Bursting the Banff bubble and other related activities

So the last few weeks have been a bit of a struggled for me. Definitely as the result of a combination of things, and I've tried to focus on why I'm out here..  to have fun, blow off steam and ski loads/ mountain bike in the summer before going home and adulting... but Banff is a pretty small place, and after a number of little incidents, I've found myself a wee bit down. The Banff bubble as I've come to call it is an interesting phenomenon. Don't get me wrong, I'm used to bubbles, from boarding school, to Uni, to living in Aberdeen (awesome city but literally everyone knows everyone), so why has this place been so different. Still not a hundred percent sure but it's getting to the point where I've been going out and getting hammered on a regular occurance as there is always another group of people doing something on any given night. Worryingly have been the number of evenings I have had mind blanks from the amount I've drank. Friends informing me what I did the night before is ok maybe once in a blue moon but three times in a week is just silly. Genuinely concerns me how I've been acting out of character and I'm meant to be the happy guy, so being down has been a wee bit poo. I guess everyone feels this way every so often but it could be to do with all the drinking and skiing on repeat. Added to this, I think it hasn't helped that many friends have moved out of the hostel and has left me feeling a little alone if I'm honest, I mean I still live with 3 of my mates but as everyone now has full time jobs and has moved out, bar Dan and I, the group of friends has split in physical terms even if we do try and meet up as much as possible. I don't know, I'm working on it, and I've decided to try to take days out from skiing to work on my CEng.. really do need to get this done. Come on Bridges!! 

However, not to write about a sob story as it's just been a sh*t few weeks, I've also decided to start exercising more, mainly as the 31yr old Dad bod is ever an annoyance.. damn the genetically perfect Lithuanian TUM!!! So outside of the workouts I was doing in the shared room, much to the annoyance / laughs from my roommates, I've started trail running, and joined the sports centre, where I've been swimming regularly. I think this will be a great excuse for not getting smashed each night, or at least I won't feel as bad if I've swam for half an hour before having as beer. I should also mention that my mates back home and family have been great. So onwards and upwards and I'm just trying to make this actually a great experience and take more control over what I'm doing and enjoying the whole experience.

Below are some pictures of Adam and I running up Tunnel Mountain, little bast*rd used to run cross country for England and destroyed me up the hill, but it was a sweet feeling reaching the top. The trail shoes he was able to get discount on are ridiculous. People used cleats/ crampons and we just ran passed them. Looking forward to a few more of these.

Whilst I kind of started the tone a little low, apologies, it's not like I haven't had fun over the last few weeks... The skiing has been brilliant and I can really feel myself getting better every day I go! WOrking on my on and off piste and riding with other skiiers has really pushed me. Big shout out to Dutch Dan and Fluffy who have been pushing me over the last few days, smashing it down Black diamond runs which I'm now finding quite doable.

Lake Louise with the crew, it's come to be my favourite place to go. 

Which way to go?!?

One of the funnier images of a night out, which was a great night, was in the Dancing Sasquatch, when Dan (room mate) and I actually got a photo with the Sas!!! We tend to save ourselves for the Sunday bar crawl.. I say tend, there are a few nights in between as well. 

We found him!

So what of the other adventures?? Well an event that really did give me a boost and raised my spirits was when Denise and Chris (gliding friends) came out from Calgary to see me. We went for an awesome hike at Johnston Canyon. It was great to get out of Banff for a day. Hiking and chilling is good for the soul! We saw ice climbers, hiked all the way to what is called the "Ink pots", pools of different colours that have percolated through the sandy rock bed to make pools of bright blues and greens. Pretty cool, not if you're color blind, genuinely struggled to see the difference, but everyone else said it looked great. LOL.

Me holding an ice climber.. obviously

Posing on the walk

Cover photo.. Album dropping soon

Love these two!

Then there was Wednesday just gone, where I tried snowboarding for the first time. What a day!! So much fun. I mentioned this alot, we Bridges tend to be a family that are very much the average. Not that good at anything, but not bad at stuff either. Kind of a B+ family, well I am anyway. So it was a pleasant surprise to find that boarding, whilst yes I still fell over a lot (bottom is so sore), by the end of the day I was able to go down runs turning the whole time from heel to toe and back, what is meant to be quite a difficult this to master, I mastered, all on my own. SO a very successful day!! So I now plan to try to board at least once every two weeks, but hopefully once a week, so by the end of the season I'll have mastered both skis and board. That's the dream.

Boarding.. completed it!!

Then there was tubing last night. I took the GoPro so definitely going to put together a short video as it was hilarious. Tubing is throwing yourself down a snow slide for hundreds of meters, in a inflatable rubber ring and we did it at night as a big group. Was actually one of the best evenings. SO fun!!

The tubing track, with Anais - Top tube spinner - sending off her latest victim.

Ryan and Alex - top lads

So yeah, sorry to start on a low note, but sometimes people feel a little down and I'd like to think in a few years when I look back at all this, it wasn't all just fun and games. I am living out here and with that comes the ups and downs of normal life. Importantly, I'm feeling good now, and it's Australia day so big up to my Aussie mates "Down Under" and have VB on me. We're going skiing in boardshorts and then having a BBQ in negative numbers.. couple of snags listening to the Hot 100.. It's an australian thing. 

Peace!