After a week in Vancouver I packed myself off to do some skiing at Mt Whistler and Blackcomb. I'd been warned about the tacky village and the "sky-high" prices, but thought that it was reasonably restrained and worked in well with the landscape. Canada seems completely driven by credit cards. They wouldn't take cash for ski hire, only my credit card, and it was the same story for much of my travels. Although the ski ticket and ski rental cost me around $140 Canadian dollars, I was able to cut costs by staying at a youth hostel out by a frozen lake close by. I really recommend the experience to anyone.

It certainly doesn't look too steep judging from this shot, but don't be deceived. There were some harrowing ski courses with sheer drops over the side and not one piece of netting to break the fall. Skiing in Korea was a very tame affair compared to this, but what an adrenaline rush!

The views from near the peak were stunning and I found myself constantly stopping to take photos while my fingers slowly froze to death along with the camera batteries.

That duck-feather "astronaut suit" as one friend likes to call it came in very handy up at the summit where morning temperatures were a brisk -18 degrees.

Hi guys! Just want to let some of you know that yes, I am back on campus and not in Canada still, but let's just pretend the dates are in February rather than March/April because I was wanting to have more fun travelling than sitting around in Vancouver's Internet cafes all day downloading/uploading photos. This is a shot of the suspension bridge at Capilano gorge, which has been in operation for well over a hundred years. It not only leads across the ravine but extends into a tree-top network of bridges for closer study of the immense pine trees in this area. Stunning place! Shame about the hordes of tourist buses, but then, who am I to talk...

That bridge sure can sway and buck when you've got tourists trapsing all over it, and it is a long way down into that SHALLOW river stream.

The usual ugly mug.