First off i have to apologize for the month of January plus some of December and February, which all are absent from this blog, i promise i will try and recoup as much of these months as i can.
Well I left you all with me jobless and having just bought a pass for Norquay.
So let me start by talking a little about Mt Norquay, it's the smallest and nearest resort in Banff and you might not go so far as to call it a resort but it stays open for 'locals' and mostly it seems for Banff's nostalgia.
Its so small that after you start to ski there for a couple of weeks you kinda get to know everyone, which is really cool. So for about 3 weeks after the last blog I just skied everyday and Job hunted halfheartedly the rest of the time.
Norquay has night skiing and a great park so I've been trying to get as much park in as i can. i wish i had some photos but you'll have to deal with this drawing on a receipt i did for a friend who wanted to know what it's like. The creepy face at the top isn't in the park, he just hangs out there, yeah he's like that.
My job hunt was pretty tiring and demoralizing, and since hundreds of Aussies run around Banff with envelopes full of CV's and degrees I had to be a bit more clever than in York. Funnily enough i made for progress when i was skiing or out in the town than i ever made actually job hunting in my tight-fitting shirt.
At one point I was in line to train as a blackjack dealer in a nearby casino but i needed a car to get there and I'm not out here for more responsibility + the roads are scary mad out here.
I also recently got an offer to be a lifty at Norquay but since Lifty is the worst job in the world and Norquay is the worst resort in Banff, I declined.
Right now i'm working in the Banff centre (thats all of the buildings in the picture) which is conference centre/art centre/recording studio/theatre/music venue/buffet restaurant/fine dining restaurant/leadership development centre/centre for mathmatical excellence/hotel/gym/maze.
I work in the dish pit doing shifts from 3.30 to 12 at night, it's awesome. Free food all the time (my shopping bill has halved atleast), great town pay and skiing in the day.
My super-secret plan is to get into the printmaking department but i'll probably never get enough time away from skiing to bother which is sad, but SKIING!
The only downside is i'm missing all the evening funz but i guess i'm cool with that as long as i still get 2/3 days off a week.
Banff is looking super pretty at the moment, the worst of the below -20 chill is passed and we've settled at 0 to -10 which seems really nice and warm. Most days are sunny and all the resorts are moaning about the lack of snow. Late Feb though to early April is snow time so the real pow is still yet to come, I'm planning on getting a Sunshine mid-season pass and going back there just to ski. Shouldn't be too weird.
Here is a picture of sunset on Tunnel Mt, a real stunner of night, beers on a mountain, Macdonalds and the Boat That Rocked movie back home.
I've been skiing so much I'm not sure what i'm going to do back home, kinda got hooked on the whole extreme sports thing, I might have to do some laps of the Zoo skatepark if any of you know what/how crap that is.
I've skiied so much i decided i deserved new kit so i've been buying bits little by little and now i've got loads of stuff i'm really happy with.
Purple and Zebra print bootz (yeah!)
Skis - Park skis on left, Normal on right
In other new i recently featured in a video on Gap Year Canada, you know, the program i'm on?
Props to Alex Bullock for muchos effort, anyone who now wants to go to Canada let me know, i get referral monies .
Well thats pretty much all that comes to mind right now. I'm really enjoying myself, still, though i'm starting to think about what i'm doing after. Still got a good 3/4 months though.
I'll try and keep this going and to reward anyone still reading after the great drought i'm gunna post a track or two at the end, you know, like a music blog.
Luke
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