So…tired…bones…aching…hurts to type. BUT, I'm going to write this now while it's still fresh in my mind cause today has been such a very, very good day. And even if nobody else gets anything out of this, I will look back and read this in many years to come and my smile will be so big it hurts. The bus ride up to Whis was a little slow owing to all the road works going on on the Sea to Sky highway, but the bus was pretty empty so I got two seats, lay my head down and got some pretty good quality bus nap time. (No, my head did not get chopped off - Veronique was horrified when I told her I was taking the Greyhound bus although I assured her that the chances on me running into homicidal maniac were probably far less than the chance that the bus itself would actually run me over whilst I was crossing the street!)

When I got there I gave Jason a call (he's the guy who runs the Peakview lodge) and he came and picked me up from the bus stop to go and have a look at my new home…eeeeee! I got butterflies in my stomach driving there and it's just perfect! =D It's just like you'd imagine a little alpine chalet to be, with a fire place, and the deck out the back with the hot tub looks out into the woods. We got to go inside even though there's still a couple of people living there from the summer and Jason showed me the room that'll most likely be mine…it has the most amazing view out onto the mountains! He drove me back to the village (which is like 4 or 5 minutes away) and we had a chat about the general awesomeness of living in Whistler. He came ten years ago from Australia to ski, then started biking, then started snow mobilin…and a decade late he's still here! It's OK Mum, I am coming home…at least for a little while =P Jason was also kind enough to give a mate of his a call and put a good word in for me for a serving job at one of the restaurants at the base of the gondola. I haven't decided yet if it's exactly what I'm after but apparently with the tips those servers make there's incredible money in it if you give good service.

When I got back to the village I went and picked up my bus pass, which gives my unlimited bus travel round Whistler then I went over to pick up my season pass and fought long and hard with the administrative staff there about my right to a student pass. I'd already had this previously checked and double checked and fortunately enough I'm wised up enough now to keep all my email correspondance, so I just logged on, showed it to them, read them there own fine print and eventually they had to agree with me. So as of the end of November I can officially ski my little heart out as much as I like! Hurrah!

After all that was done I began some serious retail therapy…and I was reminded that even when it's fun shopping, like ski gear shopping, I'm still not much of a shopper. Particularly when I'm carrying my own weight in luggage (mostly text books) around on my back because I can't check into the hostel til 4, but the bus doesn't go out there til 6 anyway! SO I struggled through piles of discounted stock and eventually picked myself up some great gear at very decent prices (like, Helle Hansen gear at 50% off!!). I lugged it all back from the blackcomb gondola to the village and was walking along feeling like I really couldn't walk much further when I found this restaurant that had set up all these couches out on the street and were selling coffee for a dollar! So I plonked myself down and sat and people watched for a while…when I was leaving for the bus, the lady who ran the restaurant was packing up their little stall out the front, and I guess I must have looked tired or forlorn or something…

And that was the point at which I fell asleep last night! Haha But I have about half an hour to kill now so let me continue…

Anyway, this lovely lady gave this yummy wrap for free! She said it wouldn't keep over night so it might as well fill a hungry belly. So lovely =) so I took my wrap and walked through the centre of town where there was some really cool live music playing, and I hung out there for a while before catching the bus to the hostel at 6. Met some really cool people on the bus who were staying at the hostel, an Aussie girl names Victoria and an Irish guy John (who…admittedly, I sometimes have trouble understanding! Haha) Anyway, we got in an the hostel has the most gorgeous view out over Alta Lake, so although it's a bit of a trek to get there, at $25 a night I think I have a pretty sweet deal! I was EXHAUSTED and crashed at about 9:00! A fire alarm went off in the middle of the night and I woke up momentarily but aside from that I slept better than I have in weeks - nearly 10 hours of blissful sleep =D

This morning I got up nice and early and whilst brushing my teeth a met a New Zealander with a car…now, the first bus out to the village from the hostel goes at 9:30 and the turkey sale starts at 9:00 so she was leaving at 8:30 with her mates and happened to have a spare spot in her car. She offered me a lift, and taking it may well have turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life! Hehe (ok…maybe slight exaggeration, but still!) When we got there, there was already a fairly sizable line up to even get into the turkey sale tent. In Whis, the turkey sale is like…serious business. It's intense. It's exciting. It's everyone getting totally amped for the season! And whilst it gets a little crazy and hectic at times the atmosphere is pretty incredible.

So we managed to get straight in without having to wait for people to leave (yes, some people wait in line for HOURS just to get in). And because it was still relatively quiet I headed straight down to the ski gear area and managed to actually get someone to help me out. I told them what I was after - mid fat, all mountain, twin tip, women specific skis - and he pointed out a couple.I told the guy Jesse had recommended a pair of Salomon Minx skis and he took me over to where there was only one pair left, far to long for me =( but then….aswe standing there, someone came and put a pair back - just my height! They were $200, reduced from about $800….like, ridiculously good deal! He also helped me grab some bindings which were 50% off.

Then I headed over to the boot fitters. This is crunch time. Everyone I've spoken to has told me that boots will make or break your skiing experience. They're the most important piece of ski equipment and you have to get the right boots for your feet, at whatever cost. So I wanted to make sure I found someone who knew what they were doing. I scoped out an older guy who looked like a bit of pro - turns out he is a legendary boot fitter! We spent almost an hour, talking bout my feet and my legs, the way my joints work, how boots should fit properly etc etc. I was very well looked after indeed!

OK…it's now 4 hours later, and there's yet another twist in the story!! Bomp bomp bomp! (haha sound effects are really much better when verbally articulated!) So…Courtney never showed up to the Starbucks for my interview and I was starting to panic until she called me and I realised I was just at the wrong one (yes, there are like a million starbucks everywhere in North America). So we decided to reschedule for 3 and I raced back over to the turkey sale to pick up my gear and go with John to drop it off at his store in Creekside - but alas! The line up was HUGE and I didn't even think I was going to be able to get inside, but then I bumped into Jamie, who works there, and he went and saw John for me and helped me through a little red tape to get inside…BUT, someone stole my skis =( I had to try pretty hard not to cry because I'd become fairly attached to them in those 4 hours, and it was an INCREDIBLY good deal…which is obviously why somebody saw to reach behind the curtain, pull them out, ignore the fact that they were marked with my name and take them anyway. Jamie ran all through the tent trying to see if anyone was holding them but no luck =( (basically I reconcile this by thinking I've been so damn lucky thus far that I guess I had to falter somewhere along the line! Haha so if that lucky find made someone else's day, then that's all good - I'll keep my awesome life thank you very much =P) Fortunately, having made friends with John, he helped me pick out another pair, which weren't quite as cheap, but he spoke to someone of a higher power and he agreed to sell them for me for the price of the other pair because of what happened! So hurrah! Then I hitched a lift with John over to the ski store he owns in Creekside and he booked my skis in and offered to sort all the bindings out for me for free. He's also gonna do a little "ski surgery" and insert a battery on the back of my boots because they have a special heating pad on the soles so they actually warm up! I'm paying for the battery but he's installing them for free! So all in all, the outcome was not too shabby. Plus, he introduced me to a guy named Mike (Jamie's boss) who's looking for staff and took my resume, so it was a pretty damn good networking experience! Haha

Then I went back over to the right Starbucks to meet Courtney and the interview went great! She said I was the most prepared girl she'd interviewed so far with an outstanding resume and she said she'd get my into training ASAP and can even get me a few jobs down in Vancouver before I move up here in case I need extra cash. The pay is all cash in hand and you basically pick your own working week as you'd like it! So if you wanna work all day every day, you can, then if you wanna take no jobs for a couple of weeks that's all good too. It's great cause it means I can get plenty of time off when people are visiting Whis. So that's one source of income sorted, now I might just look for a retail job at one of the ski shops in the village to meet people, hang out and have some fun!

So I'm feeling totally exhausted, yet again! Haha But I have a huge sense of satisfaction and peace of mind knowing my Whistler experience is now basically as good as sorted and underway. Accommodation - check. Ski pass - check. Job - check. Ski gear - check. Networking - check check check! I'm good to go baby =) Hope you enjoyed sharing that little saga with me! And now if you'll excuse me, I must go and make myself some cheap mac n' cheese for dinner mmm… the food of backpackers!

LIVxo