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

10 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy About Summer

September 1, 2016Leave a comment

Canadian edition, as my seasons this year have been all over the place. But, nevertheless..

Learning how beautiful lakes are, particularly glacier fed ones.
Riding bikes, all day erry day. Anywhere and everywhere!
Every weekend brings a new event to Whistler, from Crankworx to Wanderlust to the free outdoor concert series
Smoothies and overnight oats for breakfast
Grabbing the most delicious and healthy pad thai from the Farmers Markets
The sun staying up until late, giving us long days to fill with activities
Temperatures never reaching above 32 degrees
Cider and beer on our front porch
Menchies frozen yoghurt (I found a Tutti Frutti replacement, hallelujah!)
Denim shorts and a singlet is considered appropriate attire almost everywhere in town

Thanks for an awesome summer Whistler, looking forward to next year already.
Hanbel
x

Canada Eh

May 18, 2016May 18, 20167 Comments

You have reached your final destination.

Cannot begin to tell you how incredible that sentence is. Not that we were travelling for that long, but it does make a big difference when you finally arrive in the country you plan on living in.

We hit Van City on Thursday, and headed to Kitslano to crash at our friend Carla’s spot. Kits is a suuuuuper cute area to stay in, right on the “beach” (I use this term loosely), nice little strip of shops and cafes, and only a 5km walk into Downtown.

The main purpose for hitting up Vancouver was to get the admin side of life sorted, which we smashed out in half a day! We got our Social Insurance Number plus great deals on a sim card and bank account (Virgin Mobile and CIBC if you’re wondering). The banking system is so backwards here, they still use cheques, have only just begun using internet banking and most of the bank will charge you for internet transactions.

Once we finished the boring things, we took advantage of the sunshine and hit up Stanley Park. After the longest wait for an average burger (there are always downsides to travel), we grabbed some bikes and road the seawall.

The ride was so flat and the bikes were amazing to ride, 14km went by so quickly.

This cool kid.

The sunshine continued through Saturday, and with Carla not working we had a buddy! With a car!
After an amazing brunch (following from Perth traditions) at The Oakwood, Carla drove us all out to Lynn Canyon to walk around the falls and NATURE.

Doing this little walk has gotten me so excited for living in Whistler, hiking and riding every day!

Rewarding ourselves with ice cream, naturally…

Our little group headed into Gastown in the evening, for drinks and dinner. I managed the dinner portion before taking myself home with a mother flippin’ cold. NOT HAPPY.
Gastown is very cute though, old school-style gaslamps on the streets, cool little restaurants and bars down alley-ways. I hope the others enjoyed it to it’s fullest!

We took Sunday a little easier (easy like a Sunday morning, some would say) due to my stupid sickness. Not wanting to waste the whole day though, we did a quick visit to Granville Island for chicken noodle soup and pot pies.

The markets are gorgeous, full of fresh fruit and vegetables. We, however, were drawn to a different kind of dessert;

We had to try a maple donut in Canada 😉

After this I basically retreated to the couch for the rest of the day, but we did manage to watch Eurovision and laugh uncontrollably at the outrageousness. This made me feel a little better 🙂

Hi Canada! I like you, I think we’ll stay.

Hanbel.
x

I Want to Ride My Bicycle

October 8, 2015Leave a comment

I want to ride my bike. (You just sung that a little, didn’t you?)
Just as I was last night, in anticipation of my weekly ride into work.

I’m growing to absolutely love these rides into work, even if they’re not the most strenuous or exhilarating.
It’s a perfect way to slide into the second half of the week, and changes up my routine of catching the bus every damn day.

With the weather getting warmer the sun is shining, birds are chirping, flowers blooming and all similar clichés. But it’s so lovely!

I ride through the burbs, past the white picket fences and gorgeous red bricked houses. I pass cafes smelling of bacon and freshly made bread.

I love riding through Northbridge at 6:30am; when there are barely any cars on the road, the hipsters are just opening their coffee shops and the air is so clean. The Vietnamese bakeries have been busy, I get a huge waft of their sugary baked goods.

From there it’s an easy coast into the office, where I’m one of the first few to get in and can start the day fresh and revived.

Happy Thursday, you crazy kids.

Hanbel.
x

The World of Hanbel

Working on Living that Dream

Tag: riding

Ferda Girls

10 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy About Summer

10 Things That Make Me Terribly Happy About Summer

Canada Eh

I Want to Ride My Bicycle