Jarcode

Looks like my season will be coming to an early close this year due to a multitude of reasons, including limited snowfall. I have a couple weeks before I head to Vancouver. Hoping things will improve in future seasons. A staggering amount of staff have been quitting this year. @Sirui I heard that you talked to someone who tried to radio me while I was on shift. I have a lot of work at Manning this year, so I can’t just respond to these requests while in private bookings. If you’re back at Manning, you can either try to catch me on my days off, or book a lesson.

Days 1-8 Snow is very, very low for what we usually have at this time of year at Manning Park. Blue chair only opened recently, for most of the time just the handle tow and T-bar have been running. Good for most lessons, just a shame that we still need more of a base to open our main chairlift. If we had snow machines the whole mountain would be open. Spotted Ray and our snow skate friends again. Carving on the T bar is unusually good, just a very short run. Wagon trail off blue chair is a bumpy mess since there isn't enough snow to push around for uniform grooming. Word from above is that we'll have bear chair open soon, but we can't open our main green run due to a stream running alongside it. New years party was fun... lots of alcohol.

Apparently my training is next week, there's two people named Levi in our department!

that's one way to look at it Returned back to manning in staff housing for the winter season. Training tomorrow. We have rain at the lower resort, will see what the ski area looks like tomorrow when we're up there. From the looks of things, we'll be able to hit our opening date.

Manning opening day set for the 9th. Heard cypress pushed to the 10th... but given the weather I assume it is unlikely they can (safely) open by then. Kind of nuts that we might be opening first. Harsh start to the season for the north shore mountains.

Yes, as usual: Cypress: mid to late November, pending appropriate weather conditions and coverage, as they usually get good enough early season numbers to justify opening as soon as possible. Grouse: tends to follow shortly after Cypress opening dates. Seymour: usually opens in December. Whistler: November 23rd. Sasquatch: mid-December, up to just before the holidays. This mountain deals with volatile snow conditions, some seasons it has suffered. Manning: early December. Usually limited by the number of guests, not snowfall.

Christ, 84 snow guns in total now... if the forecasts are worth taking seriously, it looks like vancouverites will need it for this el nino winter. Looks like I'm just a plain old full time instructor this winter, position is set into stone now. Lots of returning staff, which is a good sign.

Apex is much further than Baker. Apex is also a ridiculously long drive just because of the #3 highway being so windy, plus you pass Manning on the way. if you have not driven this road before in the winter, make sure you're prepared and check road conditions ahead of time. It can be harsh. If you're interested in a true hardboot setup, Boris is a walking encyclopedia for anything alpine related and has helped a lot of us out. He kept a board available for anyone to try in the instructor hut last season.

New season, same old mountains. I will be working and living full-time at Manning, leaving very soon. I will likely be staying year-round, so its going to be my new home. I really liked living out in the mountains there. There's some optimism about a snowboarding club program working out this year, and I also have some extra work on the side to fill out my hours. Still working out details since I've been given a bit of a unique arrangement there. The club met last weekend, but I couldn't catch up with them since my truck needed a leaky fuel line repaired on my truck. I was invited back to work at Cypress but I will not be returning. I had a blast last season with @BlueB and Ethan, although it was borderline insane working at both resorts last season in hindsight. I might visit, though.

Hey! I'm Levi. Cypress has hands down the best staff training you can get, but I've been turned off by the volatile "clear" snow conditions and crowds. Same situation at Grouse/Seymour. I worked there last season once a week, taking @BlueB's carving training and it was the highlight of working there — he's the expert in this region. There are also other excellent trainers at Cypress too that can help you get higher CASI certifications. @roch is also an instructor there. Manning is an awesome mountain, we've had a few Vancouver "refugees" coming out here, but keep in mind it is a small resort with old school lifts. The upside is largely empty runs, no lines, and excellent carving. I will be returning to work and living there full time this winter, I should be the only one in an instructor jacket on hardboots. Feel free to yell at me. Sasquatch (formerly Hemlock) is very hit and miss. It is very similar to Manning in terms of size and sports the same old lifts, but it is just too low elevation to get consistently good snow. Its only advantage over Manning is distance. Mt. Baker is a legendary mountain if you are willing to cross the border. They get a lot of snow, so expect more powder than carving, and they have a lot more technical terrain than runs suitable for carving. I haven't been to Apex yet, but I've heard good things. I get free passes there, so I will be checking it out. It's a very long drive from Vancouver though... not "day trip" distance.

Day 86 & 87, Manning Last day of the season, followed by a staff only day. We got snowfall both days, decent carving. A lot of staff showed today, making it busier than the average weekday! Lots of farewells, funny costumes, and inebriated staff. The kitchen was making comically oversized meals to get rid of food: I got to see a lot of the staff I taught riding today, pretty satisfying to see their improvement. My front knee may have been twisted at some point this season because it has been aching for some time. I actually think it was from my last attempt at skiing. The week of downtime didn’t do much for it… Loved working here, and will be returning again next year.

Day 85, Manning Returned to work after a break… since my truck’s fuel tank sprung a leak and needed to be replaced, I had to borrow a car to get up here. Snow! Firm and somewhat uneven hard pack, but about 5-10cm fell today. I expected warm temps, but the forecast was yet again way off with this surprise snowfall. Not the best conditions by our standards, but it reminded me of “good” Cypress snow. Two lessons, one chairlift, the other on the bunny hill. My feet were really sore today, it felt like they had to reshape to my boot again after the break. Was better at the end of the day. Met a parent interested in my club program for next season! I also spotted the lunatic skwal-skaters again today. Tomorrow is the last day for the public. Monday is staff only. There’s also another L1 course going on again, tons of staff getting certified… I will be coming up to Cypress for one more day as well, with my sister. I also might consider Whistler again late April, if anyone else is interested.

“What is that?” - a snowboard ”How does it work?” - gravity ”Why are you wearing ski boots?” - why are you wearing oversized sneakers? “Nice mono ski” - thanks, I like your wakeboard. Got a really funny one today after clipping in at the top of the lift: “Wow, those look easy to use! Are those step ons?”… mind you, I’m not even on intec heels, just bails.

Day 84, Manning We had a PSL course set up today with stubbies. I couldn't run it because I had so many lessons, but I also can only really do it on the bastard... next season I am picking up a SL race board. There were two other hardbooters up today... one I already met before, and his brother trying out hardboots! I lent out a board to the brother since he was riding a really old oxygen with no lift in his bindings. Very firm conditions in the morning, very soft in the afternoon. Gibson pass is approaching genuine off-road terrain due to the rather extreme erosion. My knees are extremely sore.

Today I was asked from another snowboarder competing in a slalom race, if I was riding a monoski. A different snowboarder waiting at the start corrected him before I could lose my composure.