I think you are looking at it from the wrong angle. As post doc's goes it will be an awesome excuse for 2 years living somewhere else experiencing a different country/culture etc. All of your friends and family will love to come out and visit for holidays so I'm sure there will be no shortage of seeing them. Mr MC did a 2 year post doc in Philapedia. He hated the post doc research itself but had the best 2 years. He learn to snowboard/rock climb and says it was the best 2 years of his life. I would jump at the opportunity to have a 2 yr experience abroad, time flies as well. I personally think you would be silly not to apply and go for it!
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living in whistler
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Posted 2 years ago #
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@Burts,
I'll be moving to Vancouver soon and I've been wondering...what are the riding options like during winter? My limited research suggests that it's possible to ride all year around on the lower slopes of the North Shore, is this the case?Posted 2 years ago # -
Dr Dolittle - yes, in an average year the snow reaches about half-way down the North Shore mountains so the lower trails are still accessible, albeit VERY wet & muddy. There are official & unofficial agreements not to ride some trails that erode badly in the winter conditions, but other trails are armoured e.g. Bridle Path. Bear in mind that the majority of North Shore trails are technical and include a lot of woodwork, so most riders seem to to be happy to leave them be and get their ski gear out.
Nearby places like SFU/Burnaby and Galbraith (in the US, 75mins south) should be good to go as well.
Having said that, last year we got a 30yr record for snowfall and riding was severly restricted. I remember a posting where someone parked their car at a North Shore trail head and went for a few hrs walk in the snow. When they returned their pick-up was buried to the windows! Don't think we'll see that too often though.
Posted 2 years ago # -
Cheers Burts. I'm sure I'll enjoy snowboarding as a diversion anyway rather than erode the trails. Burnaby, is that the Burnaby Mountain Conservation area I can see on Google maps? And any other forums other than NSMB I could be doing research on?
Posted 2 years ago # -
I lived in Alberta for 2007 and 2008 and ventured over to Whistler in the summer of 2007 and Vancouver and Vancouver Island in the summer of 2008.
If the option arose I would go back like a shot, to BC though. The bit of Alberta in which I was living was flat as a pancake and 3 hours from the Rockies - a drive which we made every weekend of the ski season. Well worth it.
Posted 2 years ago # -
moved from vancouver back to england 18 months ago, live din Seattle before that.
Great place to live, lots of stuff to all year round. Cost is pretty much the same as living in england if i'm honest.
Go if you can you'll love it plus Canadian chicks are hot :D.
living in Whistler as the title of the post says is probably not a great idea if you working in Vancouver the drive would be a killer.Posted 2 years ago # -
Dr Dolittle - Yes, thats it. Burnaby is the city/suburb directly to the east of Vancouver, the mountain conservation area is actually a big hill with Simon Fraser Uni (SFU) on top of it. Some great trails on the east side of the hill (and a cool skills park on the north), good for some XC and introductory DH so recommended as a place to try out when you first arrive. Trail map and local forum here:
http://www.bmba.ca/gallery/v/trail_maps/trailmap2008.pdfNSMB seems to be the main website for the Van/Whistler area.
Myself, Mark G and many other expat Brits are members of NSRide, a good way to meet people on regular rides and learn the trails. The season won't start properly again until April but the club does occasional rides over the winter and the forum is useful to organise unofficial stuff.
http://www.nsride.com/Get in touch if you want any other advice before or after you arrive (email in profile). If you arrive this winter, just be prepared for a slightly unusual Olympics experience!
Posted 2 years ago # -
Cheers Burts, I'll be in touch when we get there.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I live up the top of Buranby Mountain and it was covered in snow for a good few months this year and the one before, the lower trails again are more accessible all year but its more fun if you can start at the top, and hell, its snowing, put the bike away for a few months and enjoy the snow
Here's a couple of little vids i made of burnaby mountain
Posted 2 years ago # -
Looks like fun rs.
I'm an old creaky-kneed skater that has never snowboarded. I'm pretty sure I'll love it though.
I'm sitting here with a visa in my passport...waiting for the missus' transfer to come through. **** knows what I'll do for work when I'm there, but I'm sure I'll find something. Another winter in London? No thanks...
Posted 2 years ago # -
yeah, some good little trails, sounds like you've got it made, let the wife work and ride your bike all day
Posted 2 years ago # -
sounds like you've got it made, let the wife work and ride your bike all day
That's the plan.
Posted 2 years ago # -
My brother and his girlfriend have just moved to BC, but they're a fair way from Vancouver, living in the Okanagan valley. He's loving the riding, and just spent a weekend at Kamloops.
The photos he's putting on Facebook look superb and he seems to have slotted right into the local riding scene - he was at his first trailbuilding session last weekend and has been riding with the locals despite being out there less than a month.
He was looking forward to being somewhere without too many people, and with proper summers and winters.
Posted 2 years ago # -
I love it through in the okanagan, totally different landscape from the vancouver area, I haven't ridden there but could quite easily live there I think if i could get the work.
Posted 2 years ago # -
It's not americanised at all, the only fat people we saw in Vancouver were american and virtually every car has a bike/ski rack.
That's borderline racist mate. Ever been to say Bend, Oregon? Full of outdoor types and fabulous women
Posted 2 years ago #
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