we couldn't have asked for better weather. apparently known for sitting in the shade or low light- the horse shone its blue colours on this magnificent day. and i was too busy taking it all in to grab the guys cameras for some photos. (im sure there would have been a couple so i will post em when i get em) after a full on day we all headed back to the lake and had some celebratroy drinks at my place. fun times! and very tired today. i had a great day at work- not to strenuous...as i was 'whisky patroler' today- i worked from the base: held the first aid fort, did the chores, and did missions on the skidoos. wooohooooo those things are fun times! i can see more potential for fun than quad bikes any day after a bit of practice. well i can't quite believe it still. a month has passed many things have happened life is forever changing and the exploring has begun the weather is playing a bit of havoc with the system...as it is so varriable at the moment- everyone finds their body struggling to adjust. it will only make me stronger another challange as a part of every day good night all.... please update me on your doings... i think of home all the time and would love to know about it xoxo erin

Canadian Rockie's Snow

Tue, 28 Nov 2006

let me tell you about the snow over here.... its white. its fluffy. and theres heaps of it! the snow here doesn't get icey. the only ice that i have seen is a few patches around the hills-about half a metre wide...where the water highdrants have been leaking. yup. thats right. its pretty dam close to perfect. so light. and so so very forgiving. when your face plants to meet it...it doesn't take much to wipe it off. when you roll amongst it...it just sits on you, it doesn't melt into you or your uniform...it just hangs out on ya shoulders. its really your best friend here. only over the past couple of days has it started to pack down a bit harder, only because we have been having approx 2-5cm each day. im not complaining...a few c's here and there still makes out for some relatively fresh lines in places....infact im more counting my lucky stars...as everyone keeps rubbing it in- this is a great season so far and we are sooooo lucky with what has opened up already. the back country is looking stunning...and for sure-calling my name. we hit the out-of-bounds areas most days while working; as long as we are not too far away if needed. as you can see in my latest lil album there are some shots of the areas that are very easily accessible from one of the work areas i may be assigned to. (please excuse the spelling). the snow on the trees looks beautiful. the untouched rollers in the background are phenomenal. the snow that shoots you in the face and brings you down to meet it is priceless. the groomed runs are even softer under foot. snowballs are often hard to form because it just doesn't stick! the snow in the backyard just leads to excitement. i had just the one day off last week because we have been fairly busy with opening everthing...and that was quite enough for me. i spent the day in banff checking out the shops etc- and spent most of it pineing for my skies to be under my feet! freak. yes im becoming. my shins couldn't thank me enough though. the day in banff was great to experience the christmas season creeping up already...everyone is getting into it- and im pretty excited about having a white one! i think it all made me feel quite far away from home..as i was thinking of you all whilst taking in this foreign environment. back to the snow...... well we are past the stupid temperatures now, and into craziness. -29 degrees celcius today. and for the past three. (thats not including the wind chill factor either) usually not featuring until late december-jan here...it has sure taught us already how to handle the jandle! the key is layers. and more layers. hand warmers....and foot warmers. no exposed skin. no exceptions. frost is out to bite- and does so in a hurry! (not keen on ending up with a bacon-looking face). on poor visability days its all about the hut duties! hehe. we all hog the gas heaters...and try our best to de-frost. blue sky days pull you through. (like today). im feeling really good. the cold didn't get to me too much as i could see outside-and just kept myself busy. busy skiing. hahaha. can you imagine the worst icecream headache you've ever felt? that is what you feel-on any part of you head that is exposed when skiing-at a slow speed. dam it hurts! but only makes ya stronger huh! at this stage the snow is soooooo sticky. flats suck. a lot of scateing on the skies is done...and in such a frustrating mannor...its like skiing on grass. it will pass over. we were looking at temps to rise about after about a week....but now its more like 10 days. hmmmmm. bring on the -15's that i previously thought were cold to ski in! there are, ofcourse, many a good point to this weather one of the main ones being....not many folk head up the hill= plenty of time for patrolers to free ski! yay! its extremely cold to walk outside at the moment and one must rap up tight. have a whisky. and walk super fast! well its time for a nice soak in the bath and a glass of red my friends....

but until next time, take care ka kete erin

Thu, 23 Nov 2006
A day in the life of Erin the ski patroller...
morning hasn't quite dawned. pinnacle #107c begins to murmur. kiwis begin to rise....breaky, keepin it traditional, usually consists of a healthy serving of good ol porridge and a coffee or green tea to start the day. (well usually the only thing found in the pantry). all 6 of us head out the door at the reasonable hour of 740ish. pretty sweet time eh?! we walk approx 100metres to catch the bus and a nice warm comfy one delivers us to the resorts great wooden doors 5min later. 20 odd of us patrolers pile into the boot room and the gear loading begins. falling over one another the layers go on.... thermals more thermals transeivers mid layers fleece layers down layers (puffy jackets) shell layers radios packs....avalanche gear, ropes, first aid gear, gloves boots helmuts googles you name it. we wear it. names are on the board- teams are formed. general daily meeting/plan takes place weather report avalanche control report team meetings and plans made..... music is turned up....last things pilled on....walkin out the door feelin like a mitchilin man dont forget your lunch. pick up some bamboo, maybe a bunch of rope, or a tabogon skis on! yeeehaaa! and the day has started. we all depart towards our separate areas and begin the run checks...set ups.... mid mornin and the free skiing kicks in...spots/lines/powder runs have been picked during set up. we mission it for some fun... grab a team mate...or cruze to a different area on the fields. where eva, or what eva- just don't forget about the tasks set for the day, or ya hut duty! tree skiing, beaut big deep lines...its all here- right at ya door step. i love it! everyone is so amped to ski lots here and share the good spots with one another. hut duty is a good call....nice lil stop in for a warm up next to the gas heaters and a refuel. a patroller is always at, or in close proximity to, each of the four main ones scattered throughout the fields to enable respondence to any accidents below. the day passes so quickly. (not so quickly on the sub-stupid temperature days) 3.45 and everyone is at the top of all the runs. sweep backside of the mountains begins..... patrollers close gates, and sweep the runs ensuring no injured public are left to freeze over night. front side sweep begins....one patroller is left to watch- at the top "paradise cabin" and it is paradise. about 445 and the last patroller makes his/her way down the mountain to finish the day..to then make the call...and everyone off loads the layers and layers of gear- ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. beers crack. brief meeting ends the day...and the bus is waiting at 530. love to feel the burn. home james. what a day.... priorities take place- be it food, wine or yoga. its a great way to finish the day- and in the company of all whom have basked in it also. the night usually consists of a lounging one about the house... making contact with whanau at home drinks together...foosball comps or a walk to the bar...or fellow colleages condos maybe a trip into banff or dvds.... generally wanting to feel good for the next day- the nights arn't too late on the time scale. ofcourse moderation is bent occasionaly well im off to sleep now im shattered.... in a million happy pieces thoughts of you all right now xoxo erin

Here are some more photos of the Lake..

the options out back seeen endless right now!

my day off with the boys, we were just out the back of the summit

this is the ski area boundary line from the summit

paradise chairlift (Piers and Karem (kiwi boys)


Dave- my flattie...up at the summit hut

lovin my new boots!

Wed, 15 Nov 2006

After 4 hard days at work
Good evening. Well i am currently lying in bed trying to take my mind off the burn in my legs... its truely the most i think ive ever felt! today we were quite busy getting more slopes open out on the back sides of Ski lake louise. setting up fence lines, testin the snow etc ;) wow its just amazing how much snow we have. i don't think anyone can quite believe it! every person, local, customer that i talk to is blown away with all that is open already. apparently the runs we're opening usually arn't ready till about mid jan! woohoo. the best in 7 years apparently- yay, looks like a picked the right time to head over...as one nice man on the chairlift put it to me this morn. it just keeps on snowing. i don't think there has been one day since ive been here that it hasn't snowed. yesturday was just spectacular...finally a clear blue sky day, for most of it, which allowed me to actually have a good look around the terrain. i took a few photos- so you'll have to check them out in the photo albums! i couldn't stop grinning all day, and whats best is that i got so much skiing in. pity i still can't shread the pow. it shreads me. i can't wait to get some new skies! my ones are like trying to water ski on sticks. its not fun sometimes. and not pretty. ill be gettin some lovely fat ones very soon.... (watch this space) so all the people that i work with are great fun...all about the skiing and having fun. woohooooooo! its laughs and hard skiing all day long. last night i headed into banff with a few people and we saw the movie 'Borat' (he's the guy that Ali G plays) it was a real good laugh! not much else is happening during this week apart from full on work...so im keeping it quiet at night because i don't have a day off until sat. i will write again soon, as im almost asleep at the wheel. i would love to hear from you all. all about the summer your heading into..and how the warmth feels! love and hugs erin xoxo

work has started...this is some of our crew. Summit hut

Me at summit top...hut on the left. looking over the back

Whitehorn 1...opened today

mid field

paradise chairlift

Group email sent on the 7th of November

Kia Ora to all! Well I've well and truly landed my feet on the ground that they'll be jumping on for the next 6 months. I say jumping because I actually feel like its all a bit of a dream land right now….its blown me away and I feel like im jumping up and down inside a lot of

the time! Banff is just the most beautiful place. I can't explain well enough. I've only been here for 4 days and I really do feel at home. The people, environment and taste in the air is just so welcoming. My trip over here went relatively smoothly. I had half a day in Vancouver

…which was nowhere near enough time. It is an amazing city and truly put on the weather which made out for a great scenic flight over the Canadian Rockies into Calgary

that afternoon. I spent the first couple of days exploring around Banff and Canmore(a small town 15min east). Banff has really cool buildings down the streets, with

plenty of shopping and dinning. There's snow everywhere, trees and stunning mountains surrounding it….wild animals walking the streets… friendly faces all around…which is so new to me it just makes me smile the whole time! Oh and the road rules-i havn't stopped laughing about. It seems like there just is none. (ie. Whoever gets first to the intersection generally goes first?) Banff is about a 50min drive from Lake Louise, where I work, along the 'trans Canadian highway'. It's a great drive..long straight roads through the rockies with funny animals in the bush beside it, animal-crossings over top and once again- scenery you dream of. Honestly=just like the pictures! Breathe taking. I stayed the first few nights with my friend Karem which was cool. Great to catch up and instantly meet some really fun people. a couple of days ago I moved to Lake Louise… luckily I scored the last room in a "condo" (flat) instead of the staff accommodation I was expecting. (it didn't sound so good in the end) its in Lake Louise and im sharing it with 5 other kiwis! Hehehehe. Two couples, another guy and me – all Patrollers which makes it pretty fun. the rent will be much cheaper than Banff so that's all good. oh and I get much more of a sleep in the morn- yay! So I've four days of training at work now…not on skies yet…just doing training which has been fun. Cold the first day because we were outside in the snow for most of it- and I had no good boots. = cold toes! All is ok now I brought myself some 'Sorels' straight after work which fit me much better for the weather while training outside. + they're great to walk around the snowy streets. Most of the outside work is consisting of Chairlift evacuations. Pretty exciting stuff- having to learn all the different evacs we might be required to do for the different chairlifts and different circumstances. Yesturday was the best- we spent all day on the gondolas, ive attatched a couple of pictures taken of me training. woooohooo! We've got a great crew…half of the pro-patrollers are somewhat local Canadians, half are kiwis, and one ausie! Hehehe. About 30 of us. Then an extra 40 volunteer-patrollers for the weekends when we are busy. I can't quite believe my eyes when I look up onto our field. It seems never ending! And there's two more faces that you can't actually see from the base. How on earth am I going to remember all the runs! It's the biggest field in Canada! Oh well. Ill learn. the snow is amazing here- just like icing sugar! It was snowing all of yesterday. And last night. None today though…and they were getting worried because it wasn't cold enough for the snow makers so the pressure was going to be on for the World Cup preparation. Apparently it's the most amazing event to watch- speeds of 130km on skies straight through the middle of our front face field! But good news because ive just heard its dumping up there and we are already above average for this time of the year. Wooohoo! So parts of the field are opening up on Friday and I can't wait to get out there and have a play around. most of us (rookies) have three days off now and a bunch of us drove to Canmore today to do a bit of shopping and hang out with a work buddy who is from here. His parents just cooked all of us kiwis a lovely big feed of turkey and fresh veg. Mmmmmmm. Havn't had that in a while now! well ill stop and update in the near future…. But id love to hear what you are all up to so drop me a line or a hundy – I miss you all. ive attempted to add some pics of Banff, work and the house I I guess this house is going to keep me close to home though- I look up now and there is a big NZ flag hanging on the wall, a great map of the country on another, kiwi music in the back ground. Marmite in the pantry. oh but don't worry about me getting to know the Canadian culture….there's no lack in the social life here and ive already caught myself rolling my R's occasionally.ahhhhhh! ah well Right on. love to you all xoxoxo erin

Banff Streets

Ski Lake Louise, Ski patrol base

Gondola evacuation training

Kat and Bobbie walking to our house...the one in the middle of the pic

Erin plays ice hockey!

On the road to Jasper

skins are on...touring up to bow summit

bow valley

sheltering for lunch