NIGHT SKIING, GROUSE MT.

Vancouver,  the city where you can enjoy snow skiing, ocean sailing and a round of golf in one day!

If you live the affluent way of life here on the west coast it looks like this:  you start your day with a round of golf, hop into your yacht or sailing boat and end the day with night skiing on one of the local mountains, followed by dinner in a five star restaurant.

If you live an active life on a shoestring budget, it looks like this:

A trail run in the morning (free), 50 laps at the local pool ($4.78), a husband who takes you on a date night skiing on Grouse Mt.(free again) and a dinner at Mc Donalds ($9,98 for two, with discount card).

During this winter season our children spent more time on their boards than we have. We figured it's about time we are going on a date night, skiing. Our boys are as happy being home alone, enjoying their freedom as we are enjoying ours. All they need is a pre-cooked dinner and a curfew (yes, I wish), all we need is a car and our gear.



The folks at Mt. Seymour and Cypress have all discounted their lift passes,- but no, Grouse holds on to his normal, pricey self. Bugger, but hey, they are the only ones still open during the week and for night skiing. Plus, they have a gondola which carries you to the top of the mountain.



Two weeks before the end of the season (April 28), they have three lifts running and promise 26 runs. They were right about the lifts, but I am not sure about the 26 runs. Somewhere between run 13 and 14 we lost count.



What I always suspected was confirmed yesterday: I am a 'perfect - conditions'-  kinda-skier. A fine layer of freshly snowed powder will do it for me nicely. Everything else is just torture. Or I am getting too old for that stuff -

Holy Moly, we had 16 degrees during the day. When we started our first run at 6pm the snow had melted and hardened- yeeks! Very icy, hard to ski on and painfull if gravity wins.



Like Mt. Baker, hardly anybody else was on the slopes; from the top to the bottom, free runs, burn, baby burn!



In my opinion, skiing up here is not a priority, you come her to enjoy the views- which are spectacular, breathtaking and magnifique! On a clear day you can see all the way across to Vancouver Island. When you ski down to the bottom, it feels like you are heading straight into the city, literally.



This is what we moved here for, to live the fabulous outdoors - shoestring budget or not! It can be done!

ROADTRIP to Mt. BAKER

Part of our European spring break was going skiing in Austria. We invested our time, energy (!) and money to make our boys fall in love with snow covered mountains and the equipment to get downhill safe and fast - or better, fast and furious!

During this spring break we decided to drive across the border for some serious skiing on the other side. Mt. Baker is only a skip and jump (110 km)  from our front door; which makes it even closer than driving to Whistler.



Upon arrival we picked up the key to our rented condo.  Our friendly, local agent warned us about the coming weekend: "Tomorrow will be very busy, we are having our annual Easter egg hunt on the mountain, and everybody wants to find the golden egg!"

Yeah, great!



Skiing in Austria during school holidays can leave a somewhat bitter taste in your mouth. It goes something like this: 10 minutes to get down the hill, 25 minutes waiting time at the bottom of the lift to get back up again! It is crazy busy with anybody and everybody who can afford a lift ticket. If you find yourself stuck in the midst of other parents, there is only one thing to do,- in Germany we call it "huettenschwung"!

In good old English it translates to skiing from hut to hut to drown your frustration with a gluewein (mulled wine) or jagertea (tea plus rum) and hope for a clear run all the way home! You will never get where you want to ski without stopping. During your time on the slopes you are in active danger of being run into, or worse, run over by some random boarder who hasn't discovered his break on his snowboard. yet. Yes, skiing in Austria during the height of the season can seriously damage your body!



Anyway, small, free standing refueling stations (huts) can be found everywhere, on every mountain, in every region across Austria.  They make part of the Austrian charm. They welcome you with loud brass music and a wide selection of hot and cold beverages. Their drinks make you forget your sorrows and most of all, your inhibitions. In regards to your skiing ability it translates into starting off as a beginner and makes you finish in a league of your own. Forget about looking good, after two gluewein all you want to do is 'let it rip'.

With memories of crowds and massive queues to wait in line with, it was no wonder we were slightly peed off about the egg hunt.

Wonder oh wonder! The busiest day of the season is upon us and we had no problem finding a parking spot. Wait, it gets even better: No line in front of the ticket booth either! Believe it or not, the coast was clear all day long! The longest we had to wait for at the bottom of any lift were five guys in front of us. If this is what the locals call busy, I want to ski here during their  quiet days. No awkward turnstiles either to check your lift pass. It was wide, open slopes as far as the eye can see!



The huts on American soil are function build, they are good for eating and drinking,not for cosiness. And, one beer allowed per ID only. I am not much of a beer drinker, and gluewein can't be found anywhere.. But then, you don't really need gluewein or schnaps here.

There is no immediate danger of being run over and I found my inner goddess on the wide, open slopes!

How amazing is skiing here in Washington State. No wonder the guy at Glaciers Ski Rental swore me to secrecy - I should keep my mouth shut about this gem!  But if I do,  how will he make money with his ski rentals? How will the condo owners rent out their homes if nobody knows about them?

But even with my post out there I don't believe it would make a difference. Back at the apartment I found a guidebook, published in 1979. Everything written then still applies today- Mt. Baker, Washington's best kept secret? A place where time stood still?

CAN YOU AFFORD TO LIVE HERE?

In my previous posts I mentioned the facts that Vancouver is the most beautiful and the least fashionable city in the whole world!    Now, a recent newspaper article has confirmed what we have long suspected: Vancouver is also the second most expensive city to live in - second only to Hong Kong (source:" Demographia International Housing Affordability Survey").



Was our judgement impaired when we decided to move here? For the fourth time in our life together we moved to an expensive place. First it was Sydney, then London, Bussum (a village in one of the most affluent areas in The Netherlands) and now Vancouver! We, the most price conscious of all couples, are attracted to expensive metropoles!

Let me clarify one thing, we don't live in the city per se. We live in the lower mainland area. Here, houses are affordable, nature is found in abundance and the Municipality is still debating if it is wise to put up street lights or proper road striping ( or side walks or cycle paths for this matter).



Over the years we have learned one thing: It is not the outside ( i.e. reputation), it is the inside ( i.e. quality of life) that counts and we are attracted to.

Where else can we ski, play golf and go swimming on the same day? Personally, I haven't lived through this particular scenario yet- the simple reason is, I don't play golf!.

After one joyful afternoon of reckless swinging, lost balls, many loose gras patches and a phenomenal high score I was rendered the 'loser'. That was it for me - I like to score high in order to win - the concept of low scores is nothing for me.

Can we afford to live here? Yes we can! Let me show you why: This is our 'backyard', sort of:

 A 45 minute car ride away you will find this:

 and this:



Living in and around Vancouver: As expensive or affordable as you wish - and always extra-ordinary!