Whistler 2026-03

Whistler 3,

March 30, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

We arrived in Whistler yesterday afternoon and took possession of our condo. The girls went out shopping for food while Antoine accompanied me on my quest for gortex ski pants made by any company that had pants that fit me. Apparently, this is the last year for goretex to be manufactured. It is a wonderfu material designed by Mr. Gore who passed away a few years ago. It is 100% waterproof even in pouring rain and breaths so you don’t get overheated. It also lasts for ever and is virtually indistructable. Unfortunately, the manufacturing process is carcinogenic for the factory workers and it is impossible to recycle. I have been looking for gortex lined (not a shell) pants that fit me for over 1 year. After visiting a number of stores and trying on a dozen pairs of pants I finally found one made by Peak Performance, a Swedish company. I must have one in black as that is the colour for ski patrol pants. There was one left in the world so they will ship it to me in 2 weeks. Wow!!

We were up early and skied from 9:30 to 3:30 with a short break for lunch. Whistler is a fabulous ski station. It is divided into 2 parts, Whistler and Blackcomb. We skied all day on Blackcomp and didn’t ever touch half the trails. The Whistler Resort is huge, the biggest in North America and twice as big as most of the other resorts. It was a bluebird day with sunny skis, a few clouds and -5 C. You could not ask for a better day of skiing. The day started off with hard packed snow which eventually softened up around noon. We did groomer, broken powder runs, bowls and tree runs.

Spanky’s ladder is a snow ladder, 100 meters high at the top of the mountain and leads to expert black diamond and double black diamond trails. We took off our skis and started climbing. I make it ¾ of the way up and was gasping for breath hopefully only because of the altitude. Antoine generously climbed down to meet me and took my skis up for the last ¼ of the climb. The climb was well worth the effort as the run was largely untracked in places allowing me to enjoy my new skis. At the end of the day we did a diamond, tight, steep tree run appropriately named ‘Where’s Joe’ as is difficult to keep your colleagues in sight. This was the first time that I was able to try my skis on a tree run and they performed really well. To reward ouselves for a day well done, we had piazza and beer at the Handlebar, Bar where we met Dominique.

We each take turns cooking. Last evening it was Dominique’s turn. Tonight it is Antoine and Julia’s turn. They all know better that to ask me to take a turn.

Love,

Brian

Whistler 2026-03

Whistler 1

March 28, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

This is my second trip out west to ski and probably my 40th altogether. We flew on a direct flight from Montreal to Vancouver, the only incident being that my wife and I were not seated next to each other. The flight attendant offered us chocolate bars and drinks an hour into the flight. I chose tomato juice and wine which I realized was an error on my first sip at 10:00 a.m. They no longer serve food on domestic flights so we brought along our own empanadas. I was able to drink the wine with the empanadas for lunch.

We are staying in Vancouver for 2 nights at a downtown boutique hotel called the Victorian. It is located in a great area close to walking distance to the major attractions. We walked along Hastings Street to get to Gastown which is the older part of downtown Vancouver. When I first came here 40 years ago, there was 1 block on Hastings where all the druggies lived on the street. The area has expanded greatly since then as Vancouver attracts down and outs from all across Canada due to the climate here and the ability for one to sleep out on the street in the winter. For one reason or another we have left a large segment of the population behind in our country. I don’t know the solution.

We walked all over the downtown area. There are an over abundance of coffee shops, all quite cute and selling $8.00 croissants and $6.00 cappuccinos with 18%, 20% or 20% suggested tips. There is a beautiful view of the mountains in the distance and one can see the harbour as well. The beach is not far away. The flowers are in bloom everywhere. Vancouver rarely gets snow and had non this season. Later we met my son Antoine for dinner at a local Italian restaurant. I never take home a doggy bag but the bread was so good we took some home for breakfast.

Love,

Brian

Big Sky 2026-02

Big Sky 6,

Feb. 10, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Last evening we had the conference banquet. The conference has been going on for 46 years and I have attended many of them. The atmosphere is very relaxed and many of the urologists bring their wives and children. Everyone is dressed in ski centre casual. The food and wine were adequate and everyone was in a very good mood. The conference, although the numbers were decreased compared to recent years was very successful. Personally, I prefer the atmosphere of smaller conferences where you can speak freely with the conference presenters. I met some old friends as well as a couple, Marty and Ellen from Denver. He is a paediatric urologist originally from Winnipeg and almost took a position in Montreal. Ellen is an excellent skier and we arranged to ski together today.

One of the conference leaders, Brian, who I knew from previous meetings, asked me how many conferences that I had attended and if I could say a few words. Never at a loss for words, I told a little story. Dr. Ralph Hopkins organized the conference until 2013. At the conclusion of the conference, in Jackson Hole,while I was putting on my ski boots, he came up to me and addressing me by my first name, asked me how I had liked the conference. I was rather surprised that Dr. Hopkins, the conference leader would even recognize me. After all, I am not very important in the urology world. He then asked me if I enjoyed the skiing and would I be back next year. I replied affirmatively and we shook hands promising to see each other the following year. 3 months later he had a cardiac episode and passed away. I month later I had a heart attack and a quadruple bypass. I can only imagine him looking down on me from above and muttering to himself “Hey Brian, where are you, we had a deal!”

Ellen and I met at 10:00 at a prearranged area at the bottom of the hill. It was a bluebird day, 5C and sunny. The powder that had fallen the day before and though broken, still gave adequate coverage with no ice showing. We followed the sun, skiing from one end of the mountain to the other. We did blues, blacks, tree runs, powdered bowls and trails. She is an excellent skier and can go down any type of hill. At around 1:00 we arrived at the far end of the mountain and after doing some tight powdery tree runs we stopped for hot chocolates and cookies.

To get back to our hotel we had to go up and down several trails taking several chairlifts. We were on top of the last run, at 3:00 pm, a black trail with moguls, sunny with broken powder, challenging but certainly doable. The trail narrowed at one point but I should have had no trouble getting through. I then experienced the absolutely worst fall of my 65 year ski career. I was skiing at moderate speed in good control when the tip of my ski hit a hidden rock. I fell straight forward over my skies and continued tumbling head over heels gaining more and more speed. I spread my arms and legs out, trying desperately to dig in and stop. It was no use, I just kept sliding and sliding. I wondered in my head if I would get badly hurt and hoped that I would not hit a tree on the side of the trail. I eventually stopped in powder snow, one ski on and one ski off 100 meters down the hill. One ski had fallen off and had accompanied me in my fall. Ellen picked up my pole which I had left further up the hill. The ski stop on one ski was bent. Two buckles on one boot were open and bent out of shape. The edge on the tip of one ski is badly bent and may not be reparable. I was gasping for breath but thankful that I had not been badly hurt. I have a minor sprain on my ankle and am limping. I pulled myself together and we skied slowly down to the bottom of the hill on an easy blue. What an experience!

Tomorrow I will fly back to Montreal.

Love,

Brian

Big Sky Montana 2026-02

Big Sky 3,

Feb. 6, 2026,

Hi Everyone,

Today was another blue bird day of skiing that you could only hope for at the end of March. I was not in a hurry to get on the slopes today as the snow is rather hard packed until the sun begins to soften it up at around 10:00 a.m. We had sunny skies all day with a temp of 10C and no wind.

I skied only on the groomers as the expert terrain was either closed or had too many rocks showing to make it worth while. Tree skiing was impossible as are the chutes. Nevertheless the sun and warm weather made for a good day of skiing. Half way down the hill is a huge igloo that you can walk through. A band was playing inside and people were dancing. There is a patio outside with sofas and chairs. Everyone was having drinks including white wine, beer and Veuve Cliquot champagne. Imagine that, in the middle of winter. I sat on a sofa, took off my ski jacket, wearing only a fleece and basked in the sun in an attempt to get a sun tan.

America is made up of 45% people of ethnic, non white origin. You would not know that by the crowd at the ski hills. Everyone is white and looks to be very successful. Skiing has become extremely expensive. In American dollars a day ticket costs $250. Hotels start at $600 a night. The ski prices are the same as in Canada except that you pay in American dollars. The ski industry must have been hit hard by the tariffs. Food prices in restaurants are unreasonable. There are beautiful areas with homes starting at $5 million and going up to $20 million. The rich and famous have discovered Big Ski just as the have discovered Jackson Hole.

On the other hand, everyone is very friendly. I have not over heard any political discussion. The chair lifts are for 4, 6 or 8 persons. The seats are heated. A bubble comes down if it is cold and windy. The guardrail pops up automatically when you arrive at the top. On the chair everyone wants to know ‘How are you doing today? Are you having a great day skiing today? Where are you from? Montreal, oh I have been there. What a great city. Do you ski at Mont Tremblant?’ It is really pleasant.

My conference starts tomorrow and I ate dinner last evening with a few friends that I know from previous conferences. We will be about 50 urologists and the staff looks to be excellent as usual. The conference is very family friendly reminding me of the times when I used to take the kids with me. I can remember renting a condo for 7 of us.

Love,

Brian

Big Sky Montana 2026-02

Big Sky 2,

Feb. 5, 2026

Hi Everyone,

I left Montreal yesterday at 11:00 a.m. and arrived here at 3:30 a.m. Montreal time, a mere 16.5 hour travel time. That includes leaving the house to allow for 3 hours to go through American customs. No one is going to the States now and passing through customs took 40 minutes. The customs officials were much less surly than usual probably happy to have visitors to their country. I had 2 hours between flights and a 4 hour wait to catch a limo to take me from Bozen International Airport to Big Sky. The drive took 75 minutes and I was asleep on arrival here. I was so tired that I left my skis outside my door in the hallway, leaving me wondering where they were when I awoke in the morning. I slept 7 hours to recuperate and was on the slopes at 10:00, a little late for me.

Today was a ‘blue bird day,’ sunny with blue skis all day. I am happy that I brought my Salmon QSTs, 92 underfoot for those of you who are knowledgeable about skis. The snow was packed powder in the morning with absolutely no ice. By 12:00 it was spring skiing in February, unheard of in recent years. It was 10C so I had to take off a few layers and was skiing with my jacket open, no neck warmer and no long underwear. I sat on a terrace at noon in a tee shirt and sipped a $10 black coffee. The prices are outrageous here.

They have not had any snow here in 10 days. I skied mostly on blue, double blue, easy black trails and bowls. There is a lot of tree and glade skiing here but no one was skiing there as the snow was hard packed. They are really spoiled here. My Icon pass covers the whole area but you must take a gondola for an extra $25 to get to the top Loan Peak area. This is a black, double black and triple black area. There are also dozens of chutes but no takers as the snow conditions were not great and there are a lot of rocks showing. All in all, there was enough open trails to ski on.

Love,

Brian

Australia-New Zealand 1

Australia- New Zealand 11,

Oct 24, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

I arrived last evening in Kuratau as small village on Lake Taupo, a large fresh water lake about 50km long and very deep. I am staying at Tongariro Adventures on the shore of the lake. My hosts Barb and Mike are lovely people. They listen well to my endless stories. I ate dinner at a high quality restaurant overlooking the lake. I had to take my motorbike to get there which curtailed my consumption of wine.

This morning I awoke to blue skies, cool temperatures which warmed up during the day. Mike advised me to ride up to Whakapapa Village ( that really is its name) and then up to the ski resort on Mt. Ruapehu. It was a wonderful ride up windy roads to the base of the mountain. The scenery begins with rolling hills and sheep and eventually breath taking views of the mountain. The mountain is covered in snow half way up, but the season was ending and I didn’t see any skiers.

Half way up the mountain, I became aware of the idiot blinking light (for idiots) warning me that I was almost out of gas. I continued up the mountain anyway as I figuered that I could always just roll back the mountain in neutral. I have been riding motorcycles for over 50 years so it is amazing that I didn’t check the reservoir before starting out. At the base of the mountain I struck up a conversation with Ben, one of the mountain employees. It is really easy to meet people when you are alone on a bike. Everyone wants to know where you are from, how long you have been in New Zealand and what are your plans for riding. I told Ben that I was out of gas. The next gas station was 10km away, a bit risky on an almost empty tank. ‘No worries.’ While I sipped a cappuccino at the cafe, he called over his friend Grace who drummed up a canister of gas for me. She was a world traveller and had worked in a ski resort in Prince George, Northern B.C.

We filled up my tank and I was on my way back to my hotel. A group of motorcycles passed me at breakneck speed. I can’t and don’t ever want to go that fast.

Love,

Brian

Photos taken on the road from Kuratau to Whakapapa

Ben and Grace

Barb

Australia-New Zealand 1

Australia-New Zealand 9

Oct. 22, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

It’a amazing, that when you are travelling, you can have good days, better days and fabulous days with only the occasion blip. Today, after breakfast, I elected to do a walking day to give my 9 hour, motorcycle bum a rest. I walked down from my hotel to the waterfront, passing through the town. Tauranga is a lovely town, doubling as a beach resort and a large industrial port. The downtown area has the usual amount of shops with a number of them specializing in hiking and sporting equipment. I did a lot of browsing but no purchasing, responding to the sales people that I was only a tourist vacationing.

I found myself at the waterfront overlooking an old railway bridge which took me across the bay. The bridge had a walking lane used by hikers, runners and bicyclists. It was 800 meters long. I walked across and found myself on a road that followed the beach on the other side. I walked for an hour and eventually a car stopped to ask me if I was lost and could she give me a lift. Her mother was in the back seat and was probably about my age. I told her that I was from Canada and that I had just completed a triathlon as she had notice the number tatoued on my arm. She drove me a few kms to the local bus station. She explained to me that she was of Mauri origin. The Mauris are the original settlers here, arriving from Polynesia several hundred years before the white man. Mauri culture is very evident here as many of the villages and mountains are in Mauri language and are unpronounceable and difficult for me to memorize. There are only 5 million people in all of NZ, many of whom are Mauri. On the bus, the stations are announced in Mauri and English. We could take a lesson from them in Quebec. Our native Indian culture is visibly lost in our everyday lives.

The bus took me to Mount Maunganui and the bus driver asked me politely if I was going to hike up the mountain. When I acknowledged that was what I was here to do, he responded ‘that is what I figured.’ I took that as a compliment as I guess that he also had seen my tatous. I had a cappuccino and muffin for lunch and spoke with a young couple from Italy, travelling around and working as cooks. I suggested to the young lady, Noel that they might find work in Whistler as they were quite interested in the fact that I was from Canada.

I asked the waitress about how long it would take me to climb the 300m mountain. She looked at me and suggested that I try the climb tomorrow as I had just consumed 1 muffin and 2 cappuchinos. I started up the mountain and asked a few young people if I could climb up the mountain in 1 hour or so. They politely smiled. There were several paths to take, longer with a gentle slope or shorter but steeper. I took the latter to go up and the former to walk down. On my way back I spoke to a young fellow who lived here and then with an Estonian waiter who is a sea captain. You meet so many people when you travel alone.

All of the pictures below were taken in Tauranga and on Mount Maunganui.

Love,

Brian

Australia-New Zealand 1

Australia-New-Zealand 8,

Oct. 21, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

’Pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and smile, smile, smile.’ I repacked my already stuffed to the brim, suitcases. again. i had to find a place for my new medal and had to really push to close the bag. I called an Uber to take me to my motorcycle rental place across the bridge in a suburb of Auckland. I am getting rather good at ubering and can summon up one all by myself. I arrived at the motorcycle shop and met the man in charge. He explained the workings of the bike to me and gave me some advice of windy roads to take for my next leg of my journey. I rented a Honda 500 Rebel CMX which is rather small and easy to manoeuvre on the hilly narrow roads that I will travel on. The bike came with 2 saddle bags and an over the wheel trunk. I repacked taking only what I would need for the trip. All bikes are geared the same, one down and 4 up. For one second I forgot and started the bike, ready to go in 1 up, second gear. The fellow looked at me and I could see by his face that he was wondering if this was my first time on a bike and should he be really renting it to me.

When ever I get on my bike, I always say to myself, ‘this could be my last ride.’ So far I have been wrong. The bike although small, was not really small. Riding a new bike with the gears on the opposite side as my triumph is always a challenge. They drive on the left side of the road here. My TomTom motorcycle GPS allows me to choose primary, secondary or tertiary roads, hilly, very hilly and very hilly roads, curvy, very curvy and very very curvy roads II had chosen to ride on the latter of all three choices. I started up the engine and wondered to myself if I had not bitten more than I can chew, as usual. 1 hour into the ride, I had gained back my usual over confidence and knew that I could easily master the low cut Honda.

The drive out of Auckland was rather boring as I had to go back over the bridge and through the entire city. The city has small towns, attached to each other and go on for 1 hour, not very interesting. Finally, I arrived in the country side. I drove on for several hours through rolling hills and small farms. I arrived at the turning point where I had to decide whether or not to continue on to Tauranga or head north up the peninsula and follow the ‘spectacular road’ that the motor-shop man had described to me. I chose the latter and headed up the peninsula. This was supposed to add 3 hours to my journey. It added another 5 hours but it was really worth while.

The road was narrow, windy, hilly, and curvy to the extreme, perfect for my first day on a new motorcycle in a new country. A real baptism by fire. The road wound along the sea with the mountains often coming right down to the water, The road was often cut out of the mountain. Finally, I arrived at the top of the peninsula and road across to the other side. Here the road cut through the mountain with hair pin turns and switch backs. I road in 2nd or 3rd gear for the most part doing 30-50 k/hr. Many turns were marked 25 k/hr and it was impossible to go faster. Later on the roads were marked at 100 k/hr. I never dared to go over 80.

I arrived in Tauranga, 10 hours later, having stopped only once for lunch and many times to take photos. I usually don’t like to ride a bike after dark or in the rain. I finished my journey in the dark and with a light drizzle. My GPS lady got lost and I drove around Tauranga for 1 hour before finding my hotel. I was ready for a beer.

Love,

Brian

All the photos below were taken on my motor cycle journey, from Auckland up the peninsula and then back down to Tauranga.

Australia-New Zealand 1

Australia-New Zealand 7,

Oct. 20, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Today is an absolutely gorgeous spring day, sunny, blue skies, 20C. I started off the day with a cappuccino and a muffin at Starbucks, very original for my trip in N-Z. It was wash day and miraculously, my hotel has a laundromat in the hotel. If you have read my previous blogs, you will know how much I love laundromats. This one was a little different, consisting of a cupboard and 2 small machines, one on top of the other. I filled the machine with my laundry and returned to my room to catch up on emails.

Pamela, the lady who offered me champagne on the plane here, had advised me to take a day trip to Waiheke Island by ferry boat. I picked up the ferry in Auckland Harbour and floated over to the Island. There were 1 foot waves and the wind was blowing at 15-20 kts with white caps. The view was splendid. There are a few sailboats out and 1 fellow was windsurfing. How I wished that I could be out there, on a sailboat. ‘You can’t always get what you want so be happy with what you got.’

I took a seat on the back of the ferry boat and got a great view of Auckland Harbour. My spirits were high and I was taken back to a time 55 years ago. I was travelling for 1 year and had just finished 2 months of skiing in Austria, Switzerland and Italy. I had dropped off my skies in Germany and was hitchhiking to Greece. I stopped off in Zurich and bought a pair of white Adidas with 3 black stripes. In retrospect they were good walking shoes but not the type that one should have in Israel with 35C to 40C weather. The weather was about the same as today and I had only 7lbs of luggage in my back pack. My pill box weighs more than that now. I was bouncing along in my new shoes without a care in the world. I was eventually planning to go to Israel to work on a kibbutz. For what ever reason, the song ‘my sweet lord’ was in my mind and I was singing the song to myself. That moment in time was a moment that I was the most free in my life. I was never that free before, and I was never as free afterwards and probably will never be that free again. I had no responsibilities except to myself. I had very little money, just enough to get along. Everyday was a new adventure to experience. I wonder if anyone else reading my blog has ever had a similar experience.

Waiheke Island has a similar atmosphere that you find in Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, Martha’s Vineyard or the island Brehat in France. Everyone seems to be relaxed and taking it easy. The tourist season has not started and the cafes and bars have only the locals in them. I am sitting in a cafe overlooking the ocean in a small village on the island. The island is famous for its wineries and if I am lucky I will find one open to sample the wine. If not, I will order some wine for supper here.

I got on a public bus and travelled up the island. The island is surprisingly hilly, with windy narrow roads. It would be a great place to ride a motorcycle but probably very difficult to ride a bike unless you are in really good condition. I got off the bus, half way up the island and walked down to the beach. The waves were rolling in onto the beach and the water looked inviting with many sailboats moored in the distance. 2 ladies were coming out of the water so I asked them about the water temperature. They said it was cold but when I tested it, it was much warmer than Laurentian lake water in June. They informed me that there were no jelly fish or sharks here as the water is too cold.

I took the bus back to the little town and am once again enjoying the view from the terrace of my Italian restaurant. I will take the 930 ferry back to Auckland after dinner. I will pick up my motorcycle tomorrow and head off on the motorcycle part of my journey.

All of the photos below are either taken from aboard the ferry boat from Auckland to Waiheke Island or on the island itself.

Love,

Brian

Australia-TerminNew Zealand 1

Australia-New Zealand 6

Oct. 19, 2025,

Hi Everyone,

Today was a travel day, my last day in Australia and my first day in New Zealand. As usual during this trip, my day was filled with adventure. Each day when I wake up, I never know what new experience the day will bring. I packed last night and woke up early to have a buffet breakfast and get on the shuttle to the airport. The breakfast was supposedly included with the room, but it came with a $20 price tag, an $8 reduction in price. I didn’t mind as the buffet was worth while. We piled into a regular size bus that took us to all 3 terminals. Terminal 1, the international terminal was huge and miles away. I arrived 2 hours early and had no time passing through customs.

I had an hour and a half to spare when I realized that I had purchased an ipad and could collect a tax refund. There was a long line up and I didn’t think that I would get through in time. After a half hour, an agent announced that a TMT online form had to be filled out. I had paid $251 in tax, so I figured that I should give it a try. I think that TMT means ‘too much trouble’ as the form was multiple pages long and required all sorts of secret numbers imbedded in the receipt. I must have looked discouraged as the man next to me offered his assistance. He was able to go through the form with me, filling in the blanks and even getting a required emergency email documentation from Apple. We spoke for a while and he explained that he was originally from India and was an IT expert. He had worked in many countries and had visited Canada many times. We exchanged email addresses and I promised to take him to dinner if he ever comes to Canada. I also gave him my blog site of course.

I had a good seat in the plane, just behind first class with extra leg room. I struck up a conversation with the lady in the seat next to me. She was Australian and had worked for many years in Utah. She was a frequent flyer with Qantas Airlines and was offered multiple glasses of ‘Australian bubbly’ for herself and her ‘guest’. That certainly started the day off well for me. Qantas offers a good meal for airline travellers even on 3 hour short time flights. United Airlines could take a lesson from them in service for clients. United, offers water and chips on 6 hour flights and $30 sandwiches. We exchanged emails addresses and she promised to read my blog. I now have over 10,000 visits and 4000 visitors to my blog site.

I am staying at a 4* downtown hotel which is very convenient. Auckland is a lovely city, very clean and a beautiful waterfront. I walked down Queen St. the main shopping avenue and arrived at the waterfront. There are a lot of sailboats, and big motor boats. You can take a boat tour of the port and go out to 1 of the islands which is supposed to be very pleasant. I will probably do that tomorrow.

The waterfront is quite developed with numerous restaurants and bars. Sunday night is rather quiet. I chose a nice Italian restaurant with white table cloths catering to a middle class, middle age cliental. No matter what country you are in, if you choose an Italian restaurant, you will always eat well.

Love,

Brian