Throwback to Hong Kong!

Action Asia finally got their act together and posted pictures and videos of the races I was in!

Remember, click on the picture to make it bigger, then hit the BACK button on your browser to return to the blog.

Also remember that I wear the same thing to every race...so even though I look the same, the bib numbers are different.


This was my first race, at Sai Kung. I'm looking up the course, seemingly concerned with what I see. I bet the ropes were ahead, and I knew I would need them to scale the steep rocks. I don't look too pleased! Remember, this was my first taste of Hong Kong racing.


Here is a view of the last race course at Discovery Bay. It was pretty well impossible to run up these mountains. Walking at a brisk pace was all I could do.


This was the finish of the Repulse Bay race. I am knackered!






Action sequence of me running through the water trap in the Mui Wo race. I went out too fast this race, and hit the wall pretty hard a few minutes after these shots were taken.


This is Red Shoes, leading me away from the Discovery Bay water course. I'd been battling him most of the race, and this shot is taken about three quarters of the way through. We had to amble down the rocks, swim for a bit, then climb back out. Red Shoes stopped for water at top of the rock section, but I kept trucking and never saw him again.




Here is the Discovery Bay finish! I'm pretty sure I got him by a hair in the end, although it's impossible to tell. The results have us tied for 15th, so we'd need a better photo to see who actually prevailed. I'm almost certain it was me.

There are some videos posted as well, but I can't give you direct links because the link actually goes to the whole library of videos. You must find them on your own.

Look for a video called Sprint Discovery Bay 08. When there, see the surprise at 11:35!

Next, find the Sprint Mui Wo 08 video, and go to 7:34.

VIDEO LINK

Discovery Bay was the last race of the series, and my best finish ever. I ran fast and strong, and consider that race one of the best I have ever run.

Mui Wo happened in the place Kir and I went later, riding bikes and enjoying rural Hong Kong.

These shots and videos have made me want to get fit and ready for the 2009 racing season. Time to buy a gym membership!

A Tale of Two Christmases

It was the best of days, it was the worst of days.

My Christmas yesterday was fairly eventful, both in good and unfortunate ways. Here's how I spent it.

I did not spend time with family or friends, as I'm in Whistler and my family is in Ontario. I didn't spend time with friends because I figured that as long as I'm in Whistler, I might as well work. So, Christmas was another work day for me.

My driving schedule had two parts: first, I would drive to Vancouver, pick up some people and deliver them to a nice restaurant for a fancy Christmas dinner. I would wait around for them to finish, and bring them home.

I was under the impression that I was picking up two people, each at their own address. Since I don't know Vancouver very well, I studied my addresses and planned my routes. When I picked up the first person, it turned out it was a family of four. Instead of one more stop, I would be making two. I would be making a total of three stops before the restaurant, and picking up a total of six people.

My plans went out the window, and I had to rely on my passengers to help me drive to the pick up points. That's not so bad and they were friendly, but I would have liked to be able to navigate on my own.

I eventually dropped them off at the restaurant, and had some time to fill. The dinner was going to take up to three hours. I decided to go to the Casino, and see what it would be like to spend Christmas there.

There are a few places one doesn't want to find themselves on Christmas, and alone in a casino is one of them. I imagine a worse place would be alone in a closet drinking a bottle of hard liquor with the lights off. I wanted to experience finding myself it in a casino on Christmas.

It was quite busy, and it was hard to find a spot at a blackjack table. Once I did, I lost my twenty dollars in three hands. I left the casino in a foul mood because I lost my money so quickly. I guess I had nobody to complain to, so that made it worse!

I then went to find something to eat. I found a 7-11 that was open, so I bought some wine gums and a sub from their small deli shelf. I ate that in my car.

Three hours after I dropped the family at the restaurant, they were ready to be picked up. My traveling was better the second time around, as I had time to plan my routes and I knew where my drop off locations were. I dropped off the last members, and headed to the airport.

I had to pick up four people from a Salt Lake City flight, which turned out to be delayed. I got to the airport for their scheduled arrival time of 11:30pm, and didn't leave with my passengers until 4:00am. They kept delaying the flight, and the YVR flight board delayed it every fifteen minutes, leaving me with hope that it would be coming soon.

At midnight, it said the flight was delayed until 0030. At 00:30 it said it was delayed until 00:45. Then, 01:15. After that, 01:45. It kept going like that until the plane finally touched down at 03:30. My passengers emerged from the terminal at 04:00. I drove on the deserted highway roads until I dropped them at their hotel just before 06:00.

I was super tired and hungry when I finished work, so I bought a nice breakfast at a fancy restaurant using some tip money, then went home to bed. I had been in my truck from 4pm when I left Whistler, until 6am when I arrived back. Fourteen hours of Christmas working!

The day wasn't all bad though...there were definitely some good parts as well! The two highlights of the night were talking with the family in Ontario, and hearing how everyone enjoyed the gifts that I had sent home. I spoke with most of the family on the phone, and everyone expressed gratitude for the box of presents.

While I was in Vancouver, I also got a call from my Whistler friends. They wanted me to know that they had saved a plate of Christmas dinmer for me because I couldn't be there with them. They all got on speaker phone and we had some good chats and good times.

Even though my work day was long, drawn out, and frustrating at times, Christmas was actually pretty good. I got to commune with my family via the phone, and also my friends. I ended the day not feeling alone, but happy that I have friends here who care about me, and family at home who love me.

And I guess nothing can top that, right?

Merry Christmas everyone! Happy Boxing day!

Christmas Transportation Mayhem

For some, Christmas might end up being spent in an airport. Tonnes of flights are being canceled out of and into Vancouver, on account of poor visibility due to snow.

Here's a Globe and Mail article about it.

Poor Weather Leaves Travelers Stranded

I was meant to pick up some passengers coming from Seattle, but their flight has been canceled so maybe they will have to stay in the airport on Christmas Eve, instead of our quaint mountain village.

Driving should be good times today as well, since I heard there was a Whistler transit bus in the ditch already. It'll be slow going, and four-wheel-drive the whole way.

I envy those of you who get to sit around and play Settlers all evening, and nap all day!

Roof Racks

I love roof racks. Not the kind that is just a rack, but the ones that hold things like roof pods.

The roof pod is a Thule but not a Thule. Most of our trucks have them, some don't.

The reason I love roof racks with pods on top is because I've learned to appreciate them. You never appreciate something until you don't have one, and that was my experience today.

I got a call asking me to do an unscheduled drive, picking up some people at the airport. These folks were coming from Seattle, and were meant to fly in. Because of all the snow, their flights ended up being canceled and they quickly rented one of the last cars available and drove up to the airport themselves. I was to meet them there.

The only truck available for me to take was one without a roof pod. The people I was to bring up had skis. The office informed me that my vehicle could handle them, because it had a roof rack, a tarp, and tie down equipment.

The roof rack I was dealing with was about the size of the whole roof, and was like a metal grid. Here's a picture of a smaller one, but this is essentially what I had on top of my truck. They call this a "roof basket" which makes sense.



There was a custom tarp in the back of the truck that is meant to cover your luggage, and there were also lots of tie downs and bungee cords. I would have to wrap the skis in the tarp, then secure them for the journey north.

I met my guests, loaded up the luggage, invited them to get into the truck, then set to work sorting out the roof rack and tie downs.

I realized it was going to be impossible for me to do everything while running around the truck standing on the running boards and the rear bumper, reaching up with my hands...the skis were too long, the truck was too big, and the rack was too high.

My only option was to climb right on top of my truck and get into the rack along with the skis and tarp.

I mounted the rear bumper, then scrambled up the back of the truck trying not to punch in the rear window in the process. Good thing I'm spry, nimble, and a specimen of physical strength and agility!

I then walked around on top of the truck, fastening things and securing my cargo. I tried to walk only on the basket's cross bars, but once I found myself standing on the actual roof of the truck. Ooops. I don't think I damaged it at all.

I was in the middle of the loading area at the busy airport, where you're only supposed to sit for a minute. I was there for quite a bit longer. Cars were having to avoid me, but that was OK. I had a number of bemused spectators too, waiting on the sidewalk with nothing to do other than watch me.

After a solid ten minutes of cinching and hooking and wrapping, I was finished. I launched off the top of the truck and landed a bit harder than I was expecting on the road, which was probably eight feet below. With stinging heals I got in the drivers seat, and off we went.

I told my guests that I was really proud of my work, and I wish they could see it. They were really friendly and said that is sounded and felt like I was having a wrestling match with their skis.

We had an enjoyable drive, and they bought me a hot chocolate in Squamish. I then repeated the climbing process in the Whistler hotel parking lot, this time more prepared for the harsh dismount.

All this climbing and effort would have been avoided if there was just a roof pod on the top! At the time I was thinking that securing the ski equipment was the most frustrating thing I'd had to do in quite some time, but now it doesn't seem so bad.

I hope they put a real roof pod on the top of that truck. It must be quite a job for other drivers to manage, if they're not willing to clamber up on the roof. It's a good thing I'm up for any challenge and am able to display adaptability!

Gondy Accident: The Official Word

Here's the official word from Whistler Blackcomb. It gets into the suspected cause of the accident. This was released today (Wednesday, one day after the accident).

Operations to resume following final inspections at Whistler Blackcomb


Contact: Public Relations

604-938-7668

publicrelations@intrawest.com



WHISTLER BLACKCOMB OPERATIONS TO RESUME FOLLOWING BC SAFETY AUTHORITY SECONDARY INSPECTION


WHISTLER BC, December 17, 2008 – Early this morning, the British Columbia Safety Authority (BCSA), in conjunction with Whistler Blackcomb, will complete a secondary inspection of mountain lifts currently in operation. A preliminary inspection across Whistler and Blackcomb was undertaken throughout the night by a team of 20 lift maintenance staff. After determining the cause of yesterday’s tower failure on Blackcomb Mountain’s Excalibur Gondola, and reviewing all similar tower structures to confirm that no similar issues exist, the BCSA is expected to confirm Whistler Blackcomb’s findings that the integrity of other towers have not been compromised.


Whistler Mountain will open for regular morning operations as early as 7:30am, as the Whistler Village Gondola and the Creekside Gondola are different types of lift installations and have different tower structures. Remaining Whistler Mountain lifts as well as Blackcomb Mountain lifts are expected to open when the secondary inspection by BCSA is complete; Whistler lifts by 8:30am and Blackcomb lifts by midday. The one exception is the Excalibur Gondola, which will remain closed.


Tuesday afternoon at approximately 2:30pm, a structural failure on tower 4 of the Excalibur Gondola caused the gondola to cease operation. All gondola cabins remained on the line; however a number of the cabins dropped approximately 30 feet with the sagging span, and two cabins hit the ground, injuring several people. Twelve guests were treated at the Whistler Medical Clinic and all walked out on their own accord later that evening. A total of 53 people were evacuated off the affected lower line of the gondola. The evacuation was completed by 5:51pm.


Several factors converged to cause the tower failure. The structure of the tower is such that two parts are spliced together. Water had seeped into the tower which had turned to ice with the recent extreme cold temperatures. The ice build-up caused the tower splice to rupture, an extremely unusual situation referred to as “ice-jacking”.


“As always, our top priority is for the safety and well-being of our resort guests and employees,” says Doug Forseth, senior vice president of operations. “Whistler Blackcomb will delay opening some of our lifts this morning until the BCSA can confirm our findings and provide a secondary inspection. After the work conducted throughout last night by our own lift maintenance team, and a secondary inspection that will be completed this morning by the BCSA, access to all our operational lifts, with the exception of the Excalibur Gondola, is expected to be available by midday.”


Yesterday’s evacuation of 53 people was completed within three and a half hours of the tower failure. “I would like to recognize the concerted efforts of the Whistler Fire Department, RCMP, BC Ambulance Services and Emergency Medical Services, in conjunction with the Whistler Blackcomb Ski Patrol, for an incredible response effort,” says Forseth. “We are extremely thankful that no-one was seriously injured in this incident.”


The Excalibur Gondola is a Doppelmayr lift, and was installed in 1994. A world-leader in lift design and manufacturing, Doppelmayr lifts are in operation throughout the world and their safety record is excellent.


For further information about Whistler Blackcomb operating hours, open lifts, snow conditions and open terrain, please visit www.whistlerblackcomb.com.

Broken Whistler Gondola Tower

A tower on one of the gondolas broke today, shearing itself in half and causing havoc. Nobody was hurt.

When we heard, Andrew and I rushed over and joined the throng of onlookers. I took some pictures, but wasn't able to get close enough to get a quality shot of the broken tower.

You'll be able to see that the third tower sheared right in half.

This caused the cable to drop, and an eyewitness said that she saw one of the gondolas hit the ground before it bounced back up.

The gondola in question is the Excalibur Gondola, which connects the Whistler base to Blackcomb mountain. The Excalibur is also used by mountain employees who live in Staff Housing on what's called Base Two on Blackcomb.

You'll see one of the gondola cabins resting on top of the bus shelter. There is a crane supporting the cable as well, keeping things together.

Many people were quickly reminded of Whistler's 1995 Quicksilver Express disaster, when a chair dislodged and slid backwards on the cable, taking out four chairs and sending them crashing to the ground. Two people were killed, and nine were injured. That whole chair was ripped out, and the Creekside Gondola was installed.

Happily, this accident was not so severe. People were stuck in the cabins for quite some time though. It's -20ish right now, so that would have been a cold few hours. Apparently everyone was rescued (about fifty skiers and riders I believe) about an hour ago, three hours or so after the accident occurred.

Apparently Doppelmayr's (the company the manufactured the lift) CEO is still in town, as he was here for the grand opening of the new Peak to Peak Gondola a few days ago. He'll be earning his paycheque today I imagine.

It'll be interesting to see how the Whistler Blackcomb PR department handles this, and what this means to this winter's tourist numbers and the mountain's reputation before the upcoming Olympics.

Here are the pictures.

Driving

Yesterday I had a pretty eventful driving day. I woke up to 10cm of new snow, the first significant snowfall of the season in the village.

My job consists of ferrying people to and from Whistler in large SUVs. The company I work for has transportation contracts with local hotel chains like the Four Seasons, the Pan Pacific, and the Fairmont. Consequently, the people I drive sometimes talk into their phones, reciting numbers that end in millions. They may be talking about pixels, bytes or light years, but that's doubtful.

I had to pick up three people and bring them to Vancouver, then scoot quickly to the airport and pick up four people and bring them back to Whistler.

I had to negotiate normal winter driving conditions like everyone else, but it would end up being slow going because everyone was a bit nervous driving in early season snow. I also knew my schedule was pretty tight, so I had to go fast when I could.

I drove in four-wheel drive mode most of the way down to Vancouver, battling slush and compact snow. I experienced my first four-wheel drift in the truck, which was interesting. The truck was never in danger, but was not tracking around this corner as it would have on dry pavement. I doubt my passengers noticed, but you never know.

On my way back, I picked up four college friends from Texas. We had a good drive, chatting about guns, football, ranches, rodeos, and illegal Mexican immigrants. They were a very friendly group, and when I dropped them off, their leader passed me a bill, which I put in my pocket. When I fished it out later, I found it was quite large...my first triple digit tip!

I have since found out that this person's family made a significant donation to their local university. The donation was large enough that the benefiting department's title now bears the family name. And, my passenger was standing in the official presentation press release photos. At first I thought maybe I was tipped the wrong bill, but now I can assume it was entirely intentional.

It can be a challenge for me, driving these affluent people around. I often find myself slipping into a mind frame that tells me these people are happier than I am. I need to keep reminding myself to be happy with what I have, because I am happy with what I have and where I am. It is important for me not to lust after these people's financial situations.

So, the big tip. What will I do with it? I think I'll end up spending it on groceries, since it's in my wallet and I need to do some shopping anyway. A bit of a let-down for the audience I know, but it just makes sense. In the event of another large tip this year, maybe I'll buy some bike components or new shoes. But not yet.

One-month challenge

I have my own challenge going. I've been trying to make my bed every day.

It didn't start as a one month challenge, but turned into that as I crept past one week, towards two weeks, and then past three weeks.

As long as I remember to make my bed both tomorrow and Saturday morning, I'll have made it every day since November 13th!

I've enjoyed making my bed every day, and it really makes me want to have a clean room. Which I have. I'm moving one step closer to maturity!

The Whistler Re-Use It Centre

Today I went to the Re-Use It Centre, looking for things to use in the new house. The Re-Use It Centre is Whistler's thrift store, and there are always good things to find because people are constantly moving in and out of town. A high turnover of residents means a high turnover of goods at the Re-Use.

We got our cable, home phone, and internet installed today, but we had no phone. I went down to Function Junction (the industrial part of Whistler, where you can buy car parts, plywood, paint, wedding materials, hot tubs, and order cement) with the idea of finding a second-hand phone at the Re-Use.

I spent quite a lot of time there, and I found some great things! Here is what I found:



A set of four cordless phones, all with call display! The main unit also has an answering machine in it, so we don't have to call the silly number and enter passwords. We just press play, and hear our messages. We also don't have to pay a monthly fee to hear them, which is nice.

I'm pretty impressed with my find. I was looking for only one phone, but this came as a set of four, so I figured I might as well take them all. Our house has four rooms...two bedrooms, a bathroom, and a living room/kitchen. So, one phone for each room!

This was the highest quality phone in the pile, and I had to sort through everything to find all my components and cords. I noted that I didn't have a power source for the main unit, so I figured that I could just use one of the small sources that was meant for each of the three docks.

As I browsed the store some more, I saw my missing parts! I found my big power source, and the third and final dock. They were sitting over with the VCRs in another part of the store. It's a good thing I found it too, because the main unit seems to need a bigger power source than the smaller docking stations.

My set of four phones, complete with all necessary cords and plugs, cost only twenty dollars! What a great price! I'm pretty excited to have a land line again, and to be using it with a bargain set of phones.

Onwards to my other purchases:



In the book section, I found The Diviners by Margaret Laurence. I've been meaning to read something written by her, but I figured her books would be like an old worn out couch: loved by some, but terribly out of date, irrelevant, and likely possessing a stuffy, musty odour. I read the first page, and this book seemed OK, both in the writing and olfactory departments. We'll see if I end up liking it.

I also picked up Tom Wolfe's A Man in Full. I've been meaning to read something written by him as well, but never have. Like The Diviners, the first page was good, so we'll see how the rest of the book turns out.

I also found a folio that I'll use to keep my papers organized while working. It says PriceWaterhouseCoopers on it, but that's OK. It cost me $1.50. It's pleather I'm pretty sure, but at least it's not plastic or vinyl. It even comes with an embedded calculator!

In the kitchen wares section, I found a slotted spatula of sorts, for taking perogies out of the boiling water and transferring them to the frying pan. I've been enjoying my frozen perogies lately, but have been struggling in the preparation process without proper tools. No longer!

I also found a plastic corkscrew. I didn't know if the house needed one or not, but I figured I should buy one now, instead of being caught short without later, while entertaining my legions of lady friends.

The books cost me two dollars and four dollars, and the kitchen implements cost fifty cents each.

Finally, the most exciting purchase I've made in quite awhile...

wait for it...

keep waiting...

here it comes...



The Chronicle!

Excellent! I was actually looking on the internet in the past few months to see if there is an updated one published, but there isn't. This is a hard to find book, unless you know where to look on the Douglas St shelves.

I'm really excited I found my own copy of this book. When Mom brought a copy home during Christmas one year, I found myself always leafing through it and exploring the different news stories. I did that for years, and am excited to continue on doing it. The book is thousands of pages long, and weighs about 25 pounds, so I don't know how long I'll be able to lug it around with me. But I sure am happy to have it!

The book cost me twenty dollars, and was probably the most expensive book in the library corner of the Re-Use. It's worth it though, and I'm very happy I found it.

So, all in all I had a very productive visit to Function and the Re-Use It Centre. I spent about 54 dollars, and got all kinds of great things! I even got a plunger for free, because it was all dusty and didn't have a price on it. Again, I figured it was better to buy it and have two, then find myself in need while entertaining!

Internet, phone, and cable!

Today the Shaw man came, and installed our land phone line, our internet, and our cable! So this is very exciting.

I will begin posting again soon, but I'm not sure when.