The great thing about being in the mountains is that no two days are ever alike. The weather, the colors, the sound of your feet on the snow, everything shows you that the only constant is change.
I feel the same about skiing. Mood, concentration and state of mind always play a big role in the way I ski.
I usually have fun when I ski by myself, but I also enjoy it when I have the company of different people, so this week I decided to join two different ski tours that opened my mind to how being part of a group can improve your knowledge of the terrain and even your stamina during a day on the slopes.
Wednesday was one of those foggy, zero visibility days; the kind of day that you definitely want to be accompanied by skiers who know these mountains like the palm of their hands. So before riding a chairlift I decided to join a Sun Guide tour. Smart decision!
After a few minutes, I figured that I was not in an ordinary tour. We managed to go skiing the whole morning in soft snow following the border of the runs and trees. Norm, the guide I joined for the morning, has been skiing these mountains since 1963! Finding good terrain in whiteout conditions is just part of his routine. I had the pleasure of riding several chairlifts with Norm during that morning, on each of them I learned a little about the local history and his passion for the mountains. And at noon we stopped for a free hot chocolate!
Thursday morning I met Clive in front of Memories restaurant at the Cahilty Lodge. As he told me, he has an instructor background, but his job at Sun Peaks is not teaching or guiding, he is a ski host for Master the Mountain family ski tours. He invited me along and I joined him and other Aussies for a morning session.
During our first warm up runs on Sundance Mountain I noticed that I was among great skiers and that they were here to ski hard! With our legs warm we headed to Mt. Morrisey and once off the lift Clive asked who wanted to do the bumps. Everyone did so we went to the Laundromat area and skied Agitator.
After almost 10 days skiing non- stop, a long and steep bump run like that made my legs burn like hell! If I were by myself, I certainly would have gone back to the groomers but as soon as we got to the top of Mt. Morrisey for the second time, Clive asked again: "Who wants some more bumps?" When I realized I was going down Agitator for the second time in a row, I felt even more tired, but I'm glad I did it!
This time Clive gave me some very useful tips that are now part of my survival guide for steep bumps. And after that morning I established a goal: I want to master the bumps. So everyday I'll do at least a few steep bump runs.
After all, as one of the Aussies told me, "If you don't fall, you're not pushing yourself hard enough!"
Thiago,
the Snow Bum
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