Yesterday we didn’t manage to meet up with Ben K in the end, but we did hit the snow park. Unfortunately I managed to pretty much break/sprain my hand landing badly off a jump, which was then followed up with a decent jump to then be topped off with busting up my right leg. All in all, kinda  an intense day in the beatings department.

Today we met up with our Canadian buddies and skied a few pistes and took in a little hot chocolate and cookies at one of the mountain huts.  We had a lot of snow today and it was a complete contrast to that of skiing in bright conditions, the bonus was though that we had more padding under foot.

Me and Rich are gonna hit the hot tub now and then head out for some food later on.

This guy hits the kicker so big that he completely overshoots the landing, the result: pain and a large dose of it, nasty!

Yep all still going well here in Canada. We made it to The Peak yesterday and were rewarded by some amazing views of The Rockies. The conditions have been amazing, perfect blue skies, plenty of snow (although we could do with a bit more) and great company with the crew. Today is a rest day, the guys and girls have gone off on the Greyhound to Vancouver, but I have decided to stay here in the mountains and relax for the day: hot tub, walk in the snow, read a book, take some pics and a little shopping I think, all good.

Hoping to meet up with my old work mate Ben K tomorrow, pure coincidence that he is doing a season out here, so will be cool to ski with him tomorrow and hopefully he can teach us a few tricks in the snow park (this kids is not adverse to going huge off any kicker in his path).

Also supposed to be meeting up with a friend of a friend on Saturday, will be cool to hang out with a local and get the inside scoop on all things Whistler, exciting.

Anyway about time I got off the Mac and got going for another day in the snow!

Here’s a pic of us at Whistler Peak yesterday.

3rd day in Whistler and all’s well. We’ve had some great weather and great conditions for skiing and boarding for the past few days. The highlight of the day was hanging out in the snowpark and watching the guys hit up the kickers (we’ve got some great footage for the forthcoming DVD).

Here’s a sample photo:

Yes we are here and yes it’s awesome, here’s a little taster to keep y’all going, will update tomorrow after our first day on the pistes. Have been up for over 36 hours now, so time to hit the hay soon.

In trying to promote the local campaign against the development of 3000 new homes in Elsenham, Essex (where I live) I thought I would publish the email that I sent to the District Council.

“To whom it way concern,

As a local resident of Elsenham, I am writing to you to object to the recent Option 4 proposal by Uttlesford District Council for the development of 3000 new homes in Elsenham and Henham.

I object wholeheartedly to Option 4 for the following reasons:

• I have been a resident of Elsenham for over 20 years (I am now 29 years old) and have enjoyed being brought up in a countryside setting. If I wanted to live in a town/city I would move to London, but I don’t. Creating 3000 new houses will change the village atmosphere and the surrounding physical environment into something not disimilar to Harlow, i.e. a concrete jungle.
• The existing rail link to London (which I use everyday) is already run at capacity, with overcrowding and delays, adding more potential passengers through the development of Elsenham will only make the situation worse. The is no room for the expansion of the station, which at present is already inadequate.
• There is already a problem with commuters parking their cars and blocking the roads in Elsenham. An increase in commuters will only make the situation worse.
• The historic nature of the area will be completely detroyed.
• Local employment through development would most likely be in construction, and the service sector, thus not adding “career” prospects to the area, but more likely low-skilled, uninspiring jobs.
• Elsenham primary school is far too small to cope with such an increase in pupils.
• I am outraged that the local residents weren’t consulted during the proposal stages of this consultation, rather only after it was proposed by a member of the Council who doesn’t even live here.
• It would make more sense to spread the developments out amongst the villages, so that no one settlement is overwealmed and the so-called “benefits” can be enjoyed by all.
• Is the motivation behind the development focused on Elsenham in the interests of the people that live here, or moreso those of the District Council who will receive financial “perks” to concentrate development in once place rather than decentralising it.
• I feel as if my right to protect the local area where I live and my own neighbourhood has been taken away from me.
• What do the District Council actually mean by “affordable housing”? Most of the recent developments in Bishops Stortford have been branded as “affordable” yet these developments are out of the reach of many first time buyers such as myself.

In conclusion it would be nice to think that these comments and those of other local residents will actually make a difference in opposing the development in Elsenham and Henham, but more than likely the nimby (not in my back yard) attitude of a District Council, and ill thought out planning strategy will mean that our opinions will fall on deft ears and our villages will be destroyed forever.

Regards

Ben Ellis”