Snowboarding in Canberra, Australia

I. AM. COMPLETELY. SHATTERED.

My bones are broken and my butt are full of bruises. I can't feel my legs and my arms have problem moving to a 90 degree position.

And...

I couldn't stop smiling.

Canberra must be the best paradise of all the heavens I have found in Australia so far!!! Why?! Because here you find the MOST amazing ski mountain!!


5am, last Saturday. I woke up and put on my hired jacket and trousers which my cousin was so kind to treat me to,


that snow cap, was lost in the snow somewhere later that day T_T


and took my board and boots and chucked them into the black four wheel Mazda of which my cousin bought two weeks ago.

Ahh.. the smell of fresh car.

And off we went with my two adorable nephews to the alps.


They are so cute in their little red matching winter jackets >_< (hugs and kisses all over their face)


Three hours later, I saw it.




It was in the distance, but after such a long drive, I was estatic to even see the tiny magnificent rise and fall of the mountain from such a distance.


Eh... gone d? Behind the trees?


After another half an hour, it came to me in full view. And I couldn't help but to be awed. It was a grand sight, and the photo doesn't do it any justice. I need a wide angle lens SLR.




Mount Kosciuszko (pronounced as "Ko-zi-os-ko").

With a height of 2228 metres above sea level is the highest mountain in Australia. There are two main ski resorts here: Thredbo and Perisher Blue.


And the highest peak is located at Thredbo. Which is of course, where I will be doing my virgin snowboarding. *squeal like a little girl*




And ladies and gentlemen, this..

is...

Thredbo.




A one day ski lift pass would cost around AUD 97, first timer lesson an additional AUD 4, second timer and above will be an additional AUD 38. Ski or snowboard hire can be easily around AUD 60-80 for two days, so expect to take out AUD200 for a day's trip.

Not a cheap activity.

Since it was a Saturday, there were many skiers around, skiers of all ages. And I meant of ALL ages.




Guys, these are called the Milo kids (yea... hard sell isn't it?). They have been trained to ski since they were in their mother's womb.

What? Don't believe me?! I mean, Jesus Christ, some of these kids are like what? Three years old?




And they can ski better than most adults I've known! And without pole sticks!




Down the hill they followed their instructors leading in front.




In my opinon, they look like ducklings following their mom.



*Quack*

Even the boarder kids are good at what they do.


Ceh... like pro only.


Unlike this dude



muahaha! wait, I shouldn't laugh, that could be me in a bit. =_=





This is my cousin, Tween, in her skii. She's a doctor. A Gynecologist to be exact, aka she looks at pussy all day.

Don't you wish you were her. Get paid to look at pussies all day long :p

*run away from Tween*


And this...




is Brett.

My instructor. *sheepish grin*

Brett took out Mark, to teach us the ways of a snowboarder. It was so cute in a way, I couldn't stop laughing.




Like a grown man playing with dollies. :p




Btw, underneath those goggles, Brett has the most amazing blue eyes with the longest lashes. Thank god for those goggles, else there will an avalanche of ladies down those slopes.

Now first thing you learn about snowboarding is... no .. not playing with dollies... omg.. are u sick? oh sorry Brett, I wasn't talking about you :p.

The first thing you have to know is if you are a natural, or a goofy.

No, I am not calling you goofy. Basically one prefers to slide with his left foot in front, goes natural, and vice versa for goofy.




And I was a natural.


The mountain is a very sunny place, because it is so much closer to the sun, you CAN get sun burnt pretty easily, so remember to put on your sun screen lotion




and a good pair of shades, else you will blind yourself with the light refraction from the snow.
You can use ski goggle if you prefer, but I find it more cool to just use sunglass (and cheaper too!).




As I sat down on the cold icy snow like a good student attending the first timer class, my instructor gave talk as to what a snowboarder should or should not do and what were the things we should be learning in a bit.




This is me with my snowboard strapped on, ready to roll! (pun intended, yea, like roll down the hill -.-)

This is me attempting a toe slide. aka sliding backwards.




My back's not straight, eye should be focusing in front, not the ground!! Fail!!!

But after numerous falls and uncountable slips, I decided to take a break. -.-

"Parking" my board at the "parking bay", I went in to River Reek Cafe for a snack.


Can you spot my board?


After a drink and some fries, I was out to queue for the lift up the slopes. Dare devil me, muahaha!




I took a video of me taking the lift up the slope.


I think I meant to say "gunbarrel". Pardon my many fumbles, I was too cold and too excited.


Soon (as in more falls and tumbling around later), I was boarding smoothly like a pro!



Okay, by pro I mean, I can board straight down, moving left and right. That's about it. :p


Woo hoo!!! OMG... the wind in your hair, the speed, the capability to glide like the wind, it's exhilirating!!! I can't even begin to tell you how amazing this feeling is!!!

I was instantly hooked! More than diving, and mind you I love diving a lot, more than anything else in the world, I think.. curse my soul, that.. I have just found another hobby.

Another expensive hobby. SHIT!

First it was travel, then it was diving, then it was wine, now it's snowboarding.

Something's terribly wrong with me, I should stop discovering new expensive hobby, this is killing my pocket. -.-

Oh, and you know. At the end of the day,




I realised that I'm a goofy boarder. -.-


ps// I loved it so much, despite my pain and soreness, I went back to Thredbo three days later. -.-