Introducing 'The White Stallion'

Aka 'The Tower of Power'. Here is my flatmate Pierre's almighty truck that takes us up to Sunshine Village, or wherever we need to go. And yep, that's my board just before it's loaded into the trunk...

Shredding The Backcountry At Sunshine

This camera doesn't seem to want let me film more than ten second's worth of footage before packing in unfortunately! I will get a full run filmed by the end of this trip, mark my words.

A bunch of us decided to go out and find some fresh backcountry trails today. A few of the boys had done so last Friday, and, after a fifteen-minute hike, we found the same spot.

Overall, the experience was amazing. It was mightily tricky in parts, but the powder was so fluffy and forgiving. We ended up doing the same run three times, and the video was taken on the last stretch of back country before linking back onto the 'main' run.

P.S Click on any of the photos in my blog to bring it up in its original size in a new browser. You can zoom in and out, also.

Sunshine Village

Have had yet another very successful week of snowboarding, with conditions up at Sunshine Village very different to when I first started just over a fortnight ago.

Instead of heavy snowfall and pretty poor visibility, we've had bluebird (clear skies) days all week. The snow hasn't been anywhere near as good - we've had to hunt powder instead of it being handed to us on a plate - but boy does the weather more than make up for that.

First two photos were taken from the gondola going up Goat's Eye, the third on Strawberry Hill. Goat's Eye has only just opened, but was well worth the wait. Probably my favourite run thus far.

More Photos From Vancouver

A couple more photos taken by my Glantaf mate, Alun, from our day together in Vancouver.

 

Best of Vancouver

Here is just a tiny taste of what Vancouver has to offer. I'll almost certainly be back there in the future! Read on for more photos...

Vancouver Canucks Vs New York Rangers

This was in fact my second NHL game during my week in Vanc, the first being an encounter a few nights previous against Colorado. Suffice to say, hockey is BIG business in Canada, especially in Vancouver, where the city's residents crave sporting success.

General Motors Place plays home to Vancouver's Canucks, and I was lucky enough to qualify for half price tickets ($70 per ticket, which is roughly £35. Bargain!) on both occasions because I was on my own. These photos were taken from the front row of the second tier... the view of the ice was out of this world.

Vancouver: Cycling In Stanley Park

These videos were shot on my penultimate day in Vancouver, and what a day it was. Alun (a very good friend from Glantaf who I bumped into the previous evening) - and I started the morning off with a round of pitch n' putt at Stanley Park's golf course, before hiring the coolest bikes known to man for a cycle.

Stanley Park's seawall is the 5km pathway that circles the park, and is used primarily by cyclists and roller bladers. It is the quickest and most enjoyable route to witness this incredible park, its beautiful surroundings and awe-inspiring views of Vancouver.

Sulphur Mountain: Best View Of Banff

Worth every minute of the three-and-a-half hour hike up. Shaky gondola ride down (see below) from the top, however...

Video: The Daily Commute

Taking the gondola up to my new office / workplace at Sunshine Village with Cai and my Canadian flatmate, Chris...

Video: Snowboarding At Sunshine Village

 

It's not the greatest quality footage, but here I am nevertheless snowboarding at Sunshine Village on Wednesday. This small, flat (explains my lack of speed!) run goes down to an awesome lift called Wolverine. I'll film a full run at the start of next week. Enjoy!

Banff Upper Hot Springs

Finally managed to get my hands on the one existing photo of our night at Banff's hot springs. Amazing views of the town and a wicked way to unwind after a tough day in the cold...

Room With A View

Thought I'd wait until it started snowing before posting a photo of what I wake up to every morning...

Cai's Panoramas

The size and quality of these panoramic photos don't really do Cai's photgraphy skills justice, but here they are nevertheless. Above: Peyto Lake, Below: Columbia Ice Fields (Can you spot me?).

Canadian TV Advert Shocker!

Think British adverts are bad? Think again. Here's a typical example of the shockingly bad stuff I have to put up with in Canada.

Banff Avenue

Running right through the middle of Banff is the aptly named Banff Avenue. I'll usually walk down here most days for a coffee and a browse around the shops.

Calgary Flames Tickets!

We drove into Calgary yesterday to get a few things, most notably tickets for this Saturday's ice hockey game (Calgary Flames v Edmonton Oilers). Oh, and 50 cent hot dogs from Ikea!

Tickets for that game were sold out, so we decided to wait until November 7th, when the mighty New York Rangers come to town. Can't wait to see my first NHL game!

Columbia Ice Fields

The ice fields were roughly a four-hour drive from our house in Banff, which meant a 6:00am wake up call. As the photos show, however, it was well worth the early start.  

Peyto Lake

Best thing in Banff so far. By a mile. Amazing place with equally amazing photos, thanks to Cai.

The Swing

One of Banff's truly secret spots, 'The Swing' is about a ten-minute drive from the town centre, followed by a fifteen-minute hike up a hill. It's a bit of a mission, but the views of Banff make it all worthwhile. At 30ft above the ground, however, it's not for the faint-hearted!

The top photo is me in action. Middle one is Ashley getting ready to launch, below is swing veteran Cai doing his thing.

Elk Spotting On My Street

Was just about to pop home when I spotted this MASSIVE, and I mean MASSIVE elk across the road. Kept my distance but still managed to get some good photos.

At first it was chomping on someone's front lawn, but then it sat down for a while, knowing that I probably wanted to take a few pics! Such encounters are pretty much normal according to Cai.

 

Bow River Walk

Went on a pretty epic walk along Banff's Bow River at the start of the week. Click on the 'Read More' link for more photos...

Day One With Jon & Ashley

First Meal In Banff

Bison burger with fries for dinner on first night (Saturday). Lush...

Banff Wildlife

Some deer on a train track. Looking forward to seeing more stuff like this when I'm out there. Photo courtesy of Cai Priestley...