Sun Peaks 2013/14
Shut Up Mizu, nobody asked you.
Now now, no need to go gettin sun on ya peaky bits!!!!!
So, how’s the skiin over there anyways?????
I’ll let you know in 16 days when I start lol
Seattle Visit
Hey all! Bit of time between updates but the only internet I’ve had is up in the village which is a 20 minute walk from staff accommodation. Ordered myself the internet today so I should be a bit easier to contact after this weekend. Hopefully I’ll have a decent phone too so you can Viber, Skype or Whatsapp me if you want 
.
So Seattle was the next step on my trip. I left on Monday morning (28th October) and hired a Toyota Corolla for a few days. In contrast to the Jeep Compass that I drove to Whistler, this was a lot more comfortable and easier to drive. I got to border patrol and because it was my first time in the USA, they had a bunch of steps I had to go through to enter (which in comparison, Canada took my passport for 10 mins and I was let through.) The car line to the border was about an hour and then I waited another hour inside to get myself fingerprinted and my car checked for illegal stuff.
After that big hassle, I kept driving down to Seattle and found my accommodation pretty easily. I was about 5km from the main area of town and it was already getting a bit later in the day so I checked everything in, found a parking spot for the car (about 1km from where I was staying as everything is paid parking in the city) and then went to find a place to buy a Seattle Seahawks hat and watch the game at a pub.
Ended up going to the team store and spending a fortune but it was well worth it, the guy who served me suggested that I go to “The Ram” for dinner and drinks. I got there and it was PACKED! Decided to stand around for a bit and see if anything opened up. Then a couple told me I could sit with them and watch. Got some Buffalo wings for dinner and watched one hell of a game!
They gave me a lift home after the game and I called into the hostel pub for a quick beer and a chat with a few people staying there but there wasn’t much happening so I went to bed.
The next morning I got up early and went for a walk into the city. Stopped off for some American Bacon that everyone raves about but they burnt it to a crisp so I wasn’t all that impressed. I got some more elsewhere later which was much better. After breakfast I went to the Space Needle (pretty much like Centerpoint) and it was a $20 fee to go up to the top. I decided that my money would be better spent at the museum so I went there instead. $20 to get in was a great deal as it was an amazing exhibit. See facebook for all the photos but here are some of my favourites!
Horror exhibit
Fantasy exhibit
SciFi exhibit
Jimi Hendrix exhibit
Nirvana exhibit
Sound lab
After the EMP museum, I went over to the Pike Place markets and had a look around. There were a few cool stores but nothing to write home about. I saw the first Starbucks which had a line up out the door and a ton of people with cameras taking photos. I followed it further around and found the “Gum Wall” which is literally a wall covered with chewing gum. It was pretty disgusting.
After that I went back to the Space Needle area and went to a sports bar aptly named “SPORTS” and sat at the bar watching the Bulls shocking first game and a bit of the Blackhawks game with a couple from Chicago and 2 brothers, one who was visiting the other from out of town. Ended up getting a cab back to the hostel and he had no idea where to go so I had to navigate for him using his iPhone.
My second day was the shopping day. I went to Tulalip to the Seattle Premium outlet stores and had a look around. Ended up buying my snowboard for the season, a pair of sunnies and some cologne. Had a bit of a quiet night on the computer after that and then went to bed ready to drive back to Vancouver in the morning.
Leaving the USA wasn’t nearly as much of a pain as entering. They still ask you a bunch of questions but with a line of 1 car to the gate and a quick interview from my car window, I was on my way. Ended up getting my bindings and helmet from the snowboard shops in downtown Vancouver and then checking into my new hostel and returning the car.
It was Thursday the 31st so I decided I should do something for Halloween. I got my Bruins jersey and went back to the Samesun (first hostel I was in) played trivia (came third) and partied the night away with Tia and Mark. Cheers to Cam for the leftover Malibu hahaha.
Woke up for the bus the next morning and went to Kamloops. Bought some bed supplies and moved in. Pre season Sun Peaks blog post to come though, don’t want to make this wall of text any longer than it already is… lol.
Peace Out!
keep up the updates, TJ! Enjoying reading them!
Nice, TJ! 
New blog post - http://bwcanada.weebly.com/tjs-experience.html
Pre Season
I got to Sun Peaks on the 1st of November and have been here for 12 days now. And I can safely say I’m having a blast here.
I arrived in Kamloops around lunch time and had a few hours to spare before my lift finished her day at uni. So I went from the greyhound station to Starbucks and had a coffee and some lunch and then went down to JYSK which is like a cheaper bed, bath and homewares shop. Picked up some sheets and a pillow for my room and went back to Starbucks and just chilled out there for a while since I couldn’t even hold all my bags at that point.
Around 3:30, I met up with Carmen and Michelle who were driving me up the mountain. We started packing all my crap into the back of Carmen’s little Honda Civic and realised that the back seat of the car all folded down as 1. So to fit all my stuff in the car, we had to take my board out and put it in diagonally in the back seat with me. After a bit of in car tetris, we had all my stuff in and Michelle’s shopping and we had a return of TJsquish! I forgot to get a photo for you guys though :(.
Made it up to my new room and got the introduction / paperwork all filled in pretty quickly and unpacked. Heard some people walking around outside my house so I went out and said hi. Turns out they were doing the season over at Revelstoke but they told me to go upstairs and meet the guys there who were really cool. So I went up and met Owen, Shawn and Curtis who I ended up hanging out with pretty much everyday since arrival. It’s been pretty sweet.
On Monday night, we went over to the Wolfsden for Cam’s birthday drinks. Met a few more cool people, played some beer pong and had a few beverages. Woke up a bit queezy the next morning but it was worth it for the fun night!
Few days later we headed back to the wolfsden to check out the park in the backyard. It was a bit of a hike up the hill to get enough speed but worth it to hit a few rails and small jumps. Definitely kept me occupied for a day while i’m waiting to start work. When we arrived, there was a few small jumps and 1 long pvc pipe rail. By the end of the day and a bit of snow farming, that turned into a bazooka jump, 2 pvc pipe rails and a quarter pipe. And with some fresh snow on the ground, it was great to ride on. By the end of the day I was pretty wrecked so I took some photos of the other guys. Check facebook for more photos.
Most of the rest of the week was filled with movies, walks to the village and hanging out at peoples places. Went and did a ton of shopping with the lady who runs Vertical Cafe up here and spent way too much money. But on the other hand I have food for at least a month!
On Friday, I got a lift into town with Carmen again and went and purchased my new Nexus 5 phone. That was a bit of a pain since all the carriers here want you to get a 2 year contract to get any phone. Finally went to the dodgy looking shop and the guy there sold it outright to me. So I’m pretty happy that the blackberry is gone!
When I had done all my stuff in town, I went and met Carmen to go home and there were 2 guys jumping in the car for the ride up. Turns out they were my new housemates Mike and Luca. They couldn’t check in that night so I let them in the room and said they could crash on the couch if they wanted.
We ended up going out that night for some pre-drinks at the wolfsden and then went into the village to Bottoms to party the night away.
Yesterday, I went riding in the backyard park again. I did 2 rides down but it’s mega icy and I caught an edge over one of the jumps. Ended up crashing out and bruising my bum so it’s really painful to sit down at the moment… I’ll be fine but I didn’t go back out again cause I knew I’d only make it worse.
Once I got back to the room, there was a bus driving up towards our rooms and they asked me for directions. Turns out my new housemate Nick was in the bus, as well as 2 of the girls staying upstairs from us Ashley and Danielle. Since they didn’t have any food, once they checked in we all went for a walk down to the village and got some burgers and beers. Not a massive night so I went to bed when others started piking out.
So today I’m just chilling out and writing this update for you guys and tomorrow I start work training. Overall it’s been super chill all week and I will be glad to be bringing in some money again. All 3 of my housemates seem to be really friendly and clean so I’m pretty sure we will have a good season and get along.
Great update!
You know I was just thinking the other day that you do the right thing being early and going in staff accom early! I remember form all my seasons that the early starters/mover in-ers had a great bond from the beginning!
And you get the best training! May not seem like it during those first boring days but I remember from both resort jobs there was stuff that we had to learn the hard way!
Yeah, the only major downside to getting here early is how much money you spend. But if you do it wisely enough, it’s definitely worth it!
Been watching cams with snow building and building!
These lucky people got to ride before opening day… wish I was up there too!
And apparently we have more snow than Whistler at the moment so it’s going to be a pretty open mountain come Saturday!
And here is a sunrise shot that one of the guys took this morning on his way to work (on his birthday)
Credit: Curtis Lysohirka
Do i feel a little bit of snow depth rivalry coming on?! haha NEW THREAD!
SUN PEAKS Vs WHISTLER - SNOW DEPTH TILL THE DEATH
Do i feel a little bit of snow depth rivalry coming on?! haha NEW THREAD!
SUN PEAKS Vs WHISTLER - SNOW DEPTH TILL THE DEATH
Haha, Whistler will definitely get more snow, it’s closer to the water and therefore likely to rain (which will turn into snow) more than interior resorts. I chose to come here for the more sunny days and the fluffier powder
All the photos look amazing! Got to say I’m slightly jealous!!
Hope you had a great opening day TJ, sounds like you’re having an absolute ball!