Monday, February 06, 2006

~*...a new chapter...*~

normdate 2.6.06
2:38pm

i am sitting on a sofa, my new bed, at andrea's home on the hill in nelson. the solarium that i am in is surrounded by windows and is painted yellow. jack johnson is playing in the background. there is a piano in this room that i have been encouraged to make use of. on the wall is a magnificent painting of a woman holding the sun and the moon, pregnant with the earth.



andrea and her partner akkal are seven weeks away from having their first child. the paintings that adorn the walls of this home radiate the powers of the goddess, the majik of fairies and elves, and the universal prana that connects all life.

the artist is a local woman named christina smith. click here to visit her site.




"i can change the world with my own two hands." ben harper is playing in the background. i wonder where kristin is right meow. maybe i should czech her blog. hearing ben harper reminds me of so many good times with kristin. i am am thinkin of you kristin. you are loved and missed.

the energy that flows through nelson is beyond powerful. nestled in the mountains of the kutenais, built on a quartz deposit, the force is strong here.



i've spent the last three daze doing my casi level 1 instructor's certification at whitewater here in nelson. its not the largest hill (only two dinky double chair lifts), but it is the most imtimate and majik mountain i've been to.


the summit side (click image for larger version)


the silver king side (click image for larger version)

whitewater may not be the biggest, but it has the best snow i have ever ridden...yes, even better than big white. the two chairlifts take you up 1300ft of vertical to some of the best riding i have ever had the pleasure of experiencing.

whitewater lives up to its name and slogan: pure, simple & real...deep.

there is so much back country to explore here that it could take you years to explore it all. steep chutes and light fluffy powder. i am so glad i am here. thank you for sending me here.



on saturday, my casi class and i went for a run down the diamond glades, voted best new tree skiing in canada by ski canada magazine. a 10minute traverse from the summit chair brought us to the glory basin. what an incredible site it was...a large deep bowl with waist hight powder ending up in the most beautiful snow filled glades i have ever seen. it was straight out of a movie! it was the most fun an extreme riding i have ever done in my life...and this is my home mountain!!! i didn't have my camera with me at that time, otherwise i'd post a pik. did mention that it w3as dumping maad snow all day long?

my casi course wasn't very difficult. it focussed more on your teaching abilities rather than how well you ride. the biggest challenge was to "detune" my riding, tone it back and ride with less performance, just like a beginner. maintaining my balanced body position (hand over nose and tail) while riding is the foundation of snowboarding (accoreding to casi). thing is i've been riding with my shoulders facing down the hill instead of hand over nose and tail. its a different feeling unlearning a technique, but not too difficult.


now i'm a certified level 1 instructor and can teach others (and get paid)...but not until next year. there are no jobs available this late in the season. and i also get pro deals in september: 30-40% off cost!! yah baby. new gear owns. schweet.

now i've got to find some form of employment and a place to live. i am thankful for andrea and her roommates opening up their home to me. i am blessed, and loved.

~*...normaste...*~

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