Jasper in January 2020

"Skating" on Pyramid Lake

My friend Cheryl used to tell me that a tradition began once you did something 3 times. We are now two-thirds of the way to making our ski trip to Jasper in January a tradition.

I didn't take as many photos this year as I did on our inaugural trip in 2019 (here). Mostly because it was so flippin' cold. We'd been experiencing -30 to 40 degrees C in Alberta for the few weeks prior to this trip. And while the temperature was on the rise that weekend, it was still very cold and windy on the mountain. Removing my mitten to take a photo was beyond anything I wanted to be doing that day!

We tried to go skating on Pyramid Lake on Sunday morning, but thanks to the cold temps we don't think they had cleared or maintained it for some time. So we struggled through the snow and over the bumps for one lap and called it quits. Traditions don't have to be perfect every year. That's what makes trips like these more fun!

No fear Lucas went down a Black Diamond run by accident and had a good laugh about it

LOGISTICS
I'm trying to think of what kind of information I would find helpful if planning this trip again for the first time. That way I could include it here. I don't do anything special, or get any fabulous hidden deals. And I don't really have any secret tips to share.

I will say that I have stayed in many hotels in the town of Jasper over the years, and I was really impressed with Mount Robson on our recent stay. They were the best price for the weekend, but they also offer a free breakfast and recently renovated rooms. We were put in the pet room, which worried me at first. But it turned out to be a huge asset! We were tucked away in the corner of the ground floor and our room was huge! And no carpet! (I think hotel room carpet is the grossest thing ever).

The breakfast room also shows sign of a recent renovation. We took full advantage of their free breakfast that I'm going to call "Continental Plus". They offered the standard cold items like yogurt, fruit, cereal, pastries. But they also had a few very tasty hot items! Egg and sausage patties were staples. And they served swirly french toast on Saturday and poffertjes on Sunday. The space was very clean, and they had staff on hand to refresh breakfast items and clean up after guests.

In the chalet at Marmot Basin for an afternoon snack and warm-up

PRIVILEGE
Downhill skiing is expensive. And going on a ski trip is even more so. I consider myself so lucky that I am able to share this experience with Lucas, but I also am aware that so many more people are not able to experience it. This is something that I want to continue doing with him, but I am also considering how I can make it more accessible for us and for others. We rent our skis from a local shop (literally up the street), and would buy equipment second hand if necessary. I don't know how I would enable access for more people to ski - or even if that's a thing people want - but I'm putting it out there in the world and will see what comes back from it. A big part of privilege is in recognizing that you have it, and spreading that around to others who share your privilege.

Family selfie on the hill

BELONGING
Despite this privilege, I also recognize that I don't fit in with the typical impression of a downhill skier. I don't have a snazzy ski suit or expensive goggles. All of my equipment from my poles to my helmet are rentals. And at first glance I don't appear athletic. Oh, and I'm hella slow. But I am determined to use my other privileges to help carve a space for me on the hill. Because I just love it so dang much.


FURTHER READING
My family has been traveling to Jasper National Park since before I was born. And I have been documenting my trips in many ways, for many years. You can find all of my Jasper-related blog posts here.

I rent equipment for Lucas and I from Totem Outfitters in Edmonton. Highly recommend.

I've been doing some "research" on the history of the land and the Park, and will be sharing my thoughts in an Instagram story soon. In the meantime you too can read up on some of the racist, anti-Indigenous history of Jasper and the Parks system at these links:
The Shady Past of Parks Canada: Forced out, indigenous people are making a comeback by Graeme Hamilton (National Post, 2017)
Nations of Jasper welcomed back to the Park (Fitzhugh, 2012)
Hunting in Jasper - Reconciling the National Park Idea by Kevin van Tighem (Alberta Views, 2018)
Jasper National Park - The Canadian Encyclopedia
Aseniwuche Winewak Nation
Five National Parks that honour First Nations by Hans Tammemagi (Tyee, 2012)

xo
Lisa

Jasper in January

One of my January Goals was to "Feel Joy and to Feel Challenged and go on a winter (ski) adventure in Jasper". In fact, it's been a long dream to go to "Jasper in January" with my little family, and this past month we finally did it!

I started to write out a big long post about the planning, and all the little (mundane) details, but I think I'm going to keep it short and sweet, and let the photos do most of the talking.

We spent as many hours as we could at Marmot Basin, arriving shortly after the hill opened for the day, and sliding off to our car just before the lifts closed. It was so challenging, and magnificent. I was stressed and anxious for about a minute, and then I was just so dang full of JOY for the rest of the day.

Lucas had a few tumbles, but he is not afraid, and picked himself right back up and kept going. I was so proud of him, to see how confident he was and especially when he told us how happy he felt to be on this big adventure together.

My anxiety hit a major peak right when it came time to put my skis on for the first time and go from the parking lot to the bottom of the hill. My whole blooded felt flooded with too many emotions I couldn't properly understand or manage. But I had my calm guys with me, and to say I was 100% pumped when I made it down the first run in one piece is an understatement.

Something that wasn't part of the goal, but a major dream come true nonetheless, was skating on Pyramid Lake. This lake forms a huge part of my memory, but we usually are here in the summer. To actually get to skate on it in the winter!! FAVOURITE MEMORY ALERT! You could not have wiped the giant goofy grin off of my face. 

I mean, look at how beautiful it is here! We are so (so so so so) lucky to live with this in our backyard and to be able to easily access it. I cannot even begin to express my gratitude that this is what my life looks like some days.

Dude is a much more confident (and happy) skier than skater, but he tried and that's what counts for me.

We had the best time and I can't wait to go back!

Winter Adventures in Jasper National Park from Lisa Kercher on Vimeo.

FURTHER READING
My family has been traveling to Jasper National Park since before I was born. And I have been blogging about Jasper for many years as well. All of my Jasper-related posts can be found here.

xo

In Edmonton We Go Tobogganing

In Canada we use a lot of First Nations and Inuit words for things, and they just sort of become part of the lexicon...and confuse folks from other countries. Which is why in Edmonton where I'm from we call sledding "tobogganing". I looked up the official Wikipedia entry for "toboggan" and found the following:

It goes on to read: "In modern times, it is used on snow to carry one or more people (often children) down a hill or other slope for recreation." And that, my Friends, is the type of toboggan we're chatting about today.

Lucas & I "crashed" a reunion between the McGarveys and some school friends at a local hill after school one day. There were four Moms (Amy and her PTA buddies), one Dad (Sean), and 10-ish kids. These photos were taken from about 4:00 to 5:00 pm. It gives you an idea of when - and how fast - the sun goes down up here in December!

We've had some weather this December, let me tell you. Snow, wind, rain, warm, cold, colder. Which makes for some dang treacherous conditions on the hill. That is, it was sheer ice. The kids figured out within 0.7 seconds that it was more fun to slide down directly on their bums - or bellies - and forgo the sleds altogether. The adults got in on the action as well, but we prefer to stick to the sleds as we take longer to recover from injury now!

The highlight of the hill was the jump someone had created probably closer to the beginning of the season as it was super sturdy...and also icy as heck. The kids started out by sliding down one at a time on their sleds, then on their bodies, and then once the littlest kids left it was a free-for-all dog pile at the bottom. We only lost one kid to an injury, so that's pretty good!

Now, this is a pretty basic neighbourhood hill, and while there are loads of amazing hills in Edmonton (check our "Further Reading" below), sometimes sticking close to home is the best.

Photos taken at Daly Grove Elementary School, Edmonton
Monday, December 17, 2018

FURTHER READING
The wikipedia article for toboggan is amusing, but incomplete and suffering from the erasure of Indigenous culture and history.
If your're looking for some tobogganing opportunities in the Edmonton area, here is Raising Edmonton's list of best hills.
And here is the list of City-operated hills

More Sledding!

I love sledding! It's my favourite winter activity. And if you've read this blog at all, you would have learned that by now. Russel decided to join Dude & I on the hill last Saturday, and we found some other kids up there to play with.

We were initially happy with just going down the hill all normal-like, but then Russ brought out the shovel, a jug of water and our snow paints and we made an awesome jump!

It was a sweet jump! Lots of air to be had...and no injuries!

Smiles all around! That's what I like to see...

What's been keeping you busy this winter?

later loves

Happy New Year!

later loves

It's Damn Cold Out!

The thermostat before Dude & I left for school this morning. My Instagram caption was: "I'm thinking positive...because I remember days when the red disappeared altogether!" And I do! It was a cold drive to school, but I am grateful we can drive and not have to walk in this cold. Dude ran from the car to the door and banged and banged until someone let him in. They don't have outdoor recess when it's this cold, so I'm hoping he gets to do something fun again, like blow things up in the computer lab again...don't ask!

And now I sit in my sort of warm home, drinking coffee and blogging while I should be packing and getting ready to head to Jasper to visit my best blog pal! Truth be told, I hate too much Greek food and drank a smidge too much wine last night at my Christmas party so I am trying to let those after effects dissipate before I do too much "walking around" and "moving in general". Sigh...

And since I seem to be sharing TMI, let's at least get to some pretty pictures!

Left: Photo taken by me at the Edmonton Comic & Entertainment Expo back in September. I swear Dude wasn't there against his will, and that he did actually enjoy himself. I love love LOVE the simplicity of this page. There are literally 4 elements. Shit, I keep forgetting to put the date on there...

Right: Photo take by Dude on our Jasper trip for his birthday in the summer. He was adamant that he did NOT want his own photo taken with Jasper the Bear, so I did the nonchalant Mom thing and asked him to take my photo instead. I think he did a pretty damn good job! This layout also makes me super pleased...another simple one, and that pink paper is WHEEE!!

This photo was taken on Lucas' birthday! Gosh, I love that giant tooth! I made a joke that night, about him getting too old to hold my hand, and he told me not to worry. That he wasn't too old for that. He is such a sweet boy sometimes. Ha! I love that striped paper.

I made these layouts after I got home from the Christmas crop last weekend. Late, but still so inspired! Not sure what I did AT the crop, but I'm sure it was something. I did take a "go view BFF's new place and eat pizza and beers" break at the start of the night, so I didn't get as much scrappy-time as usual. But I mostly just enjoy hanging out with all my scrappy-friends that I just don't get to see near enough! Hello Ginger, Candace, Karen, Allison & Sheri! AND NADINE!!

good times...

later loves

Must Share...

the jump that is...

count to ten while running up hill...slide down hill...cross fingers

I actually got some more amaze-balls self-timer pics just last weekend. I figured out how to change the amount of time on my timer, so that helped. Got a nice one of me bailing off the sweet new jump I made. Yep. Best Mom Ever.

update: Thanks to Nicole for that lovely question about tripods. For the picture of Dude & I, I rested my trusty purple Canon on a newspaper box. That's my house you see behind us! I made a snowball to use as a tripod for the hill pictures. I do have a tripod (one of those amaze-balls Gorilla ones with the bendy legs), but when I head out the door for sledding it's got to be fast before the Dude loses interest. So I just grab my keys, camera, phone & go! Plus, Gorilla doesn't fit in my pockets, and I hate carrying things...

 later loves

photos taken // February 18 & 23

location // hill behind our house

layout found here...

p.s. If you are so inclined, you can follow me on Bloglovin'...before I lose you on Google!

January Goal: "Go Sledding". Check!

Date: Saturday, January 12
What: Sledding on the hill behind our house
Cast: Dude & I
Temperature: A beautiful -5!

When I suggested we head out to the hill, Dude said to me: "I guess we could go, and kill some time. There's nothing better to do at home..." Or something to that effect. Like he was doing me a favour by indulging my desire to go sledding! Dude!! But I got to check off one of my January goals. Yay me!

Dude didn't have a good grip on his sled, so when it started back down the hill he sort of just stood there in shock for a moment before diving after it. I was no help whatsoever. Who else was going to document the occasion?

Dude offered to pull me up the hill! HA! He managed to turn my sled around and then gave up. It was such hard work he asked me to pull him up! Boy-oh, is he ever getting heavy!

The sports store in our local "mall" is closing down, so everything is 30% off! Good thing I waited (aka procrastinated) before buying new gear. I haven't owned a nice pair of snow pants in years! And the coat has all these fancy pockets, and snaps on the inside...ski jackets need to come with instruction manuals...

 I did go over the "jump" a couple of times. It was awesome! I love sledding, even on our tiny little hill. It reminds me of what it felt like as a kid. Reckless abandon. No thought toward safety, or the cold, or how long before Mom called you in. Just give'er until you can't feel your fingers, toes, and nose, and then make your (reluctant) way home.

No snowmen were made on this particular trip out of doors (see Goal #1). The snow is just too powdery and fluffy and dry right now. We got some more that night as well. Perfect, fluffy, sparkly snow. I call it "Hollywood Snow!" Dude & I did throw hard chunks of snow back and forth at each other and called it a "snowball fight." Good thing he has bad aim, and can't throw more than a few feet in front of him, and I have good aim and only shoot for the body. That was crunchy snow!

And the tongues are back....

later loves

A-wandering

let's get away from some goal-setting for a bit, and jump back into the past!

Date: Wednesday, December 5 (2012)

Time: After work

Location: Alberta Legislature, downtown Edmonton

Characters: Me & the commuters

We had dinner reservations at the Creperie for my sister-in-law's birthday. And I didn't want to have to drive all the way home, only to immediately turn around and come back down town. Much better to just wile away the time here after work. After all, it would only be a couple of hours....and I am in the middle of the city, so there should be something for me to do! (wink)

So I headed in the opposite direction of the restaurant, toward the Legislature. It was still light out enough to get some lovely shots of the buildings.

This first one is the Federal building. Up until a couple of years ago it was just sitting empty, but as part of the government's "Economic Action Plan" (or whatever....) they have decided to renovate it and put it to good use again. It is actually a very beautiful art deco building, built in the 50s. They are creating a new - and modern - addition to the other side, with some public courtyard space. I can't wait to see it finished, and maybe get a peek inside. It sits just north/above the "Ledge Grounds".

This is a shot of the other side. It's a massive project, and has been ongoing since the spring. You can see some of the boarded up windows, and how large the site and the building are. Like I mentioned, it sat empty for many many years - since 1989 to be exact - and I can only imagine the state of the interior before they started work on it.

And the sky. The sky was breath-taking that night. It reminded me of the colour palette of many clothing options from the 1990s. Hmmm....and the current Simons collections....hmmmm. Wink!

I'm not sure what purpose the building on the left serves (possibly housing the opposition parties' offices and minor government officials), but it is the best shade of teal ever! And you can see the actual legislature building just behind it and to the right. The work on the dome has been going on for a couple of months, and on really foggy days the white tarp at the top of the scaffolding makes the building just sort of disappear in to the sky.

And this building is just gorgeous. I have absolutely no idea what purpose it serves. It sits along 109 street, somewhat inconspicuously.

And to top it all off, the Bay was having a "One Day Sale" on BOOTS! 50% off!! I was informed by one of my lovely co-workers that the sale was happening, and since it was so super cold out, & I was at the restaurant much earlier than our reservation, and the Bay is right across the street - see how it's all coming together so nicely -  I stopped in to check it out. And I picked up a couple of pairs! Oh dear....

later loves

January!

I actually really love this month! It is time for fresh perspective, and a "new start". I like looking forward to the year to come, and reminiscing about the year that was. And I love making resolutions and goals. But mostly, I just love winter. Say what?! People complain about Edmonton's weather all the time out here! Mostly transplants, non-native E-towners. And truth be told, I am sick of it! If you think it's so cold, and miserable and terrible, either move the heck outta Dodge, or actually pay attention and go outside and feel the freshness in the air! It's awesome in Edmonton this time of year....according to Lisa!

So my January goals are focused on appreciating, and enjoying the great outdoors! And the beauty that is Edmonton in the winter.

1. Make a snowman and 2. Go sledding are ones that don't require a lot of prep or lead time. I can pretty much just wander outside my door and do it. 3. Finish my December Daily will be interesting, because I have a history of not finishing projects like this. But it's important to me, and I'm so close to finishing. It would be a shame if I left it without making that final push. 4. Rent some cross-country skis and put them to good use. I am very excited to try and get out to do some skiing this month! I used to cross-country ski with my grandparents quite often when I was a kid. And I really enjoyed myself! I'm sure I can find a rental place easy enough in town, and I know of a couple of places just outside of town that have good trails. This is something that is just for me, and will help me stay active and get out of the house without always having to go to the gym. (Go to the gym is also on my master list this month!)

Four is the new normal for me, goals-wise. Four is do-able, and manageable, and a nice even number! January is the month of goals, people! Why don't you jump on this beautiful bandwagon with me, and share some of your goals in the comments. I would love to know how you are celebrating the new year, and all the potential it holds.

later loves

Back in November...

Russ & I went to a little cabin out on Pigeon Lake for some games & booze with his buddies from work (and their friends). After the panic attack I had on Friday night as a result of realizing I was going to be in a room full of strangers in a couple of hours (among other reasons....) I had a lovely weekend! Morgan even catered to my ridiculous dietary requirements!

We totally got "lost" going out there. And I'm going to go ahead and blame it on their inadequate signage and outdated internet map. Somebody should have told us we were looking for the cemetery...yep...it did feel like we were in a horror movie! We passed the entrance to the cabins four or so times, and finally just had to call Stu and get him to talk us in....and then jump out at us in the dark holding a beer, but we stopped the car in time!

Stu & Morgan are veritable game-collectors. There were bags and bags of games to be played. And they loved the one I brought the best! Whee!! So we played Cards Against Humanity twice that weekend and left most of the other games in the boxes. It was less funny the second time, and I really (really) suck at it, but it was still good times.

And speaking of the cemetery...

I went for a walk in the afternoon on Saturday, and headed straight for the cemetery at the end of the road. There are some historical graves, but a lot of recent ones as well. I found one that was still just a pile of earth....

The "back door", if you will! If I remember correctly, it had been snowing heavily that day and for many days before the trip so the snow was deep and there are no paths. I brushed off a lot of tombstones to read names & dates.

After I wandered around there for a bit - and saw a deer in the distance - I headed down toward Pigeon Lake. It was still pretty early in the season, so I just stood at the shoreline, not trusting the ice just yet.

And then I was getting cold, I had to pee, and the battery on my camera died so I headed back to the cabins! It was a fine weekend away. Comfy clothes, quiet mornings, good food, great company.

And I even got some stargazing in..."with BFF" (via text). The stars are so beautiful on a clear, cold winter night out in the boonies! Maybe I'll get another one of those before too long!

Do you guys enjoy a games night out with friends?
What's your favourite board game?
Do you hate board games, and think they are the spawn of the devil...??

later loves