One Week of Sun & Snow

This past week was a busy one as I spent the first part in LA for a photo shoot, the middle part in NY and the last part in Utah for a skiing trip.

I'd never been to LA before and while it was a good experience, I really think I'm not a West Coast person. Everything feels kind of washed out and bland. Everything looks the same, and is covered in stucco. Having said that, I'll admit that it was nice to go biking along Venice beach and to run outside in capris in January.

What was interesting was Venice Beach. In addition to the crazies that we saw along the boardwalk, we walked along the beautiful canals in the neighbourhood. I didn't know they existed, but it makes sense that's where the name "Venice Beach" came from.



After a quick trip home I headed to Park City, Utah with my friends Rose and Esther for a ski weekend.



I'd never been before, and thus far had been underwhelmed with the skiing in the states. This, of course, being that I grew up an hour outside of the Rockie Mountains and some of the best skiing in the world.

Well these were the same mountains, just farther south, and I was not disappointed. I preferred Park City to the Canyons (for anyone venturing out there) but that might be because we had fresh snow and the conditions were awesome.

The trip was not without fault though, as Rose seemed to be a beacon for tragedy. She started out the trip with a bout of random stomach flu and missed the first day on the hill. She was ready for the second day, and about 2 hours in she caught an edge and fell hard. She broke her clavicle in two places- seriously broke it.

The plus side to this is that for Apres Ski (she was bandaged up and pumped full of drugs by then) she was a hot target and the guys were literally stopping by our table all night.

Both experiences fun. Both very different. I am glad to have gone, but also happy to be home.

Canadian Christmas Part 1

One of the benefits of living in Calgary is that you are 1 hour away from the Rocky Mountains, perfect for hiking, camping and skiing. Of course when I lived here I didn't take advantage of that- and though I learned to ski as a teenager, I took an 8 year hiatus from the sport.

Now that I've moved to NY (??) I've stared skiing again and for Christmas I thought I'd engage my friends/family to see if they wanted to "hit the slopes".

Yesterday we went to Nakiska for the day. It's not as good of a hill as Sunshine or Lake Louise, but it's also only an hour out and much more manageable for the first time of the season skiing.

It was a beautiful, awesome day with great skiing. The only (minor) downside is that it was freezing cold, though it was only -10C. And I was not dressed properly even though I looked like this:


Here is my aunt Shawnee skiing against the backdrop of the Rockies.


This is my aunt Claire, uncle Al and me ready to go down the hill.

The Slopes

I went skiing this past weekend - for the first time in about oh...8 years. The worst part is I've BEEN to ski hills and just haven't skied- and now am wondering why?! I love skiing! And I'm actually okay at it. My form is complete crap and I have to think about what I'm doing, and my skis are practically the length of my feet... but I can get down the hill, get a little speed- and I have fun doing it.

And though I am a Rocky Mountains' snob they do have some decent hills in Vermont (I've heard). The hill we went to this weekend was pretty small with mostly manmade icy snow... but it was great to just play in the fresh air. And to be honest- I needed a small hill to get my ski legs back.

In two weeks we're going to Killington, Vermont. I think next year we might plan a proper trip and do Aspen or Colorado...maybe Banff!