I think it been a long time again. I’m sat in the restaurant at lake louise having some lunch. I’m on a pre course level the snowboard instructor level 2. I think I’m becoming accustomed to the cold a little, yesterday it was -10 and felt almost warm! Monday they couldn’t even open the lifts because it’s was over thirty below. People say this is freak cold for this early in winter, but so good for getting used to it. I tend to lose feeling in my toes after twenty minutes outside, and frostbite comes in around ten.
So it hasn’t snowed in a while, just nice and sunny, the sun not feeling warm. But everybody is waiting for the next snow, after all snow is what we came for.
After being here around 5 weeks, alan and I finally have a place to move into, so that’ll end my almost 8 months of homelessness. It’s unfurnished so were trying to find our furniture online at no cost. It’s been done, so doable. I can’t wait to have a home.
So we decide to stay here for the winter, and have season passes for the local hills, so we are totally committed to Banff, expensive as it is.
I have a definately job lined up for January onwards, but only part time, so I’m still looking. But instructing is what I’ve been working towards, so excited!
Most of the time here is spent cold, on the snow, drinking, eating, and having lots of fun meeting new people.
Oh and one bad thing, I failed my level 1 for ski instructing. I passed the teaching but failed the technical skiing. It was pretty ambitious taking the course having barely skied In ten years. So there is a another course next week so I have to get practicing, and make sure I pass this time.
I guess last thing is ???

Photos; cheese, dice and drinks, bingo, robs new car, elk in town, more bingo, me riding, circular rainbow and my leg bruise after landing on a tree

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So Alan is here, and everybody had last night off work. So much for the plans for a BBQ, it snowed loads. So we had a house party, we were all a mess by five pm. It was a fun evening, with a big bad head day today.
Alan and I managed to go skiing, boarding today, I even took him up mont gele, pretty hardcore for his first day! Maybe thirty cms of powder, now, in April, insane, and awesome!!!
We got my car back from the garage, with the summer tyres
So off to lugarno tomorrow to jump 220m off a dam, same one that James bond did at the beginning of goldeneye. Ace or what.
Good luck to us all.

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finally after 2 weeks of very little snow and lots of sun, it seemed like all of the snow would soon be gone, and as i speak it is snowing now yay for a powder day!

with christian here and beautiful sunny days, i’ve been out partying so much, so now i need rest. i feel a bit shitty, and need less booze for a while. i want to get soem snowboarding done, and that’s difficult when hangin!

today’s skiing just about killed me, after one sketchy run i could barely hold a bottle to drink from.

well anyway, yesterday was the verbier extreme competition and the finals for the world freeride championship. it was a lovely sunny day and loads of people were perched up on mont fort to watch the action. i don’t think i can imagine how to describe how extreme it is, so watch the video:

so i’m quitre excited about thsi year. we are only 1/4 done and it’s been crazy, i expect it is going to be crazier yet!!!

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i just watched the best f&*)ing film ever. Doomsday. it’s like a cross between 28 days/weeks later, braveheart, waterworld, and mad max. it’s almost all set in scotland, some in london. and it is cheesey as hell, and great fun!!!!

come on look, at the end a mad max style chase with a bentley!

watch it!!!!

so i’m back in verbier and it is sunny and warm and is lovely!

mayrhofen was great, but i had enough of the crazy germans who can’t ski, and the apres ski music, though i did buy the cd for a laugh.

ian’s bro is here from new jesey for a week, so time to party again :s

oh and my stitches are out and my mouth is looking much better. i’m still a bit swollen. but time to see the dentist tuesday, and i want a new tooth!!!! any thoughts on a gold tooth?

i’m ready for summer now!

off to ride, so ciao

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today i was super excited to ride the big powder, and had an ace day until…..

yeh so i tried to ride a tree like a rainbow rail. i got half way, lost momentum and slipped off. i tried to protect my face, but obviously that didn’t work too well! my tooth came out, and went straight through my lip. i still have my tooth being that i had to pull it out of the front of my lip!

so i rode down with a mate to the car. drove myself back to verbier and went to the doctors.

the doctor had to do 13 stitches. he even found a piece of tree inside my lip. i have both that an dmy tooth as souvenirs!

no work tonight, doctor’s orders. my boss is totally squeemish and kicked me out of the restaurant upion seeing it.

so i’m going to look beautiful for a while! and the cost of a new tooth is going to be huge, so better get onto the insurance!

not bad timing, as off on vacation for a few days, so can chill and heal a bit.

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happy mardi gras to all. i guess back in blighty you will all be scoffing pancakes.

here it’s a BIG party, and everybody has to dress up!

olli and i up on col de gentianes

so we went to lausanne on saturday which was nice, the idea was to finalise mardi gras costumes, but we just got drunk. it’s a nice city, i’d like to see more of it, and sober.

wednesday ian and i spent the afternoon in geneva, found a charity shop and sorted out our costumes. we were a bit late to collect his girlfriend courtney and her friend.

it’s been cool, we’ve been partying a bit and getting some riding in.

and no chris’s bro and mate are here, so we have 9 people staying here, and it’s only a 3 bedroom place! so it’s a rare thin g getting a warm shower!!!!

so off to the partying!!!!!

ciao

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i’m so tired, i have just had a nap before work.

the snow has been great, so i’m trying not to party too much right now. partying has been the reason for not updating, so life hasn’t been too eventful.

i hurt myself snowboarding and just got back to partying due to not want to ride. but after the s & m party the other night i’ve stopped that i hope. for now…

sadism and masachism party in casbah verbier verbier s & m

my car is all working now which is great, and i’m working on sorting out the number plates.

oh and the snowboarding is greeeeeeeeat right now, so back to teh snooooowwww!!!!!

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and what have i been doing?

mainly partying, working, and some riding.

jack and nastia left, with a big party before that, so there was a hungover day in martigny, which was nice, purely for escaping the verb.

some of us have made plans for may. so after i meet dad in albania, hopefully with nicola, and climb a mountain. after that ian and his girlfriend courtney and possibly alex will fly down and meet me, and we’ll spend a month or so touring eastern europe. i have been wanting to do this for many years, so i can’t wait!!! i looked at heading to russia, but there is no way i am driving, let alone taking my car there, so maybe we’ll head to warsaw and fly into russia, to see moscow and head to st. petersburg to meet nastia.

there is a possibility of heading up to holland for queens day, which is the biggest dutch party of the year. it’s at the end of april.

we have a new flat mate, stef. she works in l’atelier, with rob, and just got out of a messy relationship, but she’s a super nice girl.

i have applied for a canadian visa! so this is a once in a lifetime thing, so if i don’t go, i’ll miss out on the opportunity to work and travel in canada! so it seems that i’ll be spending a year of my life in canada! another great thing in the planning.

today’s riding was phenominal (not a word used to describe riding), AWESOME!!! we had lots of snow over the past 3 days, and today was clear blue skies. i was lucky enough to ride with some real good guys, which always makes it better.

we’re due plenty more snow within the next week, so yeh, it’s going to be a great time!!!

check out this cool guy’s music, wax tailor:

so it seems that i should update more often, being that this is soo long!

well tonight i’m staying at home with a movie alone, which shall be nice

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so the eve of christmas is here, and here in europe it is already christmas. i don’t feel one iota of christmas. the first time in my life. maybe it’s down to my partying and snowboarding, or the inrush of tourists making town super busy, but it’s strange!!

so yesterday and today i’ve been teaching people to snowbard, not for money, just for favour and practice. it’s been quite rewarding.

elley came up to verbier from the valley. she messaged me on couchsurfing.com to ask for lessons,a nd it’s been great fun hanging with her. she will be back soon no doubt about it.

last night was fun, and the highlight being laying in the snow watching the stars and the occassional shooting star pass by.

Merry Christmas to all!!!! x

friday was fondue and big party, and lots of fun! and sunday after 3 hours sleep on the mountain, over at Bruson. it’s great over there, it’s a little less accessable, so it’s aways empty, so there is always fresh snow days after a fall.

so saturday Apres Ski bar opened, which was mental! it too 30mins to walk to the end of the bar, 20m away, and everybody dancing on the tables, bar, everywhere, topless and throwing beer everywhere. didn’t stay long as ian got too drunk and had to be ready for work, so we came home.

so again 3 hours sleep and on to the mountain, this time with rob. we had a great day, but he wouldn’t trek anywhere with me, without us both having avalanche detection systems, so today i’ll see about getting ne, because i don’t want to miss out on the fun. but we fancied an adventure and dropped off the opposite side of the mountain, seeing many tracks going there. it was awesome the gentle powder field through graceful trees. it got a bit sticky after that, us not know where to go, in dense woodland. but in the end we arrived at a farm, and gradually made our way through fields and farms on foot and board. we arrived in orsieres, a town in the next valley, on the way to italy. time enough for a quick beer, and catch the train. followed by another train, followed by a bus, before we reached the car! quite an adventure.

i went to emma’s last night to hook their internet up and to have my hair cut, but she refused to saying that she feared my wrath if she did something i didn’t like. so i’ll get my hair done next weekend in london!

bring on london and partying, and maybe christmas is it happens here!

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