Laps
Paul Lappin Joined: January 27th 2008
Logged in: November 3rd 2009
Logged in: November 3rd 2009
Travel Blog Posts
Surfing in Ucluelet.
The urge to travel is a funny thing. It can be there from birth, inherited from worldly parents. It can emerge after years of paying bills and sitting in traffic. Or we can simply be inspired by someone we meet. A week after Mt Washington closed for the season, myself and Andrea borrowed a car and drove to the west coast of Vancouver Island, to a small surfing town called Ucluelet. We knew nothing of the area other than the beaches were great for surfing, so we rented some wet suits and spent the next few days drinking the Pacific Ocean. One evening in a bar a guy got chatting to us. He asked us where we were from, and introduced himself as Craig Millar. Craig had moved to the island from Ontario a few years ... read more
Early morning groomer.
So after 97 days officially on the snow, the season has come to a slushy end. And it's absolutely flown by. In the past few weeks we've had the Mt Washington Invitational, a one off event where invited riders and skiers from around the region hit a huge purpose built jump as the sun set. We've had the obligatory dressing up days - "Tight and Bright"; "Moustache and Jeans" (no doubt those pics are on Facebook somewhere. Oh joy.) We've been Cross country skiing, taking in the beauty of Strathcona National Park. And we've pinched ourselves each day, amazed that we were actually being payed to be here. One particular highlight of the season, for me personally, was the CSF (Canadian Snowboard Federation) Freestyle Coaching Course. I already have a basic Park Instructor cert, but that ... read more
Cumberland Lake
So! At last! Here I am on an island in the Pacific Ocean doing the unthinkable! Over a year ago now I turned my back on my nice comfortable life in Bristol because I was driven by an uncontrollable urge to pursue a life in the mountains. And now here I am, a red Snowboard Instructors jacket hanging up in my locker, and a steady flow of Dollars going into a Canadian bank account every fortnight. And it is everything I imagined it would be, and more. But I'm getting ahead of myself here... Back in January 2008 I left the UK for Fernie in Canada where I did the Nonstop Snowboard Instructors Course. I arrived with a board that was too long, a stance that was too wide, and a lovely bit of counter rotation ... read more
Piece of Junk.
So after nearly six weeks of living off chocolate danishes, bananas and Subway rolls it's time to start heading home. I left the rest of the posse at the hitching spot in Wanaka as they headed up to the Snowpark to ride with the Japanese pro team. It had snowed the night before and as I dragged my bags into town to catch my bus to Christchurch airport, the clouds disappeared and the sun came out. Lucky, lucky buggers. The flight from Christchurch to Auckland went smoothly - no weather problems this time, and eleven hours later the plane lands in the sea (anyone who's been to Hong Kong will understand). And as soon as I step out of the airport I realise that wearing a hoodie, a beanie, and a snowboarding jacket was a big ... read more
The Chill Box.
Hey broo. Hey broo. Ha's it going?. Sweet iz broo. Hey broo, you want some chups? Chups? Yeah chups. You want some chups broo? Ah yeah, sweet iz broo. I love chups ey. Here yu go broo. Sweet iz broo. Yeah, sweet iz broo. Three weeks in NZ and as you can see I am now fluent in the native tongue. It seems as long as I end every sentence with "ey" and call everyone my "broo" I'll be fine. Anyway. Wanaka! At last! We finally arrive at our new house and Tim and I are greeted by a sheepish Lawrence... "Hey guys? I've er... kinda had an accident with the car". Lawrence had popped out for five minutes in "Amy", leaving Tim and I to unpack and settle in. Apparently, he was fiddling with the ... read more
Lake Wakatipu.
There are advantages and disadvantages to blagging a VIP pass to a high profile event. On the opening night of the Queenstown Festival my official photographer (er, Tim) and I were invited to the Festival Launch Party. All the official sponsors were present, suited and booted, and they all seemed to know each other. They politely shook each others' hands, introduced their glamorous wives / girlfriends, and delicately took individual canopays from a dolly bird's tray. And then there was us. We arrived at the purpose built pavilion in our smartest jeans, hoodies and trainers ('cos that's all I own now), took a glass of bubbly and a beer each from the bar and then, ever so delicately, took a handful of canopays from the dolly birds' trays and stuffed our faces. We smiled politely at ... read more
Passing through the Vineyards of New Zealand
Queenstown. The self proclaimed adrenalin capital of the world, a party town for the adventurer. If you have the money (and you really do need the money) you can ride a jet boat through a canyon, be catapulted across a valley, do a seven second bungy jump, skydive 15,000 feet from a plane, and play crazy golf. The very idea of a bungy jump did not appeal to me, but on arriving in Queenstown it had already been organised. I was met by three guys I'd met in Canada; Tim, Lawrence and Jack. And it being Jacky Boy's birthday an' all, off we went in our new car (I'd apparently chipped in for a car) to The Kawarau Bridge, the birthplace of the bloody stupid thing. The drive there was stunning. For the entire journey we ... read more
NZ's idea of quality entertainment.
Oh my God, that's a long friggin' way! I arrived in Auckland at 5.30 in the morning, nearly fourteen hours after I left LA and had no idea what day it was. With my eyes sealed shut with crust I managed to catch my connecting flight to Christchurch at 8.30, but after an hour or so of circling in the air we turned around and went back to Auckland because of bad weather. So, in my zombie-like state I collected my bags, wheeled them back over to the domestic terminal, re-booked for another flight, and exactly the same thing happened again. What the? Does no one talk to anyone over there? Couldn't they just oh I dunno... maybe phone Christchurch to see what the weather's like?! Anyway, third time was indeed lucky, and after Auckland air ... read more
Local homies shooting hoops.
Seven weeks at home and I was getting itchy feet. I'd spent quality time with the family, reminded my niece and nephew what I look like, politely nodded as my friends jealously abused me, but I just didn't feel settled. Three months in the mountains made coming home to the claustrophobia of England all the more uncomfortable. My time in Canada had only increased my craving for the outdoor lifestyle that comes with snowboarding, so after a few weeks freelance design to top up the funds, I packed up the snowboard again and set off for the winter of New Zealand. But first, a short break in California. The last time I was in LA, I ran out of petrol in Compton, South Central. This, if you don't know, is a rather dodgy area and I'll ... read more
The final descent.
"I'm lovin' the terrain here at Lake Louise," I say. "Yeah me too," agrees Tom. "These wide open motorway groomers make a nice change from the steep and deep of Fernie". "And the views from this side of the mountain are superb!" exclaims Tim. We all agree, Lake Louise's nicknames of Rock Louise and Lake Lousy seem somewhat unfounded and we decide to head higher up the mountain. "Where too next? I ask, sliding to a stop. "Well," says Tim, "we've seen quite a lot of this side of the mountain. Why don't we try over there?" Tim points to the edge of the piste, which disappears vertically into an unknown world of flat light. All around are strange signs with double black diamonds on them. I cautiously peer over the edge and check out the ... read more
