Over the last couple of weeks we have been to our first ever ice hockey match, demo’d some brand new snowboards and splashed out on some spanking new ski boots. It has been a busy time.
Quite a few of our Winter Sports guys won ice hockey tickets for the Kamloops Blazers versus the Kelowna Rockets match at the Sun Peaks Hockey League fundraiser. We decided to buy some tickets and join them. It was exciting to escape Sun Peaks on a minibus and we got to see Kamloops in the daylight. The surrounding mountains looked like huge mounds of cocoa powder with icing sugar sprinkled on the top. That, or my roadie can of cider had gone to my head already. Before the match we went to the Shark Bar for a few drinks and some dinner. It was such a treat to have food that is not on the menus of the five restaurants where we eat all the time on our meal plan!
And then we headed to the ice hockey arena. It was pretty full and, as this match is considered a local derby, there was a good atmosphere. The hockey was gripping, the umpire was amusing and at any opportunity there was a promotion, competition or advert going on. No chance of getting bored!
The Blazers won on a penalty shoot out so we were all happy. Leila went dressed as a unicorn and won the dancing competition hands down. All the kids tried to get in on it and outshine her but they didn’t stand a chance.
Back on the Hill we had two demo days where you could just leave your ID and credit card and take out any of the new boards or skis. I tried a new female Burton board and it made riding my old board feel like snowboarding on a wooden door. I think I may have to splash some cash and upgrade from my second hand board which I bought back in the Isle of Man. That weekend we also got to watch some of the banked slalom race in Hully Gully which was good to watch but also fun to play in the course once they’d taken the gates down and opened it up to the public.
And then the last shocker of late is that Pete and I decided it was time to invest in some shiny, new ski boots each. Pete had been wearing Chris’s old boots which were free but a bit like wearing two boats. I had been wearing a pair of boots that cost me $20 from a ski school instructor and they came each with some tape – the left with pink and green tape and the right one with silver duck tape – attractive!
We decided that as we are getting more proficient and faster at skiing that perhaps we should buy some boots that actually fitted us. The recent 20cm powder day really highlighted how much we were getting pushed around in our boots.
So here we are modelling our new, spangly Technica boots purchased in the end of season sales but still in time for bedding in before our Level 2 exams.
