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Year out in Canada with Gap
Challenge November 2001-July 2002
from an OC beneficiary of the ‘Spinney Fund’
Canada, the land of mountains, Mounties and maple syrup. This was my home for the past eight months and gave me many great life long memories and friends. I arrived along with the other gap challengers, on November 4th after one dodgy flight. A bumpy descent into Calgary, accompanied by the lady behind me vomiting, as well as the man reading about the `Taliban', provided a comfortable journey!
We arrived safely into Calgary and eventually got through emigration, in about two hours, to meet our 'in country' representative. A bus took us to Banff, 138km west of Calgary, and we arrived at about 11 pm local time. Jet lag got the better of most of us, since it was 6am UK time, and we passed out pretty much straight away.
The initial days spent in Banff allowed us to get orientated and set up our bank accounts etc. as well as doing some vital shopping for skis/snowboards and, of course, thermals.
We moved up to Sunshine Village, our home for the season, on November 9th. Sunshine Village ski resort is situated 22km northwest of Banff in Banff National Park. However, a gondola ride (approximately 15 minutes long) has to be taken from the base to reach the village, which lies at an elevation of over 2000 metres. The remoteness of Sunshine made living and working a truly unique and exciting experience.
Most of us were placed either in the 'Sunshine Inn' or 'Daylodge' to work. I worked as a housekeeper in the hotel. Not the most glamorous of jobs but the people I worked with were great and we had a great laugh. Housekeeping included cleaning rooms, house person and responsibility for incoming/outgoing luggage. The house person started at 6am and jobs included ensuring cleanliness of public areas, removing snow and ice from the steps and roof, and cleaning the hot tub. Luggage included ensuring incoming luggage arrived from hotel check-in at the base of the mountain, up to the village and to guests' rooms, and the reverse for outgoing luggage. Luggage was transported on the gondola more than four kilometres from the base to the village - second longest in the world.
We tended to have two days off a week, which were usually spent skiing or going into Banff. Luckily because of the times I worked I was able to ski more often. The 6am shift finished at 2:30pm allowing a couple of hours skiing afterwards, and the PM house person started at 4:30pm, allowing skiing all day.
One of the benefits of working at Sunshine was free skiing/boarding not only at Sunshine but at several other resorts in Alberta and neighbouring British Columbia, and also one in Montana (US), Big Mountain. Quite often staff trips were arranged to these resorts. I was lucky enough to experience a few of these including ones to: Fernie (BC), Kimberley (BC), Red Mountain (BC), Panorama (BC), Kicking Horse (BC), and Lake Louise (AB). All had amazing skiing, Fernie with its knee deep powder and Lake Louise with its back bowls. Some of the best skiing at Sunshine was after big dumps of snow. Although hard work, it was great fun to ski in and falling over was painless. On several occasions there were big dumps of about 25cms, and the season lasts so long on this natural snow (early November to late May) makes it a unique and popular place to ski when many resorts have closed. Although the snow falls thick and fast, so does the temperature, during February in particular. Quite often temperatures dropped to minus 25 to 30 degrees, and on a couple of occasions minus 35, during the day! Skiing in these temperatures was fresh to say the least. Many of us wandered around with frostbite; however mine wasn't too severe, although my nose wasn't too impressed. Once these temperatures subsided, spring soon arrived, and skiing in the sun and positive degrees was much more pleasant. You just needed to cope with sunburn instead.
Apart from skiing and working, staff parties were often arranged which were always memorable. Evenings were otherwise spent in Trappers (the local, well the only pub on the hill, in the Old Sunshine Lodge where the resort started in 1928) or in one of the hotel restaurants, Chimney Corner. Quite often nights were spent in Banff as well.
When the season finished on May 20th , I went on the house boating trip
organised for the some of the Sunshine staff. There were about six boats of 15
and we spent three days on Shuswap Lake near Revelstoke, BC, about four hours
from Banff.
After house boating everyone went their separate ways, travelling, returning
home, or finding more work. I travelled around Canada for a bit with a friend I
met up at Sunshine. We bought Greyhound bus passes for Canada and went
everywhere by bus! A good way to see a lot of scenery, but heading over east by
bus was a little monotonous, especially through Saskatchewan (the Prairies)
where it is completely flat and apparently you can watch your dog run away for
two days. I managed to visit Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova
Scotia, as the west I visited Edmonton, for the West Edmonton Mall, and
Vancouver.
To pick the best moment is impossible, but I felt very lucky to be able to meet
such great people from all over including: Australia, Canada, New Zealand and
the UK. Skiing right on the doorstep was amazing, as was skiing on Christmas day
and my birthday.
One thing I'm glad I don't have to do anymore is take a gondola ride every time
I want to go into town! Not too bad if you're with others, but when you're on
your own in a blizzard and it has stopped for half an hour dangling several
metres in the air, swinging in all directions it isn't such fun, I tell you!
Camilla Sims (96 - 01)