Banff 11 Week Ski Instructor Course ‘07 – Week 9
It’s my pleasure to report to you the going’s on of the previous week, which has unfortunately flown by as quickly as the previous eight.
Having had one of the busiest ski-ing weekends on record with back country touring and a pilgrimage to the sacred Kicking Horse, Monday was the day where I hit the wall! Having skied in lessons all day and crashed down every bump run in Lake Louise it was decided an early night was in order!
Tuesday was back to Norquay, where as part of Level 2 training we were able to shadow a lesson. Olly and I were placed in a group being taught by Dave, a splendid Yorkshire lad who taught us a lot including a few good Northern style ski instructor jokes!
Wednesday was my second private lesson with Ryan. After an hour and a half I had plenty to work on although I was really pleased with how much I had progressed in that short time.
Thursday was a day for all us Nonstoppers to unite and accept the gauntlet thrown down by other courses based in Banff. The afternoon was spent at Sunshine on a timed slalom course. Despite being sandblasted by snow in the driving winds, we set some very competitive times and felt confident going into the evening’s event.
After a delicious dinner in Guido’s restaurant it was onto The Paddock where we divided into teams to begin the Scavenger Hunt. An interesting hour was spent running around Banff trying to obtain everything from ski-instructors in drag to a warm Mcdonalds breakfast. We returned to the Paddock where some hardcore teams stripped to their underwear to obtain valuable bonus points.
Finally it was time for results. One NONSTOP team obtained maximum points in the scavenger hunt and a clean sweep was achieved when it was announced that NONSTOP had also won the afternoon’s races.
Finally, Aurora’s to celebrate and watch the NONSTOP team, ‘Kokanee Warriors’, compete in the annual Beerfest. We unleashed our big gun, Simon who remains unbeatable at downing. By the end of the evening we were tied first and it was onto a tie-break but despite Sinead’s valiant efforts NONSTOP were beaten for the 1st and only time today.
After going into town on Saturday morning for supplies, 15 intrepid explorers left to spend a night under canvas in Alberta’s wilderness. On arrival we gave the woman folk concise instructions into how to setup the tent and we hunter gathering males began the vital task of constructing our snow/ice beer chairs.
After much refinement of building technique what can only be described as the finest outdoor living room ever to be witnessed was finished and it was time to axe a lime in half and enjoy a hard earned Corona. Meanwhile our expert guides had been building a fire and then produced a mountain of prime steak for us to consume over a fondue.
Those who survived a savage case of the meat sweats then washed down this veritable feast with s’mores, a few more Coronas and war stories. Bed was nearly as comfortable as the Y and apparently my snoring did a sterling job in keeping away local wildlife for which the group greatly indebted to me.
Tom | March 16th, 2007
