Morzine was as lovely as ever. Avoriaz, being higher, was better still.. and of course the company was second to none. Only a blistered ankle, sprained wrist and bruised arm to show for it. Oh, and a stiff neck. The painful lower back was a gift of the footy game three days before leaving.

I’m a wreck, but I’m a relaxed, happy wreck. Especially because of the welcome I’ve had since getting back yesterday :->

Well, the lure of free pizza was too much and I went into the office. Normally these days I work from home. Sometimes I have to slum it with a mere 21″ CRT :-<. Given I haven’t played footy this week and I was going to pig out on 1000+ calories of meat feast loveliness, I thought I’d cycle. 10.4 miles later, and I was ready for that pizza.

I’m going to have to do that plenty more times before January, when I return with joy in my heart and a spring in my step, to Morzine. I have to lose *mutter* kilos to be the proper weight for my snowboard and to be fit enough to turn the bugger. If I get fit and light enough, I’m going to treat myself to a Never Summer Legacy 166. Couple that with my Flow bindings and you’ve a recipe for pleasant plank-balancing.

Looking at where we might go next year, and just for the sake of a starting point, I found myself looking at this place in St. Anton. WTF is an Austrian twin bed? Are Austrians all 3 feet tall? Do they sleep on spikes? Do they suddenly hinge the two unsuspecting foreigners together in the middle of the night?

Well, you learn something new every day. They’re two mattresses on one bed-frame.

Finally: a reminder of what a blast the Banff Holiday was.

Still jetlagged, but duly rested after ten days in Banff. Great bunch of geezers to spend time with, and no major injuries. Lots of aches and pains, of course, but nothing major.

Lots of sushi in Banff, woo hoo! I wonder why there are so many Japanese people there? I like it. To be in a small town but have the choice of loads of sushi bars is fantastic.

Wanna know why? I’m in Banff, Canada, snowboarding, that’s why!

Hee hee! Conditions aren’t the greatest, but they’re good enough. Sunny as a sunny thing today, so we’ll forgive the slight lack of new snow. It’s bucketing down in California right now apparently, but whatever. A good time is being had by all. The usual form: knackered by 4 in the afternoon, pretend to read a book and fall asleep, meal out somewhere and then early to bail because it’s up at the crack of sparrowfart for another day balancing on a tray.

This week’s fashion accessory is the helmet: everyone in the group, and I mean everyone, now has one. Makes you feel proud we’re all so damned sensible. The terrain here kind of demands it, really. We have tri-area passes: Norquay, Lake Louise and Sunshine Village. Certainly Sunshine in particular is the kind of place where a helment is sensible: it’s not like European resorts with well-defined pistes - the whole terrain is ridable, and so the odd rock or tree stump can crop up pretty much anywhere.

I had a little argument with a tree root today, as it happens, but no harm done. It was after sticking 3 landings in a row off a little jump we found, so I was in a peachy mood. The full-on face plant didn’t darken my mood much.

I’m off to wash my hands now after using this public internet booth. The keyboard’s tackier than in ought to be (ick).

So preparing for the Banff Extravaganza is in full swing. Getting insurance for the trip is a bit of a cow because I’m on a waiting list for an operation. Gits. Insurance is easy to get until you might actually need it. I’m quite happy to have an endorsement on the policy that says my palate isn’t covered - hardly likely to injure that whilst plank-balancing - but no. Several of the main insurers just flatly refuse to have anything to do with people who either have had an appointment with a consultant in the last 12 months or are on the waiting list for one. Calling a specialist pre-screening line tomorrow so hopefully then I can get sorted out.

Oh, my! The advice from the Foreign Office is mostly bland (no meat products, eh?) but this bit only adds to the pants-filling dread we all share about just how cold it can get in Banff:

“If the weather is extremely cold, avoid strenuous activity, cover your mouth to protect your lungs from the cold air and be alert for signs of frostbite”

The thing is, I’d count snowboarding as strenuous activity, wouldn’t you? I mean, my stylings look effortless, but…

The time is nearly here! Soon I’ll be freezing my nadgers off in Canada, balancing on a tray, scooting down a mountain. Woo hoo!

Honestly, I don’t get this excited about Christmas any more. There’s just nothing like it. But of course, having splurged on Flow bindings last time, the pressure is on to try and justify a new deck this time.

See, I’m getting fitter with all this working out, but my weight isn’t changing. That and the fact that I have (relatively) big feet means I probably shouldn’t be riding a 161 regular width board. It was cheap at the time, and it has served me well, but my trusty Burton Charger might have to go. Hell, the graphics are over 4 years old! That’s, like, forever!

I can’t claim to know what sintering is, or the difference between core constructions, but the Never Summer Legacy certainly gets some impressive reviews. It’s available in the right size for me at my new weight - with which I’m more or less comfortable, thanks very much for asking. So I might soon be riding a shiny new 166, far too fast, unable to turn the bastard, with a big grin on my face :->