Pre-departure madness
Months ago I booked a ski trip because this year nothing would stop me. Normally I arrange my trip and transfers through the same company, but this year I found out they didn’t offer transfers. That was the first red flag. Since the trip had already been paid for, I…
Back when we should have known
It seems like forever ago. I was working in tourism and was slightly overwhelmed with my travel schedule, only being home about 50% of the time. How times have changed… Since my brilliant 6 weeks in Portugal I haven’t even visited another city! It’s been one year and almost 2…
One week before crazy
I am sooooo lucky! In the first week of March I made it over to Les Arcs in France for a second ski week this winter. Corona was coming up, but at this time we had no idea what it would turn into. I was outside doing one of my…
To the races!
This weekend were the Hahnenkamm races in Kitzbuhel. I’ve never seen anything like it, but I wasn’t sure if I had a day off to go to see it. On Thursday I arrived at work with one of my colleagues. Not many people were working that day. As we entered…
Hello new life!
Right. Just over a week ago I came to Whistler. All I can say is. I am impressed. At first I was more overwhelmed. This mountain is huge! The amount of staff working here is crazy. I keep looking at the ski instructor uniform on the coat rack and have…
Off to ‘the other mountain’
It took me a whole season, but I’ve got it! The photo with the view… Working at Coronet Peak, it’s just so convenient to just leave my skis up there and enjoy the mountain on my days off. Taking my skis down to go to a different mountain seems like…
The day I became a ski instructor
It has been a beautiful, sunny, exhausting, social, exciting, nerve-wracking, fantastic, physical, meaningful, fun and jam-packed week full of learning experiences. As I walk towards the final meeting in a hotel in Queenstown, I think about just turning around. It’s been a great week, an exam week, but a great…
Challenging myself and my stamina
“I am Dennis, I’ve skied for about 50 years.” “Hi! I’m Alice and when I was little I was on the race team.” “Hey, my name is George. I started skiing when I was four.” “I’m Andrea. I started skiing two years ago…” My confidence just dropped dramatically. I was…
The heart of a skier
Skiing isn’t just a sport. It’s a lifestyle. I’m a rookie in this world. Studying for my instructor level 1 exam is finding out about all the things I don’t know. Where other people cruise down the mountain, I am thinking about lateral movement, if I’m supposed to feel this…
The beginner’s guide to skiing down under
People don’t usually associate the southern hemisphere with skiing. A lot of people come to Australia or New Zealand for a holiday, but only few come to go skiing. Although different from Europe, Canada or America, Oceania offers some excellent skiing. If you happen to be here in winter, why…