The Ford Windstar

Thanks for the comments everyone - its is good the be back. Despite the often long times between posts I do very much enjoy writing them and reading your comments. Everyone has asked for photos of the car...who takes photos of their car??

It's been over cast here for days so I could not take a nice photo of it in the sun so I dug out these photos from our trip to Silver Star (full report to follow). It was about -10 in the car park when I made the boys stand around for the photo. So cold when I got in the car my fingers were frozen solid and I could not even manage the button on my trousers.

Here it is..obscured by others.

Red Mountain...and a little more

Over the past few weeks (whilst I have not been writing) I have had some of my more memorable moments of the trip. Back in December I took a half share in trusty motor vehicle. A $750, 1995 (or is it 1997 I can't remember) Ford Windstar...think Toyota Tarago...little less refined...a lot more American.


It has 7 seats, a V6 engine, electric windows (one of which doesn't work - yep that's right the driver's window), cruise control, air conditioning, an AM/FM tape deck stereo and a mere 280,000km on the clock...one lady owner drove it the shops and back on weekends only - yeah right.


Of course the even funnier story is that when Pup went to buy it he was heading out to buy another van; but he got lost, stopped at a car yard for directions and well...the rest is history.


It has enormous buttons and switches in it, handles like a sponge cake and needs about 500m to come to a complete stop from any speed. But is is in pretty good nick mechanically and we love it!! And now that we have all saved a few dollars and the winter is drawing to a close we are taking it out on the road at any opportunity to visit the surrounding mountains.


From Big White there are a number of excellent ski hills between 2 and 5 hours away - weather permitting. In the past few weeks I have visited Revelstoke (photos to follow), Red Mountain and Big White's sister resort Silver Star (photos to follow) - which at only 2 hours away is a good option on the mornings they get fresh snow and we don't.


Making the trips even more affordable is that almost all the mountains in the interior of BC have a reciprocal arrangement for staff where the staff of each mountain are entitled, on average, to 2 free day passes and 4 additional day passes discounted by 50%. At Silver Star we ride for free all season so its just the cost of petrol.


A fortnight ago Tim, of North Vancouver fame, was heading to the interior with some mates of his for a 10 day tour of the local hills around Big White. I took a Friday night off work and joined him for the last three days of the trip which included Red Mountain and Big White. The 4 hour trip to Red took me pretty much due South to the US Border which I followed East for an hour or so before turning back to the North and up to Red. To break the ride up I stopped in Grand Forks for some chowder and picked a hitch hiker up for the 20km from Grand Forks to Christina Lake...nice guy (the hitchhiker that is).


Red is one of the oldest ski hills in North America with a history dating back almost to 1900. The ski area is actually made up of Red and Granite mountains which meet in a valley. Despite the name most of the ski-able terrain is actually on Granite. Granite is quite unique in that is a conical shaped ski hill ride-able on all sides - imagine if you asked a 5 year old boy to draw a mountain - they just drew Granite.


Red is famous for its steep terrain, excellent tree runs and extremely slow and ancient lift system. From the day lodge its a 28 minute trip to the top of Granite on two lifts...none of the chairs are detachable and you take your life in your hands boarding them. It's one mountain where the lifties actually posses an important skill set, swinging the chair just before you board to make the take-off bearable.


We got to Red a few days after a good dump and being a quieter hill there was still some good snow to be found in the trees. We rode in-bounds all day Friday and sampled most of the good areas on the hill. We even nipped up Red Mountain for one run just to tick that box.


We were kindly put up by some friends of Tim's in their beautiful ski-to/ski-from apartment and on Saturday they joined us on the hill. Knowing the area well and with little fresh snow in-bounds they took us past the ski-area boundary to hike the next ridge line (Record Ridge) for an unforgettable day of heavy hiking, fresh lines and deep powder. The long hike up was well worth it - so much so after lunch we did it all again.

The morning sun on the snow of Record Ridge

Part way up the ridge - looking back towards Granite Mountain.

Tree


Looking back over Granite Mountain from the top of Record Ridge


Looking away from Granite Mountain from the top of record ridge


Heading back down the side of Record Ridge back towards Granite


Bottom of Powder Fields - Granite Mountain


Coming down off Record Ridge after lunch

Tony coming down off Record Ridge

I can`t remember where this is might have been the bottom of Beer Belly on the Friday...

After two great days of riding we set off back to Big White with Tim and I in my trusty van and the others in a nice new Landcruiser. Fair to say despite us leaving well ahead of the other and that they had to stop for fuel it was not us waiting at the top of Big White for them. It turns out the headlights on the old girl are not what they used to be. We got home eventually.

The next day we broke things up with a spot of skiing at Big White as the snow was average. I have posted the photos below to prove that I have actually learnt how to stand on my skis. The guys that taught me to ski are making their way home tomorrow morning. They leave on a month long trip through the states in a 1994 Ford Explorer that they picked up at the auctions in Kelowna for $1,000...great old car - all the best fellas.

Yeah yeah yeah...

...I know...I'm useless at this thing. I do appreciate the comments of Fairlie and Wil El-dropper in keeping me honest.

Fairlie - good detective work there is somebody else...taking the photos that is.

In fact in completely abandoning this thing for a few weeks I actually gained a follower - says a lot really.

I'm on a roll...

The hill is quiet and the snow is average so I have time to post some more photos. The following were taken in an area just off the Alpine T-Bar known as the Enchanted Forest. There are some good examples of snow ghosts in there. The Snow Ghosts are trees covered in snow and ice. They grow so slowly in the alpine conditions that they are all hundreds of years old.

These photos were taken about 10 days ago on the first day the weather turned on us. The base was still 171cm but we had not had fresh snow for 5 days. When the weather first clears even if it has not snowed for a week whole areas of untouched powder are revealed where previously you simply could not see your hand in front of your face.

There are more which I will add in a second post. As you can see from the photos the place looks quite like nothing I have seen before. Sometimes after a big dump it hardly feels like you are on the same planet that boasts the beaches back home. You might also notice how few people we have to share this place with...just me and a giant mountain covered in snow! Have a nice day at work...

Photos at last...

A little late but as promised I have put together some photos from around the hill.

For the last week we have been stuck in a strange weather pattern. Traditionally, January is the month of low temperatures and high snow fall but for the past week we have had quite the opposite. A warm front has caused a cold air inversion meaning the alpine regions have experienced mild temperatures above zero while the valley has been below zero.

The other result being that the village is currently above the clouds meaning we are enjoying bright blue skies while the valley is deep in cloud below us. On the two days I took these photos the airport below us was closed due to low cloud and fog!!! From the slopes the cloud below looks like a sheet of perfectly still water - similar to the view out of an aircraft window. Despite the ordinary photos my camera takes if you look closely you can see the clouds below.

The warm temps have also caused a small amount of melt here on the hill so the trees are again green and free of snow. Hopefully it will return to normal by the end of this week.

Riding up the hill on the Snow Ghost Express - a six pack chair just - this is the first chair I ride every day.

The view from the top of the Snow Ghost Express

View from the top of the Snow Ghost Express - looking across the ski hill towards the Black Forest

View from the top of the Alpine T-Bar looking towards Gem Lake

The control box at the top of the Alpine T-Bar - looking back across the Okanagan Valley

Ski Patrol Hut at the top of the Cliff

View from the top of the Cliff - looking towards the Easter Chutes (which run down the right hand side of the ridge line mid-picture) and towards the Black Forest a little further to the right

The view at the top of the Cliff. The patch of trees with the cleared line in the middle is the Cliff Chair which returns you to the top. I could not safely stand any closer to the edge and take a picture to show you the slope.

Just another helpful sign...if you do find any explosives please give them to another Big White employee, I am not interested.

Looking over the Cliff to the East Peak. Technically out of bounds but you can hike to the top of this peak and ride to the bottom of the Cliff Chair so it is a popular side-country hike.

Hopefully if the weather sorts itself out and the base settles this sign will be turned over.

The Cliff in profile

I'm running on the same clock as Fairlie's cards...

Well...since we last spoke not a lot has happened but since Christmas quite a lot has changed.

The two minute version of Christmas and New Year is simple.

Christmas dinner went off without a hitch, we enjoyed a full turkey and ham and all the trimmings. We exchanged gifts in a token secret Santa that saw three people give the same or substantially the same gift (it's a small hill with only four shops) and we ate drank and behaved badly.

New Years Eve was a big party night with fireworks in the village centre at 8pm for the kids and again at midnight for the bigger kids. The pub kindly charged a cover for entry and jacked the price of drinks causing everyone who actually lives on the hill to party at each others houses while the tourists poured out their wallets. I worked on the night of NYE and whilst a little disappointed to be missing out at 11pm on 31/12 I was more than happy with my choice at 8am on 01/01 as people came to work looking like hell and I walked out the door fresh as a button with 10 cents on the ground. The hill was empty and I was the first man down two runs.

It snowed consistently throughout late December, the mountain enjoyed two weeks at full capacity over the Christmas/New Year period and the second half of the mountain (Gem Lake) was opened up. For the first time we endured lift lines which at their worst caused a five minute delay and occasionally caused me to go home early. I don't do queues.

Everything seemed perfect and from all the evidence contained in the myriad of press releases this place puts out everyday it was. But then a few cracks began to show in the armour and the mountain has endured a very testing first two weeks in January.

Unfortunately our little hill, as protected as it is from so many of the world's problems, has suffered at hands of the world's economy. We are a little down on occupancy. Numbers of day and weekend trippers are also down and those who are here are in general just spending a little less. The effect has rolled through the village. It started with a number of house keepers and condo inspectors (no idea what the latter do...) being laid off (obviously not vitally important to the lifts turning). Then they cancelled the fireworks every Thursday and Saturday night, binned the family fun races and canned the family movie night. Our perfect winter wonderland had a few scratches in the duco.

The feeling around the hill has been lack lustre to say the least.

Then just when we thought it could not possible get ANY worse...the sun has come out, the temperature is up and the base is melting.

It is not the end of the world...but the alpine forecast is for temperatures above zero for the rest of the week and obviously no snow. The same thing happened last January when the mountain had 10 days of unseasonal high temps. What happened last year after the hot spell was two weeks of intense snow and a huge jump in the base for a Stella February and a solid second half of the year. We are hoping history repeats.

A little more concerning is the affect the odd temperatures have on the snow base. Apart from the obvious - when it snows it grows and when its hot it melts - the base has a personality of its own. The heavy pre-season falls, followed by a warm spell, a rain event in early December, heavy falls in late December and now the melt means the base has a number of layers to it each with their own characteristics. The end result is an unstable base where the layers are more inclined to slide on each other.

We are not alone in this, across British Columbia there have been 13 deaths from avalanches this winter. Twelve of these occurred in one 16 day period. It's been mayhem on the hill as a result. The Cliff is being heavily monitored as it was the site of a fatal avalanche on January 6 2008 and everyone is urging that only the most experienced riders and skiers venture out of bounds or into the back country.

To be honest it is not really affecting me and here is my rationale....

My job is reasonably recession proof. Four nights out of five I work the graveyard shift. I'm the only man working at a desk that operates 24/7 and everyone is scared of the hours. The mountain offers shuttles up and down the hill 24 hours a day (with bookings till the season ends) and someone has to be here to greet a weary Australian lawyer at 4am after 30 hours on a plane - sure he is fine but his wife who has sat at the back of the plane with three kids for 30 hours is just a little shirty. Then when the world wakes and the real people come to work to deal with the guests I walk out the door, strap in and ride. Sure there is a little less snow than usual but there are also less people riding it and I get out there everyday. As far as I am concerned the less people the better.

So for me it is a simple case of out of sight...out of mind. All I need to do is complete my list of nightly tasks, add a little extra for good measure, kick back and wait for the sun to rise. And with no clouds in the sky and no one around I am amassing a great number of photos of me on the mountain with no other tracks in the snow and not another living thing in sight.

And as for the Cliff...I've already ridden it so I have ticked that box...I'll throw together a few photos when I get home.

I know...

...it's not christmas anymore it is 2009...but despite my best intentions everyone keeps calling me in the middle of the night and finding time to blog is hard...