The value of Rest at the Four Seasons Whistler
Bottom Line: The Four Seasons Whistler proves that a Hotel is more than just bricks and mortar, it’s always about the people you meet and interact with that truly affects your experience. The people here made us feel at home and the location is steeped in Whistler history. If you want to rest and recuperate while still hitting the mountain slopes then visit the Four Seasons Whistler. Observations: We recently had the opportunity to visit the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler. Something we’ve been focusing our energy into in 2015 is rest coupled with our training and adventures. By the end of 2014 our bodies were feeling the effects of pushing them constantly for the previous few years with little to no planned rest. Niggling issues were becoming chronic and hampering our ability to progress further in our pursuit of exploring our local mountains. So when the offer came up to spend a night at the Four Seasons Resort in Whistler we gladly accepted. Upon arriving, our first impression that really stood out for us and continued to stand out for the duration of our stay was the manner of the people we’d meet that worked there. It’s always the people. We love Whistler and spend a lot of our time practicing skiing there. We also know that the majority of the people that live and work there are there to ski also. You can feel it when you are buying a coffee or browsing in a shop. Everyone is helpful but you get the sense that they’d rather be skiing. You get used to it as it’s understandable. They are working a job here to facilitate their need to ski. This was not the case at the Four Seasons though. The staff there talked to us, not like Royalty, but like fellow humans. The interest was genuine and sincere. It was frankly astonishing to the point that it stuck with us. I asked Danny, a Manager at the Four Seasons Whistler, about this and he informed me that the Four Seasons goes to Hotel Schools in Australia and England to search for candidates ahead of the upcoming season, be it Winter or Summer. It is in this way that they can find people who love their work and need experience but also want to live somewhere beautiful like Whistler for a season. I thought this was very clever and evident in the standard of service we experienced. Rest and Rejuvenate: Our room was awesome. I don’t know much about decor but it was cozy and comfortable. It looked out on trees which I actually appreciated. After our day of skiing we...
Hat Mountain Photo Essay
Hat Mountain is a small peak in the North Shore Mountains near Vancouver that is not as popular due to being dwarfed by it’s neighbour summits of Brunswick Mountain and Mount Hanover but also because it is not heavily featured in hiking guidebooks for the area. I’ve found that mountains that are well documented and detailed in guidebooks will almost always grow in popularity. The description for Hat Mountain on the popular mountain database bivouac.com reads: “A minor bump located on the NW shoulder of Mt. Brunswick.”. Wow, I wonder why hardly anyone goes there! These lesser mountains have always interested me, I guess because I like a good underdog story and none of the “minor” or “insignificant” summits I’ve visited have disappointed me yet. They’ve always been highly enjoyable to climb and offered amazing views out towards the other summits nearby that would be considered “significant”. Check out my photo essay below to see what you can expect to encounter if you climb Hat Mountain. Directions: If you’d like to visit this mountain for yourself you can find instructions at this link: Clubtread: Hat Mountain We followed the 3rd option, ascending the mountain via the Hat Pass Trail. We highly recommend it....
UPrise Performance - Hawaiian Trail Running Retreat
“I am so honoured to be part of your journey.” These are the words I heard from lead coach Paul Romero as we traversed our way through the Waipio Valley trails on my third day in Hawaii. Up and down along a narrow trail that weaved it’s way through the tropical jungle forest. The clouds were closing in and you could feel a mist that was threatening a downpour. Even though our group of nine women, oppressed by the humid heat, wished for the rain to come to refresh us, we pushed on passing small waterfalls and made our way to the next viewpoint of curving coastline and crashing waves. Just being on such beautiful trails, with such passionate and supportive people was an experience I won’t soon forget. This was just one of the moments I remember from my time at the UPrise Ladies Hawaiian Trail Running Retreat. The weekend was filled to the brim with notable memories and take-away’s that I know are going to make me a better, healthier and stronger athlete over the coming months. You do not arrive at this camp to be given an agenda of running to do or to be given a training plan. Instead they provide you with a completely holistic, whole body, approach. They want to improve how you are as an athlete from the inside out. What you put into your body is just as important as what you are trying to get your body to do. Their goal is be able to simplify your approach by providing you with the necessary tools you need. As Paul said during one of our Nutrtion 101 sessions “I have spent countless hours doing the research to give you the information you need. That’s what I am here for, to make it easy for you.” Nutrition, mobility, strength - these are the building blocks. The most notable aspect of the camp was how all encompassing it was. They have the tools knowledge and skills to provide you with more than a training plan. They provide you with all the information you need to adapt and improve your lifestyle to become an overall better athlete.; to get the most out of your body,your skills and mental strength. Being part of a group of women who are all striving to become better and increase their abilities as athletes is an extremely motivating and inspiring atmosphere. Not only do you feed off the energy from the group but you are led by a world class Coach, Paul Romero, and Physiotherapist, Annemarie Alf of Olympus Movement and Mobility, that that are also incredible athletes themselves. They...
Arc’teryx Women’s Ski Camp Review
I have owned skis for a few seasons now but with only a handful of days spent inbounds at resorts and an equal amount trying to backcountry ski, I have to admit that there has been more frustration with the sport than there has been love for it. So the decision to sign up for a ski camp was easy, but which one would I choose? A few months ago I discovered the 2 day Arc’teryx Women’s Ski Camp being held at Whistler Blackcomb. I will confess though that the thought of participating in an all women’s camp wasn’t appealing to me and all women events are typically something I try to avoid for fear that they may be too “pink”. Would the atmosphere be overly girly - an estrogen charged atmosphere of emotion and snack breaks filled with chocolate and group hugs? But they did advertise that you would leave with “more confidence guaranteed”. I had nothing to lose, so I signed up. The weeks went by and when the camp weekend finally rolled in I was excited to see what it offered. I arrived at the meetup point, Merlin’s at the base of Blackcomb which would also serve as our Après ski location, and found the room packed. I was amazed at how many women showed up, clearly not everyone is as apprehensive as I am about all women’s environments. That first morning we were given the opportunity to meet each other, provided with coffee, tea and a healthy breakfast spread that included yogurt, granola, seeds & berries (a very nice touch) and we separated into groups based on our self-designated ability levels. Despite the large turnout, each group maxed out with a 6 to 1 ratio of clients to guides and some even as low as 2 to 1. Our first day was spent on Blackcomb mountain and our group coach, Connie Baker, immediately sent us down a slope to assess our abilities. Right away Connie was able to critique my technique and provide me with advice and tips on how to improve. Within a few hours, I was already starting to feel more confident and feeling a vast improvement from all of my other previous days on the hill. Connie was there watching each of us individually as we skied each run and provided feedback. I was so impressed with how much individual instruction we received. We spent hours sessioning specific moves until they felt natural. Connie was patient, funny and very dedicated in her teaching and by the end of the second day on Whistler mountain our group of 5 women were all skiing more confidently. Not...
14 Adventures in 2014
So last year we did a recap of our Top 13 adventures in 2013. It only seems fitting to follow suit this year with a look back on our Top 14 Adventures in 2014. It’s always interesting looking back over the photo albums. In hindsight an entire year can seem pretty short, it’s only when we actually sit down and remember what we did and where we went that we begin to realize just how much we packed into those 12 short months. It was a tough process cutting down our list of adventures to only 14. In the end we decided to cut out anything we didn’t do together, which was actually quite a lot. Spring did a ton of running in 2014, mostly solo or with some running friends. She also ran 80km of technical trails in the Squamish50 race. I was there, at the Aid Stations and the Finish line, but not beside her in the fray. Myself I got out a few times either with other friends or solo to visit some mountains I was interested in. Excellent experiences, especially the solo trips, but getting out with Spring and sharing the adventure always makes it better. If not for just the fact that I have a subject for my photographs. I also want to point out that both myself and Spring currently work full-time, 40 hours per week jobs. Myself, due to my work requiring an odd schedule, I worked about 60% of my weekends this past year. We’ve also increased the work we’ve been doing on Pebbleshoo by working with Brands and Companies we believe in to write for them and create content. To add to this, in 2014 neither myself nor Spring took any Holidays. You heard that right. Apart from the odd Statutory Holiday weekend of 3 days, we took no other periods of time off longer than 2 days. Mostly it was 1 day adventures. I guess the point I wanted to make is that there is 52 weeks in a year. There is no reason why you can’t make 52 unique memories from new Adventures every year. I’ve been working most weekends but we still make it work because we’re motivated. During the Summer, after finishing an 8 hour day at 5pm, there is still a good 6 hours of usable daylight to get out and explore. The most important step, and likely the most difficult for most people, is putting yourself in a place that enables the way of life you want to live. Living in our home of Squamish means that we rarely need to worry about commuting....
A Winter Storm
*WHUMPF* “Did you hear that?” “I felt it” “Wait what? I didn’t feel it!” “What do we do?” “We don’t go any higher. We turn back.” “… ok” Last Winter myself and Spring started getting into backcountry ski touring. Learning to ski follows naturally if you live near mountains and wish to continue to visit them through the Winter. There is of course snowshoeing, but it is laborious. Skiing makes the uphill climbing more energy efficient and the downhill is fast. You can’t beat skiing for the ground that can be covered during the short hours of daylight through the Winter months. While the mountains in Winter are staggeringly beautiful they are also extremely dangerous. More so than in Summer when the temperatures are more hospitable and the hazards, though still present, are largely visible and known. As Humans we tend to anthropomorphize many things and I feel that when we see something beautiful that makes us feel happiness we imagine that the source of that beauty cares for us, otherwise why would it make us happy? We imbue these places with intent towards us. When the winds howl the mountain doesn’t want us there, but when the sun shines it welcomes us openly. I have felt this in the mountains while watching a sunrise or staring out at a grand panorama. It can be easy to let the joy felt blind us to the objective dangers that are always present. The mountains do not care if we find happiness or not. The are eternally indifferent. To an outsider who has never explored deep into a remote mountain range this may seem laughably obvious. It is only those that answer the call to venture into these high places that understand the struggle to separate the objective reality with the subjective emotional experience that one undergoes while immersed in these environments. I know I will spend a lifetime trying to understand it and, like all those pulled back to the mountains, will continue to go there to experience it. When I first started my Winter forays into the Hills it was easy to fool myself into believing that all I needed to get into the mountains was enough mettle to endure the cold and the skill to be able to ski, but I’ve since learned that this is merely the tip of the iceberg of the knowledge and experience that I actually require. The Winter Storm that titles this post does not refer to the weather but rather the early experiences of most individuals who push into the mountains in Winter without an understanding of the risks they are taking....
