Another Monday morning came around and all of us at Snow Pines were beginning to feel aching and tired bodies. The arrival of our fourth week also meant the arrival of our level 1 exam, which would take place from Wednesday until Friday. Slowly but surely, we all woke, ate, and made our way down to the Snow Ghost for first tracks. I took my routine warm-up lap through town, feeling good about my riding and ready for the week. The short two days before our level 1 exam would consist of heavy teaching and riding aimed at refining our already vastly improved snowboarding skills. I ended up being in a group taught by Alan, one of the lead instructors at the hill. He would be one of the level 1 examiners as well, so I new the week would consist of challenging and thorough riding.
Once Wednesday came around everyone had done what he or she could to prepare for the examination. With a couple centimeters of fresh snow on the ground we all headed out to the VCM to start the three-day test. I came to find that I was going to be examined by Fraser Johnston, an instructor I was confortable riding with. Luckily, having him the week before helped calm my nerves as we went through our riding and teaching progressions over the next couple of days. A very relaxed vibe throughout the test also allowed me and my peers to focus on the requirements so that we could hopefully pass the exam!
Friday came around and everyone had seen the expectations, given a practice teach, and was well on his or her way to achieving level 1 status as snowboard instructors. We proceeded through the day and gave our final two practice lessons, each with different scenarios. I had to teach “two young brothers” played by Luko and Dane at one point during the exam, which turned out to be a good learning experience and fun at the same time. The day came to a close and we would soon be finding out whether or not we passed the level 1 exam. I decided to head back to the house to session the road gap we had built on a previous day with my non NBS buddies Jake, Liam, and Will. So after throwing a couple tricks over the road a bunch of us headed to the Gunbarrel (above Sam’s) to learn how we performed during the previous three days.
I passed and the vibes were great! Dinner and drinks followed this moment as well as an after party at Sam’s. It was great to finally be a certified instructor along with my fellow NBS companions. It also turned out to be a very exiting weekend. Saturday morning I went out and sessioned the park as I usually like to do on the weekends. Following an icy park day, Sunday provided Luko and I a great adventure. We decided to wake up early Sunday morning after a long night at Sam’s and hike East Peak, an out of bounds peak adjacent to the Cliff Chair. On the first lift up we met a middle-aged snowboarder dude name Sheldon. Sheldon had a backcountry backpack on and we were wondering where he was going. He said he was in the middle of building a winter shelter off the backside of the mountain. When we told him it was our first time venturing to East Peak and into the backcountry for that matter he told us he could show us the way. We could not deny an offer like this so we decided to take him up on it. For the rest of the morning we learned basic avalanche safety and the proper route up East Peak. He took us down a run where we got our first taste of the raw open backcountry. Setting of mini slides left and right we slowly made our way down the steep untouched slope. We ended up taking two runs on East Peak and got back to the house before some people had even woken. It was one of the greatest mornings of snowboarding I had ever had. Thus, the week came to a close with fulfilled challenges and some great lines. I slept well, ready to take on our first week of level 2 training.
TJ