Kicking Arse in Golden

After movies and a reasonably early night last night we were up at 7 this morning to hit the road from Banff to Golden. Before departing, though, we were forced to realize the use of the key fob for the parking garage that we parked our van in. Our ambitious departure time was delayed when we had to wait for an attendant to open the garage for us. In other news, the Banff Town Hall is not a reliable backup for a parking garage to rely on to help it's customers.

So we were off to Golden by 8am, which is an an hour and 45 minutes from Banff by the way the Googlebird flies.

The drive continues to astound me and much of our car ride was bathed in stunned silence (or at least I like to think so - it was early in the morning for everyone). We drove past Castle Mountain and I took a couple good 'out the window' pics. I'll try to limit these type of pics from now on. Just take my word for it - driving around here is as close to a spiritual pilgrimage as you can take in a Dodge Caravan.

A small bit of stress bubbled to the surface near Field, BC when we nearly ran out of gas. Amy had properly budgeted our petrol needs to get us to the area, but when we sputtered up to the gas station she had in mind we were disappointed to see that it was still closed. With no way of knowing the opening time and a burning desire to get on the slopes she put the car back in gear and we hoped that there was another station nearby. Our nondenominational prayers were answered shortly after and we filled up and eventually pulled into Golden.

Golden is a quintessential small ski town, located at the foot of the dominant resort Kicking Horse. At the base of the mountain we met up with Amy's friends Kevin and Mike who were great boarders and told funny jokes. We geared up, paid up, and gondolad up the mountain. Needless to say, the views en route and at the top of the hill were wonderful. This is exactly what I had in mind when we planned this trip:

It was a perfect day on the slopes - sunny, not too cold, and endless horizons. The place wasn't busy at all, being the middle of the week, and we had our run of the runs.
Things seemed to suit Robyn too...

And the little green dot here... that's her shredding away.

I think this pic of Kev and Mike strikes the perfect pitch:

We skied from 10-4 with a brief 'beer and patio' break and everyone survived the day unscathed. A few minor bumps, bruises, and pulled tendons were easily alleviated in the hot tub of the Golden hotel we're staying in 15 minutes from the resort. It was a great day for us all.

It'll be another early evening tonight and then we're off to Revelstoke tomorrow, 2 hours from here.

Until next time.