Sunday 24th January. Melbourne. We made it home.

The bus was late to pick us up from Pinnacles but after some final (tearful in some cases) farewells we made it down to Kelowna with enough time left for Tom and Kat to do some serious re-packing of their overweight bags so that they could check in with the rest of us.

The trip DVD was handed out on the bus. Thanks Rob, it is awesome!

In Vancouver we said goodbye to the Staggs (off the England), Ros and Keith, and Ros and Alex (touring in Canada for another week) and then boarded the flight for Sydney. The flight was over 15 and a half hours but most of us had some sleep. Sydney airport was bedlam with one of Kat's bags lost (and then found), our 12 noon flight to Melbourne a dream rather than a reality, and 21 of us with 21 large ski bags and 21 other bags trying to make our way through the queue to get re-booked on a subsequent flight.

The stamina of the team throughout the entire journey home was a thing to behold... they did not falter in their enthusiasm for shopping or eating junk fodd for even a second!

We finally landed in Melbourne at about 4.30pm.... 3 hours late but with every single piece of luggage!! A first for the Canada trip I believe.

Friday 22nd January. Last skiing... and a little mishap

We were blessed with a bluebird day for our final morning of skiing. The XC group hit the paradise trail and played in the trees while the boarders joined with Pat's alpine group for some final runs. We started the day with a run down Big Dipper (as we have done many times... ) and enjoyed a top to bottom run. All was smiles until we realised at the bottom of the Comet that Chloe was missing. This is when the morning started not going exactly to plan....

Chloe had lead off and without knowing every single one of us passed her stacked in the fence off the side without seeing her.... such was the focus on "looking down the hill". Some tense moments followed while the group went up to look for her, and Mrs Spittle stayed at the bottom in case she came down. Chloe eventually made it to the bottom by herself, having gotten unexpected air off one of the rollers near the bottom of Walt's run. She lost both skis, gloves and poles as she went through the fence and when she was unable to attract attention she managed to get it all together and ski down with one dangling arm and serious panda eyes from the running mascara.

Here is what followed:

Attention from the ski patrol.


A ride in the blood bucket the ski patrol clinic.


Lots of gas.


A trip in the ambulance down to Vernon (laughing all the way).


X-rays, the good news that in fact her humerus was not broken but there was maybe a chip off her elbow.

A half-cast


And then a ride back up in the mountain in Pat's truck in time for a quick lunch, shower and pack before the bus arrived.

She timed it well.... minimum skiing time lost but still managed to fit in all the medical treatment in time to join the group for the tip home.

And I am pleased to report that her extensive "cyber social life" is unlikely to be curtailed as a result of this injury as she can still use the keybourd!!

Thursday 21st Jan. The final "rest" day

Today was a busy day although there were no formal coaching sessions. Most people skied or boarded for at least part of the day in the great conditions we have become accustomed to.

There was also ice-skating, shopping, movie watching, packing and general cleaning up. At this stage all bags are packed apart from skis and boards and the clothes to be worn for the final session on snow tomorrow morning. Rob has been working hard on finishing the trip video... the world premiere is scheduled for 12.30pm tomorrow in the lounge.

The last spa.... the last coffee at Bugaboos.... the last cinnamon bun.... and a dastardly plan hatched last night by the O20's over dinner to repeat the whole thing again next January.... in Italy!

Then there was the snowmobiling.... see Sammi's report below.


This afternoon Alex, Ros and Ros, Dad (Bertie) and myself went for an exhilarating and adrenalin packed 2 hour snow mobile tour. The scenery that surrounded us was just as beautiful as any other trail on the mountain but this afternoon some of us were hitting speeds of almost 50km, Alex and I even got to drive the vehicles for a bit! We had a fabulous time riding through the sunset and watching Vernon and the village go into the darkness. No one was injured although Alex and Ros K did get lost and Ros R took a turn to sharply but we had a marvellous day were surprised to hear that the trip was over because it had just flown by!

And finally.... this....


Nice angulation girls!

Alpine Coach's Report. By Pat

A bit about my Ivanhoe Gang....

Without a doubt, this fine group of ladies has been one of the best bunch of people I have had the pleasure to ski with in many years. The comraderie amongst themselves and all of us as a group was fantastic.

These ladies, whom I met a few weeks back , were assigned to me through the snowsport school as a class. They soon turned out to be much more than that. They became friends that I look forward to skiing with each time we get together. The times that I had to 'ditch them', as I was (hopefully) jokingly accused of, made me glad for the replacements I sent in my place. I knew the new instructors would have a good time with 'my girls'. I was not always sure that the instructors would be returned in one piece, and I usually warned them about that. I want to thank you all for allowing me to be a part of your experience in Canada.

My group consisted of;

Lucinda aka Lucy ...the person who was supposed to set an example for the rest of the group, because she was the oldest girl there. She did well in that she showed the group how to take each other out on many an occasion. Nice job. :-) Lucy really did set a good example of nice bending and angulation. Some great demos out there girl!

Zoe...the lady with the smile that had a hard time the last couple of days, keeping her face and body, out of the snow.(hope the nose is ok) What's with that?:-) She and most of the girls just couldn't live without all their technology. Get in for lunch, bypass the food and find the mobile and the laptop. Then, find some lunch. They were so lucky that they didn't forget their battery rechargers.

Emily...The girl that couldn't bend at first, but then got it together to create some nice turns. She was getting so flexible that she tried to show some of the gang a cool chair unloading move. Well, it didn't go quite as planned( at least she said it wasn't ) and she ended up sprawled on the unload ramp.( of course she saved this move for when I wasn't around...thanks) Much to her credit though, she toughed it out and worked through the pain of a tweaked knee. I think ample Juicy Fruit gum is aiding in her recovery.

Chloe...a quieter lady.( well, only at times) She let her skiing do the talking most of the time, such as when she and Lucy tied for first, in our first race. A most treasured package of Tim Tams to the victors. Lucky for most she doesn't eat chocolate... More for them! The quiet facade she showed always disappeared when there was mayhem about, such as when I came around a corner on Eldorado, with Jenny, only to find her, Zoe and Lucy fully entangled under the bows of a tree. Nice! Nothing but tears of laughter!..as Emily and Narelle looked on. ( another cool move that I just missed....thanks)

Sam...(not to be confused with some girl named Samantha) this lady learned well from Lucy when she accidently took out Jenny on Silver Fox. (I actually got to see that move!...Thanks!) I know she felt bad for a bit but she soon became her usual happy self, only to keep trying to get others later on. Sam showed some very consistant skiing, as evidenced in the last race, where her times were only a few hundredths of a second apart. NIce work. Sam is the person you would want to get lost with. She seems to be able to produce some sort of food product, at any time, from those pockets in her ski pants. The other day I asked if she was running out of candy and she said "no, but I'm getting low'. The candy gods smiled on her dilemma and soon ample amounts of Juicy Fruit began to refill her supply.

Tara...aka the Green Machine, the little Zork (still waiting to see what you come up with as a picture of a Zork) Tara is a source of untold energy. Sometimes we could control her and at other times...well, let's just say that she kept us on our toes and in a state of wonderment. She was the only one that wanted to tackle Gowabunga a second time, after we thrashed ourselves down the run. When I asked 'who wants to do that again?' she was the only one that said "Yes, I do!' All the rest of the gang said 'what? are you crazy?' That's our Tara. Now if we could only get her to put that enthusiasm into getting ready to ski sooner, we'd be ahead of the game. She always keeps us laughing though. On the chair the other day, Emily was trying to get me to say tomato ( it's just a thing she does....) she asked me what a BLT was. I said bacon. lettuce and tomato...Tara tought it was bacon.lettuce and cheese....where did she get that from?? Some good chuckles all around. Way to go Zork!

Jenny... along with Narelle and Lyndy,one of the sources of reason within. (heavens knows we needed it!) She worked hard on her skiing from day one. Things really began to change when we got her into the current century with the purchase of new ski boots and skis! Her poor oooooold Salomons were given the toss and who knows what she did with her skis....changes were immediate. "This is actually easier" she said. Go figure...:-) Now if we could have only found the jacket she wanted in her size...she still might be here showing it off. Jenny had to leave our gang early the other day to go to Vancouver( at least that's why she said she was leaving..... I'm secretly thinking we drove her away :-) Thanks putting up with us!

Narelle...mostly she was Narelle. Every once in awhile she became 'Mrs. Spittle' Then we knew one of us had done something not quite right...( ok, it was Tara's fault :-) this lady really worked herself out of her comfort zone at times, but she certainly made some great changes. Speed became more of a friend to her and not such a foe. She hung in there and tried things she wasn't always happy with at first, but she perservered and overcame many obstacles. Thanks for having some faith in me, because I believed you could do it, even if you didn't, and you always proved me right.:-) You exercise such restraint at times, being the teacher of some of the gang, but, as you said,'it's a holiday'. Well, when the holiday is over and school is back in, you can get your revenge! Look out girls! even if she isn't your teacher, she knows the other teachers!

Lyndy...the driving force behind much of the tour and a lady that put up with most everything we threw at her. This is a person that surely has the respect of all. Lyndy went places that she didn't really want to (as did Narelle) because she was part of the team and a team works together. Even though she had to work hard, she certainly expanded her comfort zone many a time. I thank you for your efforts and I'm sure the rest of the gang does as well. It's too bad that Jeff had to go and injure himself so that you were kept away from the hill for a couple of days, (or maybe it was a plan between the two of you so you could get some peace?) We couldn't have been all that bad to hang out with....could we??(ok..it's Tara's fault again :-)

Jeff...and not to be left out. the master chef that kept us all going strong. Without his never ending supply of culinary delights, (which I am very thankful to have been invited to share,) we might not have had the energy we did and would have had to spend alot of our time on the magic carpet...(which might not have been too bad as there is an endless supply of targets there for our team of on--snow assassins)
If you work it right, you may get some good mileage out of this'injury'.

Pat Gerrie

Wednesday Jan 20th. Chef's crossword

The Chef loves crossword puzzles - he wouldn't think much of this attempt but we had fun trying to concoct one with some of the word related to all the time and effort that went into feeding 28 of us for every meal for 4 weeks. Thanks Jeff

XC Coach's Report. By Keith

The U20 XC Skiers


Alex: Tall and strong like a Canadian Spruce, Alex’s popularity with the senior girls has grown along with his skiing confidence. He has developed a taste for skiing fast and “Terminal Velocity” is his destiny.

Sammi: Even on the coldest of days Sammi is our “Little Miss Sunshine” who has rediscovered that there is fun to be had off the groomed trails…. The reason for her feeling a little tired lately can be simply explained by the 500km she has skied over the last 3 ½ weeks.

Elli: Fastest off the blocks, Elli is like a cheetah in full flight who, if at the front of the pack, is difficult to get past. Her skiing confidence radiates like her smile and she is an integral part of the Yr 10 “Rat Pack”.

Nicola: Nicola is our chameleon who sometimes goes unnoticed until you hear her stunning singing voice while riding the chairlift. She has amazing endurance, looking just as relaxed at the end of our 54km day as she did at starting.

Anthony: Heart-throb of the younger set, “Tony” blended his natural charm with his skiing skills, mastering all sliding disciplines, even when he thinks classic technique is “crap”.

Kate: Look over your shoulder any time of the day and you are likely to see Kate right there behind you. She has all the moves, just waiting for her time to move out of your shadow. She also has a smile that melts ice!

The O20 XC Skiers

Ros J: Married to the Coach – people have high expectations and the pressure to perform is sometime daunting. The quote of the trip has been “That was the best ski ever!” Dr Ros has made the Coach very happy this trip.

Bertie: For someone who has a dislike flor Classical technique, Bertie has proved himself quite the “Marathon Man”. Upgrading to a faster pair of pants and a red jacket that gives him “master technician” appearance to rival the coach, he compliments Sammi’s style while skiing at her shoulder.

Paul O: Someone said that Paul had done a deal with Keith’s shadow – up for every task and challenge with 101 questions – turning heads with his telemarking and working hard to stay in front of Anthony for as long as he can – but not for much longer.

Ros K: Alex gets his determination from his Mum. The Physio who has kept the tired and bruised bodies on the snow. An upgrade of her equipment has transformed her into a very stylish skier.

Richenda: Is living proof that children adopt natural style and ability from their mothers. Not wanting to be left behind, Chen has moved into the fast lane on skis.

Paul H: Another of the marathon men – Paul has gone from beginner to winner – getting faster with every km x 10. Paul “H” (happy) Hesse!

Tuesday 19th January. By Mrs Stagg

As the camp heads ever faster to a conclusion it is time to reflect on this wonderful place and the friendships we have all made. It is frightening how quickly the weeks have flown past and at the weekend the girls in Room 10 were plotting how they could stay forever! I must congratulate everyone in the group for the incredible way the age groups have gelled together and had so much fun. We have laughed at each other’s mishaps and cheered on our successes. The way various people have looked after each other and helped out when the need arose is a joy to observe.

Everybody has improved their skills on the snow and their cheering for the Vernon Vipers ice hockey team was much appreciated by the locals. We certainly got into the spirit of living in this much cooler climate. We have had a couple of incidents in the last two days with the chef slipping on the ice and damaging his quad muscle and Elli meeting an unknown snowboarder as they both negotiated the trees and glades in the “poop loop”. With only a couple of days to go I am trying not to hold my breath as our great group of kids head out into the challenges of double blacks and the Terrain Park.- they love it! The group is so well behaved and sensible I know it really will be okay.

Tonight we celebrated 5 birthdays that come up in the next fortnight. Lyndy, Kate . Lucinda, Nicola and Rob. The local ice cream shop in Vernon produced an ice cream cake that is second to none and this one included a skier and snowboarder on the top.
I was a bit worried that the sparkler might set off the fire detectors but we enjoyed the delicious ccake and the rest of the sparkers out in the snow.



We have enjoyed great company, delicious food, ideal snow conditions and some superb coaching. Thank you so much to coach Keith, Robert and Pat, our hard working chef, Jeff, the two Ros’s for their medical attention and Narelle for her care of our younger group members.

To the adults who came along and the students from both schools, thank you for coming and making our trip such a happy holiday and memorable experience.
Thank you so much to all the parents who made it possible for your young people to share in this great adventure.