Tim Boyd
This week has been another great week with NONSTOP. The crew have been getting to know their instructors a little better with the odd snow ball flying here and there!
We saw some of the nonstoppers head out on snowmobiles on Wednesday as one of their credit activities. Many adventures were had and the snowmobiles will never be the same again. There’s a rumour that those things were capable of 70km/h but only one person can vouch for that!
Saturday was a bit of a night for most of us…if not all…we had a party at Tamarack (one of the NONSTOP houses), which involved some killer ping-pong, a few beverages and some great music thanks to the many ipods amongst the group. Thanks to Jay for doubling up the participants in the party, we had a rocking good time!
The 1st aid course ran all weekend with a very enthusiastic teacher keeping our interest up after a late Saturday night with lots of high fives!!
Oh, and congratulations to Sara on taking home the Rider of the week award, presented (and hand crafted) by Aubrey.
READ WEEK 3
Apart from another wonderful week of lessons there were two further excitements. The first was our “Road Trip” to the infamously steep, windy and rocky Castle Mountain. The less said about Aaron, the guide and a trailer the better!! The drive home turned into an almighty pub crawl, hitting a number of Ken’s favourite haunts before a spontaneous night ski at Powder Keg. Thankfully no breathalysing on the slopes… The other great excitement was curling. A wonderful evening and the birth of the All Irish Curling Team, we wish them all the best of luck on their quest for gold in Vancouver!
READ WEEK 5
by Finn Claxton
We’ve arrived! The first morning we get brunch at the OGS which is the NONSTOP headquarters in Fernie. After the brunch we are given a tour of the town by one of our instructors who show us all the hidden cafes, shops and bars. Next it’s into the shops to spend far too much money on brand new equipment (it is still a lot cheaper than Britain it just seems like a lot of money).
In the evening we had our welcome banquet at a local hotel. It is here where we are told about the different ways which we can take after we complete our level one course as well as being introduced to the rest of the instructors.
The next five days are our first lessons which run for five hours a day. On the first day I already saw an improvement in my riding and over the week my confidence increases as well. Our instructor is a level three and watching him ride is an experience in itself.
At the end of the week we get the weekend off to do whatever we want (which usually includes going up to the resort and boarding) however this weekend we have a group activity which is the OGS potluck (each house cooks a dish and you pick and mix from all the dishes available) which is a great chance to speak and mix with others who are on the course, it is also an excuse to drink and after playing shot foosball (Take a shot of vodka for every two goals conceded maybe drinking wasn’t such a good idea…
READ WEEK 2
By The Duck on Inn boys; Will, Chris, Joe, Paul and Ben
What a fantastic first week! we love Fernie already!
Our first day began with a great buffet style breakfast to fuel us for our informative tour of the town which took place that afternoon. It was a great way to get settled into the town, and to gain our bearings.
After our tour of the town we all headed off to the welcome dinner at the Park Place Lodge. Our course director “smiley Dave” warmed the crowd up superbly with his entertaining speech (t.rou..sers?!) and we all got stuck into a big dinner and a few drinks! It is fair to say that the night did not end after the meal as the pub next door provided enough beer to keep us dancing, MC Hammer style, into the early hours! Wild dancing appears to be the order of the day in Fernie! This was the perfect way to bond with housemates, and to get to know lots of people on the course.
The following (somewhat painful) day saw the beginning of our lessons. After dragging our battle weary body to slopes we began our instruction in our groups. This week has primarily been designed to help us get back our ski legs and help us to get familiar with the mountain, and what an awesome mountain it is! My instructor for this week was Colleen, and she has been really helpful and very fun. The weeks instruction was brought
to a perfect end when we sat down as a group to a massive basket size lunch at the Lizard Lodge on Thursday.
All in all our first week has been fantastic. We’ve made some wicked friends and enjoyed some awesome skiing, bring on next week and more good times. As they say out here, “I’m stoked, totally awesome!”
READ WEEK 2
With 2 weeks under our belts we’ve well and truly found our feet (skis) and adjusted to the NONSTOP routine.
Our first weeks on snow have determined which groups we’re in and how much work we have to do.
The pros are great and we’re having a blast both on and off the mountain. Our new stomping ground is being truly stomped with the local bars doing pretty well out of us.
What can I say, I know it’ll all be over in a flash and I plan to make the most of every second. Bring it on!
READ WEEK 3
Tom | January 28th, 2007
