My Winter vacation

So for winter here the period over Xmas we have a month shutdown not only due to the fact that it is Christmas but also because it can get so cold over that period that it becomes very inefficient for construction with the tradesman having to take warm up breaks every 15 to 20 mins. So I got my first holidays in the year which were much deserved after a year of fly in fly out of the middle of nowhere...

 

That being said I spent my time well, I spent a couple of days in Calgary catching up with friends as well as going snowboarding with Suzy. Highlights include the Xmas onesie party on my first sat night of the holidays which everyone got involved and there were some great onesies...


The following day though was the moment I had been waiting for quite some time,  2 years in fact. My return to the motherland.

Leaving Canada for Aus!!!

 

I was so giddy with excitement to see mum and dad, friends and family for the first time in quite some time. I arrived back home to lovely weather and a welcoming family. Over the 2 weeks at home I mostly caught up with friends,  drinks,  caught up with family,  drank, went to the beach,  drank, watched cricket (whilst drinking), surfed and just generally hung out with some of my favourite people doing my favourite things and did I mentioned I drank a little bit whilst home. Was a great 2 weeks and so glad I got to spend Xmas in the kind of climate I am used to around that time of the year. Below are some pictures from the two weeks back home.

"Huge waves" haha

Hot days spent at the bowls club

Family time

Beach time with the family

Snorkelling at Bargara

Surfing with Dad and Joefish

20/20 Cricket match

Night out with the boys

 

 

After my 2 week walkabout down under I returned home in a bitter sweet state; excited to be back in Canada and see the girlfriend yet sad to yet again be leaving friends and family (and an amazing country)  behind once more. I still had a final week off which again I went travelling (not too far though).

 

For new years we ventured to Whitefish, Montana in the US which is just over the border about 5.5hr drive from Calgary. Really nice drive through the mountains to get there. We got into Whitefish early afternoon, watched world junior's hockey (Canada vs USA, of course Canada won) some hockey and ended up having a great new years eve which ended up as usual 1 buddy throwing up, me passed out by 1am after some serious jetlag and another mate arriving late with staples in his head after falling down the stairs at the bar. Needless to say was a good night.




Wildlife on the drive to Montana

 

NYE in Whitefish

We had 3 solid days of riding whitefish Mountain which I highly recommend. Such a large hill plenty of terrain and some truly unreal of tree runs. The last day of our trip we got a decent powder day which we lapped up and rode hard all day taking in some of the best runs I have had this season.



View atop of Whitefish Mountain

'Merica!!!!

 

 

I also recommend just staying in Whitefish it is a nice cosy ski town with great bars and restaurants for all to enjoy,  even when the power goes out just as you arrive for dinner and end up drinking beer and eating pizza in the dark when the power to the whole town goes out.

 

After this mammoth trip it was back to work up north. We also had found a new place to move in and would be moving in the first time I was back in Calgary next. A nice upgrade to a two bedroom so we can now have all our travelling friends stay with us. We moved all the place in Friday night, cleaned the old apartment Saturday during the day and like proper adults, thought it a great idea to leave everything to unpack later and go to Fernie, BC (Ski town in British Columbia about 3 hours drive from Calgary) for 2 nights snowboarding over Australia day. The snow was less than impressive as we had extremely warm temperatures that week melting a lot of snow but had a good couple of days in Fernie none the less.

Straya Day

Australia Day in Fernie, warm weather for Aus Day

 

 

Below is a video of some boarding and good times from NYE in Montana and Australia Day in Fernie.