Katie Tsuyuki's Video Blog 32: Global Cutter

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Katie speaks with Brett Nakamoto, lead hand at Whistler Parks, about the Global Cutter. ;Filmed with Sony Cyber-shot DSCHX5 and Handycam HDRXR150

Katie Tsuyuki's Video Blog 31: Whistler Springtime

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Katie shreds Blackcomb park in Whstler, BC. Filmed with Sony Cyber-shot DSCHX5 and Handycam HDRXR150. ;

Camping Weekend!

Have you ever been to natural hot springs? Ones where you can see the boiling water spill out of a crack in the earth? That’s where I went last weekend with Berto and my good friends from Whistler Yohann Melissa and Astro Boy (dog).    

They are called Sloquet Hot Springs and are about a four and a half hour drive from Squamish.  First we followed highway 99 through Whistler, Pemberton, D’arcy, and until it starts to climb towards the Duffy.  Then we took a logging road on the right, there is a sign for Lilloet Lake Lodge, and followed it south for about 80kms.  It was another 8kms of a rough pot holed filled road into the camping site.  It’s a trek, but worth the drive.

When you get there it’s a camping paradise with plenty of lots and a huge tree canopy that covers the whole grounds.  We were lucky to get one with a big tarp already set up because the forecast was rain for the weekend. 

Setting up camp was easy because we were car camping due to the rain.  Blowing up an air mattress is quick with an electronic pump; I guess not really roughing it.  We had enough food and drinks to feast like kings and queens.  With camp set it was ready for the springs.

The hill down is long and a bit rocky, but the view of the huge evergreens against the near snowy peaks was breathtaking.  Before I knew it I could hear the babbling of the small river that flows beside the springs.  The land drops down beside the river and we followed the pathway, already we could feel the heat. 

The rocks are smooth around the pools, but the waters themselves are shallow.  The deepest parts are about two feet.  Blue tarps with rocks on and around them form barriers that separate the cascading pools from the heat source to the glacier river below.  The pool up top is almost boiling in temperature and we needed to sit a good distance to be in comfortable hot water. When you get too hot you can just jump in the river…if you can stand the frigid cold. I did.   

Nature had grown around the pools with fallen trees, moss, ferns and the budding trees of spring.  Night time is especially magical when tea candles are put on the wall and you can watch the shadows dance.

We had a great camping weekend with campfires, smoores, good conversations and relaxing in the springs.  The road out was long but good friends always makes the journey go by quicker.    

Back in Action

It’s great to have internet back.  It’s amazing the things we take for granted and access to the web is one of them.  When I got my modem on Friday I was so delighted to have my Shaw Cable debacle over with.

Saturday was a wet but awesome day at Whistler on Blackcomb Mountain.  Roberto my coach and I rode jumps and pipe most of the day.  There was also some hiking of the pipe to get down a few tricks in the slushy spring pipe.  It’s a good thing I had my goggle wiper blade to get all the water off my lens because it was raining/snowing a bunch. 

After riding we headed over to Crispin Lipscomb’s house in Pemberton just north of Whistler.  We had a great barbeque and watched the Canucks in a Play Off game against the Nashville Predators.  Sadly the Canucks lost the game but not the series.  It was a heated battle though and we all ended up getting into it. 

Sunday was great with broken cloud providing lots of sunny breaks.  The Blackcomb Park was in full swing and busy.  There were many decent laps riding jumps and hips.  The ride down was full of natural features and spins off the edges of snow groomer roads.  The mountain really is one big play ground. 

Today the mountain was a cloud sandwich.  Clear in the valley, cloudy in the middle, and bright sun shine up top.  Unfortunately the park sits in the middle of the mountain.  It was nice sitting in the sun up top, but there was no work that could be done in the park, that was a white room.  I met up with pro snowboarders Alex Duckworth, Caitlyn Irwin, and Sarah Conrad at the top of the lift where Alex and Caitlyn were sun tanning.  It was good to catch up and chat for a bit, however I couldn’t sit still. 

I headed back down to Squamish and hit the gym, where you can always get work done now matter the weather.  I had a great satisfying workout. 

Now time to catch up on computer work.  Blogging being one of them.  Still, I can’t complain, it was a great weekend.