Silver Star Day 5 - Heading Home

The group got up at our normal time, packed up and hit the road. No trip to Canada would be complete without a trip to a staple of Canadian society: Tim Horton's.

Now we're headed for the border, where you will likely see this post since we'll be looking for coverage when we get back in the states. See you all soon!

Silver Star Day 4 Wrap-Up

Here we are – 4 wonderful days of skiing and tons of great memories with great friends.  After lunch several of the boys and adults were feeling the effects of four non-stop days of skiing.  Ty noted that the “couch was eating him” leaving him somewhat unable to muster the energy to get up. 
The group headed out to get some of the last runs of the day.  Once on the hill, we took things slow (some would say too slow) and reflected on the great week we had. I have to warn you, some of the afternoon runs were a little aggressive as evidenced by these high-speed photos of the crew in action on the “Where’s Joe” run.




From there it was off to the park where the boys showed the adults how its done on the hill. Impressive stuff given the four hard days we had.

After a full day we grabbed our gear and headed out for dinner. Eastern Indian cuisine was the choice of the boys, although as we came to find out many of the boys haven’t eaten Indian before. Always on the lookout for an adventure, the meal was great and it became a big sampling for everyone at the table.



After dinner, we headed to the Vernon BC pool for some hot tub action, diving and general horsing around.  It only took a couple of hours before everyone was exhausted so we headed back to the hostel for some brownies. One thing the boys have learned – the quickest way to make friends is to share baked goods with the visiting UVIC college students (to the order of 70+ cookies last night, 90+ brownies tonight).
Thus ends our journey here at Silver Star. We’re headed home tomorrow early in the AM with a long drive ahead of us. Thanks for tuning in and we’ll see you on the next trip!

Venture Crew 466

Silver Star Day 4 – Lunch Bunch

What a great morning! Like the saying goes: “waking up is hard to do”.  Or at least that’s what it felt like for us.  The group managed to get up and get on the lift, despite a late night of cookies and Olympic hockey.




The reward was great though, first tracks for everyone and the snow was perfect. As Josh put it, the runs were “untouched” and the skiing was amazing.  The conditions first thing in the morning couldn’t be beat and everyone stuck together and had a blast.

 

After a few initial runs we were determined to hit some of the freshly groomed blacks and double blacks. That plan worked out well for some, not so well for others.  We decided to go for “greener pastures” and get our feet underneath us.  After a couple of nice runs, it was off to the T-bar to get some back country skiing in the fresh powder.



Along the way we found an excellent natural ramp. We managed to get some of it on tape and I think I can feel my insurance rates raising as I type this.

So what’s for lunch on your last day when every other meal you are going to have is take-out? Everything. Honestly, I have never seen a noodle-nacho-egg-pizza-wrap before, but I think that the boys enjoyed eating their crazy leftover combinations.

OK, we're cleaning up our “lunch tornado” in the kitchen and planning out our last few runs of the trip. Stay tuned for what will likely be some crazy pool behavior later tonight.

Don’t Tell Mom What I Did at Silver Star – Episode 2

Move over Kelly Clarkson, we may have a new American Idol on our hands...

Silver Star Day 4 – New Snow Again

OK, at this point it is just getting old. Every day we wake up only find that several inches of new powder has coated the ground and we have to ski in it all day.

But seriously folks, we’re blessed with yet another day of exciting runs ahead of us. The crew made an executive decision this morning to wake up and take advantage of the great weather.  Yep, that’s right – first tracks.  We’ll let you know how well we execute on that plan, but for now I’ll leave you with a word from our sponsor…

Don’t Tell Mom What I Did at Silver Star – Episode 1

This just in.  We are interrupting our regularly scheduled Olympic coverage to show you the results of the Men’s Costumed Ski Jump event.
Ok, here’s a little “after dinner mint” for those who are interested. Here’s the extended edition of the  jump performed by Josh and Erik - posted by popular demand.  Moms and insurance adjusters, please close your eyes.

Silver Star Day 3 Wrap-Up

First things first – We haven’t had a day of skiing like this in a long time (and certainly not at the Summit).  The snow kept coming down all morning, filling the runs with tons of great powder and keeping us going on and on.  After an amazing lunch at Long John’s in the village (which Alan describes as a “very nice cave”), we hit the slopes again as a team.



The group then decided that it would be a good time to get some sweet tree skiing in. Of course, we didn’t take the easiest of paths to get there (we’ll blame Doug this time), but it was all the rage with the group to sail through the trees.  We headed up to the Comet chair and headed out to the wooded area of the summit. 




Once on the summit and into the trees the scene was serene.  To describe the scene as trees and trails covered with several inches of pristine powder would not do it justice.  It had to be one of the most spectacular skiing views since we hit Schweitzer a few years back.

 

Here’s a little video teaser from today’s tree skiing adventure.

Just like home, serenity doesn’t last forever.  Once we were done tree hugging it was back to being the court jesters of the hill.  Ty and Mik put on quite the show for all at the top of the lift.  Of course keeping balance wasn’t a “contest” per say, so like Mother always said, they were both winners (psst…congratulations Ty).



Due to our speedy lunch, the afternoon skiing went on and on.  We were able to get several runs in, hitting almost every chair, two bridges and several cat tracks. Certainly it was an amazing day of skiing for everyone.

 

As many of you know, Papa Bear put up the snowboard part way through last year to try to learn alpine skiing. Doug and Alan have played “Mr. Miyagi” and had me driving the car, sitting in the piano chair and other things that would have made even the Karate Kid cringe.  After a lot of coaching and the removal of my poles, I was able to move up to black runs without injury or incident.  I can say, nothing’s better than being cheered on by eight of your closest friends when you finally get the hang of a new skill.  Thanks guys!

Like all good things though, the day came to an end. Not before one or two more runs down Christmas Bowl however…

Ty and Alex took the lead on putting together a great dinner at the hostel tonight. Our hopes of hitting Vernon BC were dashed a bit when we realized that open swim is on Wednesday and we’d need to wait another night to have fun in the city.




Another day behind us and folks are winding down for the evening.  Spirits are still high, but everyone’s realizing that our time here is nearing an end (as is the boy’s energy levels). One more day left!  Stay tuned, the best is yet to come!

Silver Star Day 3 Lunch Bunch

What a morning! Fresh powder all around. The snow fell lightly as we hit a few groomed runs then took advantage of some of the nice powder black runs given the snowfall last night.

The runs kept getting better and better as the morning crept on. The group stuck together for the most part and split by skill level right before lunch. For now, we're sucking down some much needed water as we wait for some burgers and sweet potato fries.















Tonight is swimming at the Provencial pool in Vernon followed by some local Indian cusine. We've also found a new favorite drink.


Ok, lunch has arrived...more to come...

Silver Star Day 3 – New Snow

Yeah, you read that right. Not only did we wake up to see a nice blanket of snow, but it started snowing about 30 minutes ago and has no end in sight.  We’re having some egg sandwiches and rolling on the hill.
See you later with some great pictures and stories for the day!

Silver Star Day 2 – Totally Tubular

After dinner we decided to get some tubing in so we grabbed our gear and headed to the tube hill. We couldn’t seem to reproduce the magic of Ty crashing through the end barrier, however we tried our best.  Some of the highlights are below.  Enjoy and we’ll see you tomorrow!

Silver Star Day 2 – Electric Boogaloo

Another great day of skiing behind us.  Despite some rigid muscles, we were able to get into the groove and hit some new trails.  Today the group met up to get some good tree skiing in along with a day of groomers.  What's better than pizza for dinner?  Leftover pizza for lunch!

 

2 pizzas and half a bag of nacho chips later, we decided to hit the trail again. One thing that’s great about having mid-winter break in Canada is that its not a break for the locals, so we had most of the mountain to ourselves. We took full advantage of that and had a great time taking every trail we could get on.



In true Troop 466 style, we had some antics at the hill, this time in the form of some unusual tandem skiers. We’re certainly leaving an impression on the mountain.

Everyone seemed to be having a great day on the hill.  Tyler tried to get the adults to do a little run called “Peanut”, but the ski instructors we met on the lift thought better of it. About mid-day the sun came out for a while and softened up the snow.  That brought lots of smiles and great conditions for afternoon skiing.



After a full day of skiing, we decided to get one last run in before we stopped to grab dinner.  Our local jesters decided to do a quick table-top at the park. 

This  resulted in a bit of a “banana split”, but everyone was cheering them on and it was a spectacular jump.  For now, we’re back at the hostel, soaking up some relaxation before dinner, then we’re going to head out to Tube Town tonight. 

Stay tuned for more craziness to come from the Venture Crew!

Good morning from Silver Star

We're up and about, ready for another wonderful day on the hill. Admittedly, the scene looks more like this, but I'm sure we'll wake up eventually.

The gang is talking about first tracks and eating there fair share of pancakes to carb up.





Hey, weren't those shorts on Erik yesterday? More from the slopes...

Silver Star Day 1 Wrap-Up

What a great day of skiing! The crew hit the mountain early and after a quick breakfast, hit the groomers and enjoyed a few centimeters of new snow. A little fog drifted in, but it didn't spoil our runs one bit. We did encounter a "gorrilla in the mist", but we're pretty sure it had a Snoqualmie Valley accent...

After a long day of skiing, we have retreated back to the hostel to make some dinner. The Hostel is amazing. It has about 10 fridges and 4 full kitchens to work with in an open kitchen and dining area.





Eric and Tyler have chef duty tonight. Chicken salad and pizza are on the menu tonight. Fake chicken for some... Everyone is pretty famished after the long day.









Others who are lucky enough to not have cooking duty are watching the Vancouver Olympics summary in the shared TV room. A few of us were able to watch Ty Power's cousin compete in the mougls event and had the group cheering him on.





All in all we have had a great time today and can't wait until tomorrow. All of the adults made sure to call their loved ones and wish them a happy Valentine's Day.

That's all for now. More to come tomorrow for sure!

Silver Star Day 1 - The Lunch Bunch

After a great morning on the hill we decided to get some lunch. Some are skiing, some are boarding and the SPL has some funny mini-skis (which we'll have to show you later). The temp is low, the snow is great and spirits are high.

No favorite runs just yet - the boys say that they're just enjoying going "down". Ok, nachos are arriving. Time to recharge for some afternoon skiing. More to come!

Arrived at Silver Star!

After a long trip from Snoqualmie to Vernon, BC we are now all here and checked in to the SameSun lodge. The boys have unloaded their stuff and made a temporary home of their rooms at the lodge. We're planning an early rise, a light breakfast and first tracks in the morning. As we came in, new snow fell down and we felt the anticipation of the upcoming day.

That said, now it is time to hit the hay. We'll be posting our daily happenings here, so pay attention if you want updates on how we're doing!

Venture Crew 466