Maui Ski Bus

At Mt. Baldy anyone can challenge a ski patrol. Pick Stevely, win 0, lose all by fall

Detours. Unplanned changes. A wrong turn. A missed appointment. Being stood up. Not what you expect. Dis-appointments. It not the same. All are actions to have re-actions. Is the weather ever one of the above? Such as “bad weather?’. What is bad weather? A hurricane force wind that carves sandstone canyon walls to a razor edge beauty? Frozen water of an endless variation of snowflakes falling onto your road ahead? Rain coming down cats and dogs on a picnic being invaded by ants? Perfect is a word that needs to be in a safety deposit box, only to be withdrawn to describe the weather. The eather is always perfect, it is only how we react to it. A detour was to be had by MauiSkiBus, a detour that was knocking on the security door of that safety deposit box.

Pride of their hairless hill, their hill being watched as far away as Europe, a hill with love from the ones that glide down these slopes year after year. For what two days will cost some, a year can be had here, on the the bald slopes of this mountain hill. Arriving un-announced, MauiSkiBus did a greeting with Aloha and smiles were to be seen by these skiers, these nutty ones driving up to the mountain of bald.

Matt, GM of the Bald Mountain, made sure MauiSkiBus was treated as a diplomat with a premier parking spot. Ski patrol here were nowhere to be found, at least that is, in their huts. Fun; “I’m gonna beat you”, races were staffed by the patrol, inviting all to partake.

Franklin played tug-o-war with someone his own size at Mt. Baldy, BC.

www.skibaldy.com

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Finally it hit MauiSkiBus. That thing, that thing when one is gone away from home for an extended period. OK. Homesick. It all of a sudden happened while reading a trail map. Why did they have to name one of the four sides of this ski resort Paradise? Perfect tropical breezes, the sound of waves lapping on the beach, humpbacks whales playing in the foreground, while a blazing reddish orange sun sets far away on the distant horizon. Maui, No Ka Oi in Hawaiian, which means, “the best”, an island in the real paradise, far over the see from something else without the red sun but with the white snow on top of the red.

Canada has BC, and BC has Rossland, and Rossland had GOLD, now it has Red Mtn.

British Columbia has some really fantastic ski areas and one has a big gold money history. What it doesn’t have is an abundance of people in the area and that means slopes above the gold mine shafts that one can easy “derhs der” or “shred red”. See it? Or is it the thought of undiscovered gold under your skis that you see. Get the red out of your eyes by looking up to Red Mountain, BC., just around the wild corner of Rossland, a ski town that doesn’t sleep.

The gold under Red Mt. is not a gem but Red Mt.'s Jodie was showing MauiSkiBus around.

Mek ahh, soft as soft spoken, shared time with MauiSkiBus and we met Jodie, a gem of a ski bunny, to shred red on the golden Mountian of Red. A Gathering was there, in that ski town of no sleep, at an 1898 hall miners built, where the famous of today will have photos live forever.

MauiSkiBus had an invitation of honor by Mika{Mek ahh} to attend the 4th annual Gathering, a show of photos and video on the now best in the world. Fun times were had and two plus am was seen on the watch. A detour for the next day was a must and Red Mountain, Rossland, BC., was history at #82.

www.reresort.com

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Got a problem here with too much snow.

Excessive intake of dead food can lead to many health issues and it seemd that more and more people are realizing this. MauiSkiBus endorses “Meat-less Mondays” and “Soda-less Saturdays” Just trying to avoid on these two seperate days can make a big differance in one’s haelth and weight. What about water, can it be dead?

Water that sits too long goes from an alkline state into an acid state. Water departments all over the USA/Canada know this an add lye{Sodium Hydroxide} to drinking water to maintain an alkaline state. Google lye or sodium hydroxide and read for yourself. Water from a running stream in the mountains is alive. Water that sits in a bottle on a shelf is dead.

The water of the color white is so alive, so natural in its white form falling from the skies. Centimeters turn to inches and feet turn to meters. When does a resort get too much snow? Most will say NEVER! Those that have to plow and shovel will say different. What of those that have to dig out under chairs on the lifts or the base of the lift towers themselves? Shoveling to the right or left is the norm, shoveling snow up ten feet is not the norm.

MauiSkiBus arrived at this weiss aqua ski resort at night, driving up the access road that had snowbanks as high as the dance floor on MauiSkiBus. Upon a morning wake-up by curious early morning workers, the real amount of snow was to be seen. frozen aqua that is weiss means water that is white. Far away, down that access road, a third of a Nelson was mustering to enjoy the delights of the Whitewater Ski Area.

MauiSkiBus has new pals at Whitewater, BC.

MauiSkiBus had meet a Hawaiian born lady on the free ferry across Arrow Lake and two paths were to cross. Leilani was the name, the name mening “rose from heaven” and Lia was preferred, so a day at Whitewater was to be shared. Miss Anna and slope rippin’ Kirk, made sure that a tour was to had of Whitewater via a lad named TJ and his hapai{pregnant of 7 months} Mrs. Britanny. Laughs and smiles equal to the snowflakes on the slopes were to be had. Whitewater can deliver water that is alive, that is fresh, that is all alkaline. Live well, live Aloha.

www.skiwhitewater.com

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MauiSkiBus route through Canada out of Golden, British Columbia went through the Rogers Pass  with a height a little over 4,000 feet high. To Colorado standards, this is not a pass, it does not even register as anything, as numerous passes in Colorado are over 10,000 feet. However, Rogers Pass, was the most dangerous pass MauiSkiBus has driven. Holes in the road are everywhere, that even a dreaded chuckhole seems small. Trying avoid them is not as easy as it seems, as the road is two lanes, and the semi-truck drivers never passed road tests. MauiSkiBus drove this pass at 1:00am, with Gykaiya sitting in the front seat scanning the road for deer.

This day was to turn out to be a day for two dogs.

MauiSkiBus had to pass by a resort, and pass by it did.{See previous} Out of this town MauiSkiBus went and around a soft bend was a nordic ski center, named Mt. McPherson. Upon pulling into the parking lot, the thought of the passed un-Aloha alpine resort passed away. A an Aloha giving Romanian welcomed MauiSkiBus to his little gem of a location under the towering peak of Mt. McPherson. This unplanned switch of ski resrots turned out to be a day for the dogs, as they were allowed to do waht dogs love best, and run and smell and snif and leave their own doggies scents all over the surrounding woods.

Gykaiya wanted to get the marmot so bad.

Thanks is given to Mt. McPherson Nordic Center from the two four legged dogs of MauiSkiBus.

Mt. McPherson Nordic Center 1-800-487-1493

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An awesome snow bridge at MT. Mc Pherson Nordic.

MauiSkiBus had on its schedule a ski resort that is #1 on the list. The title of the list, “WHAT IS THIS?”. This resort is not as big as Vail, Aspen, Park City, Mammoth, Squaw, or Whistler and they have this form to be filled out. Like what? The previous resorts were easy to work with and MauiSkiBus has them on the list of 100. During spring break the slopes were empty and the hotel was at 36% occupancy. Get “under the bus”, unstoked rebel.

Click this to open RMR_2011-12 Media Visit Form

Tis’ a rough tough life, of toil and strife, we whalermen undergo,

And we don’t give a damn, when the gale is done, how hard the winds did blow,

For we’re homeward bound, from the Artic grounds, with a good ship taught and free

And we won’t give a damn when we drink our rum with the girls of ole’ Mowee

Rolling down to ole’ Mowee, me boys, rolling down to ole’ Mowee

We’re homeward bound, from the Artic grounds, rollin’ down to ole’ Mowee

“Get along lil’ doggies, get along, for I sit high on this stallion, awatching you,

Get along lil’ doggies, get along, for I no like this stallion to be akicking.”

The whalers of the past decimated the Pacific whale population in just a decade during the 1860′s. Maui was the winter port they used to escape the same winter storms that modern day skiers wish for. The above lyrics are from a song describing their anticipation to arriving in Lahaina, Maui. The last two sentences describe a resort at the end of the seventys for MauiSkiBus.com.

Did the Kicking Horse powder stallion buck off these riders?

The Powder Highway is a circle route of ski resorts in the up and coming international ski destination in British Columbia. Many of the ski resorts here have names that are not as well known as the great ski resorts of Europe and the USA West. This herd of newer resorts has a stallion, one that doesn’t buck, but has hooves that kick, kicking hooves that reach to the skies, releasing buckets full of powder.

RCR, Resorts of the Canadian Rockies, represents this stallion with those hooves that kick, a fine speciman of a ski resort, on this golden highway of powder. The rider to tame and direct this kicking stallion, a stellar star of RCR, Magic Matt, made sure that MauiSkiBus.com was set-up right for the visit to this horse, with kicking hooves of powder. Add in a bronco rider, Eric, a fit lass in blue jeans, Miss Jess, and Kicking Horse, British Columbia, will rise, rise high, closer to those buckets of snow powder.

Robert Plant can sing this song and Claire can plant and ski this song.

MauiSkiBus.com did a visit to the ski patrol at the top of the gondola, shared ski stories, and was invited by the sweetest ski voiced lady, Bianca, to hike with her and Matt, to the Ter Mi Na Tor Sum Mit One, to drop into to some fresh untrack powder, delivered by that kicking horse. A top to bottom ski run was to begin, MauiSkiBus.com having thighs asking why? This is Kicking Horse, beware of those top to bottom runs, beware of that stallion, that stallion that will kick your @$$!

www.kickinghorseresort.com

Need a bunk and a cup of cowboy coffee? www.dreamcatcherhostel.com

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One of the things that is said about one’s eyes, is that they are they “Gateway to one’s soul”.  Actually, the iris, the colored part of all eyes, are nerve endings, making the eye a nerve organ. Google “iridology” and you can learn more about the iris and the nerve endings that can assist in indicating ones health. That is from the inside out health state and there is from the outside in health state. Bilboard signs along highwys can be eye pollution. In Montana, beauty is everywhere and so it seems in some areas those billboards. In Calgary there are hidous neon signs everywhere. What is actually a nice looking city looses it’s nice rating to a city with eye pollution signs.

In the spring exchange rock with bear.

A perfect s or e eye medication would be drive through Banff, Alberta. Offer to let the passenger drive, as the passenger will recieve a bounty of medication, medication for s or e eyes that go from the out to in. Peaks of mountain delights align the drive on lefts and rights, as if placed for a flexible neck. In to this park will be equal to the out, add to the medication with some Louie Armstrong, placing an s for the right note.

MauiSkiBus recieved a very warm welcome at Lake Louise, AB. with flying colors.

Somewhere a lake is present here, hidden in winter under layers of fine white snow, exposed in summer to show those glistening peaks twice. See the medication working, see the s or e gone, gone to be added together for the Lake of Louise, the female eye nurse, in the heart of the Banff wilderness. Eye nurse Louise will tease you with not one, or two ski choices, but three peaks of visual pleasure. Drop into bowls eyes wide open, eyes recieving delightful medicated pleasure, sending waves of delight through those nerve endings.

Lake Louise has a class, a European class deserving of the early November downhill races, famous for early season tense nerves. White falls from the heavens here, covering the canverns of sleeping grizzlies, under the rocks in the garden, the garden of rocks over the peak and out back. There happens to be some sand in the lodge, so be sure to find him, be sure it is after closing, as this sand demands one to ski, to see what nurse Louise has for all, the perfect visual eye medication for those sore eyes.

A European ski vacation will burn your wallet, but not at Lake Louise, AB.

Northern lights can be seen from here

On the peak, one looks down at unskiable slopes to this resort

Remembering days of skiing here before Black Tues.

Qualifies as the resort from the Gatsby Era

Under a full moon, the surrounding peaks seem ready to touch you.

Assured that children will never get bored here

Yes, it is the oldest ski hill in North America

The town of Banff, Alberta, Canada, North America, is to many, such a far distance away. If you can call 75 minutes from a major airport far, you be right. The scenic sights that surround Banff are more than scenic, they are actually set in a park, not like a park with a swing set, but a park with a wild everything. Peaks that cut into the pure blue sky with razor edges. Eyes wide open around every corner for some wild animal, even in the heart of Banff. Ice waterfalls, frozen down sheer steeps faces of the rock formations. And then there is the grand daddy ski resort, just a step away to the north.

Team MauiSkiBus Norquay

This ski slope can be called the ancients of ancients. Like 1926. It can also be called one for the youth. Like a tubing merry-go-round. A simple swing set set in the soft snow. Tubing park for the lil’ dudes n dudettes. Mogul run for the same. Cross country is here too. Wanna jump high with a soft landing? That is here too. Races. Yep, that too. Fictional animals to hide from? That is right around the corner.

Time slipped away here by that view.

Banff has two top of the line world famous ski resorts. Mt. Norquay is not a resort. It is a class act local ski slope, dating back to a time before the Great Depression. Drop those little bugga’s off at the bottom and take a chair lift ride up and do not look down or behind you. Wait until you get to the top, drop your ski tips back on the snow, turn to your left, and look at that view. Just try to remember that you came here to ski, as that view back down to Banff, will set you in a hypnotic state, and you came to the top to ski, not sightsee. Give the grandaddy of ski resorts, Mt. Norquay, Alberta, a chance. The old dude will deliver.

The challenge here is to not turn around until you get to the top.

Ski resorts have many workers that come from foreign countries for the season. In most of the larger ski resorts in the USA, it seemd to MauiSkiBus that many were from South America. North of the border, in Canada, Australia and England are the top spots, as they are all part of the British Crown. Since England has a new princess, more than likely the future queen, a royal change may happen in their lifetime. Being born into royalty doesn’t necessaryly give one class, but royal class was given to MauiSkiBus by a Brit lad, from an island nation where the sun never sets on the English Empire.

Blue and Gold, Go Michigan!

A Tessa. Never met her. Spoke once on the phone. Have no idea whether young or older. Hair color? Eye color? Doesn’t matter. What matters is her marketing performance representing the Big 3, three ski resorts in the heart of Banff, in the heart of wild steep mountains. MauiSkiBus arrived late at night and had an appointment with a guide that Tessa set-up at 9am. Guide named Jimmy, was right on time, and the sleeep was still frozen in the eyes of MauiSkiBus. With a wipe away, a visit from Calgary by a pro tri-athlete named Vine, the trio, Royal Jimmy, Sleepy Maui, and Tri-Vine, set out for a ski rise on the slopes of the sun.

A natural Pine Tree Lodge on the slopes of Goat's Eye, Sunrise, Alberta.

Banff has many gems and this ski resort gem is called Sunrise. Upon arrival, one may observe the busy base, which is not the  heart. A tram ride away delivers all to the Sunrise Village, high up the slopes from the base, with higher slopes above, seemingly touching the sun. A get away from it all can be had here, lodging, medics, stores, food for all, animals that once roamed, are now on display. Perfect spot for the no-skier to observe to s busy skiers in the day and the peace of being on a  mountain at night.

In 1997, I solo windsurfed from LA to Maui{www.toursmaui.com} and for a few days, half of the time I had no horizon, only 25 foot ocean waves. One set of 20 foot waves was coming from the north and the other set of 20 foot waves were coming from the southest. When they came together, they went straight up 25 feet. At this high point my horizon was vast, at least 10-12 miles. When they seperated, I went down 25 feet and my horizon was only water. Dark dark blue, open ocean water, maybe 15,000 feet deep. A few seconds later, it was back up 25 feet, to the zenith of these combining waves, miles and miles of horizon to view. Then back down to the nadir of the seperated waves, the horizon just that almost blue black. I never had that again and I could sail a thousand mikes and never see it again. How about seeing a thousand ski peaks from one spot?

It seems as if MauiSkiBus spends a lot of time on the backside of these signs.

One resort on MauiSkiBus.com list has been on my list to ski for over 15 years. It now has the honor to be #75, three quarters of the way to the goal of 100. Not there yet, not even close, as it is one turn at a time, one slope at a time, and one resort at a time. Pitter patter was heard often on the drive to this resort, as deer and elk were a constant sight. A seemingly untouched area was confirmed with the nearby heli-ski operation, rotors creating thud thud sounds echoing off of the 1300 meter vertical. Common tracks were that of the local moose, not of locals, eroding powder lines that were there for the taking, down steep ridges, through open glades, and for those that dared, tight trees turns.

Never know what may show up on the ski resort. Would rather have a ski bunny!

Welcome was what a welcome should be, the RamaBama Chris, a step in for the sorely missed sip of  Brandi, and MauiSkiBus.com was on its way up, up, up and away, to a summit peak with a BBQ smell. Time not for the roast, a decision had to be made, venture to the Trigger near the Gunbarrel, have a sip of Mocha while watching Orca’s, follow bunnies down Tight Spots, or do the Thousand Peaks, a view to count many. Pan around, and the o of the ram, a wrong turn will lead you to the same, a line of your own. This is just the start of the choices Panorama will deliver to awaiting thigh lactic acid build-up, a searing lung burn, and a rapid heart rate. Smile. Await no longer. The line that you take down will be longer than the line that you take up to do it again. Just bypass, as hard as it smells so good, as hard as you know it will taste, to bypass that Summit BBQ. This aroma challenge is hard to get by, but once you slide down into the Tayton Bowl of your own snow soup, you’ll get to return to that BBQ smell at the top.

MauiSkiBus.com visited Panorama during the International Para-Olympic World Championships, athletes that do not know how to spell the word can’t. Speed is their thing and the multitude of differnt languages being spoken here, gave MauiSkiBus.com a feel of beilg in Europe. Hmmm, MauiSkiBusTwo.com, 100 reosrts in Europe?

Awesome to see all the awesome Para-Olympians at their World Championships

www.panoramaresort.com

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