Monday, April 2, 2012

And Then What Happened?

Life as I know it will end on the 8th of April, which is just days from now. On that day, the ski hill will close, and the fixed point that centres my existence will disappear. In typical fashion, I don't really know what will happen after that.

My rent is paid up to the 15th of April, so I'll be based in Rossland for at least that long. After that I might be able to house sit for a few more days, but it will be time to move on shortly after that. There should still be plenty of good ski touring around until the end of April, but to take advantage of that I need to co-ordinate transport and other people to ski with. After that, I don't so much have plans as a list of things I'd like to achieve, with no real plan as to how to make that occur.

The biggest feature in the barren landscape of my future is climbing. I'm going climbing with Rohan, my brother-in-law, from mid June to early July. This is a daunting prospect because I'm woefully out of shape for climbing. Over the last few months I can studiously neglected any form of exercise that isn't directly related to skiing. It will be a rude shock to the system to encourage my body to do something else.

While I'm looking forward to hitting the road again, I need a way of transporting myself, my stuff and eventually my climbing partner around Canada for three months. Hitchhiking is fine if you're not too picky about where you go, and you don't really care how long it takes to get around. Sadly, I think I'll fail both those criteria, so it's probably time to invest in another fine automobile. Given the fate of my last vehicle, this is a task I'm approaching with some trepidation.

Buying a car also precipitates a decision that I would, in normal circumstances, put off until the last minute: Whether or not to return to Canada. Eventually, the next winter in New Zealand will end and I will have to decide whether to head north for another winter or stay in the southern hemisphere and be hot and uncomfortable. And if I do head north to continue skiing, I will need to decide where to go. If I return to Canada, the best option is for me to buy a decent car now and store it somewhere over the summer. If I don't return to Canada, buying a car that's worth selling will just add more hassle to the end of my trip.

Canada is a good option because I have a work visa for here, I can probably work at Powderhound for another season, and folks speak english. I'm quite tempted to go somewhere outrageous like Kashmir or Europe, but getting work in those places would be pretty much impossible and eventually the money I have saved from my old desk job will run out.

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