Big White is AWESOME! Sick...!

But who cares...? As long as it is not you... yes?

Yes I know but I was sick, man sick, yes... Man Sick! Whatever... 

So I was looking to do an interview with one of my buddies that live, here but since I don't have any... I interviewed myself. No it is true, I brought my assistant to the Bullwheel - Kassie, she does not drink much, even though she is Aussie... No she is not sick. She said to me that morning "I was gonna go riding, but I had a cup of tea instead, was good."

"Let's go for a beer." I said, "You can drink tea if you want..."
"I will have some hot water with lemon." ... 

"Okaaay..." not really knowing how to respond, but please, someone help - 'Wild Child! For god's sake somebody contain this woman!"

Anyway, interview.
Me. - "So Chris, you are an attractive guy, how do you handle it?"
Me. - "What..? What kind of dumb-ass question is that?

Me - "Well, thank you Chris, moving on I think, you wear the Big White bobble hat quite a lot, why is that?"
Me - "it hides my bald spot quite well. Is that your best question? No wonder you have four readers..."

Me - "Good answer... er... tell me something about yourself, something that few people know about..."
Me "Better... I have been shelled, shot at, mortared and I grassed up one of my best friend's... who then almost had me killed..."

Me - "Shelled...?
Me - "105 Howitzer I think, from the Serbs - the shell landed 40m away... shrapnel hit the vehicle in front of me... went through the engine block, gear box, into the cab, hitting the door and final falling to the ground... I kept the fragment - the 'bullet' with my name on it. Lost it now tho...

Me - "Grassed up your best friend...?"
Me - "To his dad... I agreed to bite the bullet. Two brothers, one said help... 'I can't do it' he said... 'okay' I agreed... it was drugs. He had druggy friends... with big sticks."

Me - "Okaaay. You are married and very happy? Where did you meet?
Me - "Tuzla, North East Bosnia, during the fall of Srebrenica. It was the middle of July, 40 degrees and the Serbs hit the village. We had 11,000 refugees arrive at the airbase, all women and children. It was chaos, we were drilling holes to search for water, women were giving birth... The world was watching... and 6000 men were executed... we were the UN... we did nothing..."

Me - "...I'm getting lost..."
Me - "...I still am..."

Me - "...Still?"
Me - "Yes... no... a bit..."

Me - "What do you love about your wife?"
Me - "Her mind... nothing else matters... the body is a bonus though :)"

Me - "Kids?
Me - "Yes two - kids are interesting, you realize that there are other people for whom you would die... and kill..."

Me - "Travel?"
Me - "Lots of places, ugly and pretty. Love New Zealand, Australia is okay, Europe is cultural and deep and oozes history but is crowded... USA is scary, very scary, Middle-East, not really; and the Baltic states, stunning landscapes and lots of history, but I have seen enough."

Me - "Where would you live? I mean, lets say you were ridiculously rich, unlimited funds. South of France, Monaco, Caribbean...?
Me - "Big White."

Me - "No, you are joking, c'mon be serious, unlimited funds anywhere man, where would you live?
Me - "Okay... If I had a choice I would want somewhere where my kids could walk to school, we spend enough time in cars so the school would have to be close. And the school would have to be good, not good as in producing a series of prime ministers but good as in giving the kids a happy and mentally challenging environment. I would live in a place that I could walk to restaurants, a place that was clean with fresh air. I would want a place that was not congested with traffic or millions of unknown people. A place that I could walk into any bar and know someone, someone who is not false, someone who choses their life. A place that I could pursue outdoor activities on a daily basis, a place I could take my dogs walking for hours and never see another soul. A place that I could call any number of people and say 'help' knowing the help would come. A place I don't have to worry about my kids, a place where they will get enough exercise, a place culturally diverse, a place that when I drive home my shoulders relax.

Me - "So...?
Me - "So... Big White... sorry"

Me - "What about stuff, possessions like er... a sports car? Don't you want a Porsche?
Me - "Yes. If I was rich I would have a Porsche... And live at Big White. I would also have a private jet, and still live at Big White."

Me - "What about a big fancy house?"
Me - "You know, I built The Edge, they were quite fancy. If I had unlimited funds I would probably build myself a nicer house, more gadgets, more stuff - tv's, stereos... maybe... tho I don't like tv... but... at Big White."

Me - "What about a career, you have an MBA..."
Me - "Yes I do... I did the MBA for me, for my mind. Yes at one point I thought I wanted more... corporate life... high pressure, responsibility, suits, expense accounts... I had it. I consulted for a hedge fund, I controlled the destiny of a 45 year old company, a $250m project, a legacy... I was told to kill the company "More profit Chris"... I said 'fuck you'... I saved the company... Hedge Fund? They tried to sue me - $30m and then $20m... get behind the queue... Besides, I once fell into the abyss, I couldn't push someone in... I don't have a career... I ski. The FBI said 'you could have made $35m...' And then what... go on the run for the rest of my life...? Where would I live...? Not Big White.

Me - "What next?"
Me - "I did my level one ski instructors course."

Me - "You are gonna teach people to ski...?"
Me - "Maybe... depends if they will have me or not... I'm gonna take my level two in March..."

Me - "But..."
Me - "What...? It's not my background? It's not building a $40m project...? It does not employ my MBA?

Me - "Well... yes..."
Me - "I do other stuff as well... ski instructing is not for the money... it is for fun... it is my Porsche...

Me - "Okay... I see. Other stuff...? Wink wink"
Me - "Yes, I write a crappy blog, about stuff... I make up..."

Big White is AWESOME! Cos the People 7… Gabe...

Unshaven… Wait… what…?

Gabe is my favourite person on the mountain… well, favourite named Gabe anyway. I am not sure if Gabe is an abbreviated version of the popular boys name - Gaberdine… who knows.

Anyway 'Gabe' mentioned that I had not bogged for a while… I said I went this morning… twice… not that it is any of your business "Blogged...! blogged…!"

Okay, okay, keep your gaberdine shirt on… 



So Gabe is quite handsome in that rugged Australian Outback kind of way… (less Crocodile Dundee more Koala Bear…) but you know what I mean.


And he is single… yes girls (or boys - he never indicated his preferences… but he lives with four other boys…) single… hmmm… girls girls… eh? Or boys boys… eh eh? (Just in case).

Kassie and I went down to drop beer off and he told me all about himself… 25, single, no kids, never married, devastatingly handsome (opinions vary) a skier, clean shaven, rugged good looks (yes I know I mentioned this bit but he kept telling me…), longish wavy hair… Gabe does not follow trends - as you can see he keeps his facial hair cleanly presented. Gabe prefers finger or paw food and has almost mastered the art of selecting the right sized leaf for consumption… almost… 

And he is a Cartographer for Lonely Planet! How cool is that!!! Yeah... I have no effin idea either… but it is a big word…

Me man… got no hole in wall… got beer!
(I promise there is no innuendo here)

One of the 'Boys' Gabe lives with is Cody… but he has to leave… as a landlord I am very easy going, mellow… good god man I even bring beer! (well to my good tenants anyway… what…? You never got beer? Do you have a hole in the wall…? Yes? No beer for you!)

But have you seen Cody's haircut? Yes? Okay you understand. Wait… just having a thought here, maybe the haircut is part of the culture of that lifestyle preference… maybe… Cos you know I told the boys I have a couple of girls that could replace Cody, and at least one is cute… (I have only seen one…) and they were like, er… well… I dunno… maybe… we have to ask the other boys… Oh… okaaay then.

I even tried to sell them Kassie... but no… they gave me that look, you know the one your wife gives you when she says nothing, but you know she is thinking 'dumb-ass… again…' 

I have mentioned Kassie before and look she is completely trained in handling Koala bears… and drinks that are bigger than her head… not sure what her friend is pawing tho… baby Big Birds maybe…?












Anyhoo… time for a pitch… Sólido Properties owns, manages, guarantees income, abuses tenants, facilitates drinking problems and er… you know other stuff as well… 

Big White is AWESOME! Random Musings and New Year 2013.

Happy New Year Everyone! 

I hope you all had fun and the residual hangovers are not too bad…
What did we do?
Wait… what… you don't want to know? Well I will tell you anyway...

We hosted a party for the older school kids - the plan was hockey at 7pm… Ha! Did you see the skating rink? It was PACKED! Yes, capitals for emphasis… But it was great to see everyone happy, smiling and having a nice time. What better way to start the evening than some outdoor activity? Alcohol was noticeable by it's absence… Awesome! For everyone in Happy Valley… thanks for making it a great atmosphere.

8pm came and Big White put on one of there famous firework shows… and the rink went from un-focusable animation (think flocking birds) to dead still… Perfect I thought, as I stole the puck and scored… yeah! So what if she was six…

This is my 14th season at Big White… 14 seasons… Yes! I can walk past Michael J, or Peter & Peter or Kate… and recognize them… actually I think they are all a bit deaf, I yell and yell "Hey, Hey!" And it is only when I stand right in front of them do they say "oh… hi… er…" And they are always really really busy, cos the next thing they always say is "…er… gotta go..." well… they have a ski resort to run don't they… 

Vibrant this season!

I don't know about everyone else but it seems busier this year.  I often meet people on the chairlift and sometimes discuss other ski resorts… I am a little embarrassed to admit, I don't go to many… but I have my reasons… 

I live on the mountain. 

I step out my door and I step into my skis. At the end of my skiing I ski to my door...  Click - ski, click - home... er... pretty easy. We went to Whistler for a ski competition (my son). Besides driving the 7 hours each way, we had to catch a bus from our accom to ski… we had to stand at a bus stop... to... ski! Ahhh!

Lift Lines

Yes, this week has seen some lift lines, New Years Eve and the Saturday after Christmas were particularly (relatively) busy. I am used to zero, so 10 minutes is f o r e v e r… but then I think ooh I could be on a bus… Ever been skiing in Europe…? Ski lift lines are a fact of life, 10 minute lift lines are a good day.

Easy.

Another busy day at Big White.

You don't need a vehicle here, everything is in walking distance… yes maybe Snowpines is a 10-20 minute jaunt but you very rarely hear people say "I need less exercise." And if you do 'need' less exercise... Big White provides a free shuttle… Easy.

Seasonal Staff - yes you guys!
Kudos to you! You escape from the world for a different life experience. You have one chance on the planet, yup one life. In twenty years none of you will look back and say "I wished I had stayed home…"

I respect that you take a break from the corporate life - at Big White you can find lawyers, doctors, physiotherapists, nurses, electricians, mechanics, plumbers, marketing execs… serving you coffee, or teaching you to ski, or finding you accommodation…  So as a visitor remember on balance the girl or guy serving you that glass of wine is educated, experienced and is world travelled… and they are taking a pay cut to do so, you are lucky… so be nice!


So you seasonal staff… You are AWESOME! ...Except Brad the electrician, he is just okay. No not the sparky Brad that lives with Brad, or the sparky Brad that works at Globe, the other sparky Brad - you know, giant Jazz Hand, Brad.






Snow. Best in BC!

It always snows, always. I competed in the army winter games in 1990 - Le Grand Bornand, France. In February of that year they had zero snow. No, not zero snow in February - zero snow for the season up to Feb when we left.

I skied in Austria (don't recall the resort) snow was guaranteed. Great! Yes, well, not so great, skiing in June at Big White is better… Yes, the Austrian resort was green with little paths of snow - that is not skiing, that is misrepresentation.

I am spoilt, I take the snow at Biggie for granted! 

Friendly, cosy, familiar.
I have met lots of first time visitors over the years. Regardless of their financial situation

they usually say the village is small... initially they almost seem disappointed… but, they come back… again… and again… and again. Why? Well, they have more quality time here… more time skiing, more time with family, less time driving, more time relaxed. 

And then they get to know people, the locals, the business owners the other families that visit… they walk into Beano's or Globe and see familiar faces, John or Jude or Al (the legend).

So they go home and they realize they had the best ski vacation ever… ever! Wife is happy, kids are happy, hubby is happy. And they also realize they got value for their dollar - from service, to accommodation to ski instruction… 

And the accommodation is (truly) world class (look ->) more skiing, more family time… it is a popular formula...

The pictures are of The Edge they are not bad eh? That window is 25' high… and that kitchen… yes IKEA, Ha! And IKEA used it in their marketing… well the IKEA kitchen installers did… well they stole a book with pictures of the kitchens. Close enough for me. And look at that toaster… yes, makes toast...

So they come back...

Okay okay, I am biased, I love Big White… but I have good reason too :)

So pitch again, if you got this far... you can switch off now…

Sólido Properties owns, manages, rents, and develops (pretty nice) real estate (when it is not broke anyway). Skis, drinks beer and loves Big White! 

Happy New Year!