Hi there at home!
Well, I want to let you know about my last weekend which I spent at the ski races in Lake Louise and in Calgary. We (Berni, Natascha, Kristin, Katharina, Stephanie K., Marc) left on early Saturday morning (3.30 a.m.) from Kamloops and hit the road towards Lake Louise. The conditions weren’t the best, but with moderate driving it was quite okay. We encountered our first highlight in form of a moufflon along the road.
Muffloun on the way to Lake Louise
We got to our hostel at 11.15, did our lunch package and went to the race straight on, which then had already started. So we missed the later winner Peter Fill. After the race we met Berni & Natascha’s colleague Alex from Graz – she is doing her exchange semester in Calgary. We then got back to the hostel to prepare dinner for ourselves (some nice pasta with tomato sauce and vegetables and some disgusting beer, that ironically tasted better after having brushed ones teeth). For the evening we went up to the Fairmont Chateau at the lake where the prize giving ceremony and the lottery for next days starting order took place. Especially the Austrian girls were perfectly in their element and started chatting with some of the skiers and Natascha managed to obtain a book given to one of them, which she then used to collect autographs of the skiers.
Approx. at 8 p.m. we went down to the Saloon bar, where we finally all started chatting with the service team members and those view skiers who had not gone to bed 
among them Didier Cuche was the last one to leave the party at about 1.30 a.m. We had lots of fun with service staff members and the girls did not pay one single drink 
I also met Hans & Franz Knauss there and talked a bit with them, while Berni was dancing with Didier Cuche. Most of us went home at about 2 a.m. with one of the 2 cabs available in Lake Louise. Berni and Natascha stayed a bit longer to explore some parts of the hotel they finally got back at 5 a.m.
On Sunday we managed to get to the Super-G on time and we all were very proud to see the Herminator win again. The Canadians also had their fun with John Kucera becoming 2nd. Didier Cuche seemed to be motivated by the evening before and went 3rd. After the race our ways seperated – Stephanie K., Marc, Katharina and Kristin went back home to Kamloops, while Berni, Natascha, Alex and me went to Calgary. We “checked in” on the campus of Alex’ university (I stayed at the room of a cool guy from Hamburg) and had some to “cultivate” ourselves. In the evening we went to a club called “Roadhouse” which is situated downtown Calgary. We got there early around 9.30 p.m. and when we entered we met some of the Austrian skiers (Reichelt, Alster, Görgl, Scheiber, Streitberger) again. Later on Hans Knauss, Oliver Polzer and some others joined the group and we had lots of fun again that evening – especially cause the beer was really cheap ($3,50 for a bottle). I had some fun dancing there with some nice girls and in the end we went home around 3 in the morning.
The next day we just hang around in Alex’ apartment and she took us for a short tour on campus. We left in the early afternoon to pick up Stephanie at Calgary airport – she was coming back from her trip to California. The pick-up worked out perfectly and we also saw the arriving Austrian Ladies ski team. Around 3.30 p.m. we started our trip back to Kamloops (650 km). Conditions until Banff were quite okay, but got really bad afterwards. Around Lake Louise road conditions were really dangerous – several trucks and cars went off the icy street. Thanks God we ourselves had no trouble as I was driving really slow, cause we had no time pressure anyway. Around 11 p.m. we got back to Kamloops, where I passed the house of some Christmas fanatics. At 11.30 p.m. I finally had delivered all my dear colleagues to their rooms and went home myself.
Today was the last day of regular clases and I now just got my exams ahead – so wish me all the best tomorrow I’ll go skiing to Sun Peaks with some friends and in the evening there’s a final class bash at Cakturs Jack’s, where we’ll go to – hope it will be fun as well.
Pics will follow soon!
Hope you’re all fine at home!
Be blessed & feel hugged!
Gergi
