Ferda Girls

October 19, 2017October 19, 20171 Comment

Oh my god I love bikes. Like, a ridiculous amount. Like, silly giggling when I hit jumps and land them smoothly.

I smile when I load my bike onto the lift and sit down on the chair, ready to “climb” the mountain.
I laugh out loud when Katie cracks a joke, breaking any nervous tension our group may have.
I cheer when Bee conquers her latest obstacle without falling.
I beam when I watch Dani head into any technical trail, without fear.
I grin when Mel hits the trail C-more and enjoys it, breaking through her mental block.

These four girls have changed the way I feel about riding. I have fallen so deeply in love with it and them this year, and for that I am so goddam happy that I made the decision to stay in Whistler.

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I can’t speak highly enough about the Women’s Night program that Whistler Bike Park has established. Giving girls all over the world (locals and visitors alike) a chance to be coached through some of the biggest and best trails of the world is something incredible. We also get to team up with the girls at the same level and feel comfortable in each lesson, which helps a great deal.

To our coach, Jeremy, I am so stoked I forced myself into your group. You taught me confidence, which has changed everything about the way I ride. I have managed to get myself down some trails that I would have never imagined I could a year ago. Not only do I make it down, I do it well and I have a damn good time doing it.

This year, thanks to Jer and these amazing gals, I accomplished my season goals – hitting A-Line and making our way down Top of the World. TOTW was something else, a 5,000ft descent from the peak of Whistler Mountain with any kind of trail you could imagine included.

On nights when we couldn’t make it to the park, we still got together for shenanigans. Trail riding, frisbee golf, drinks and figuring out the Escape Room are extracurricular activities we also enjoy… in case you were wondering.

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The banter, the laughter, the jokes, the snack stops, the adoration and joy in this group is something I’ll always remember from summer ’17. Bring on next year!

Love you crazy kids, my silly sock wearing team.
Hanbel.
x

10 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy About Summer

September 14, 2017Leave a comment

THE BIKE PARK, I can’t even begin to tell you how good this season has been. (But I will, stay tuned)
Samurai sushi take out, eaten by the lake, talking until the mosquitos eat us alive.
Pinafores!
Sitting on balconies, listening to Henri’s tunes and drinking wine with the best roommates.
Swimming in lakes of varying temperatures (glacier water is damn cold people!)
Warm evenings sitting at Tapleys patio, before hectic nights out.
Dancing. So much dancing! (In clubs, at work, at home, walking down the street)
Riding into work as the sun rises over the mountains.
Giggling with Sybil and we slowly die of heatstroke in the Penthouse Sweatbox
The people. My summer people made it so much better than I ever thought it could be.

Hanbel.
x

Summertime, and the Livin’s Easy

July 17, 2017Leave a comment

My summer, so far, includes but is not limited to the following:

Trail riding in Squamish,

spotting bears in the bike park,

paddling canoes around our lake, beers and babes in tow,

watching the sun set at 10pm,

going on a free RZR tour adventure,

hiking Joffre lakes, and being pleasantly surprised at our fitness levels,

stopping off on the way home to pick a couple of strawberries,

cheering on my best mate Henri, as she SMASHED her half marathon in 1 hour, 37 minutes,

adventuring every Wednesday with Bec and Vanessa (this week took us to Cheakamus lake),

catching a movie, under the stars, between the mountains, with the cutest housemates in the world,

and basically having this dopey smile on my face.. every damn day.

LIFE IS SO GOOD.

Happy days,
Hanbel.
x

All the Things

April 20, 2017April 20, 20172 Comments

Alrighty-roo, it’s catch up time!

The last month has been busy, full of activities, events and work shenanigans.

So here’s what my March and April have looked like:

WEDDING TIME
Celebrating our boss’ wedding at Nita Lake Lodge, with photo booths, plenty of dancing and all the wine. It was a fun time…

BLUEBIRD DAYS
These have been far and few between, so when one falls on your weekend, you take as many photos as possible. Oh, glorious Whistler!

THESE GIRLS!
Having awesome gals to ride with makes life so much better, it’s been the best couple of months sharing the hill with these babes.

KONGA
Classes have started up again, and I still have to advertise like crazy and build a following, but I’m having fun in the process. Plus, when the view from the room is this good and the tunes are loud, life is good!

BAKERY LIFE
I still love this job, even on the difficult days. Easter weekend hit us hard, but with such a good team it was super fun! This week we have four favourites leaving us, and it’s making my heart very sad. This town sucks sometimes, no one sticks around for too long. On the plus side, this means I have people around the world to visit!

Not pictured: lots of wine-based after work activities, getting my bike back out and riding to work most days, learning to read bus timetables again, walking to work when the sun is shining and all of the spring/summer anticipation.

The snow is melting, the sun has been making more frequent appearances and we can now stay outside for longer than 10 minutes at a time. There’s a lot to look forward to in Whistler, and I’m so happy to be here 🙂

Have a lovely week kiddos,
Hanbel
x

L’abbiamo Rotto

April 16, 20171 Comment

I’ve been off the grid for a little while now, I apologise.

The last three weeks have definitely been up there with some of the weirdest ones to experience. I’m hoping you all know by now, I’d hate for you to find out through this blog. At the same time though, I’m sick of retelling the same story. Not because it causes a great deal of pain, I’m just not a fan of repetition. I hated coming home (not really mum!) last year because of how many questions I had to answer… over and over again.

I’m not going into details, out of respect for the other person involved in this situation. So yes, I will be vague as hell and probably frustrate you, but I guess if we’re friends then you can just ask me anything anyway. Or… you already know every detail better than I do.

The simple fact of the matter is that this blog has always been an outlet. Something similar to a diary, where I can write things down and somehow ease my mind a little.

I’m good guys. I promise. A loss is loss, but this one feels very undramatic and natural. Whistler is also a great place to go through these things, there are so many distractions. Plus, the sun is starting to reappear and promises of summer are peering through the clouds. Being away from home makes things harder, but also a million times easier – if that makes any sense. I’m actually glad to be away from all things familiar, and to just get on with life. It might hit me like a tonne of bricks later on, but so far… it’s all good.

So I guess the point of this post is to say, don’t worry. Whistler has my back. I obviously can only speak for myself now but I think it’s all going to be okay. I love you all, and all the love I’ve been getting – keep it coming, for both of us.

Much love,
Hanbel.
x

The World of Hanbel

Working on Living that Dream