I'm famous

I'm kind of a big deal around these parts. I'm famous.
Last week I got a new ski movie titled Adrenaline Hunters and my cousin purchased the new Poor Boyz film, Ski Porn. To my amazement, I had a cameo in both of them. No, I was not skiing. I was however playing a key role as an enthusiastic fan watching guys like Simon Dumont and Sammy Carlson throw huge tricks off even bigger jumps. I couldn't actually convince anyone who was watching the films with me that the little dot off in the side of the screen was me, but I know.
For a long time ski movies were pretty much just Warren Miller traveling the world with some of the greatest skiers. His cameramen would film them skiing some amazing lines while he romantized the sport through narration. It was enough to bring a tear to my eye. Now with the decreasing cost of equipment and production, guys that decided to start filming for fun a few years ago are turning their love for skiing and making it look as cool as possible into a money making venture. Ski Porn retails for $39.99.
So why is there a market? I wouldn't purchase a ski movie just to see my ant-like resemblance off in the corner. I, along with many other skiers, purchase the films to get amped for a day of skiing. Nothing will make you want to ski bigger lines and huck cliffs than watching someone who is way better than you do something 10 times bigger than you would even consider.
When i was skiing in New Zealand, we had no television, no heat except for wood that we cut and one outlet. We plugged in my friends computer and gathered around to watch what we called "white porn." White of course refers to the snow and it was the perfect way to end a day and get ready for another gnarly day of skiing.

The rise of helmet use

It had been about six years since I started religiously wearing a helmet to ski and bike when a doctor and a paramedic told my mom that I might not be alive if I was not wearing a helmet. I was biking home from work on my triathlon bike when I was 18. I was going through a green light when a car made a lefthand turn without seeing me. I slammed on my brakes, but it was too late. I flipped shoulder first into the car breaking his windshield. My pedals unclipped from my shoes sending my bike to the other side of the road while I did a flip off the car, landed on m head and rolled for a few metres on the concrete. A passerby luckily called an ambulance which rushed me to the hospital. I needed two stitches in my leg. I flew a few metres after the car came to a complete stop, landed on my head and only needed stitches in my leg. And some people say they don't really need a helmet.
This is just one story from biking that happened to be quite serious, but I can't even count the number of falls I've had on skis where I pop an advil and shake it off for a few days - falls that could have been bad news. When I look at the scratches in my ski helmet, I can't believe I beat some of those trees.
I bring up this story to show the importance of wearing a helmet. In the past dozen years, I can count on one hand the number of times I've skied or biked without a helmet and they were all working days. I make it a policy to not go on challenging terrain if someone I'm skiing with isn't wearing a helmet.
Most resorts, such as Whistler, require everyone under 18 to have one on. A study done a few years ago suggests that one can reduce your chance of a head injury by almost 60%.
This is because most fatalities on the hill are due to multiple injuries. An impact to the head is usually the number one cause of death. Another finding shows that helmet use is rising about five per cent per year and highest among children, experienced skiers and males.
However, hospitals such as Seattle Children's Hospital feel the need to remind people that wearing a helmet isn't a license to go faster.
I have definitely noticed that more people are wearing helmets, especially ones that want to ski with me. However, one of my friend's wasn't lucky enough to jump on the helmet bandwagon earlier. I can't help but think if it would have helped.

Skiing at the beach

I spoke to a man named Derek last year around the end of March. He fasions long hair, a long goatee and a sick pair of tele skis. I made some comment about the great snow and he slowly glanced at me to say, "my mind is already in biking mode." He has been a true mountain man for a long time and when the snow starts to fade, he can't help but hope to be back on his bike soon. I thought this was strange. Afterall, I was living to ski. But this year for some reason I am definitely ready for summer to roll around. One of the key signs that sailing, kayaking and biking are right around the corner is spring skiing.
Often called slush skiing or sitting on the beach, it really has no substitute for the unambitious, lazy alcoholic who has trouble dealing with the transition between sports. That time when neither is good and you can do both, but would rather just sit on the beach. This beach is not sand covered, but the snow has a certain corn-like quality to it.
Some times the snow would melt beyond slush and form little ponds in flat sections of the hill. These are the times when I got to show off my pond skimming ability. One gains a lot of speed and waterskis through the water hoping not to fall.
Not far from Vancouver is a local mountain called Cypress. Locals talk about sitting on that beach as they talk about looking forward to a day of spring skiing. Similarly, Arapahoe Basin in Colorado is a small local mountain with no accomodations nearby. Cars back into the closest spots near the hill and pop their tailgates to blast music. They display small groups of fold-out chairs in a circle around a portable camping stove. They tap the keg and, dressed in either Hawaiian or 80's wear, do a few runs before having a burger and beer while baking in the sun. The skiing is really just a way to cool down.
For whatever reason people enjoy spring skiing, I am definitely happy it's finally here. While the skiing may not be great, I'm starting to get some colour back on my face and it is getting me in the mood for summer.

A lot of snow, or names for it anyways

Sometimes it feels like my skis are either easily gliding over or being forced through a different consistency of snow every turn. Some turns are easy. These are the turns in fluffy, deep powder. But sometimes the skis fight through heavy slush or glide over ice that would resemble the Red Bull Cushed Ice course.
I guess the Inuit hit the nail on the hammer with the 100 plus names they have for snow. If an Inuit was having a great day on the hill, he or she would be skiing some steep and deep tlapa. But if the hill gets all skied out and no new snow falls overnight, he or she would probably talk about klin. If no new snow falls for weeks, the word changes to naklin.
Here on the wet coast we get a mixture of tlamo and tlapinti. And on St. Patrick's day last week, we even saw some sulitlana. It was a good thing, we could all go in for some mactla and mexla.
In the minds of skiers, nothing is just tla. Sometimes if you hit a patch or shlim, it will soon be motla. Just make sure to watch out for tlayopi.
Some say that even the English language has numerous words and the Inuit words are a bit of a myth. But I feel that it's so much easier to say jatla instead of snow between your fingers or toes, or in groin-folds or quinyaya instead of snow mixed with the shit of a lead dog.
One thing is for sure. If an Inuit is a serious skier, he or she never stops talking about ylaipi.

St. Patrick's day on the hill

There are many great theme days on the mountain - Thanksgiving, Christmas, Valentines Day, rock star day, one-piece day, 80's day, Australia Day. But the best one is definitely St. Patrick's day and last Saturday didn't disappoint.
I don't remember the last time I wasn't skiing on St. Patty's day so I have a number of good memories. Lots of people ski around in strange green apparel some wearing Irish flags and some trying new tricks thanks to a little liquid courage. The funny thing about these days is that the skiing doesn't really matter. A great outfit and bragging about hitting the bar early do.
Lift operators, mountain hosts and other guest services representatives can all be seen getting people in the mood by wearing all green and speaking in poor Irish accents.
The town of Snowmass has possibly the most organization of any ski town and even puts on a parade to celebrate among other events. The parade runs right through the centre of town where tourists can purchase cheap, green beer right on the street. This year the parade even featured the Colorado Youth Pipe Band. I remember not even being able to walk through the town during the afternoon because of the number of people. The preview article in the Aspen Times about this day even ended with a suggestion to check local bars for specials.
Was anyone on the hill? Lift lines don't exist on St. Patrick's Day, but by 2 p.m. it really seems like the lift operators are the only ones on the hill.
This year, I shifted festivities to Whistler where some rationalizing between friends turned a full day into seven runs and a trip to the bar at the top of the hill at noon. Some people didn't even have ski stuff on. They just rode the gondola to the top in their full Irish apparel. The town of Whistler doesn't seem to have the same organization, but the spirit was still there. It was almost raining at the top of the hill and groups of green-clad stumbling fools were lining up to have their pictures taken at the top of the hill. The bar was standing room only by noon. It was a good thing I had a long ski down to my car before driving home.

Murder near the mountain

The strangest thing happened last weekend in Whistler. Someone was murdered for the first time in 30 years. I couldn't believe it when I saw the caution tape. When my brother told me it was a murder, I didn't believe him and insisted the tape was for the movie that was being shot. The first thing I did was ask a local, because in a town that size locals know everything. The story from this local who walked by the scene 10 minutes before the shooting said he saw two men in an altercation and that is why the cops were called. The Globe and Mail reported that a cop was nearby, but it seems like more than luck. Something I heard that all the news missed was a rumour that the two men were rival gang members. The altercation involved one party owing the other money and when the one didn't pay he was shot.
This is the kind of news that shocks a small town. For security reasons, cops are on the hill, but they are mostly looking for pass fraud. The only time I've ever seen cops in action in a ski town was to meet someone at the top of a chairlift to see if they were using someone else's pass. The person turned out to be local snowboarding Olympian Jason Smith who had a lot of gear on. When Jason got off the lift, the cop said, "Oh, hey Jason." They went their separate ways. Hopefully this event doesn't keep people from coming to Whistler.

The best of Apres

As I mentioned last week, a crucial part to finding a good apres spot is cheap beer and wings/nachos. I'm not sure why finger food is associated with good apres. It may be because skiers love the stench of their gloves after a day of skiing or because it is too early for dinner so appetizers are a good food choice. Because of this tradition, I've come to crave beer and wings/nachos almost every day while skiing. I've skied a lot of different places and I want to share some of my favourite places with you.
Just down the road from the main village in Keystone, Colo., but still in the town is a place called Dos Locos. From 3-6 p.m. you can get 2-for-1 margaritas and cheap pitchers of American beer, but the best part is their free nacho tray. They feature a constantly refilling hot tray of some of the best nachos I've ever had and its free. Not many people know about it so you always get good service and nachos.
Only five miles away in the town of Breckenridge, Colo. is a place lots of people know about, Mi Casa Mexican Cantina. Also a Mexican restaurant, it has unlimited free chips and salsa with beer specials on good, local beer. You aren't guaranteed a seat, but it is right on the main street in Breckenridge and close to the hill.
The town of aspen features a lot of apres destinations between the four mountains, but my favourite by far is Zane's. After eating wings at other places I usually have to say, "these wings are good, but their no Zane's." They feature flavours such as cajun and asian teriyaki in addition to the traditional hot and barbecue. They are the biggest wings I've ever seen and they are only 25 cents. That is all in addition to the friendly service and $6.50 pitchers of beer.
My final spot is the Crystal Lounge in the village of Whistler about 50 steps from where you take your skis off at the bottom of the hill. It is downstairs with a small sign so it is harder to find than the ones with outdoor patios right next to the hill, but that doesn't mean people don't know about it. It is a younger crowd, mostly in their twenties, and features a couple different drink specials each day plus 25 cent wings. They are good, but they are no Zane's.

Apres - The other part of skiing

I don't think I would be doing justice to the skiing world if I didn't talk about the other half of skiing - Apres. Apres literally means after in French and it means exactly what is sounds like, what you do after skiing. In most cases this involves cheap wings, nachos and beer.
The ski bum life usually doesn't attract the conservative, academic type so it is easy to find friends who will share in this joy most days. Apres usually happens when the day is over, but if there is bad weather or poor conditions on the hill apres can begin earlier. When there is no fresh powder, it is not strange to start talking about it around noon and make it to the bar around 2 p.m.
Last year when we were working on the hill, we would start talking about it around lunch and tell everyone by making a small, medium or large "A" with our hands and arms similar to doing hand motions in "YMCA." Little A's might mean a couple beers, but often a little "A" would turn into a big one and apres would end at 2 a.m.
Once I was skiing with a couple Austrian girls in New Zealand at the Remarkables and I lost them around noon. When I saw them again at 4 p.m., they said the conditions weren't good so they went in for Jagertee. Similar to how North Americans eat wings and drink beer, Austrians drink some mixture of tea and rum for apres. This was something they started talking about at 8 a.m. The food and drink may be different but the spirit is the same around the world.
People sit around and tell exaggerated stories about what they skied that day. A five foot cliff that someone jumped can easily be 20 feet during apres. It is also a way to not feel bad about leaving a friend or loved one at the beginning of the day because you didn't want to ski with them. If you ditch someone during the first run because they are slowing you down, you can always say, "I'll meet you for apres." Then you will still spend time with them and they won't slow you down.
The key for someone in their 20's to a good apres is finding good and cheap wings, nachos and beer.
Next week I will share my favourite spots and why.

Take that vacation without breaking the bank

It is a really good thing that my parents put me in ski school. I don't know if I would still be skiing today if they hadn't. Some people seem to think that when they are on a family ski vacation they need to spend every minute with each other despite the fact that everyone may be at a different level of skiing. Everyone wants to do something different and go at a different speed. In the end no one gets to ski what they want.
My first piece of advice for a family vaca own age and an instructor that will show them all the cool places on the hill such as the kids trails or castles. If the parents want to save on lessons, almost every mountain offers different levels of mountain tours that are free almost every morning. It is a great way to learn the mountain and ski with people at your level. This is not to say that I discourage skiing with each other, but I know I'm much happier when I ski with someone at my level. That way I'm happier when I see my family at the end of the day and we can share our tales in the hot tub.
It is hard to save money on hotels, but if you start looking early enough and spend some time looking around, you can usually find one near the hill at a reasonable price.
If you have to fly into an airport, there is usually some sort of shared transportation from the airport up to the hill. In Colorado, when you land at Denver International Airport you can take Colorado Mountain Express to any resort in the state. It is direct door-to-door service and will save you driving on sometimes dangerous mountain roads and the money of renting a car, which you probably won't use the entire time you are at the resort.
For lift tickets and rentals it is hard to save money, but the more days you buy and if you buy before the season starts (before November) tickets are usually cheaper. You can also purchase tickets for many resorts in a nearby city at a discounted rate. You can buy Whistler Fast Track lift passes for a $10 savings at 7-11 in Squamish. In Denver you can buy a similar type pass for many of the resorts at the grocery store. This idea works if you are going to be spending time in that nearby city.
They key way to save money is on food. Eating lunch on the mountain is never less than $10/person. If your hotel has a continental breakfast feel free to take an extra bagel for lunch or pack some instant noodles. It won't look as nice at the $9.50 cheeseburger, but your wallet will thank you. Dinners can also be pricey, that is why ordering pizza or enjoying 20 cent wings during a late apres is often a way to cut down on the cost of dinner.
Almost every mountain I've ever skied boasts an array of great family programs and they are telling the truth. They truly go out of their way to make sure all age groups will have fun. All you have to do is ask.
Remember it is your vacation, you might as well have fun.

I need a vacation

The beginning of March is upon us. For students or parents of school children that usually means one thing - spring break. For families like mine and many others around the world with some extra cash flow, that always means ski vacations. In the past quarter century, I have only missed a couple years where I haven't been skiing with at least one family member for a week during this time.
When I was little, ski school was the reason for my excitement. Now it is the fancy food my dad treats me to.
We began as a family going to the small resort of Talisman in Ontario. My mom liked the place because it had good food. I was skiing what they called a double black diamond by age eight. It was time for an upgrade. At nine, we took our first trip to Quebec. We actually went back to the same resort where my parents honeymooned, Gray Rocks. It was another decision based on food. My mom hated the idea of leaving the hotel to eat after she had her hot tub. That was also the place where I pulled my fist Iron Cross off a jump to impress my dad. I coincidentally dug my ski tips in and landed on my face causing my ex-ski patroller father to pop off his skis and run over to me as fast as possible. At 10 we were challenging the tough slopes of Vermont at Jay Peak. My brother and I had an instructor named Jay who skied, snowboarded, did arials and loved the backcountry. I'll never forget the first time I skied in bottomless snow out of bounds. One of my skis popped off and when I took the other one off to look, I sunk up to my chin into the fresh powder. Since I moved out west I have become a spoiled brat enjoying this week at either Vail, Aspen, Tahoe or Whistler.
I could go on for days talking about my ski vacations, but this is the week when many others are forming theirs and nothing should mess that up.
The memories are terrific, but picking a resort and planning all the details can seem like a full time job some time. It also should be noted that the cheapest rate a family of four should expect for a week is about $10,000. Next time, I'll give some tips for finding a good location and keeping some costs down without sacrificing fun. It is your week off, there is no point to having something small get in your way of a good time.