Julie’s season in Whistler, Canada, has been the wildest experience, filled with many unforgettable moments on and off the slopes. Read about Julie’s adventures as an instructor in Whistler, Canada, which gave her the opportunity to check off the coolest experiences from her bucket list.
A little break from the daily life as an instructor in Whistler
We’ve had a lot of fun joint events with the entire Snowminds group here in Whistler, Canada, organized by our Team Leader, such as New Year’s, ice skating, and a light show in the forest. One of the first things we did together was vodka tasting in an Ice Room Bar. It sounded like a crazy idea at the beginning, but ended up being a fun experience. Standing and drinking different kinds of vodka in minus 30 degrees is not something you do every day. One of the small, but also unforgettable experiences, has been the sunsets by the beautiful lakes we’re surrounded by in Canada. Going on a hike out to a beautiful lake and sitting enjoying the most beautiful sunsets is a sight I’ll never forget.
Vallea Lumina, light show to the left. Bearfoot Vodka Ice Bar to the right.
When you’re on a season in Canada, you have to see ice hockey! Therefore, we chose, 12 people from the house, to take a weekend trip to Vancouver to see an ice hockey game. We had an awesome time exploring the city during the day, and in the evening we went to see the game. Most of the guys hadn’t seen ice hockey before, but I really love the sport and also follow it back home. Watching a game from the North American league, NHL, is a completely new experience! Something special is made out of all games, such as live music, kiss-cam, and a lot more! Even those who had never seen ice hockey before thought it was really cool even though it ended in defeat for the local Vancouver Canucks team.
Hockey game in Vancouver
Adrenaline Junkies and Bucket List Activities
Bungee jumping and zip lining have been the two major adrenaline-pumping experiences. Zip lining was really fun and mega beautiful through mountain landscapes and forests. We were driven from Whistler Village up to the zip line course, where we were given helmets and harnesses. Then we climbed up to platforms built in the trees and zip-lined from one platform to another. We got to try five different zip lines and do different tricks on each, such as doing it upside down. Bungee jumping was really special. We also got a lift from Whistler Village – a 2-minute drive south to a mega-high bridge spanning over a river. There we had to jump from a small platform on the bridge. When the man counted down “3, 2, 1, now!” and you just had to jump! It felt like you were free-falling directly into the river. I was shaking with adrenaline for ages after!
Zip line to the left, bungee jump to the right.
The greatest experience of all, which would surely be on any visitor’s bucket list in Canada, was heli-skiing. It was the wildest day of my life. The day started with avalanche training, and then it was time to fly. Here you are dropped off at the top of the mountain and picked up again at the bottom to be flown to the top again. Our guide was a cool 56 year old local woman. She has heli-skied almost every day for 20 years, it must be the world’s best job! It was an indescribable feeling to be flown in a helicopter over the most beautiful mountain landscapes, and dropped off on a mountaintop. Gliding through the powder snow on the powder skis we had rented. Getting first tracks and enjoying lunch in the middle of nowhere was surreal. The experience of sitting and waiting for the helicopter to land 5 meters from you, and again when it takes off, feels like an out-of-body experience. If you love skiing, you HAVE to try this!
Heli-Skiing
Level 1 and 2 instructor in Whistler
One of my most proud experiences was passing the level 1 exam at the start of the season. It was something we all shared, where we could share frustrations, tips, and the joy of becoming certified instructors. This was the start of the adventure.
When working as an instructor in Whistler, you quickly find out how exciting it will be to be able to teach at higher levels, but also to develop your own skiing. Here in Whistler, Canada, we are so lucky that we can sign up for free training such as level 2 preparation, steeps, bumps training, and many other kinds. I have participated in many of these trainings and decided to enroll in the level 2 course and exam. Both to develop my skiing and knowledge in order to teach at higher levels, but also to be able to use my education to possibly come back for another season next year. I passed my exam and have never been happier. Level 2 has contributed to developing my skiing and understanding of ski techniques, but has also given me a future opportunity to use my instructor training in the future.
Training for level 2
A special day – Christmas Eve in Whistler
Christmas Eve was amazing and surreal! All 14 from our house gathered and celebrated over 2 days. In my house we come from Denmark, Ireland, Australia, England, and Sweden. We all celebrate Christmas in different ways and on different days. It was two days where of course we missed family back home, but being together with the whole house made us feel like we were one big family. Trying the different traditions and Christmas dishes was really fun. We Danes taught the others how to dance around the Christmas tree, and we got to taste the full English/Australian Christmas dinner. We now all have something from our Christmas here in the house that we will take with us to our next Christmas – everything from new traditions to other cozy things.
Christmas dinner with the house
The adventure does not end here
All these experiences have been thoroughly unforgettable and fantastic. But I haven’t quite had enough of experiences; I’ve booked bobsleigh and snowmobile tours for the last weeks that are left of the season. After the season, I’m going with Snowminds to Hawaii. After that, I’m taking a road trip in Canada for a month with four girls I’ve been living with, before I head home to Denmark again. You can never get enough good experiences – especially not when you’re in this amazing country!
Find Julie on Instagram and follow her upcoming adventures in Canada and Hawaii.
@julieeasmussen