Community: Real Life

Climbing a mountain


Anthony

Anthony gave us a taste of his life with his festival diaries and now he's back, giving us an insight into his adventures around the world as he heads off for 18 months of travelling.
Entry: 2
Date: 13/02/2008

Anthony copes with his night shifts by dreaming of the mountains and looking forward to the rest of his trip. Although seemingly lucky to have found accommodation, things are a bit too close for comfort with his non English-speaking room-mate.

Whister, Canada

Amazing scenery

A feeling of agitation spread through the restless queue like a herd of wildebeest spying a lion near their watering hole. High above the base of the busy chair lift where the crowd waited, a skier sat poised upon the precipice of one of the many ridges that ripple towards the peak of the mountain. From this distance only his beaming red jacket could be identified from the craggy rocks. Picking his moment to escape the mountain's attention, the skier took flight with the first of three successive cliff jumps down the near vertical face. He landed the first with ease and immediately dropped from the second. Upon landing, he disappeared into a cloud of puffy white powder. Seconds passed like hours until finally the 300-strong crowd could breathe a sigh of relief. He reappeared and swept immediately onto the final drop after landing an impressive 360-degree jump.


Whistler can be a jaw-dropping place at times.


For years, the thought of seeing the mountains, deserts, and people of the world seemed like it was only ever a distant speck on the horizon. When times were tough I always knew I had something amazing around the corner, so the day I left work was the day that I felt I'd really begun my travelling adventure. And that's where the problem lies - I'm now in an unspeakably inspiring place doing something I love every day, but I keep thinking: "What next?" I already have itchy feet and I had them after the first couple weeks.

When I arrived in Whistler the majority of time was spent getting accustomed to the local ales. In the bars, recent arrivals put all of their socialising skills into befriending anyone who might potentially offer them a bed for the season, or even a carpeted floor. Whistler has become renowned for its lack of affordable accommodation, to the extent that rumours are rife of the snow-obsessed 'renting' walk-in wardrobes as homes. Fortunately, part of the deal that I was offered by The Four Seasons Hotel included cheap accommodation. All I had to worry about were the potential freaks that I would undoubtedly be sharing a room with.

"Most people I've spoken to about having to share a room suddenly come over with a nauseated look. Jerry, the veteran Korean night cleaner, welcomed me to his room with a smile."
Whistler, Canada

On top of the mountain

Most people I've spoken to about having to share a room suddenly come over with a nauseated look. Jerry, the veteran Korean night cleaner, welcomed me to his room with a smile: "Hello, you clean nights. Very tired." I immediately realised that this Jerry character had a lot to teach me. Further conversations also quickly revealed that Jerry enjoyed nothing more than a hearty laugh at anything I said. What had I been worried about? At first his random laughter made me laugh, that soon changed to paranoia, until I finally realised that Jerry didn't understand a word of English. Despite the language barrier, sharing a room just adds to the fun, although admittedly, with jolly Jerry's and my own bed being separated by a hair's width, I've been startled on more than one occasion having woken up to find his eyes staring straight at mine.

The best way to describe my accommodation is to say that it's like any university halls: small, basic, clean to start with, and a stinking mess within a couple hours. And in-keeping with the uni vibe there is plenty of knocking on random doors with the offer to get drunk and eat Super Noodles. Ignoring the epic mountain terrain, Whistler is a party town. By day holiday-makers indulge, but come evening, once the split-shifts are over, the town is taken back by the locals, which are basically groups of hyperactive Aussies and the odd Brit or Canadian. 

Drinking in Whistler is not a cheap hobby, and one thing that doesn't last long in this town is money. Having said that, I've found that the hotel I work at pays surprisingly well compared to other employers. Because I work the graveyard shift I spend more time on the mountain than in the bars, so I might actually be in credit when the season ends. This is what keeps me going when I finish my shift at 7.30am, feeling pleased that I made it through another night, only to hear my supervisor call out: "See you tonight!"

It's February and the days and nights are rushing by in a hurry; that's a third of the season gone already. My New Year's resolution is to test out everything each place I visit has to offer. And I've got until May to do it. 


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