http://www.travelblog.org/Bloggers/Laps/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Laps en-us Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:20:27 +0000 Tue, 29 Dec 2009 07:20:27 +0000 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 o http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/blog-403244.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver-Island/Courtenay/blog-392521.html So At last Here I am on an island in the Pacific Ocean doing the unthinkableOver 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 http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Vancouver-Island/Courtenay/blog-371040.html 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. L http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Hong-Kong/Hong-Kong-Island/Wan-Chai/blog-316413.html Hey broo.Hey broo. Ha's it going.Sweet iz broo.Hey broo you want some chupsChupsYeah chups. You want some chups brooAh 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 las http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Wanaka/blog-312309.html 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 girlfrie http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Queenstown/blog-305370.html 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 15000 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Queenstown/blog-302607.html 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 zombielike state I http://www.travelblog.org/Oceania/New-Zealand/South-Island/Christchurch/blog-299373.html 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 lifestyl http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/United-States/California/Los-Angeles/Santa-Monica/blog-292648.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/Alberta/Banff/blog-267371.html Hey y'allI know I know but things have been a little hectic around here these last few weeks. The season went from casually ripping up the slopes and drinking beer to full on revising and practicing. It's been like Snowboard University. I'll even go so far as to say that a little of the same kinda stress from my Uni days was present before exam day but more of that in a bit.So week 8 and we a http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-263317.html You know you'd think that the longer I stay here and the more I learn from these pro's the better my riding gets and the more seriously I take this snowboarding lark. But no my friends. It seems that as my riding gets better the more I am expected to ride whilst hindered by big silly outfits and heavy gold chains.Just when we thought we were safe from dressing up and making tits of ourselves on http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-254499.html As I write this I've just received an email from my little sister Helen. My nephew Will was discovered the other day bouncing on the bed with his arms outstretched calling himself Uncle Pauly and pretending to snowboard. He is two years old. I tell you that's enough to weaken the eyes of any super cool season hardened international playboy Snowboard Instructor. I now feel as though I owe it http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-252527.html I PASSEDFive weeks in and the fools have given me a license to teach people how to snowboard YEAH BABY But as rewarding as passing Level 1 is I'm bloody glad it's over. No matter how confident you think your riding and teaching is you just never know. The weather really helped it stopped snowing and the sun has been beating down for the passed few days perfect. So the week went roughly l http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-249436.html What do you mean this isn't a holidayMmm. A month in now and things are getting a little more serious.Over the past few weeks it's all been about improving our riding feeling comfortable down pretty much any terrain because in order to be instructors we naturally need to be a certain standard to teach. And now it's less about the jumps and carving and concentrating more about the teaching http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-247372.html Well it's finally happened and I am in agony.You hear of serious injuries here everyday it's just part of the super hard core extreme sport of snowboarding man. Our instructors are constantly comparing injuries in the bar over pitchers of beer snapped collar bones shattered knees various operations on joints and muscles. And now I can now hold my head high as I impress my instructors with t http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-244232.html At last Temperatures are now a positively boiling 16C. For the fist time I walked to the local bar without wearing a face mask.But despite the Caribbean like temperatures the local snowdragon is still spreading deep fluffy snow over the whole area and we're now up to about a metre in our back garden our mini kicker park has well and truly disappearedWeek 2 and my legs are still working. M http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-241892.html Finally A spare few minutes to myselfSorry for the delay in emailing but it's honestly been non stop since I got here.Firstly a massive massive thank you for my bionic watch Canadian cash AMAZINGLY flattering video cheers Andy and especially ESPECIALLY that card. It is quite simply a work of genius and should be in some kind of design book. Seriously the time and effort that has gone http://www.travelblog.org/North-America/Canada/British-Columbia/Fernie/blog-240105.html