Maiden Ski Adventures

The Wockies have hit the slopes! We went to Cypress Ski Bowl Wednesday for the boys maiden ski adventure after purchasing skis for all the boys and deciding to rent for us. We discovered that lessons were deserted, so booked the boys in for a Wockies only session . The big two went straight to lessons with a Welshman on the green slope, and the little two lucked out with 3 instructors for the 2 of them on the kiddy slopes. 2 Hours later Sam and Jordan had their instructor shaking his head with amazement with their progress saying he had never had anyone pick up the basics so quick. The lead kiddy instructor advised Suzi and I that the wee ones were not ready for the Green, but in true Aussie style we said, 'stuff that!' and took them straight up. Suzi took the old bear and I took Ben for some snow plow work between my legs, and within an hour they were totally solo. By the end of day 1 we needed to tackle Ben at the top to stop him whizzing off at break neck speed in a very controlled snow plow with a fall only every 2-3 runs. Amazing!!! Especially since it snowed all day and we were enveloped in cloud and fog making visibility shocking.
Day 2, and we had added brain buckets to the kids equipment list as second hand skid lids were $5 more expensive than the single day hire from the day before. New goggles for Jord and the kids looked like pros. Snowing so hard that it was even falling in Vancouver itself. Wind was blowing much harder, so the lift rides were cold unpleasant journeys, however low cloud cover was blown away so visibility slightly better. Kids now were chatting to the many Aussies who work on the rides and made Suzi and I so proud with their comradery. They 'Owned' the Green slopes, so we did some Blue slopes together. Powder snow made going a little tougher and so falls were more common. Got some great video footage, but files too large to upload. Sam thought it was hilarious when he cut me off while I was filming and skiing and I got written off big time and ate some serious snow. Towards the end of the day Jord had a fall on the Blue and jinked his knee. Completed another couple of runs before deciding he had had enough. Mind you, we started at around 10 each day and skied until 8p.m and 7p.m. respectively under lights. Boys hit the bed and did not move.
Day 3 (Today) finds the sun out at last, and Jord out of action. Ice and compression and a lot of rest. We dropped Suzi and the other boys off to Mt Seymour up the road and have had a quiet day together. Jord was not keen on the idea of attending a grade 6 day at school with Andy while we skied, so I joined him at home. My repetitive calf injury (soccer) has knotted up, so I dont mind too much, however skiing in sunshine would be a treat. Will pick up the boys and Suzi at 4, and after a quick hose down, will pick up Andy and Jen for dinner then off to see the Vancouver Giants V Seattle hockey match tonight at the local arena (Under 20). Should be sensational with our tickets giving us prime viewing of the action adjacent to the enemy goal for 2 out of 3 periods. Boys will be so stuffed that they may doze off. Is there any greater insult to a Canadian than sleeping at an Ice Hockey game???
Photos include a couple of ski shots at Cypress where some of the Olympic events were held, however will get better ones when it is not snowing like it has been. A couple from the windows of the house we are staying at (Dennis and Viv's) with beautiful vistas of the fjord and snow capped mountains and one of the house with rare city snow on it. Some of the cove including Ben on his way down the hill moments before finding the mud and then in his candy stripped thermals as we cleaned the mud off his gear. An example of Canadian humour with a sign at the cove and an example of a bear proof garbage bin that you find everywhere around here. A squirrel that found the bird feeder outside D and V's back door. Included also is a photo I just found from Universal Studios that I found on Jordies camera and couldn't resist.
Thats all for today.The Wockies