The Olympics Win Gold In My Book

With the Vancouver Olympics now over, Cody sums up his views from his first hand experience…

There have been a couple of times over the last couple of weeks where I’ve been a little ashamed of my British routes. I remember overhearing (read: eaves-dropping on) some guys in a bar talking about how another article had been written that just ripped the Olympics apart, and they finished that conversation with: “…. and guess who wrote the article? The British (of course).”

night lights

The Olympics received a lot of bad press from the British, and it’s a bit confusing because, to me, criticising these Olympics is like criticising Elmo. Who could do that?! In reality they’ve been absolutely in…..sane.  I’m gonna go and throw modesty to the wind and tell all the doubters that I should know because I’m here! The Olympic buzz in Whistler never came to rest. Every night different artists played a gig at the bottom of the mountain and the medal ceremonies, to massive crowds that were living off the pure excitement of the games. The Swiss practically took over the village, and every time they won gold they marched down the street ringing those frickin cowbells. The different events all told their own stories, from Shaun White achieving legendary status in the half pipe to Canada taking down the USA in the ice hockey final, completing their revenge. I was even fortunate enough to attend the ski jumping and one of the ice hockey games (Canada vs Switzerland baby) as well as skiing to the side of the Dave Murray downhill and watching all the speed skiing. Being here in the flesh at such a historic moment is one of the greatest things I’ve ever done and I’ve loved every moment. Canada were excellent hosts, and I would advise anyone who’s read otherwise to listen to me instead. It’s just a media angle. GO CANADA GO!

me and my academy colleagues ready to win gold!

Well this was more of a cranky rant than a blog on this occasion but I think Vancouver should get the credit they deserve for pulling out all the stops and hosting an amazing Winter games. In addition I once again have no higher praise for Alltracks Academy, in this instance for providing me with the time to enjoy both the Olympics and my skiing equally.

crowds enjoying the atmosphere

First hand account of the Olympics – is the negative hype to be believed?

Joanna, our CEO at Erna Low, is at the Vancouver Olympics and full of praise despite the negative publicity…

Waking up today to 10 cm of snow and perfect sunshine looking out over Whistler Creek from my cosy condo as The First Tracks Lodge, what better start to a day can you have?  Excitement was building at the sheer thought that we were going to be watchng the ladies’ downhill in just an hour and a half – and the whole resort was buzzing!   Sitting on a chairlift on the way up  Whistler mountain the snow was positively glistening and we were regailed with stories of bears hibernating – Ben  Ayling, our very own ErnaLowian turned Whistler-owian – spending his winters out in Whistler and summers in New Zealand – was taking us to a secret spot where only a handful of skiers could take advantage of a perfect view of the starting podium to the Women’s Downhill – where we would catch a glimpse of Britain’s own Chemmy Alcott competing against the best athletes in the world.   Leaping out of her hut – second out of 38 skiers down the treacherous slope, she managed a very admirable 13th spot – and just 2.5 seconds behind the American winner!  

Starting gate for the Women's downhill - C'MON CHEMMY!

As I watched the incredible prowess of the female athletes, it struck me again how brilliantly the Canadians have organized the whole event – and I could not stop myself feel more than slightly cross at the negative publicity coming out of the UK about the Olympics – as if some of the journalists had set their story before they had even written it.  Although the death last Friday on the luge was tragic and terrible, one feels that this has fuelled ALL the news to be negative – but if you are actually here on the spot, you experience a Canadian efficiency and hospitality second to none!

Me and my sons enjoying the privileged view

After having watched the downhill, we then spent the whole day floating through powder – silk under your feet, and views to die for!  We were so privileged:  there could have been no more than 500 skiers on Whistler mountain – normally 23,000!   And having explored the nooks and crannies of Whistler, we ended up on Blackcomb – connected by the incredible Peak to Peak gondola – and staring over mountain ranges that stretch up to Alaska ….

Finishing the day on the champagne powder

I’m finally a ski instructor!!!

Cody qualifies on his ski instructor course in Canada!!

So I’m in a bar, I’m talking to a girl, she asks about what I do, and I reply “welllll I just happen to be a qualified ski instructor and I do a lot of private lessons (hinty hinty hint)”. Now I feel less guilty when I say that since it’s actually true! I think that was the motivation that drove me through the draining exam process over the last week.
Over four days we were assessed on both our skiing and teaching ability. For the first two we were assessed purely on our skiing and for the second two our teaching.  The night before the first day I could barely sleep through the nerves, and the long trip up the Whistler gondola was a tense one. For me that is. Most people were pretty chilled, but I naturally get nervous about these things, but after my first run I was absolutely fine. Skiing does that for me; it calms me and gives me a “what the heck?” attitude. From then on I just let my skiing do the talking, or at least until Wednesday when it became a matter of teaching. Then my nerves came back…. teaching is a whole new ballgame. You could be the best skier in the world and still fail on your teaching. I even remember listening to “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley the night before to calm me down. I’d done a lot of practise teaching before this, but when you have to do it for real the pressure starts to come down on you.

Me as a fully fledged ski instructor

In the end I taught a good lesson though, without being interrupted by the examiner, a huge relief, since he would only do so if you slipped up. On Thursday, we finished at midday, and I retired to my flat (an excellent piece of ski property) before heading back into town to get my results at 3.30pm. Waiting for the envelope that held my fate seemed even more important than waiting for my A-level results, and I wasn’t disappointed by what I saw inside. A strong pass, and that night everyone within Alltracks Academy went out to celebrate and got absolutely car-parked (drunk).  Sadly I can’t really describe that (I think there was a club………I know there was alcohol).
Now I’m living the dream, I remember sitting at home planning this almost three years ago, and for it to have finally happened is the most rewarding feeling I’ve ever had (forget school). Now I have a new qualification, a new achievement and a new chat-up line.

The Instructor Factor – The difference good instructors make on the season

Cody in Whistler is finding his snow feet…
Three weeks into my ski instructor course with Alltracks Academy, the best ski holiday of my life, and I’m flyyyying down the slope! When I put my hands out it feels like I’m going to take off, and if I don’t look where I’m going and hit a bump that can actually happen. However I could never achieved all this improvement by myself, no-way. It’s down to the three separate instructors that have guided me through into my third week. Just observing the quality of Canada’s best shooting past (leading the hazard that is the snake of the ski school) You can tell that whistler has a strong foster of ski instructors. Without a doubt, I will be better come March because of them.
Ryan was the first to mould our group into something that resembles a coalition of capable skiers. I remember the day our group hooked up with him and began to ski as one. I suddenly realised that I had become the thing I fear the most, a ski school snake…. but putting that out of my mind, I was soon doing back-flips all over the mountain under his teaching (joking of course). In actual fact he took us back to basics and showed us that a snowplow is actually a lot harder than a back-flip, because I haven’t done it for years. At the same time he focused on our technique, so that we saw improvement in all categories of our skiing over that week. As for our second instructor, Petra, I’ll never forget the moment I met her. She talks, acts and even looks a little like Sappho at the Erna Low London office (aka: the person who edits out all the good parts of my blog!). 

Petra - who reminds me of someone at home!

In any case, Petra again showed me some stuff that I never realised came into play with skiing, for example the positioning of the hands. For years I’ve been dragging my inside hand at waist height, oblivious to the fact that it forced me to lean back and lose balance. However Chris is the man that has really given me the confidence to take on any terrain. The secret? Attack it! You may not want lean forwards into a 99% incline mogul field, but trust me, it’s the best way.
I can’t imagine how I’m ever going to be one of these guys by the end of the course! They’ve made such a difference to my skiing, and I’m supposed to be qualified like them by the end of the season? It’s a strange thought. I look forward to it though, and I’ll only charge £200 an hour.

You want to know my favourite thing about Whistler?

Cody is safely installed in his season in Whistler, here’s how he is getting on…

A ski season in Whistler with Alltracks Academy is something I’ve been looking forward to for a long time. With most of my 15 years of ski experience having been spent on ski holidays in Les Arcs , my goal has always been to do a season at Whistler.  A key ingredient to the success of such a commitment is often the people you live with. I mean, it would really be unbearable if you were rooming with a terrorist or living next to the Hitlers. As it turns out though, I got lucky and I’m now living with a really cool bunch of people, 5 guys and one girl (God be with her).

The crew chilling in Whistler (that's me! second from left)

 Coincidentally, our condo happens to be a first class piece of ski property, into which our self-described family has settled rather happily. Everyone we talk to soon understands that the members in our condo actually resemble a real family. There’s Mike, Sam and myself who are all the youngest at 19, who kind of get treated as the children. Then there’s Neil, a laidback and wise father figure whom we all call Dad. There’s also a blonde Australian (the only one of us not from the UK) called Liv whom we dubbed Mum, mainly because none of us fulfil the gender requirements to be called it ourselves. Then there are two guys called Ted and Adam who resemble fun uncles, in the way that they are so tight and always bring the entertainment. Our family’s even reached the stage of nicknames; Sam has unwittingly become Samwise from the Lord of the Rings, which of course abbreviates to “The Hobbit”. I have been renamed Chip Hazard, Chip for short, because I look like some guy from a franchise called “Small Soldiers”, have you heard of it? I hadn’t, so I looked him up, and I have to say that I see no resemblance. There are countless inside jokes, and it just goes to show the bonds we’ve created within the house. Knowing that they have my back and that I have theirs is a blessing. If I get into some trouble at a club, I know that one of them will step in and help me out. This is pretty handy because I’ve never really been able to inspire fear in other people’s hearts. I can honestly say that I wouldn’t change a thing about my house or the people inside it. The annual French ski holidays seem a pleasant family memory for now. I love them, but they don’t offer the same life-changing chance of meeting new exciting people. The resort itself is another whole new experience. Whilst my times in France have been great, Whistler ski holidays offer something different, in both terrain and people, and this is why these moments are becoming the happiest of my life.

After Olympic snowfalls, Whistler opens this weekend!

Whistler must be cruising the luck wave at the moment, not only are the 2010 winter Olympics heading their way in February but they have also just announced they are will be opening 12 DAYS EARLIER than expected after epic snowfalls across North America and Canada in the past week.

Whistler Mountain is opening its doors early, this Saturday, November 14, with Blackcomb Mountain following in its footsteps on Thursday, November 26.
According to our friends over at Whistler, 70-100 cm of snow fell over the past seven days creating the perfect base to welcome skiers this weekend. And, with the cold front moving across the south Coastal Mountains, forecasts indicate another 65cm of snow could fall by Saturday. Combined with the onslaught of their 160 snow canons, and this early season is off to a very white start. Envious? Us? Maybe just a little bit…

Let the season begin!

you better get working if you want to be ready in time!

Looks cold! wrap up warm Whistlers!

Ski holidays to Whistler start at £1193 per person, based on double occupancy in a deluxe studio at the Pinnacle International Hotel. Price includes 7 nights lodging on a room only basis, direct flights with British Airways from LHR-YVR, shared shuttle transfers to resort and all applicable taxes and surcharges. Available through Erna Low www.ernalow.co.uk 0845 863 0525

Living the Dream! Enjoying the pre-season action before embarking on a gap year ski course in Whistler

Our very own ski bum in the making, Cody Yellowlees-Bound, recounts his experience at the ski show before heading out to Canada with Alltracks Academy.

Most people have no idea what they want to do on their gap year; my best friend certainly doesn’t because his options are simply too overwhelming.  Opposed to that, I spent the first half of 2009 researching what I’ve been looking forward to my entire life. I looked at over ten different companies that ran gap year ski courses trying to weed out a course that offered me fun, structure and life experience before I finally settled on the Alltracks Academy. Now I’m jetting off to Whistler for 11 weeks to get my level 1 and level 2 ski instructor qualifications, and I’m counting down the days until I leave.

Cody and the Alltracks team at the ski show

What I read on the Alltracks Academy web page looked pretty unique, but what really got me excited, was the work they let me do with them at the London Metro Ski and Snowboard Show in October. Initially I was just there to give an example of one of the individuals going on a gap year ski instructor course as part of their career break, since I couldn’t really talk to people interested in the course in detail (that will come next year!). However, as the day progressed, I got to know the organisers of the course: Paul, Jonathon and Lindsey, and as I did so, all the questions I asked them about the course where answered. I found myself becoming familiar with all the detail of my ski camp, as well as the 4-week programmes and snowboard camps that they run in Whistler and Banff. Soon I was explaining to others everything they, and previously I, wanted to know. Things important to the experience, like a guaranteed view to improving my skiing skills, with small groups of skiers of similar ability, individual lessons and video playback. Accommodation was often a hot topic, and I enjoyed explaining how our lodgings where right in the middle of things within the whistler village, and people seemed to enjoy hearing it too. I listened to plenty of horror stories where others had been led to believe that they were twenty minutes walk away from the action, but instead ended up having to take twenty minute bus journeys everyday to the town and slopes. Just like me, they also appreciated that dinners were provided, and that the lodgings also had free Wi-Fi. What particularly makes me feel safe and comfortable about the Alltracks Academy is that there is always quick and convenient support available; if you e-mail Paul or Jonathon with any queries, or even call them, you are going to get a reply within 24-hours, full-stop. Trust me, sometimes it’s 24 minutes, crazy quick. Then there’s the little goody bag of bonuses, like lessons in first aid, off-piste skiing, avalanche training and the general flexibility of the camp; I still haven’t decided if I want to switch to snowboarding or do a freestyle course after my level 1. Working for Paul at the ski show has assured me that one of the biggest decisions of my life was the correct one and it has got me animated about the trip. I’ll meet a diverse group of people from all around the world, not just gappers like me, but also people on career break, and who knows, perhaps there’ll be honeymooners there, or even girls (frightening thought right?). I’m going to whistler in January, and I’m not looking back.

Cody Yellowlees-Bound: Ski Bum (to-be)

Cody will be blogging direct from the slopes of Whistler this winter so be sure to check back regularly to hear all his news on the course, the action and the Olympics!

Ski holidays to Whistler start at £1193 per person, based on double occupancy in a deluxe studio at the Pinnacle International Hotel. Price includes 7 nights lodging on a room only basis, direct flights with British Airways from LHR-YVR, shared shuttle transfers to resort and all applicable taxes and surcharges. Available through Erna Low www.ernalow.co.uk 0845 863 0525

A teddy bear’s picnic… canadian style!

Georgina takes a break from the cut throat world of ski sales to meet some of the locals across the pond…

A few weeks ago, I headed out on a 9hr flight to Canada and found myself in sunny Vancouver.  My first destination was up in northern British Columbia where I was lucky enough to experience the amazing sight of grizzly and black bears in their natural environment (luckily from a distance!). 

a grizzly out to lunch...run!

I then headed south to a resort which is regularly voted number 1 in North America and is also one of the venues of the 2010 Winter Olympics: Whistler.  Staying in the Pinnacle International Hotel, I had great access to all the resort facilities and, with all the hot weather, everyone was out experiencing the great activities on offer in the summer such as mountain biking, hiking, summer skiing and bear watching.  Fortunately, no bears came across my path this time! 

a black bear sizing me up

Whilst out in Whistler I had to get a head for heights experiencing the new Peak 2 Peak Gondola for the first time.  Connecting Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, this gondola has broken a few records being the highest lift of its kind and having the longest unsupported span of 3,024km.  It was opened in time for the 2008/09 winter season and has been a great success making it so much easier to experience both mountains during both the winter and summer.

Georgina High, ski sales consultant, Erna Low

Why not experience it for yourself this winter? Erna Low’s ski holidays to Whistler start at £937 per person, based on double occupancy in a deluxe studio at the Pinnacle International Hotel for 7 nights on a room only basis, direct flights, shared shuttle transfers to resort and all applicable taxes and surcharges. Click here for more details or call me on 0845 863 0525. I would be happy to personally talk you through it… and tell you more about the grizzlies!