Skiing in 2010
Sunshine Village, Banff, Canada
Sunday, January 17, 2010: Travel
The happy traveler
We left San Francisco airport on Sunday and
traveled until 6:00 PM local Banff time. It was a long day, but
not too bad as far as travel goes. However,
the views of Calgary and the mountains around Banff made up for any
inconveniences. A long gondola ride later, and we
were in Sunshine Village Ski Resort where our ski-in/ski-out hotel
awaited us.
After check-in and our first sampling of the
hotel food, we passed into sleep, anticipating skiing the next
morning.
Monday, January 18, 2010: Sunshine Village
The Sunshine Mountain Lodge
It was very cold on the 7,000-foot mountain this
morning under overcast skies. We decided to take a ski lesson.
This
would give us a guided tour of the unfamiliar ski runs and allow us
to have our annual skiing brush-up. The problem with lessons these
days is that most places only offer all-day sessions. In the past,
you could take a half-day, which I much prefer.
So Julia and I slipped off with our different
instructors and began a day of ski training.
It was very cold all day, and I had not dressed
warmly enough. By the end of the day, after
black-diamond ski lessons and freezing conditions, I was completely
exhausted. Julia, on the other hand, had dressed more sensibly and
really enjoyed her day of lessons. Her skiing greatly improved
afterward.
We discovered the hotel spa that evening, and
after forcing down another substandard meal, we hit the
sack.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010: Sunshine Village
Rock and roll skier
We skied together all day, and the sun
shone on and off. The scenery from the top of Sunshine Village is
second to none.
The
Canadian Rockies rambled off into distant valleys in all directions,
and the varying light conditions kept the scene fresh every time we
looked at it. It is an amazing place.
Julia showed off her improved skiing
abilities as we explored the huge and unfamiliar
mountain. I made several mistakes with run selection, which led to
backtracking in one case and a scary traverse across a steep, bumpy,
and icy cliff face in another. These missteps did not endear me
to Julia, but she soldiered on. Fortunately, another visit to
the hotel spa cured all woes.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010: The Olympic Torch
The Olympic flame in its protective lamp
This morning, the 2010 Winter Olympic Torch
arrived at the mountain as it made its way across Canada from Athens,
Greece, to the Whistler Ski Resort in British Columbia.
The
Winter Games are to be held there this year. We had no idea that
this was going to happen, so we were lucky. In the morning, a crowd of
onlookers gathered in the freezing cold air and waited for the flame
to arrive.
Sunrise over the Olympic mountains
Two musicians played guitar and bass guitar (with
gloved hands) and entertained the crowd in a muffled manner
while we waited. Then the torch party arrived with the flame in hand.
The crowd spontaneously broke out into the Canadian national anthem.
Much rejoicing and patriotism followed.
We skied more of the mountain this day, venturing to its far-flung
corners. It was another good day of skiing. However, the snow
conditions were unseasonably lacking in fresh snow.
The runs were mostly covered in sheets of ice.
The very hard-packed snow was like icy concrete. One could see that
with soft, fresh snow, this place would be a skiing
nirvana. But as with all things skiing: you pay your money and you
take your chances. Unfortunately, we did not experience the place at
its best.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
The gorgeous Canadian Rockies
Our final day of skiing, and the sun came out to light up the mountain.
It had snowed a few inches overnight, so there was some improvement,
but not much.
Still, Julia and I managed to really enjoy
ourselves. After another full day of skiing on the now
familiar runs, we took our last spa session and ate our last meal at the
hotel. We were sad it was over, but at the same time, glad to be
heading home.
Friday, January 22, 2010: Travel
Our transport off the mountain
We spent the day traveling home. We had an unfortunately long stopover
at Calgary airport, but other than this, it was a pleasant trip
back to the warm but rainy shores of Northern California.
We must return to Alberta, as it has not shown
us its full skiing potential on this, our first trip to this
magnificent place.