So time for new beginnings.

But I’ll start with a recap of the last few weeks;

So after I finisked working at Nakiska I had plenty of time to ride for myself. I purchased a new snowboard in the sales for just over $200 to replace my years old board. All of this lead to huge improvements in my riding, and me performing new tricks and gaining lots more confidence.

I started working as a line cook in the Elk and Oarsman pub, the busiest pub in town. I worked on the salad/pizza/desert section so could munch on yummy fresh food all the time. Being able to take food home meNtion saving spending on groceries too! It was fun working there, met a few good people and made some good contacts.

I started socialising more with my new found time, and not having to wake up for six am. So this gave me time with my friends and party a bit more.

At the end of the season, the last day we went to Slush Cup. I started off by tobogganning from the highest lift on the mountain, which was crazy. Nobody on a board could keep up with me down the longest black run, only alan could manage, and that was with the brakes on. I hit moguls went flying and throw myself off to stop, heart pounding I saw the ski patrol waiting for me to tell me off. Needless to say he was nice, and just called all of the lifts to stop us from taking the sled up again.
So maybe I’d pushed fate and come off fine, for later while making my last run I caught an edge and fell down hard. Had it not been raining over the weekend, then snowing, turning the mountain to ice, I would had been fine. But hitting the ground face first onto ice left me checking for all of my teeth and questioning where all of the blood was coming from. Well I should have been wearing goggles because my sunglasses cut the bridge of my nose. I smashed my nose in causing a big nose bleed, and I grazed the skin from my face from chin to forehead.
The lively lady in ski patrol cleaned me up, gave me a little plaster so I could wear my glasses to protect my eyes from the sun and off I went to enjoy the festivities. My first slush cup was fun all in all.
Why is it I manage to smash my face up each year?

So I looked haggered and scary for a good week, I can only breathe a little through my nose, and I have a mousache because I can’t shave my upper lip.

I got a hold of a ticket to Sasquatch, a music festival in Washington state that Alan and co. were going to and I had come to think I had no chance of getting to. I rode down in convoy with some guys I’d never met, a great road trip with much junk food along the way, 13 hours in all. The venue ‘The Gorge’ is possibly one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. It’s a canyon like the Grand Canyon, but smaller and greener with a natural amphitheatre and beautiful sunsets.
The music was great especially LCD Soundsystem, Vampire Weekend, Z Trip, Booka Shade, Simian Mobile Disco and Deadmaus, and I had a good dance.
So I met some great people and had an awesome last weekend with Alan, Chris, Sarah and Sarah, so farewell to them I’ll miss them.

On the way back to Banff, I didn’t want to go back, we had trouble at the border, misunderstanding a question, getting searched and fined for not declaring alcahol. But on the upside we some a family of black bears, momma and three cubs, my first sighting of bears!

This left me with 2 days to sort my life out, pack up and clean the house.
So lots of farewells and help from Malcolm and so we left Banff, Malcolm, Natalie and I in her VW Golf laden down, roof rack piled high off on the next adventure.

We drove west, stopping got lunch in Revelstoke, an awesome mountain town.

We then hit BC and the Oakanagon valley where we’ll live for the next few months. We’ve come to pick fruit and live a leaisurely summer on the farm. I called around a few weeks ago, with little positive response but one guy Al we met up with us has given us a place to set tent, and given us lots of advice, no promise of work but things are looking positive.

So this is our new life and we are super excited for this will be a wonderful summer!

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