Snowboarding Lesson #1 Complete!

My first weekend solo in Vancouver is down, which also means my first attempt at snowboarding is also behind me. I must say that’s quite a relief, as many say that first day can really be a killer. I even made some new friends out of it too!

After doing some research I figured out the shuttle bus service up to Cypress Mountain, the closest mountain to downtown Vancouver and also where they’ll be holding all the freestyle skiing and snowboarding events for the Olympics. In fact, they were hosting a World Cup snowboading half-pipe event yesterday, at which the famous American snowboarder, Shaun White, was a participant. I doubt I would’ve recognized him if I saw him, but I have a vague memory from past Olympics that he somewhat resembles Carrott-Top. Am I way off here—anyone, anyone? Ok, found a picture of him, so everyone has a visual.

Needless to say, I kept my distance from the half-pipe on my first day, but I did watch some of the events from inside the cozy ski lodge. It’s all really quite nice there since they’ve been upgrading for the upcoming Olympics. Geez, I’m beginnig to feel like a walking advertisement for the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, hah! I do enjoy them quite a bit though being such a world event, but I digress… I took my first lesson with four other ladies and our cute instructor from the UK, Hamish. Now I’ve never heard of such a name, but that’s what he said it was.

We spent the 2-hr lesson on a mild slope and then on the green/bunny hill. It was quite a feat just to get off the chair lift without falling! We managed to learn the pendulum technique, where you pretty much sway back and forth across the mountain like a fluttering leaf. The next step would be to learn the turns and then go down the hill properly always with your front foot leading. All in time though. Maybe when Jakki and I take lesson #2 at Level 2 in two weekends. Wow, that was a lot of “2’s”! According to Hamish we did briefly tap into some Level 2 techniques on day #1, and he did also say we should all go for a Level 2 class next time. Translation: We graduated!

Now about meeting new friends -- Jakki and her boyfriend, Patrick, were it! He was a bit more skilled landing himself in a Level 2 class, while we were quite happy in the Level 1. Jakki and I spent pretty much the entire day together and then they graciously offered me a ride home, so I wouldn’t have to wait till the 8 PM shuttle bus to head home. The shuttle buses are great here, but it would be a nice if they ran a bit more frequently. An 8AM – 8PM day is quite a long one, especially for a first timer. Anyway, first non-work friends yet, woohoo! They were great, and we had a lot of fun on the slopes together.

Overall, Cypress was a very beginner friendly place, and everyone in our class had a great time encouraging each other and wiping out quite a bit too. I fortunately took a hot bath upon coming home, so today, Sunday, my legs seem to be spared too much pain, but my arms and upper back are quite achey. Guess I’m on the road to being in tip-top shape in no time :) Whoever wants to come get your snowboard/ski on out here, we’ve got a great mountain just 30 minutes away. Sadly I don’t have any pictures of the day at Cypress, as I was too freightened/certain I would crush my camera if I had it in my pocket, but maybe next time. I should be posting an album on facebook showing my place here and a few other shots soon—enjoy!

Hope everyone is doing well. Miss you and love you!

New Canadian word I've learned:
Rye = whiskey