A look back to season 09/10

It's exactly a year to the day, today, since I left for my epic season in Whistler, Canada. A year ago, I would've been sitting on a plane on the way to Auckland to catch a flight to Los Angeles. Wow, it's gone fast. Having been back at uni for this semester, I have gotten back into the routine daily grind, which has me asking the question: why did I ever leave?



Reasons for staying

• The atmosphere: Something special happens when people arrive in Whistler. It turns even the most cold-hearted bastards into complete legends. The whole vibe of the place is great, everyone is there to have a good time, ski/board hard, party hard and do it all again. Therefore, no-one you meet is a downer or a dickhead wanting to start a fight. Everyone is friendly and very easy to get along with.
• The playground: I've been very fortunate enough to ski at Tignes-Val d'Isere in France and Heavenly, Lake Tahoe in California, which are rated as amongst the world's best in terms of snow quality, infrastructure, terrain and atmosphere, the 4 criteria I look for in a resort. Whistler-Blackcomb's snow can be amazing (for instance, we had some magnificent deep, dry powder days) but it can also be terrible (we had days in January, which is the middle of winter, with spring snow conditions, i.e. heavy, slow slush). Granted, I was there during an El Nino year, which means warmer temperatures but we still had 15m cumulative for the season, which is 50% above average. This season is meant to be La Nina, which means much colder and more snow, but Whistler is very unpredictable. However, snow quality is perhaps the only criteria where Tahoe and France have trumped it and perhaps only because they are very high. Whistler-Blackcomb's infrastructure is way better than Tignes-Val d'Isere and Heavenly (faster, more modern lifts, better restaurants and bars), it's marked and umarked terrain is light years better, particularly the tree skiing; and the overall atmosphere, as mentioned, is brilliant.
• The Canadians: Whistler is full of Australians but the Canadians who live and work there are what make this resort special. Canadians are basically cold-climate Aussies who can't hold their drink as well but have a much better accent. Hockey is their AFL, Molson Candian is their VB, Kokanee is their Carlton Draught and marijuana is their Crownies. I could quite easily go and live there with minimum fuss, such is their similarity.
• The activities: During winter, many people see ski resorts as being a bit one dimensional. At Whistler, however, if you're getting bored of the slopes (sacrilege, I know), there's plenty of other things you can do. Dog sledding tours, snowmobile tours, snow shoeing tours, sightseeing, heliskiing, cross country skiing and drinking just name a few of the things that are alternatives to skiing/boarding. One thing I regret not doing whilst I was there was ziplining. A company called ZipTrek runs tours that take you to different places on the mountain and get you zipping through the forest to give you some unbelievable views. Some of the photos/videos of mates who have done it are fantastic and it sounds like something worthwhile doing.

Reasons for not staying

• The pay: I know saying being paid $10 an hour is not enough when there are people in the world who live off that much in a month, but at one of the most expensive resorts in the world, you need to have a seriously tight belt (or a substantial savings account, in my case) to survive. Before I left, I had approximately $15,000 in my Aussie bank account saved up, thinking that would be plenty for 6 months. How wrong I was, I made it back home with about $400 in the bank and some considerable credit card debt.
• The weather: If you lived in Whistler and did nothing but ski in the winter and bike in the summer, it'd be fine. To work, like I did, on the lifts is another matter entirely. At first, it was enjoyable, physically and mentally challenging, but towards the end of the season and with 15m cumulative snowfall for the year, it gets pretty draining and tiresome. Also, you get a bit sick of having to put on 17 layers before leaving the house. Often, when about to leave for a night out, you have to make the choice between warmth or looks and usually warmth wins out.
• The lifestyle: Yes, I know I'm contradicting myself from above but the lifestyle just isn't sustainable. Yes, it's great fun going out and smashing yourself on the slopes, then smashing some beers at the bar, then smashing the d-floor and more beers at a club til 2am before stumbling home, passing out and having to wake up at 6am for work. But once I got home, I was a wreck, none of the bumps, scrapes and bruises I accumulated from a season of skiing had healed properly, I had a constant nagging headache and felt constantly dehydrated. I understand that I was only there for a 6 month whirlwind, but I don't think that it's financially or physically sustainable to keep doing it regularly.
• Back home: The reason why I decided to do the trip was because I was burnt out after finishing year 12 and wanted to travel. I had worked incredibly hard to get the score I got and get into the uni course I had as well, so by the end of the season, I thought it would be very disappointing if I threw it all away being an idiot. I also have a great family at home and my dog, whom I missed the most out of anyone.

Facebook is!). Overall though, I'm glad I left and came home. It has spurred me to do better at uni, work harder, be more optimistic and be a bit more risky. Once I'm finished being grown up at uni in a couple of years time, I will be back there in a heartbeat. I can hardly wait.