Jen's Journal

Late Friday evening after packing our two cars full of;
6 people
3 mountain bikes
1 road bike
3 snowboards
1 pair of skis
And enough food, clothes and equipment to keep us satisfied we headed up the Sea to Sky highway.

Arriving at the "luxurious" Tantalus Hotel in downtown Whistler we settled in. Through the darkness, we could pick out the two hot tubs, pool, tennis courts and of course the surrounding mountain shadows. Here we mentally and physically prepared for our weekend ahead with some beverages, appetizers, entertainment and relaxation, (AKA booze, chips, TV and the couch).

Saturday morning we woke to Jenn and Richard's rendition of Nat King Cole's "Unforgettable" and the Marching Band playing their rendition of "The Flintstones Theme". Nothing beats melodies in the morning!

After the early morning tunage we hit the Hill. Starting off a little uncertain, nervous and timid we rode B-Line. Next was A-Line and from there our confidence was building; Dirt Merchant, Fantastic, Heart of Darkness, A-Line, Boneyard, A-Line, Boneyard, B-Line, A-Line, Boneyeard and A-Line. Run after run of progressively faster descents, smoother lines and bigger hits. By the end of the day my hands hurt, my shoulders ached, I could feel my quads and calves threatening to crap, I had sunny-ed my cheeks, and I had a permi-grin. Well worth my $40.00 lift ticket!

Back at the hotel we dined like royalty. We whet our appetite with a meat lasagna appetizer. We moved on to the main course of cheddar-filled smokies served with a side Wonderbread hotdog buns, and our chose of ketchup, mustard and relish condiments. We soon discovered danger in the wieners. If you poked them in just the right spot with just enough pressure out would squirt an uncontrolled medley of boiling cheese and meat.

Still in the hotel, at around 11:00 we had a scare. On of the group had made full body contact with the evil couch and was being tempted by the sleep magnets. The attack came without notice and took a full group effort to revive our snoozy comrade. With much prodding, pushing, begging and sweet-talking we managed to release the couch's grip on Ti Ti and get to the club as a complete clique.

Sunday 9:40 AM, I find myself back in the room, woken to the marching band's rendition of "the Flintstones", again. Not wanting to miss any of the much-improved group's beats I open the sliding glass door and let the sweet melodies flow in. As I started to fully regain consciousness I notice there are signs of life in our hotel room. I can already smell the bacon and coffee aromas mingling forming a mouth water scent. All I can say is Breakfast of Champions! With this one meal we were re-stocked with enough energy and calories to carry us through our entire day.

At this point I head off in the direction of Pemberton. The road bike was flying until I decided it was time to turn back. Note to self: a 50-minute bike ride with a tailwind and a noticeable decrease in elevation equals a not entirely enjoyable return trip. 1 hours and 30 minutes later, almost double the time of the first half, I was back in the hotel hot tub. There I sat sipping on some simple sugars, and preparing for my return to Vancouver's grind.