January 19, 2010
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Jasper in January
Lesson in aging #34: If the downhill skis in the garage are taller than you and in flourescent colors, rentals for the weekend are a better bet, esp. if the young clerk tells you that boots and poles are included but snowboarders don't use poles!Lesson #65: if your bindings keep slipping out on the first Sunday run from the top of the basin when yesterday “everything worked” something is wrong!..e.g.grabbed the wrong rental skis or someone else yours.
Lesson #15:next time when booking the hotel and looking forward to an end of the day soak specify a bath tub as well as the queen sized bed, other wise it is a shower due to full bookings!
These are a few of the humorous learnings from the past weekend, which was quite perfect and fabulous considering that I had not been downhill skiing in the Rockies for at least five years or more. Usually this time of year I am working up north. Decided to get a package that included bus up and back to Jasper and hotel on Saturday night.
It was great not to have to do that 4-hour drive but we left at an ungodly hour of 5:30 AM, so had to be up and packed an hour earlier to get across the city. On bus ride up about 9 am just out side of Jasper Park boundary 
Day light breaking from bus window... 
slept for first half and stopped at A&W in Edson for breakfast 
Got dropped off right at the main entrance and lift tickets already purchased...no line ups! Looking out from deck of lower lodge...getting boots on, & putting other bags in day locker about 11 AM 
Outside main lodge. 
Note the snow covered spruce trees Beginning of the day
...line up for two chairs but all went fairly quickly 
Map of Marmot Basin runs...yellow denotes skidoo runs and red is out of bounds...were doing a few shots to trigger avalanches in these areas Saturday was sunny just a few degrees below freezing 
and fresh packed snow...just perfect conditions 
Looking down hill about noon...green means easiest runs
Stopped at edge of run near spruce trees..Lots of fresh snow from previous day…this photo confirmed my later suspicions of rental ski switch! 
My first fall practically on the flat! About noon Saturday looking down towards the main lodge
Slow and merging trails are marked by warning signs looking down valley ski patrol assisting after an injured skier 
Stuck to the main chairs 
and just sunglasses needed 
Stopped for lunch at upper lodge...melting icicles on window pane 
Snowboard collection outside upper lodge at lunch 
Last run from top on Saturday about 3 PM 
Unloading at top...new high speed chair lift Jasper the Bear..
taken Saturday evening after wandering to see outdoor street winter festival “ Jasper in January” Stayed overnight at Astoria Hotel 
and caught 9:40 AM shuttle bus in morning. Weather on Sunday still lovely but changing between overcast
and sunny. 
View from chair 
..sun through trees 
Overcast.
like the sun behind the peak, ski instructor with student Can't get much better than this!
Comments (2)
beautiful...looks like you had a nice trip
Thanks for your visit . I found your comment .
It looks like you had a great time in the skiing. You were in grandiose landscape and you felt good to be so close of the almost wild nature.
In friendshsip
Michel