Jackson Hole 4,

Jan. 31, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

The forecast for today was cloudy with sunny periods later in the morning. I made a decision to stay a little later than usual for my medical conference. I was up at 6:00 for breakfast and attended the conference until 11:00 minus 1 hour for a ‘private lesson’.

By 11:00 the sun had come out at the top of the mountain giving us 5C temperatures and spring like conditions. This really is not what I am used to in early Feb. The snow was heavy, heavy wet with big moguls, reasonably easy for the ‘expert’ skier to manoeuvre. I have been trying to ‘carv’ but this is an impossibility in these condition. I kept my skies 10 inches apart, the usual distance for carving and went for an early tumble. That makes 3 falls in 3 days which is 3 more than my total for last season. Watching other ‘expert’ skiers, I realized that you must keep your skis closer together in ‘heavy wet snow’ and semi jump the turns. I landed on my left shoulder again, lost a pole up the hill and sat around for a few minutes to recapitulate. I seem to have replaced my shoulder with the fall, as it did’t hurt me for the rest of the day. 2 volterans to night and I should be ok for tomorrow.

I bought a machine called CARV this season. It has an in sole with 75 receptors that you place between the outer and inner boot. It takes a ‘younger’ person to set it up so Marion set it up for me. The insole then connects to a battery placed on the outside of the boot, which bluetooths to your phone and then to your iPods in your ear. Have I lost anyone yet? Once set up a nice lady then makes comments on your skiing and gives you pointers on how to do better. You can set it up for a score at the end of the run or have the lady comment on each turn with instructions on how to improve your skiing. It’s quite incredible as she even knows what trail you are on and in which resort you are skiing. She knows when you stop and gives you a run down for 30 seconds when you are on the chair lift. When you are skiing alone, she makes a nice companion. Perhaps 1 day I will get to meet her. She reminds me of the GPS lady that accompanied me on my motorcycle trip in Germany last summer.

I am finishing off my bottle of Italian red wine that I started in the Italian restaurant where I ate yesterday. They were very nice to have kept it for me.

Love,

Brian

Brian

Jackson Hole 3,

Jan 30, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

The day started off well as who ever ‘borrowed’ my ski poles yesterday, probably realized that he/she had taken them by accident and left them for me to pick up where I had left them yesterday. So now I have 2 pairs of Leki (expensive) poles that allow me to ski better.

Yesterday’s soupy, spring like snow conditions had frozen overnight leaving extremely hard packed terrain with ice balls everywhere. The visibility was nil with fog,fog,fog all over the mountain. I stepped on the basket of my ski pole, rather hard to do, fell and re-sprained by already sprained left thumb and left shoulder. At about 10:30 I thought that I had taken a blue ‘groomer’ but ended up on a black diamond mogul trail. The bumps were impossibly hard to manoeuvre. I missed a mogul, flew through the air and landed on my head. It was the third hardest bang that I ever got on my head in my athletic career. The first was a minor concussion in a hockey game 20 years ago and the second sustained when I went over the handle bars while practicing for the world championship triathlon last year. I broke a finger which I did not have set as it would have set me back in my training. It is a little cooked but hell I don’t play the piano for a living. I counted to 10 and then side slipped down the bumps, eventually going for a capuchino to decide the future plans for the day.

After an hour, miraculously the sun came out and burned off the fog. The rest of the day I skied in the sun with 5 C temperatures, soft spring soupy snow and a bluebird sky. I am sitting in an Italian restaurant, eating lasagna and sipping Italian red wine. I ordered a bottle which they will cork for me so I can come back and finish it tomorrow.

My urology conference begins tomorrow at 6:00 am. There are 150 physicians registered for the conference, double the usual, which runs from 6 to 11 and from 4 to 7. If the conditions are good, I might cut out early. You only live once!!

Love,

Brian

Jackson Hole 2,

Jan. 29, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

I am sitting in the Snake River Lodge bar-restaurant, having finished my dinner and reflecting upon the last 2 days. As I mentioned in my previous entry, my door to door travel time was 21 hours. The poney express must have been faster. This evening I had my 1st real meal. I had a pain au chocolates and capuchino for breakfast at 5:00 am before boarding the plane yesterday. This was followed by a sandwich and cap for lunch and a scone and cap for supper. I arrived too late for dinner and had a late night beer. For breakfast today I had a cap and muffin, a yogurt and cap for lunch and finally a real dinner this evening. Maybe I lost some weight.

Today was an epic day as usual. The snow conditions were great but the visibility was impossible. It was cloudy with a thick fog that covered most of the mountain. I have 2 pairs of skis. My Rossignols are eastern skiing carving skis, 74 mm underfoot. They are good for carving hard packed, somewhat icy eastern trails. I also have a pair of Salomon semi powder skis, 92 mm underfoot that are good out west where there is softer, powder snow. I started the day with the Rossys but they were too heavy for the conditions. It was 0 C with soft heavy snow and I was having trouble turning in the deep snow. I switched to my Salomon skis which were more appropriate for the conditions. I left my Leki carbon poles (expensive) and went back to the hotel to exchange my skis. On my return I found out the someone had ‘borrowed’ my poles obliging me to purchase a new pair. This was disappointing as nobody locks their skis and theft is almost non existent.

I met 3 fellows on the gondola and they invited me to ski with them. Danny, Carston and Jordon are from Utah-North Carolina. 2 of the fellows were in their twenties and 1 was the father. 1 is a family practice resident. They ski like my kids and actually complimented me on my skiing abilities. Wow! While going up the chair, I managed to drop my brand new pole. It was on a very steep part of the mountain. I was willing to let it go but they showed me a reasonable way to ski around the cliff and recuperate my pole. There is nothing more difficult than skiing on steep moguls, in the fog, with only 1 pole to balance oneself.

At the end of the day we took the gondola up. The upper part of the mountain was above the clouds.

Love,

Brian

Jackson Hole 1,

Jan 28, 2024,

Hi Everyone,

This is probably the 30th or 40th time that I have flown out west for a medical-ski conference. As a urologist, I am some what spoiled by the fact that there are/were 4 conferences held in such illustrious places as Jackson Hole, Aspen, Whistler, Vail, Ferny, Kicking Horse, Lake Louise and Revelstoke. Each year I get to choose my destination usually depending upon my kids school breaks or holidays. For the first conference I took Antoine to Whistler. For the second conference I took Melanie. I think that I took the twins and Dominique for the 3rd conference. Eventually the whole family came. As the years past, we added the boyfriend, the girl friend and of course the husbands and wives.

At first we stayed in the conference hotel. Eventually it proved more practical to rent a condo and a Suburban to get us around. Each couple was responsible for cooking the meals. My job was to pay the bills, eat and drink. The kids skiing improved to the point that they became equal or better than me. The last time we went to Revelstoke, Marion remarked to me ‘ don’t worry Daddy, Alyson and I discussed it, and we decided that one of us will always stay back and ski with you ‘. So nice!! This year I am here alone as the kids have small kids of their own, are pregnant or have career responsibilities.

I don’t know why but my trips are always plagued with airplane travel problems. It took me 46 hours to return from Hamburg last year. My skis arrived back in Montreal 2 days late. Today was no exception. My flight was delayed for 3 hours due to ‘an electrical problem’. I guess that I should me happy that it didn’t occur in mid flight. That caused me to miss my connecting flight. They re-routed me to 2 other connecting flights. I went to the United Customer Dis-Service Counter to find out what could be done. You can always find the United counter in another terminal. There is usually a long line of customers shouting and 1 poor over worked employee saying ‘please be patient, I am doing my best.’ Today, I must say was an exception. In spite of the line up, the lady was quite helpful. My door to door travel time was 21 hours. I was up at 3:00 am to catch a 6:05 flight as it takes several hours to get through American immigration. My ski bags arrived 4 hours ahead of me. I don’t understand why I could not have been place on the earlier plane. I thought that it was illegal to have your baggage on a plane without you.

I will be up bright and early tomorrow to catch the 9:00 tram. My photos didn’t upload yet, so here is one of Louis at Mont Habitant.

Love,

Brian

Whistler-Lake Louise 10,

Dec.1, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

Today was my 7th and last day skiing and I am ready for a short break. I was registered in the Level 2 group, ie the Level 3 wannabes, which was ok but unfortunately we were too many skiers in the group. The instructor, Don, a fellow with a lot of experience did his best to accommodate everyone.

You can always learn if you listen to the advice given to other skiers by the instructor. BBSD, an acronym that I had never heard of before meaning Butt, back, shoulders, down. I tried it and miraculously it works. I was able to keep lower on my skis which helped to carve my turns better. Also, I learned that the turn has 3 parts, initiation, control and completion. The completion resembles the follow through in golf which if not done correctly, spoils the carving turn. I was also told that I have a hopping movement which I must stop and allow the ankles, knees and hips to control the turn. ( I am writing all this down for my benefit so I can practice this next time I will be on skis.)

I finished the day with Francois, an excellent skier from Stoneham. Together we skied on the groomers but by accident went onto a newly opened trail with 6-8 inches of heavy broken powder. Unfortunately, I had my narrow carving skis and had some difficulty jumping the turns as my skis kept sinking.

Last night we had a banquet at the Chateau which was excellent. Tonight I am meeting some friends for dinner at the Post Hotel. The restaurant is out of my tax bracket but the bistro there is more user friendly. (Cheaper)

Love,

Brian

Whistler-Lake Louise 9,

Nov. 20, 2023,

Hi Everyone.

Last night I felt under the weather as it was my 6th day of skiing in a row and maybe I was just tired. In any case, I curled up in my bed, (which I need a step latter to get into) and fell asleep for 2 hours. I decided to skip my dinner at the Youth Hostel which would have required me to get dressed and drive in the cold to Lake Louise Village. I ate supper in the hotel which is a little pricey but what the hell. I ate an Italian dish which was great. I have learned from travelling in multiple countries around the world that if you are not enthusiastic about the cuisine, find an Italian restaurant and you can’t go wrong .

I ate dinner and continued drinking while writing my blog. For my readers information, I spend at least 1 hour writing my blog every day, after the days activities. At about 10:00 a group of young people came in for a drink and pass the time away. Apparently, it got very noisy, a phenomenon that I had not noticed, as I was very involved in writing my blog. The nice waiter came over to my table, and noticing my white hair, asked me if I would like to be moved to a quieter area in the restaurant. I declined of course as I very much enjoy watching and listening to young people having fun. Ah, to be young again….

To day I took a free style course. Ya I know, my age …… Anyway we had a lovely blond level 4 instructor who was originally from Wales named Katie. The only other person that I know personally from Wales is Tom Jones. ‘what’s new pussy cat oh oh’ We divided into 2 groups, 1 group wanted to do the ‘park’ with jumps and the other group would do everything else. I chose the latter group. Oh my. We did short turns and medium turns for a warm up. Katie then told me that I lift 1 leg when I turn. ‘Did I know that?’ No. My 1st correction to be made. We then did multiple exercises such as, lift 1 leg, lift the other leg, lift both legs (yes it is possible), jump, jump with the front of the skis up, jump with the back of the skis up, ski on one leg, turn on one leg, do the same with the opposite leg, side slip turning the opposite way with the body, do sliding turns instead of carving turns ( which is wrong according to to CSIA standards but it is good to know how to do it anyways.) We then went into the park and I did my first jump on a 2 foot jump. I wish someone had taken a movie as I am not sure that I would have the courage to do it again!!

I finished the day with a fellow from Quebec City and we did the fastest 2 runs that I have ever done in my life. We had a wonderful banquet this evening, with about 100 skiers present. The ski crowd is really a great bunch of human beings. Everyone is laughing, everyone is smiling, everyone wants to teach you something, everyone is having a good time. No one is interested in making a lot of money. Everyone just loves what they are doing. Skiing is their whole life. I don’t think that I will ever get my Level 3s, but just taking the courses and being here with such a great bunch of people, is an incredible experience that I will never forget.

Love,

Brian

Whistler-Lake Louise 8,

Nov. 29, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

Today was an epic day as well as my 5th day in a row of skiing. I had a great dinner at the Youth Hostel in Lake Louise. Although I was certainly the oldest diner, there were several other patrons in my age group. I was able to read an account of Nat’s grandfather who was in the merchant marine in WW2 and managed to survive a torpedo attack on his ship by a German u-boat. If you have been following my blog, you will recall that I was able to visit a u-boat in Wilmhelmshaven last summer.

The day began with chilly weather and blue skies but warmed up gradually as the day progressed. This was my first day of the Level 3 Camp and I joined a group of 2 other pupils accompanied by 2 level 4 instructors, Fred from Bromont and Lee from Whistler. With a ratio of 2 instructors for 3 pupils, it is hard to imagine a better private lesson.

Both Fred and Lee maintained a friendly atmosphere where ‘fun’ was equally important to ‘technique’. When Fred asked the question “what do you like about skiing”, the answers he received were about the freedom of gliding on the snow, the enjoyment of the sport and the ambiance of skiing out in the open with friends. He remarked that no one ever mentioned ‘the separation of lower and upper body to improve technique and style’. Students will keep coming back to the sport because they are having fun. By the end of the morning, although we were strangers at the beginning, we all felt that we were a team learning new skills while at the same time enjoying ourselves.

My take away learnings concerning technique were to keep the arms outstretched and wide apart from the body, to avoid up and down movement when doing turns, to plant the pole in the middle of the initiation of the turn and to shift the weight gradually from the outside ski to the inside ski to complete a gracious and efficient turn. Movies were taken to emphasize the points with positive criticism.

Thank you Fred and Lee and nice meeting you with you David and Christie.

Love,

Brian

Whistler-Lake Louise 7,

Nov. 28, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

The temperature today started off at -13C but it was dry, sunny and no wind. I put on an extra layer and was warm as toast.

I spent the day practicing my ‘carving turns’ and I hope that I will be up to par. In the afternoon I met up with a group of 4 Canadians, one of whom is taking the course with me.

The scenery here is spectacular and I have been getting some beautiful pictures due the the sunshine and the fact that I am also above the clouds at certain times of the day before the sun burns them off. I took some pictures of Chateau Louise Hotel and the lake behind the hotel. There were several people skating on the lake as well as playing pick up hockey. Next time I will bring my skates and hockey stick.

I registered for my course this evening and will have supper at the youth hostel which in the past served great food. I should be the oldest guest there and am certainly the oldest person taking a Level 3 course.

Love,

Brian

Whistler-Lake Louise 6,

Nov. 27, 2023,

Hi Everyone,

I stopped off in Banff for a coffee yesterday. I stayed in Banff many years ago and was not that impressed at the time. Banff is really beautiful. The shops and restaurants are really first class. There are many inns and hotels to choose from. The road to Lake Louis is incredible. I am happy that I took the option of snow tires as the road is mostly 2 lanes, partially snow covered and slippery.

The temperature in Whistler was 2C to 5C and I felt rather over dressed with my ski outfit, fleece and down inner jacket. It is much colder here in Lake Louise with temperatures of -8C to -10C and wind. Most of the mountain is closed with only blue trails open from the top. The snow coverage is good for early season skiing. I did one run with my powder skis and then quickly switched to my eastern Rossignol carving skis. I spent most of the day practicing my technique so as to be ready for my course that starts the day after tomorrow and lasts for 3 days.

I am sitting in the luxurious lobby of the hotel writing my blog. Today on the gondola I met 2 young Germans who work here. The fellow works in IT and the lady is a writer from Hamburg. I told them, of course, that I did the Triathlon World Championships in Hamburg finishing 43rd out of 44. No use bragging about my accomplishments. She writes novels but her books have not yet been translated into English. They promised to read my blog. I am so proud.

Love,

Brian

Whistler-Lake Louis 5

Nov. 26, 2023

HI Everyone,

I was up at 6:30 this morning, to drive to the Vancouver airport, to drop off the car, to drop off my luggage, to go through security, to eat breakfast, to fly to Calgary, to pick up my luggage, to pick up my rental car with snow tires, to drive to Banff where I had a Starbucks muffin and coffee, to drive to Lake Louise, to check in at Chateau Lake Louise. Door to door took me 10 hours. Travel is really for young people.

I have flown out west at least 40 times but this was the first time that I had a window seat, in broad daylight, with clear blue skies allowing me a fantastic view of the snow covered Rockies. I must say, it has to be one of the most beautiful sights in the world. The Rocky Mountains stretch as far as the eye can see, with no towns or roads to be seen. What a wilderness!

I checked into Chateau Whistler, a 5* hotel located on Lake Louise. The hotel is really out of my tax bracket but because I am taking a CSIA Level 3 course, we got a half price group rate. The hotel has everything that you need, 5 restaurants, an exercise room, a swimming pool and expensive stores that have over priced merchandise at 30% off.

In Whistler, I was able to purchase my usual black fleece polo sweater with a half zipper in front. This made Antoine and Julia laugh, as they seem to expect me to go shopping for this item every ski trip. I will ski for 2 days, trying out my 2 different pairs of skis so as be prepared with the right ski for the course.

Love, Brian