Because of the risk of this turning into the Scatological World Tour, there will be no more mention of poo tanks. We have, despite the unfortunate image, got them licked.
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JB/Jan 30/Kimberly to Fernie
Kimberly in the Purcell mountains is not the most challenging hill, but it's pretty and we had a great time on the slopes. Emily got her first taste of real powder, and the runs are a nice mix of big soft motorway cruises and challenging glades. There was hardly a soul on the slopes midweek, too, although this was possibly due to -25 degree temperatures. We had the run of the mountain, and Emily skiied her first double black run, her first (deliberate) ski backwards, and her first runs through trees in powder. I jumped off stuff a lot, and wore snow.
Sadly, we had to give Kimberly the finger. Most of Canada has been incredibly helpful and welcoming. Not so Kimberly, with the exception of the lovely couple who helped us out when I tried to 3-point turn the van in deep snow in their driveway.Kimberly has no space for a 30' RV and no desire to help anyone in an RV. Despite attempts on three consecutive days, we couldn't park anywhere or stay overnight so we never even got a chance to sample their quaint Germanic customs (it's an insane Bavarian theme town with an accordian fetish). When asked for places to park, their uber-helpful Visitor's Officer shrugged and said 'yes, Cranbrook'. We didn't mention the war.
Since it's a bitch of a trek from Cranbrook (an armpit of a place to stay in anyway), well, screw you Kimberly, and all who sail in you.
Instead we decided to make a second attempt to get to Fernie. Got up early and started the drive east on Highway 3 that had stymied us the first time round. By the way, there's a great thing I've discovered about a V10 truck engine, not even Emily can sleep through it.
So there we are, lovely day, clear skies, no major snowfalls or howling crosswinds... and a well-equipped 4x4 flips off the road ahead of us and is hit by another car. We get out to help and find that the road we've been blithely motoring down is so slippery we can barely stand, let alone walk on it. All very sobering. We took things real slow from there, it's just not a fun road.
Anyway, we've made it to Fernie – probably the most talked-about resort by Canadians and lifties so far with the exception of Kicking Horse. Hopefully it'll be better than the Horse. If not, it won't be for lack of snow. Fernie has its own microclimate which consists of snow, more snow, and snow flurries with occasional breaks for snow. I can tell I'm going to hate it.**************************
JB/Thurs 31st/fernieI'm home. This is heaven. If you build it, it will snow...
Fernie is insane, just completely and utterly nuts. Great towering bowls full of powder, and then more. I hurt after a day's skiing at last, and I'm happy that I hurt. My head aches from unintentionally inverted landings, and I think I've cracked a rib (or several). I've got snow in places I didn't even know I had places. I'll ask Em how she feels about it when we dig her out of the snowbank, but for now life is too, too sweet.
The town is small and although the resort is a bit busier than most of the places we've been to so far the pistes are still a wasteland by comparison with the Alps. We actually had to wait two minutes at a lift after lunch. Shocking.
JB/Fri 1st/fernie
Bugger. Disaster strikes. The snow gods are angry with us. We hit a big blue bowl of snow and Em caught her ski tip in the deep stuff and wrenched her knee badly.
It's one of those freak tricks of the slopes, and she's being really brave about it. We've done the A+E thing, x-rays, the works and nothing is broken, but we'll have to wait and see how it pans out. Right now she's in the bar high as a fuddled kite on Tylenol and half a glass of white wine lapping up the ski-girl-on-crutches kudos and attention. This girl can play the sympathy card like a sledgehammer. Can't imagine where she learnt that from.
Other tragedies we can take consolation in from the same slope? Cheer! A small American child buried an impossible 50 yards away from us finally breaks surface. Waah! He's lost a ski. Boo! Dad sends him back under to look for his ski. Joy! He finds the lost ski. Despair! It's not his...
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JB/Sun/Feb 3nd/ 217 cups of tea later
Going to stick around in Fernie for a while, Emily needs to see the doc at the end of the week. Good news is that she's hopping around much better, can put weight on and bend her leg, and has been seen to chase puppies. (Hopefully) it looks like no major damage and she may yet get back on the slopes if the doc gives her the all-clear. It's good for me, too, because the sheer weight of making this many cups of tea is giving me a stoop. Plus they have mini crampons attached to the end of crutches here and right now she's lethal.
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Because of injury, we will have to postpone the Things Emily Will Lose or Forget Today Sweepstake (cash, cards, contacts, ID, skis...). Instead we can do the Signs Emily Was Persuaded To Stand Under Genuinely Not Realising They Were There: No.1 Kimberly.
Bugger. Disaster strikes. The snow gods are angry with us. We hit a big blue bowl of snow and Em caught her ski tip in the deep stuff and wrenched her knee badly.
It's one of those freak tricks of the slopes, and she's being really brave about it. We've done the A+E thing, x-rays, the works and nothing is broken, but we'll have to wait and see how it pans out. Right now she's in the bar high as a fuddled kite on Tylenol and half a glass of white wine lapping up the ski-girl-on-crutches kudos and attention. This girl can play the sympathy card like a sledgehammer. Can't imagine where she learnt that from.
Other tragedies we can take consolation in from the same slope? Cheer! A small American child buried an impossible 50 yards away from us finally breaks surface. Waah! He's lost a ski. Boo! Dad sends him back under to look for his ski. Joy! He finds the lost ski. Despair! It's not his...
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JB/Sun/Feb 3nd/ 217 cups of tea later
Going to stick around in Fernie for a while, Emily needs to see the doc at the end of the week. Good news is that she's hopping around much better, can put weight on and bend her leg, and has been seen to chase puppies. (Hopefully) it looks like no major damage and she may yet get back on the slopes if the doc gives her the all-clear. It's good for me, too, because the sheer weight of making this many cups of tea is giving me a stoop. Plus they have mini crampons attached to the end of crutches here and right now she's lethal.
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Because of injury, we will have to postpone the Things Emily Will Lose or Forget Today Sweepstake (cash, cards, contacts, ID, skis...). Instead we can do the Signs Emily Was Persuaded To Stand Under Genuinely Not Realising They Were There: No.1 Kimberly.
The place where the orcs and the pixies live, apparently...Also known as a tunnel on the road to Fernie
Meaningless Traffic Signs. Help! No 1 (series of 10)
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Without wanting to go back on the earlier zero-scatalogical tolerance promise, I would like help to clarify something. We played Scrabble. Ok, look the nights are long here. Emily refused to accept that the singular of 'squits' is a 'squit'. Could some kind soul please give us a ruling. This is important.
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Never buy cheap sports equipment, they say. All I know is I've got a dyslexic glove.
Without wanting to go back on the earlier zero-scatalogical tolerance promise, I would like help to clarify something. We played Scrabble. Ok, look the nights are long here. Emily refused to accept that the singular of 'squits' is a 'squit'. Could some kind soul please give us a ruling. This is important.
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Never buy cheap sports equipment, they say. All I know is I've got a dyslexic glove.
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Some of our favourite scenes so far, just driving through.
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