Resolutions

Playing in the snow pile

What a year Bob and I have had!  We are so fortunate and blessed to be doing and seeing and experiencing life at its fullest. Not without its bumps in the road.  The last bump of the year came as a mogul on Roy's Run for Bob.  Wham! Pow! Bang! Down he went.  Yes, he did check in to the medical clinic and yes, he did tear his calf muscle.  (Only a small tear)  The Doc. said 4 - 6 weeks.  Protocol....h'mmmm.  Let's let Physio call that one!  Catrien de Ruyter from Mountain Air Physiotherapy (here at Panorama) gave us a great treatment plan and will have Bob back skiing in two weeks. We thank you for your expertise and care.  Keep walking, icing and stretching and you will be as good as new!

Tired branches

As for myself, I am on ski day #25 (getting better and faster).  The goal is 100 ski days. So, as a precaution, I banked 5 days in December, just in case it will be my turn for an injury.  Bob has some catching up to do.  He was injured on ski day #20.



Sun Bowl

And the Sun Bowl is open.  The best place to play in the afternoon.

Schober's Dream

Betti

Busy day at the base

The week between Christmas and New Year's, we have had snow fall after snow fall. 


Since I am now a lone skier, I have been joining the Mountain Friends and hanging out with them.  They can't get rid of me.  New snow and deep powder...I'm out there!  We have been finding all the secret stashes on the mountain. I can't wait to show Bob the secrets places!

We were skiing through Founder's Ridge in the trees and bumps, and low and behold, a creek bed.  Yes, down I went.  Skis in the air and landed as if  I sat in a lounge chair. Quite comfortable, if I may say.  It was the last run before lunch and we were all sweaty and hot from top to bottom. (ski run from top of the mountain all the way to the village).  No Whiffy!!! But a bit Stiffy!  A good lunch and back out at 1:30 for more punishment and joy.
 Bob went for a walk and back to watch the World Junior Hockey game.  Thanks goodness for the tournament.  585 square feet of living space and can't play outside, at least there is hockey.  It is truly a Canadian sport.  Just like drinking Beer!  I will discuss the sport of Beer drinking and the culture of a ski bum in a future post.  I am still learning the ropes.  Beer, hockey and skiing.  And there is also ice fishing and curling......


Torch light Parade

amazing!

Tonite is New Year's Eve A Torch light Parade and fireworks will begin at 9:00 pm on the mountain. They did not disappoint!  Spectacular!!!  We have a splendid view from our balcony. And I will be out there with Bob,my best friend and husband celebrating our 14th year together.  I love your dearly.

As for New Year's resolutions, I don't usually make any since there is a very good chance I will not keep them.
This year I am making an exception.
Here is goes:



For 2012, I will play outside more often.  It is wonderful to spend time in nature and inhaling fresh air and feeling the cold air and warm sun on my face.  It heals the soul.

I will make more friends.  It is restoring my faith in society, which can be cold and cruel. 

We are only human and we have good days and bad days.  I will have more good days. 365 good days!!!

I will give back what nature has provided for me all my life. 


I will help others and show them what they are missing in life.

We live in the best country in the world! I will spend the rest of my life exploring and learning the history and everything we have at our doorstep.  Just like the movie "The Wizard of Oz"  "THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME....THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME"  Click your heals three times and you will be in a good place....Canada.
I will live each day as if it were my last and embrace life.

Believe.  There are miracles every day!

In 2012, we will be going on some road trips in BC and visiting different ski hills and towns in the area while we are here.  The Powder Highway, Nelson (the biggest Hippie town in the world) Golden, Rosalind, Kimberly and everything in between. More skiing and learning the ropes.  B.C. is also known Beautiful Country and not Bring Cash.   
 In the spring, when we are kicked off the mountain and the golfers take over the land, we will be heading towards home.  The Foothills, Prairies and Lakes will be our destination and as we continue our adventure, we will be embracing this beautiful country.
 Until the next post....

Happy New Year to everyone.

No Iffy's, Whiffy's, or Butts

Snowy Christmas morning

Twenty One Days of skiing and no whiffy from the Icebreaker long undies!  Yes, I have not washed them yet.  Nineteen days to go before whiffy and funk.  Maybe longer.  I will keep you posted. As for the butt; from experience, ladies, do not wear thong underwear under your ski suit.  It's cold outside and inside, if you know what I mean.

Santa, The morning after....

As for Christmas Day, Santa did make a final appearance before he left for the North Pole.  He thanks all the children for the extra cookies and milk. 

Santa in disguise

View of 1,000 Peaks

Christmas Day, Bob and I spent the day skiing after waking up to a great snowfall.  Powder!!!! The best present.  Skiing through light fluffy pow....Silence is golden.  If you are wondering, my hamstring is better and I was able to ski small bumps on Christmas Day.  So far, so good. Christmas dinner was in the Great Hall and we were accompanied by many other ski orphans and their families.  The buffet was fabulous.  Except, we woke up the next day with a turkey hangover.  Oh well, "suck it up princess!"  Let's go skiing!

Snowmen at the summit

The Summit

"The Christmas Tree" (and new ski pants)

Sunning Ski Bunny

Skiing in the trees....fabulous, exhilarating and yes, no "hammy" paint.  We were skiing "Tight Spots" a great black diamond tree run and we come across in the middle of the run, out of now where.. a totally decorated Christmas Tree.  Very cool.  It took a great effort to decorate, never mind transport all those Christmas ornaments up 7800 feet and decorate the tree with the steep pitch to complicate matters.
Last run, Bob and I have been playing on Roy's Run and Tight Spots to practise our moguls and tree skiing and down he went.   He describes it as "every muscle in his calf was stretched to maximum"  He said he could visualize the strands of tissue.   No worries, a bit of TLC he will be fine.  We found a physio therapist on the mountain who is one of the best. She is presently treating Manny Osborne-Paradis (Canada's best shot at a Gold Medal at the 2012 Olympics)  This is Bob's first sport injury.  Not bad for an old guy!  He has joined the many.  Welcome to "Club Physio"   I have been a member for decades.

Snow Cat

Twenty one days of skiing.  Our goal is 100............ Will we do it.  Well, we have a bet with Jacob, from the General Store here on the mountain.  He is from Denmark, and he is up by one day.  Winner buys the beer!  We will keep you posted.
And for the blog followers;  No shaving...................The ski bums are truly dedicated..........and getting hairy!
To be continued......................

T'was the Day before Christmas

Santa' workshop

T'was the Day before Christmas and the Elfs are working very hard and building all the toys for the girls and the boys.

Merry Christmas

We met more of Santa's elves asking all the girls and boys if they were naughty or nice and checking Santa's list at least once or twice.

Hard working Elves

Frosty the Snowman

Santa has 3 more helpers



 Santa has been very busy and it has been very difficult to find him at such short notice.  We are told Santa will fly out tonite to begin his journey delivering toys for Christmas Day.  Thanks to RK Heli Ski, he will have an early start to his night.  (Hope to catch him tomorrow morning)

Pastor Trevor Hagan

Hark the Herald Angels Sing

On serious note, we did attend Christmas Eve service at the Summit this afternoon.  It is the highest Christmas Eve Service to be held in Canada at 7875 ft. Thank you Pastor Trevor Hagan for such a great service.  We sang Christmas Carols under a wishful snowy sky amongst the trees and the mountains and snow.



It is a wonderful afternoon and great to spend Christmas Eve celebrating the Christmas spirit and the story of the Birth of Jesus Christ

Christmas Eve at the Summit

Go Tell it on the Mountain

Go Tell it on the mountain

Over the hill and everywhere

Go tell it on the mountain

That Jesus Christ is born.

While shepherds kept their watching

Over silent flocks by night

Behold throughout the heavens

There shone a holy light.

The shepherds feared and trembled

When lo above the earth

Rang out the angel Chorus

That hailed our Savior’s birth.

Down in a lowly manger

The humble Christ was born

And god sent us salvation

That Blessed Christmas morn.

TO ALL OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS....MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BOB AND CATHY....WE MISS YOU ALL

Merry Christmas to all of our blog followers from around the world you have made this blog special to us both.

WE WISH YOU HAPPINESS, HEALTH AND MAY ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE.  LIVE TODAY AS IF IT WERE YOUR LAST DAY AND BE THANKFUL OF ALL YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED.



Comet and Cupid

Comet

 Two more sleeps until the big day. When travelling into town yesterday and behold... Comet and Cupid taking some time off before the big night ahead.

Cupid

Santa Claus has also been wandering around.  He is still a touch skinny.  So, all the children, be sure to leave lots of cookies and milk for the big guy.
I couldn't snap a photo of Santa,  Not the days before Christmas.....


Anyway, back to skiing.  We have not had any new snow for at least a week.  It is beginning to get hard packed or as the Westerners say: "Slick, Hard, and Loose"  It has been sunny and beautiful on the mountain.  We can still find some powder around the mountain.  We hope the Sun Bowl will open soon.  As some of us know, it is still the best place to ski, with all the soft bumps and stumps to play in.


Dorian

Schroeber's Dream has been the best we've ever seen.  This is my nemesis, since I had my concussion on that nightmare 8 years ago.  Yes, I skied it with confidence, and skied it very well, thanks to the great groomers through the night.  We miss our family and skiing with Daniel of course.  We met a young boy, Dorian on the hill and skied with him all day.  When you are 13/14 years old, you have lots of energy to ski.  You can tell when they get hungry,...They slow down.  The conclusion:  Keep feeding them food!!  The Energizer Bunny keeps on rocking!
Today is a short entry in the continuing blog.  I will go and try to ski (Yes, yesterday in our busy day of skiing, I did pull a hamstring of sorts.  Not by falling, but trying to get up from a loss of balance in the bumps)  No bragging rights there!!!  I think the beer and Vodka and tonic helped nurse the muscle back to health.  In any case a couple of Advil won't hurt.

Twas the night before Christmas, and the panties were hung!

So, until then; The mantel place is waiting for Santa:



40 days and 40 nights................and no funk?!??

Remember, on one of my previous posts we discussed underwear and long johns?  Well, mine in particular are "Icebreaker" pure merino wool.  Yes, since I am female, I read the user's manual.  The usual washing instructions:  "just throw it in the washing machine and line dry"  The statement that intrigued me was as follows:
"Icebreaker was superior in every way to anything I had ever worn before.  I wore it for 40 day and 40 nights and it didn't itch or get whiffy" 
 That just gave me an idea.  I will test that statement!  So far, I'm at 14 ski days and counting.  So far, so good.  No whiffy!!  Doug Bumstead, if you are reading this blog entry, remember you are counting for me to keep me honest.  The interesting feature about these undies, is they have a serial number attached to them.  You can google them and type in the serial number and they will trace your undies to the farm that raised the merino sheep...complete with a video.  So, I did.  www.icebreaker.com Straight to New Zealand.  Have a look.Serial # 7675DDFD5.  Just think, the sheep owner shearing the sheep and that fleece is now on my backside and keeping it warm and whiffy free (14 days and counting)!!

Looking Sexy!!

Now, back to skiing.  We are getting better at the bumps and moguls.  Today, sunny and sweaty after an aggressive afternoon skiing at the summit. The lower mountain became icy since it did rain at the lower third 1950 ft elevation.  The top did get some serious powder!  We skied down "Madison's Mile" then it got icy.  It was so slick, in order to stop I ran up the side of the trail and perched myself on the rock face like a purple pigeon.  That was embarrassing.  At least, I have the camera. (no photo this time.  HA HA)  Time for a shower and bake a Christmas Cake.  I have enclosed this recipe for:

Ski Bum's Best Christmas Cake Ever

2 cups flour

1 stick butter

1 cup water

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1 cup brown sugar

Lemon juice

4 large eggs

Nuts

2 bottles wine

2 cups dried fruit

Sample the wine to check quality.  Take a large bowl, check the wine again. To be sure it is of the highest quality, pour one level cup and drink. Repeat.

Turn on the electric mixerer.  Beat one cup of butter in a large fluffy bowl.  Add one teaspoon of sugar.  Beat again.  At this point it’s best to make sure the wine is still OK.   Try another cup...just in case.

Turn off the mixer thingy.  Break 2 eggs and add to the bowl and chuck in the cup of dried fruit.

Pick the frigging fruit up off floor.  Mix on the turner.  If the fried druit gets stuck in the beaterers just pry it loose with a drewscriver.  Sample the wine to check for tonsisticity.

Next, sift two cups of salt.  Or something.  Check the wine.  Now shift the lemon juice and strain your nuts.  Add one table.

Add a spoon of sugar, or some fink.  Whatever you can find.  Greash the oven.  Turn the cake tin 360 degrees and try not to fall over.  Don’t forget to beat off the turner.

Finally, throw the bowl through the window.  Finish the wine and wipe counter with the cat.

Go to supermarket and buy cake.

Bingle Jells!!!

12 Days of Christmas..my true love gave to me.....

The first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
One amazing adventure!!

Panorama Mountain Resort

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Kick Ass & Bug-a-boo

Two cups of coffee (Kicking Horse, Kick Ass of course)




On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Betti, Len, Deb

Three Friends of the Mountain.
Thank you for a fabulous day!!

On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Four friendly lifties. 

On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:
Five fabulous runs

On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Six ambrosia Apples














On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Roller Coaster trail

Seven scenes of skiing

Campbell's Canyon

Sunning in the Sun Bowl

On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Eight Great Ski Friends






On the nineth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

The Summit Hut

Nine snowy chairs a waiting






On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Ten Terrific Ski Instructors

On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Eleven Skeins of yarn.

On the twelve day of Christmas, my true love gave to me:

Twelve cans of Kokanee

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF OUR FAMILY AND FRIENDS, OLD AND NEW