Grouse Mountain, BC, Canada

Rupert at Grouse Mountain, sporting his Alchemy of Ride ski jacket

Knocking on 100 years old, Grouse Mountain is a locals’ ski area in North Vancouver. With British Columbia’s lockdown logic that you should visit the ski resort nearest to where you live, my son Rupert tried it out recently. Having grown up skiing in the Alps and the Rockies in Alberta and BC, he’s now studying (online) at the University of British Columbia, earning credits towards doing a Masters in Counseling Psychology. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

Here’s his report: “On Friday of last week, I was fortunate enough to get a reprieve from a busy first week of classes and head up to Grouse Mountain with a close friend of mine. The drive to Grouse was just about 30 minutes from East Vancouver, and parking was easy to find upon arrival. I had no knowledge whatsoever of Grouse Mountain skiing and had created an image in my head that it was going to be a tiny ski hill, similar to Canada Olympic Park in Calgary with somewhat limited options. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

I was pleasantly surprised from the outset, therefore, when I found that we were going to have to begin by taking a lovely panoramic gondola up to the base of the hill, which allowed lush views of the surrounding area, especially as the sun was beginning to peek out of the blanket of clouds that had smothered Vancouver for most of the week. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

My friend Ma had purchased a Y2Play pass, which not only allows him to ski on Grouse for the entire season, but also offers him a free ski waxing, three lift tickets to Revelstoke (one of my favourite resorts), and one complimentary lift pass for a friend. He graciously allowed me to join him on that lift ticket and we made our way up to the top of the mountain. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

The sun was shining and my spirits were high when I got to the top, especially since I knew this was most likely the only ski day that I would have this season. The hill was bigger than I expected, with four chairlifts and at least 20 or more runs, and we spent our time exploring all that it had to offer. Ma had just taught himself skiing last year and, while I thought he was already an excellent skier, he told me that he wanted to spend some of the time working on ski drills that he had learnt from YouTube, giving me time to explore on my own. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

I ripped down the slopes quickly although cautious of icy patches or ground that showed up from beneath the snow due to the warm winter that we have been having here in Vancouver. The weather was probably around seven degrees and, with the sun shining, I had to strip down to just a t-shirt and jacket. I attempted to wear a balaclava, due to the fact that it is mandatory to wear a mask in all the lift lines and on the chairlifts, but found myself too warm, so I just settled for a regular mask. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

Later, as we continued our ski together, the clouds began to part even more, allowing us a magnificent view of Vancouver and the surrounding ocean from the summit. Accustomed to inland vistas of large mountain ranges, valleys, and rivers, I have never seen such a contrasting view while skiing, so the image of a snowless ocean and cityscape juxtaposed to the snowy ski hill was ever more impressive. 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

All in all, I had a wonderful experience up at Grouse, and I would definitely consider getting a season's pass there another year, as it would allow a completely unique experience right on my doorstep.” 

Photography courtesy of Grouse Mountain

Grouse’s first official ski season was way back in 1926 – although the mountain was named and famed by hikers in 1894 - and it actually has 33 runs, six terrain parks, 15 night skiing runs, 9km of snowshoe trails and the North Shore’s most extensive snowmaking system. One of its runs – The Cut – was ranked in the top 100 in the world by CNN Travel. As well as a comprehensive winter menu of activities, Grouse also runs a summer activities’ program and is a popular wedding venue. 

Links: 

Website: https://www.grousemountain.com/ 

Environment and Sustainability: https://www.grousemountain.com/blue-grouse-sustainability 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/grousemountain/ 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/grousemountain 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/grousemountain/ 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/grousemountain/ 

Tripadvisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g181717-d156264-Reviews-Grouse_Mountain-North_Vancouver_British_Columbia.html

Rupert (left) with his brother Fergus (right) - both wearing Alchemy of Ride in Sun Peaks, BC
where they both spent the majority of the ski season last winter

If you are interested, Rupert wrote a fascinating blog this summer about his solo job manning a firetower in the far north of Alberta for three months or so: https://thebearandthetower.blogspot.com/ While there, he also wrote his first novel. Here's a summary: "Martin is stuck in an endless, burdensome loop, spending his days adhering to a strict schedule of monotonous tasks that his off-the-grid lifestyle requires. He is entirely ignorant of his own dissatisfaction with life, due to a stubborn mental blockage which has repressed his feelings and memories. He continues to plod onwards in misery until a fateful day when, after a challenging morning involving greedy rabbits and a disappointing bucket bath, he ends up meeting a bespectacled bear in the forest. Thus begins a self-exploration that opens up both the past and the true beauty of nature - both within and without." If you would like to read "Spruced Up" by Rupert Hudson, please let me know at louise.hudson2011@gmail.com. Currently looking for a publisher - any ideas?

No More No-Skiing Self Pity!

The initial desperate disappointment of a cancelled ski season ….. over; wrenching Christmas without the kids ….. over; 2020’s year of Gloom, Doom - and Zoom ….. over (although I think the regular Zooming is here to stay). Like many other people around the world, it is now time for me, a travel and ski journalist who can neither travel nor ski, to suck it up and start to think about the lost ski season in a different way. I cannot just expunge it from my mind, although I am trying as hard as I can to skim past all those scintillating ski images posted daily on my social media by all my still-skiing friends from Sun Peaks where I should be right now. Instead, I have to re-invent my attitude to a winter of non-skiing and no snow without denying my addiction to wintersports. Although it will be the only season I have missed since my first ski trip ever in 1973, there are far more weighty issues beleaguering the world right now.

So, keen on lists of pros and cons, I’m going to start by listing the “pros” of a ski-less winter: 

1-No ski injuries, no wear and tear on ski-essential joints – thus hopefully giving an extra year of ski longevity in the long run. 

 

2-Time to get a full scale ski plan organized for next winter. Consider: what do you really want to get out of your season, which resorts are on your radar, do you want to try cat or heli-skiing while you still have the energy? Priority: get more skiing next winter to make up for the gap!

3-Opportunity to get ski fit over an entire year rather than the usual last minute rush between Sept and Dec. Methods I’m trying: a more plant-based eating plan launched optimistically this Jan (even if I only do “vegan ’til 6” it’ll be an improvement); ski-focused gym workouts four days per week (while it’s still open and continued at home during the next lockdown); several two-hour-plus nature walks per week (irritatingly intersected by perfunctory golf swings since I’m in the Algarve); occasional games of padel tennis (combo of outdoor squash and tennis wielding a smaller chunky racket); more dance either at home alone or a weekly Zumba class. Lots of help online too. Check out these free ski fitness classes with Bumps for Boomers for example. 

4-Hone your skills with online ski tuition; or try the Ski School App 

5-Opportunity to create a new winter wardrobe hopefully from all the mega sales that will be going on for ski equipment and clothing! 

6-Immense gratitude next season when you finally get your heart’s desire.

The “Vacation Vaccine” 

I won’t labour the “cons” of a winter without travel or skiing but instead focus on the COVID-19 vaccine which I hope to get by autumn 2021 (apparently the 60+ age group is not a priority in Portugal where I’m living). If vaccination vacations start up somewhere soon, I’ll be on the first plane to try to jump the queue! After all, the vaccine is going to be the new passport.

Virtual Skiing 

The other day, I tried lying down with my eyes closed and going through skiing moves down a powder run in my mind to see whether it made me happier or sadder. A kind of meditative virtual reality. The rhythm was easy to recreate mentally, the sinuous side to side motions synchronized with pole planting pleasure emerged, and I found myself in a world of white underfoot and dazzling blue skies above with a huge smile on my face – I could even sense the exhilarating cold even though it was 14 degrees Celsius where I was. It was actually a positive experience just as dreams about skiing make us smile rather than sob. So, I’m going to day dream skiing more often especially if further lockdowns commit us to the couch. BTW – what happened to all those VR ski innovations? Just when we really need it, the techy industry has let us down! This winter’s top Xmas gift should have been VR headsets in which to lose ourselves in perfect snow in ski resorts around the world. Or, better still, a ski machine like the Zwift and Peleton bike equivalents, where we could mimic the moves we miss so much in synch with a screen. One question that has been haunting me in the past few months is “Do we really want to read about travel and skiing when we can’t do either?” Also, are videos of downhill delights just like plunging a knife into the wound? Or do we get something out of vicarious enjoyment? Thinking about it more, I realize that we are happy to watch this sort of stuff during the summer off season when no-one – except those in the Southern hemisphere – can ski. So, why not now when so many of us are denied our winterly fix?

Downhill Discounts 

With extra time on our hands for many of us, gear is something we can all while away hours researching and bargain hunting. Check out the Rossignol Outlet for example or the Warehouse Clearance at Snow+Rock. Obermeyer is on sale at Peter Glenn and North Face has end of season bargains already. Peak Performance fans will like the January prices and Salomon’s promo price points are looking pretty attractive, too.

Double Duty 

This winter, those already in possession of a comprehensive skier’s wardrobe are in prime position to enjoy the enforced al fresco socializing that is a big part of the pandemic. Everywhere around the world whole populations are being forced outdoors for any kind of recreation, fitness and socializing and, for many of us, it is winter and therefore pretty chilly. Who better equipped to deal with this than skiers with their warm wardrobe of upliftingly colourful clothing? Heated Gear: The New Winter Staple If like me you are a heated garment fan, you can help spread the word to the non-initiated and non-skiers that battery heated clothing is the new winter staple. I cannot labour this enough – if you have to socialize in the frosty back garden, on the parky (English slang for chilly) park bench, on the cold stones or sand of a winter beach, on a windswept patio, under a gusty gazebo, on a tailgate, outside what would in former times have been a cosy ski lodge, or huddled around a campfire, you NEED a heated vest or heated mitts, a heated scarf or heated socks, or - perhaps better still – your own heated seat pad. And, why not all of the above? The winter is by no means over and lockdowns are proliferating. These heated garments are no longer namby-pamby accessories but necessities for everyone to enjoy the outdoors. And people are realizing this – Volt Heat has been literally deluged in an avalanche of buyers this winter, emptying its stocks of heated seat pads which are being bought by forward-thinking restauranteurs and bar owners as well as the general public. Thankfully, Volt has geared up its manufacturing potential to produce more stock and there are several other companies who make heated gear. 

When weighing up the cost, you know you’ll use these items regularly from now until around April for all of your outdoor socializing and exercise and then, of course, you’ll be all set for optimizing your skiing next winter. There won’t be a day when you have to give up early because you are too cold. When you are on a chairlift wearing your heated vest, your back will be so cosy as the heated shoulder-blade pads press against the frigid bars of the chair and your chest will be infused with the torso-toasting effects of the front pads. A warm torso, BTW, is what keeps our fingers and toes from shutting down their circulation. If you opt for heated socks, you’ll never feel the pain of frozen toes and it won’t be you taking off your boots and defrosting your feet over heating vents. Heated mitts are the ultimate luxury and you can turn them up and down in concert with internal and external temperature fluctuations. You can even volunteer to be group photographer as a couple of seconds without gloves on will mean nothing to you when you can plunge them back into battery-heated warmth straight afterwards. I haven’t tried the heated scarves yet but I wish I had one on right now when the spotty heating in my stone-walled tile-floored house hasn’t quite kicked in and there’s no sun coming through the windows to warm me up.

Heat Holders Warm Winter Wardrobe 

If you can’t justify the cost of heated gear, then at least indulge in some Heat Holders – I can guarantee that your normal socks will be jealous that you never choose them. Heat Holders thermal socks are rated seven times warmer than regular socks. Although not battery heated, I think they are the warmest socks in the world – apparently due to the Japanese-designed, cashmere-like thermal yarn, looped cushion pile, and intense brushing on the inside. Putting them on feels like plunging your feet into the softest Beanie Babies. For coping with a Portuguese winter, I chose the slipper socks so that I can pad around my icy tiled floors in sublime warmth and comfort (I hate it when they are in the wash – should have bought two pairs!) but they also do regular socks, lite socks, bed socks, and ski socks. And there’s an array of gloves, hats and thermals for men, women and kids if you are interested in an entire Heat Holders winter wardrobe.

Links: 

Sun Peaks Resort, BC, Canada https://www.sunpeaksresort.com/ 

Bumps for Boomers https://www.bumpsforboomers.com/basic-ski-fitness/; 

Drop In Snow https://www.dropin-snow.com/ski-video-tutorials-online-ski-school/ 

Ski School App http://www.skischoolapp.com/ 

Rossignol https://www.rossignol.com/uk/Rossignol-outlet.html 

Snow+Rock https://www.snowandrock.com/c/sale.html 

Obermeyer https://obermeyer.com/ 

Obermeyer at Peter Glenn https://www.peterglenn.com/sale?filters=im_vid_6%3A26 

North Face https://www.thenorthface.com/shop/mens-sale. 

Peak Performance https://www.peakperformance.com/gb/junior/featured/sale-1/ 

Salomon https://www.salomon.com/en-gb/shop-emea/promotions/sale/clothing.html. 

Volt Heat https://voltheat.com/ 

Heat Holders https://www.heatholders.com/ and https://www.heatholders.com/pages/why-heat-holders-are-so-warm

Photos: Courtesy of Sun Peaks Resort 

Special thanks to Kathy and Harold Richins, Roger Mirka and Chris Wilson