Dog-sledding

While we were up at Whistler we decided to go dog-sledding, as it was something we thought would be great to try while we had the opportunity - and it's good to try something different that you can't do at home. We got picked up from Whistler village and drove about half an hour up in to the Soo Valley. That's where the dog-sledding base is - they have loads of dogs - about 300!! They even had a kiwi as one of the guides.
It was SO cold, about -14, and we hadn't realised it was so much colder than it was in the village, so we were a bit ill-prepared, but the numb fingers and toes soon took a backseat as we got to meet our dogs. The dogs are a cross between a husky and a greyhound - as huskies can't operate when it's as warm as -14!! So they cross-breed them with greyhounds, which also makes them faster. They breed them especially for dog-sledding, and they carefully control the breeding - there were a few times we saw where some of the girl-dogs were on heat, and the boy-dogs just can't control themselves - the guides end up diving on them to break them up! They can use it to their advantage though - they can put the girls on heat at the front of the pack, so the boys chase them, and therefore run harder - clever ploy!

As there were two of us and a guide on our sled, we had 6 dogs - there seems to be a ratio of two dogs to each person. And for those of you that might be worried about the treatment of the dogs, they are treated SO well. These dogs are bred to run, and the LOVE IT. When some of the dogs are going out on a run and the others are left behind, they go nuts - they just want to run! They do a maximum of two runs in a day - each run is 7km long. The dogs constantly pull and pull as soon as they have their harnesses on, so much so that even having the brake in the snow doesn't stop them - you have to stand on the brake as otherwise they'll just pull it up! They lick the snow as they run, to get some moisture, and then get a treat and lots of cuddles at the end. They're lovely friendly dogs, and really well looked after.

Needless to say, the scenery was amazing - just a winter wonderland. SO much snow. It was fantastic, taking in the view while we went along - Andrew had a go at driving his own sled, whereas I took the easy road and lay back and enjoyed the ride! All in all it was an amazing afternoon, and a great way to spend Boxing Day - highly recommended!

Christmas in Whistler

So to make sure we had a white Christmas, we booked to go up to Whistler for 3 nights - we headed up on Xmas eve and came back on the 27th. We booked an apartment so we had a kitchen, and the place even came with a outdoor hot tub and a heated swimming pool! So we spent a bit of time in those. The apartment was right in the middle of Whistler village, so we were able to walk everywhere. They'd had a lot of snow the few days before we got there, so although it didn't actually snow while we were there, there was definitely plenty of the stuff!

Whistler village is a decent size, for a ski resort, and has plenty of shops, although they're mostly souvenirs and ski gear. It has a real alpine feel to it, and the building are all done in the style you can see here. No cars can drive in the village, so it's a good place to walk around. At one end of the village is where the skilifts are to go up the mountains - Whistler and Blackcomb.



On Christmas day we went for a walk to Lost Lake - this photo is of Andrew standing on the lake - when we were here in November, the lake wasn't frozen at all, despite there being snow everywhere! It was a great walk through the snow to get here, and lots of people out snowshoeing by the lake as well.

It was amazing, there was so much snow - just beautiful! I love how the snow clings to the tree branches, and just has a way of making everything look so pretty.

On the last day we bought a sightseeing pass for the lifts, and went up the top of Whistler peak to check out the views. We'd been so lucky with the weather the whole time we were there, beautiful blue skies every day, and this day didn't disappoint. There were a lot of people out boarding and skiing, but we just hung out and watched the world go by and took in the view.

The gondola ride up to the top was pretty steep, but there were points where you could see the runs below and the view was spectacular, with the village getting smaller and smaller the further up you went. There are some cafes and restaurants up the top, and another gondola that opened about a year ago that goes over to the top of Blackcomb. That one was really high though and I was too much of a wuss to go on it, but Andrew did.
The Inukshuk, which is the official mascot of the upcoming Winter Olympics, called "Ilanaaq" looks out over Whistler village from the top of the mountain. These stone symbols are quite popular in Canada, and even more so the further north you go apparently - having been used for centuries by the Inuit or First Nations people.

Vancouver at Christmas time

Now, don't get me wrong - I love Christmas in New Zealand, with the sun, and of course spending it with family. But there is something magical about Christmas time in the Northern Hemisphere. Maybe it's because we grow up with these images on Christmas cards and TV, and all the mention in carols of snow, cuddling up by the fire and so on..... but Christmas in the Northern Hemisphere just seems right. It's how it should be. I love the lights - that come on at 3pm, you don't have to wait until 9 or 10pm like at home - wrapping up warm to go outside, the little carts on the street corner with the nuts roasting, egg nog everywhere..... everything seems so cosy and CHRISTMASSY! Even the bus drivers would often have little handheld "jingle bells" that they would jingle as they drive along - giving the feeling like you were on a sleigh or something!! The photo above is of Robson St - the main shopping street in Vancouver, 3 blocks from our house.

The photo the the right is the hospital, one block from our house. I love the lights! I had to make sure we had a Xmas tree this year - I've made the mistake before of saying "no, no.... we don't need one" in the interest of saving money - only to go out and buy one two days before Xmas as I couldn't take it anymore!! So the tree went up the first weekend of December, just a little one as we don't have a lot of space.

On Robson St there is an outdoor ice-skating rink, so there are a lot of people there, especially in the evenings and weekends. Also with the mountains being so close (there are a couple of skifields closer than Whistler that you can get to by public transport), you'll often see people on the buses with their snowboards. Vancouver is a great city in that respect - very accessible to be able to go out and enjoy the great outdoors.

Weekend away in the USA

In December we decided to hop across the border again for a night away. It's quite a bit cheaper in the US than it is in Canada for a lot of things, so we did a bit of shopping, and went out for a nice meal - some great Thai food, and my soft drink was more expensive than Andrew's beer - god bless the USA. We only went as far as Bellingham, which is about half an hour over the border, but it's a decent sized town and has all we needed for the weekend. Bellingham is about an hour or so north of Seattle.

And on the Sunday, just as we left the hotel, it started to SNOW!! And then it poured with snow - and everything was white..... including the motorway back, which made for a very slow trip home!

Time for a taste of snow

On Rememberance Day we took a trip up to Whistler for the day. We were really lucky, as there had been a huge snowfall the night before. Whistler is just under 2 hours drive from Vancouver, and will be where a lot of the Winter Olympics events are happening in February, so thought we'd check it out before it gets overrun. It was great timing actually, as the ski season opened three days after we were there, so although it was busy, it wasn't frantic.

It's a beautiful place in the snow, and the trees are so different to at home - the snow falls on them and stays on the branches, just like a Christmas card - so pretty! We had a play in the snow, and took loads of photos. There are lots of typical alpine houses, and it's quite a big area. A lot of holiday houses, and quite a little village of shops and restaurants as well. In summer it's really popular to go mountain biking in Whistler, and in winter it's all about the snow - skiing, snowboarding, dog-sledding, sleigh rides......










After being there for a few hours, having lunch, wandering round, and having a beer for the boys and a port for me, we decided it would be an amazing place to spend Christmas - so we've since booked a holiday house for three nights over Christmas, so we're guaranteed a white one! We're really looking forward to it - it'll be Andrew's first Northern Christmas and my 5th, but the first white one - YAY!