While the eagerly anticipated 'Opening Party' was something of a let-down (big queues to get in, inflated drinks prices and half-empty venue), the rest of the week more than made up for it. We particularly enjoyed the 'Slopestyle' event in the Blackcomb terrain park - pro skiiers doing ridiculous tricks over the biggest jumps and features on the mountain... very impressive. The 'Slush Cup' was also a memorable day on the mountain; mountain staff spent the previous day digging a giant hole (approx 15m long) in the snow outside one of the mountain restaurants, and then filled it with water, ready for daring skiiers and boarders to attempt to glide across it. We arrived early the next day and secured a prime viewing position, ready to witness the organisers undergo the first task of the day - breaking the ice which had formed over the pool overnight; we were aware we would be in for a cold landing if we got it wrong. Leo, Dave, Ross, Josh, Jonny, Pete and myself all donned our finest (compulsory) fancy dress (Leo dressed in swimming shorts and cap and myself in an undersized yellow fishing outfit we found in the house) and got stuck in.
Thankfully, most of us made it across the first time, and it wasn't until we started attempting tricks that we got wet - it was without a doubt the coldest water I've ever been in when it did happen. Fortunately, we had a day of perfect blue sky and relatively warm temperatures so drying off wasn't too painful - skiing down afterwards with water sloshing around my ski boots was an experience I hope not to repeat, however! We were particularly impressed by a pair of American guys who got across on tandem skis (one set of skis with 2 sets of bindings on each ski) - something we'd never seen before. Here is a link to me narrowly making it across the pool, for anybody that hasn't seen - http://www.epixome.tv/o/view?t=1733a4979c95138&at=18450f4e1508781 . And another one to Leo making it look rather easier - http://www.epixome.tv/o/view?t=1720e275d02b086&at=17f7c0b346b8fbe . The Slush Cup day ended on a good note - in the evening we watched the 'Big Air' competition (fairly self-explanatory) in the village, before heading to the 'End Party' of the festival - which was definitely a step up from the opener. Our extended group of Whistler chums were all in attendance, and we managed to party the night away till 4am - a rarity in Whistler, as the clubs generally shut at 2.
The final blog wouldn't be complete without a special mention going out to our friend Mark, who has helped ease the financial burden over the course of the season. Working at a mountain restaurant, Mark spent much of the 6 months we spent skiing putting full meals through the tills as a portion of chips or a bowl of soup - which was always well appreciated. As the end of the season drew in, Mark became more and more generous, and his final day saw unprecedented levels of freebies. Having finished our (free) lunch, we decided to have a few beers in the sun - Coote was a little surprised when he approached the counter with a tray with 10 beers on it, only for Mark to wave him through - he was certainly a fitting winner of the 'Employee of the Season' in our group's end of season awards.
Our last 'EuroApres' Wednesday of the season was also seen off in fitting style - it's produced numerous memorable moments throughout the season, and lived up to expectations. While the afternoon hours passed with nothing more spectacular than a little light pennying instigated by Pete, things took a turn for the worse once more by about 10pm. Having left our afternoon venue for another club, Longhorns, Ross took it upon himself to cause some mischief - with KK his primary target. Unfortunately Ross' attempt to mix things up with a cheeky trip went a little wrong - KK, a touch inebriated and paying no attention, soon found herself eating concrete... Not having had the awareness to put her hands out, KK ended up with a chipped tooth, cut lip and a couple of cuts on her nose, much to her displeasure. Being the trooper that she is, she partied the night away regardless - it wasn't until she woke up the next morning the shock of looking like an abused wife hit her! Thankfully the Whistler dentist fixed her up for a small fee, and she is now back to her best. It was also a night to forget for Josh Dorey, youngest member of the group and winner of the 'Most Corrupted' Whistler resident - he spent some quality time alone on his balcony at the end of the night....
The night before our departure, we arranged a big group meal at the Keg with our friends, and had a table of 30 in the end - a great way to say goodbye to everybody. We didn't want things to be too sophisticated, so after a tuneful goodbye from Jam and an awards ceremony hosted by yours truly, we headed to 80's night at Tommies, another of our favourite hangouts. It was strange saying goodbye to a group of people that we've spent so much time with and had such a great 6 months with, but we know we will meet most again in the years to come - special mentions go to KK and Dave for shedding tears... nice work. Post-night out, we headed to the Olympic rings for a final photo-call, and then became involved in an unfortunate brawl in McDonald's - a classy way to remember Whistler. On the walk home, some time around 5.30, we came across Mark, shivering outside his house waiting for his taxi to the airport.... having not slept post-Tommies, a mightily impressive effort.
We also collected our total day count on the last day - I narrowly managed the century with 101 days of skiing, with Leo and Cootey marginally behind, on 93 and 89 respectively. My beloved father did recently ask if I actually expected this to impress anybody... I reassured him that it pleases me, if nobody else! We also had great success on the deposit front, receiving all $350 back from our landlord, which was a nice reward for 2 solid days spent cleaning the place before we left. Unfortunately, Coote had burned all his deposit money by the time we boarded the plane home - an impulse $150 spent on a Vancouver Canucks jersey (still going strong in the play-offs!) coupled with $200 spent on excess baggage crippling him financially. Our journey back was all smooth, and we have enjoyed getting reacquainted with Cheltenham's nightlife over the last weekend, and have the arrival of KK and Dave to look forward to at the end of the week. I hope you've all enjoyed, or at least tolerated, reading what we've been up to for the last 6 months - unfortunately my life at home is far too dull to continue documenting, so goodbye for now! Josh Leo and Sam.
P.S. for those interested, here is the full list of awards as dished out at the 'Inaugural Alpine Ski and Snowboards Awards Ceremony'
- Most improved skier – Rich
- Most improved boarder - Pete
- Most likely to die in a skiing accident – Jonny
- Ethnic Minorities Award – Jam
- Biggest EuroApres write off – Mark
- Most promiscuous – Adam
- Employee of the season (person who has given most freebies…) – Mark
- Person most likely to be up for the first gondola – Andy/Ross
- Best skier and boarder (i.e somebody that is good at both) – Thrippy
- Most likely to be in Whistler for life – Pete
- Most likely to get married – Andy and Laura
- Sickliest couple – Adam and Kate
- Worst injury – Tom
- Biggest heavyweight – Jonny
- Biggest lightweight – Jam
- Best accent – Steve ‘The Avalanche’ Barnes. Honourable mention for Jake’s Bristol twang.
- Most corrupted – Josh Dorey
- Best cougar catcher – Leo
- Best child catcher – Kate
- Class clown – Mark
- Most work shy – Cass/Jake
- Best drunk – Kara and Emily
- Most likely to fall over at inappropriate moments – KK
- Best goggle tan – Karin
- Best dancer – Jam
- Worst dancer – Josh Gadsby/Dave/Atkinson
- Best male skier – Ross
- Best male boarder – Dave
- Best female skier – Karin
- Best female boarder – Jam
- Best catchphrase – Ayoooo – Josh Gadsby.
- Best fight – Mark, Pete and Adam’s scrap in our kitchen.
- Laziest – Coote/Rich/Jake
- Best work ethic – Vicki
- Most inter-group relations - Kara
- Worst with money – KK
- Most likely to pull on a night out – KK
- Most ridiculous laugh – Mike/Katie
- Most rancid pull – James Atkinson
- Biggest flapper – Leo Gadsby
- Domestic Goddess - Sofia
No comments:
Post a Comment