Here are some fun pics from our final day at whistler.  I think the kids were quite exhausted and a little punchy to boot.  Lots of smiles and laughter to round out a wonderful time.  I am already looking forward to next year, a great adventure to look forward to.  Although this is the last update for our daily camp happenings, please stay tuned for more photo posts.  I have lots of great still shots that will be coming out soon.  I am already signed up for Whistler 2011…..  yeahhhhh…..

MORE FRIENDLY NEIGHBORS....

THE MOST CLOUDS WE HAD SEEN IN DAYS.......

AWWWW....FEEL THE LOVE.....

A WHACKY LAST DAY.... CUTTIN' LOOSE

LITTLE "E"....

CLASSIC....

A DAY OF LAUGHTER AND GOOD FUN....

MORE LAUGHTER.....

EMMA....CARLY STOLE MY CAMERA....

NICE SMIRK LAMBCHOP.....

OUR LAST BEAR SIGHTING....

A FINAL RIDE.......

HOLD ON......

EXHAUSTED.... FINAL RIDE IN BIG RED....BACK TO PACK AND HEAD FOR THE AIRPORT...

Hello again…..

I can’t leave off without a complete account of our AMAZING adventure.  Here are some leftover shots from day 7 and some new ones from day 8.  Things just got better and better as our journey began to draw to a close.  You know those vacations when you say to yourself “I have had fun but it is time to get home”…….  Nope, doesn’t apply here..  All are becoming a little melancholy with the thought of leaving.  Hey, I thought this was a 16 day camp !!!!!!!

YUP...... IT IS STEEEEEEP......

PEERING INTO THE BLACKCOMB GLACIER.....

TWO THUMBS UP FROM LARA.........

HANGIN' WITH THE KIDS AND ENJOYING A VIEW LIKE THIS.... THIS IS WHY I DO THIS !!!!!

STILL PEERING INTO BLACKCOMB GLACIER

NOW THAT IS A LOT OF SNOW !!!!!!!

GS TRAINING.......

GETTING READY TO DROP IN.......YEE HAWWWWW....

THE "TRAIN" OF ATHLETE EXPLORING.....

SUPER HUNRY...HUMAN VACUUM CLEANERS....PIZZA ONE IN A MATTER OF MINUTES....

Here is a fun video from Friday, Day 7.  After our early morning starts, lap after lap of training, and lunch in the sun, it can be hard to rally the troops.  Yet, day after day, they surprise me with renewed energy and passion for skiiing.  Our afternoons are filled with exploring new terrain and sights.  By the time we have returned to the base area, everyone has definitely earned their turns.

Today, we are reluctantly preparing for departure from Whistler.  We will be on the hill for the morning and packing in the afternoon.  The week has been fast and FANTASTIC.  The kids have been wonderful, the parents amazing, and the adventure incredible.  Well beyond our expectation.  Over the next few days, I will catch up on some daily blogs, training footage, and more great still photos of training, adventuring, and just plain fun.

Back very soon!!!!

Today was our “day off”….  A time to rest and relax…  Yeah Right!!!!   No rest for these guys and gals… Let’s keep the adrenaline pumping..   Maybe they slept in an extra half hour but we made up for any slacking by cranking through the rare species of rainforest found here in B.C.  We will be back to training on the Glacier tomorrow.  Three more days on snow…  Our Camp is going “way” too fast according to the kids and parents.  Below are some photos and a video from today.  It was a hot one…….

TRAM IN THE BACKGROUND.....

EMMA AND LAMBCHOP.......

YES....YOU ARE GOING TO GO DOWN THERE....ANY OTHER QUESTIONS???

LITERALLY WALKING THROUGH THE TOPS OF THE TREES.....

YAY!!!!! MIKAYLA!!!!!!

JEN H......FEARLESS.....

CRAZY SHADES....

WATCHING SLIDESHOWS AND VIDEO ANALYSIS.....

Whew…..We made it to a day off.  Today was another great session with lots of miles and bluebird skies.  Each day, the weather has become warmer and warmer.  Between the many laps and increasing heat, the kids (and coaches) are ready for a break.  As I write this, I am sure there are many young ones in a blissful state of slumber.  I am not far from there myself.

The kids are skiing awesome and making remarkable strides in tactics and skills.  One more day of slalom and then two days of GS to round out the camp.  Tomorrow, everyone has the day off and we are off to an adventure course of zip lines, suspended bridges, and more.

Below is some pretty funny video footage taken by Emma Cook.  We were looking through some videos tonight and these clips had me rolling with laughter.  I am working on transferring training footage to my computer and hope to have some great training clips to post soon.  The parents have taken hundreds of amazing photos that will be published soon as well.

Stay tuned for more updates….

Wow….another great day.  lots to post but it is getting late.  Perfect weather, great training, a peak to peak adventure, and more.  I will post more soon since it is late and we have another early day before we get to sleep in on thursday.  I will leave you with a wonderful evening at the Four Seasons thanks to Carla and all the parents who made our evening fantastic.   Many, many thanks…..   Lots of laughs and great conversation…..

OUR INCREDIBLE SUPPORT CREW....

AN END TO ANOTHER SUPER FANTASTIC DAY.................

First a foremost, I dedicate this post to the parents.  We have an amazing group of parents

THANKS MOM!!! YOU'RE THE BEST.....

going above and beyond the call of duty.   Their willingness to help is making all the difference for everyone.  So many are helping with early morning transport to the village, afternoon pick ups after a long day of training, running errands, feeding hungry kids, taking kids to events and attractions, helping on the hill in many ways, and much more.    Many , many thanks to everyone for helping to keep things running smoothly and tons of fun…

Today, we boarded the lift and went from summer to winter to summer to winter and finally back to summer for the remainder of the day.  On the ride to the glacier, we went through rain, snow, and sleet.

STAGING AREA....GREAT PARENTS MAKING SURE THE KIDS HAVE EVERYTHING THEY NEED FOR THE DAY!!!!

We arrived at the top and began to wonder if we were going to battle the clouds and fog from the day before.  Not long after we slipped the course and got in a free run, the clouds broke up and the heat set in.  In a matter of 15 minutes, the kids (and coaches) went from full bundle to sweatshirts and t-shirts.  Amazing what a few minutes can do on top of a mountain.

Training was fantastic.  Lots of miles and smiles.  We had to break out the salt most of the day but the courses held up and we stayed until the kids could take no more.  Some had enough energy to experience the peak to peak tram (tram connecting Whislter Mtn. to Blackcomb Mtn.).  Over 2 miles long and one of the longest and highest single spans sections around.  Those having a hard time to muster for the venture made their way down the chairs to Blackcomb village.

The remainder of the afternoon was “free-time” and many found themselves struggling

AHHHH.... VISIBLILITY IS OPTIMAL...YAY !!!!!

against the urge to get horizontal.  Some went out to dinner, some went to the BBQ at the condo, and the evening concluded with some chalk talk and video analysis.

Some training videos to be posted soon.  Sorry for the short post but the kids have me beat tonight.  Gotta catch up in some sleep..   Tomorrow, we must rise and shine early in preparation for a two day slalom block.  Many turns will be made.

GETTIN' READY TO RIP....

THE TREK BACK TO THE TOP.....

COACHES DOING THE THREE S'S.....SET, SLIP, AND SALT........

VIEW OF THE TRAING VENUE AROUND THE CORNER....

SOOOOOO PROUD OF THESE KIDS......THANK YOU!!!!!

The weather today was a bit challenging.  We were pretty much in the clouds most of the day with a break about mid-morning.  fortunately, the groups in the two lanes next to us stopped early just before the fog lifted for about an hour.  We had the best training of any group all day.  More video footage of training when the visibility improves.  Check out the Video below to see some mid-winter conditions and some photos of the day….

One can only imagine what tomorrow may bring.  Stay tuned for another adventure from Whistler B.C….

First staging place at the bottom of the Wizard Lift. Departure time is 7:30am.

Raidy on the bus ride between the second and third lift ride en route to the Horstman Glacier....

Waiting for the Clouds to lift so we can get to the top of the training lanes. A bit of a delay but spirits and smiles were not dimmed....

Gearing up after the lunch break. Girls being girls....Whacky!!!!!

Downloading through the clouds heading back to SUMMER!!!!

FINAL TOUCHDOWN FOR THE DAY.......

ON THE WALK BETWEEN THE UPPER VILLAGE AND THE CONDOS....

PRE 4TH OF JULY BBQ GAMES AT LOST LAKE...

MORE GAMES OR YOGA??? I'M GOING TO GO WITH MORE GAMES....

THE CREW WAS VERY CREATIVE AND ENTERTAINING. THEIR VERSION OF DRYLAND TRAINING....

FANTASTIC PLACE FOR A PICNIC......

POST DINNER GAMES ON THE BEACH........

EXHAUSTED CAMPERS PICKED UP BY MR. AND MRS. GILLIS ON THE WALK HOME. 16 PEOPLE IN A MINI VAN. LUCKY WE ONLY HAD A FEW BLOCKS TO GO...

What a day!!!!   Fantanstic on all accounts.  You have to watch the video below to get a true understanding of how things got started off.  Here is a brief explanation of the below video.

Here at Whistler, you have to get an early start.  Breakfast at 6:30 am and to the lift by 7:30am with a short shuttle from the condo to the lifts.  You have to take 2 lifts, a bus ride, and one final lift to the Horstman Glacier.  No problem, right???  On the first lift ride, myself and a fantastic young fella were riding the lift and having a nice morning chat.  About 2/3 of the way up, we noticed a dark spec in the middle of the trail.  As we got closer, the spec grew into a sizeable brown bear….  WOW!!!  we both looked at each other in amazement and I pulled out my camera that is usually close at hand.  As I start filming, I hear this thunk below us and start looking at all my gear to see what fell.  After a moment, I turn to my lift partner and ask if he has his back pack.  Hmmm, it has mysteriously disappeared.  In the moment of “amazement”, he lost his grip on his bag and it lay on the slope, coincidentally, a few dozen yards from the bear.  My first reaction was to say “no problem, we’ll get it”….  As I thought about what I said, I was trying to figure out just how in the heck we (I) could possibly get the bag that contained a few necessities for the day and LUNCH….  I checked in with the lift attendants at the top and told them our challenge.  One fella kindly offered to go get it and then I said that, if it was ok, I would do it.  ”But what about the bears”, I asked.  He mentioned that they were pretty mellow and were pretty content to just eat grass.  Nervously, I made my way down the slope.  I took a few detours and short cuts that brought me just above where the pack fell.  Luckily, the bear had cruised down the trail a bit and I was able to snatch the bag and head back up the adjacent trail.  As I came to a rise, another brown spec was up ahead of me.  ”Another Brown Bear???”  I thought to myself.  What are the chances.  Soon, I realized the chances were pretty darn good.  I scurried a couple trails to the north and hoped that I came out above him and could get back to the lift.  The plan worked.

The blessing in disguise was that one of our young ladies, in a chatty social moment I’m sure, left here skis at the second lift junction so I was able to play clean up and get everything to the top for a FANTASTIC first day at Whistler.   Check out the video below and some photos of DAY 1…

Just a little too far to walk for some.......

gearing up at the bottom

Dangerous Intersection

the clouds rolled in....the clouds rolled out...

FOOD BREAK!!!!!

Clearing Up !!!!!

All right....who are we missing????

Where the tram, the lifts, and the buses all converge. Still on top of the Mountain!!!

Downloading....back to the village.....

KID HAPPY HOUR !!!!!!!

ADULT HAPPY HOUR !!!!!

Once again.....they are Hungry !!!!!!

A little after dinner beach ball volleyball....P.S. the boys won !!!!!