Unlike many others who find themselves in Whistler, I did not come here to ski or ride.
As sick and twisted as it sounds, I came here to work.
I had just finished journalism school in Toronto, and faced the daunting task of looking for a job as a cub reporter when an old university friend, Pique sports reporter Andrew Mitchell, called me out of the blue and started talking about this paper called the Pique in Whistler. Its funny how your life can turn upside down based on a random chance phone call. Needless to say, Mitch piqued my interest and I thought Id give it a whirl.
On the day I left I said to my parents: "Ill stick it out for a year at least. Thatll look good on my resume."
That was four years ago.
I arrived in November and it was soon apparent that I wasnt like a lot of the other people here.
They asked what size skis I skied on. I couldnt even invent a number which sounded reasonable.
Early on I talked in this column about "the hill" only to receive a scathing e-mail about how I may have come from Ontario where there are "hills" but I was in B.C. now. These are mountains, I was told.
And most memorable of all was when one person asked me about Warren Miller to which I replied, "Whos Warren Miller?"
The horrified look he gave me haunts me to this day. "You dont know who Warren Miller is and youre working for a paper in ski town, B.C?"
What can I say? I was a city girl at heart.
Nope, I didnt come for the mountains, but part of the reason I stay, in addition to the awesome friends, the wicked community, the interesting job and the never-ending house of renovations, is the riding.
Since that first season I create a list of "things to accomplish on the mountains this season." I add that to my list of things to do today, list of things to do for my wedding, list of things to do for the house renos, list of things to do for work, and most recently, the list of things to buy/do for Christmas.
Most of these lists are filed away in my head, which is part of the reason why a lot of things dont get checked off from week to week.
Nevertheless, heres my list for the season.
1) Get up more times than I did last year. This shouldnt be too hard. I definitely didnt max out my Spirit Pass last year. I could blame it on the weather but the crappy weather is only partly to blame. After the rains and the cold, I sort of gave up on the season. I missed Marchs powder. I missed spring skiing. I lost interest. What a pity. By all accounts I missed out on a lot.
2) Learn to ride switch. I throw this in there every year and every year I find it so hard to force myself back to the basics of snowboarding and the very real chance of cracked ribs and catching a front edge. This year Im committed. I will be as smooth a rider with my left foot forward as I am with my right.
3) Spend more time in Flute. On the handful of times I made it in to Flute last year I had the most amazing time. Its one of my favourite places on the mountains.
4) Be the first to get fresh lines in Spankys on a powder day. I will be ruthless. Im getting fresh tracks in Spankys, even if I have to call in sick.
5) Take more pictures on the mountains. The only pictures I have are the ones when friends come to visit and we have to spend the day on cruisers. I need some face shots. The only downside to this goal however is that may make me realize that I dont actually look like a pro snowboarder when Im flying down the mountain as much as I may feel like one.
6) Dont get frustrated when riding with fiancé. Its the age-old problem for many a skiing/riding couple. The arguments usually flare up when they take you into an area beyond your comfort zone, i.e. out of bounds where cliffs lurk behind every tree. When this happens this year, as undoubtedly it will, I vow to keep my composure in the face of the unknown.
7) Spend more time riding with the girls. This will help reduce the on hill arguments with fiancé and its way more fun anyway. Sometimes the girls know that a good day on the mountain can be a few cruisey runs, a cup of hot chocolate in the Roundhouse, a jaunt up the Peak Chair and a meander back to the valley. No pressure to make it to the lift line first, no pressure to discover uncharted territory as though were Christopher Columbus. Just fun.
8) Always remember that even though I didnt come to Whistler to ski or snowboard, this is one of the reasons I stay here.