Also, I thought I’d try to link this up to my Flickr account but I’m not feeling it as much as the WordPress gallery I already had going on.

This massive flying boat drew in quite the crowd not only at the harbor but the office as well while we all debated if this thing was really worth waiting for. When I first looked upon the crowd I was convinced that they were nothing but shrubs and decor out on the deck. I was wrong. Turns out the Martin Mars water-bombing was advertised all over the 24 newspaper this morning. The cops and traffic authorities had to line up at certain ports as we waited for the seabuses and helicopters to clear the way so that this water bomber could grace us with its presence.

After much anticipation, the Martin Mars made it’s first appearance. As this tank began to swirl around in the harbor, we compared it to the size of the seabuses and other vessels in the harbor. We quietly discussed how it probably wasn’t worth waiting around for and how everyone should probably get back to work.

After showing off for about 10 minutes. It swooped down for a couple of minutes to, I assume, gather water before it flew west and disappeared shortly before it reappeared and dropped the 27,000 kilograms of water in front of the crowd. Just in a matter of seconds it disappeared for good and like that it was over and really probably wasn’t worth waiting for. But hey, I managed to snap a couple of photos for this new photo blog entry.

Friday: We arrived at about 6PM and unloaded our gear into the hotel and then explored the village. We then proceeded to pick up food from the new Pappa Roasters in the village before devouring it our hotel room. Cranium and drinks quickly followed before setting the alarm for 8AM and hitting the hay.

Saturday: 8AM. Everyone wakes up to an overcast sky complaining about how the others snored or made noises in their sleep. We got on the hill rather early and boarded a majority of the day away. We took a break at 3:30PM when the lifts closed. At 6PM a couple of us ventured out to the Telus Terrain park for some good old fashion night boarding/skiing. We returned safe but exhausted to another horrible night of sleep.

Sunday: Waking up to a clear sunny sky was the most amazing feeling. Most people we had a chance to converse with agreed the sun was an unusual treat that allowed clear visibility at the top. Unfortunately the sun changed the condition of the snow. It was rather icy for a lot of the runs, so we decided to hit up the back side of the mountain with the Gem Lake Express lift. The peak was breathtaking–Cindy was the only one who managed to snap pictures at the top. Just before 11AM is apparently when the avalanche hit the other side of the mountain at the Parachute Bowl.

According to the National Post, “The avalanche covered 1.6 hectares of the 23-hectare bowl. Snow was up to eight metres deep in some areas, with the force of the avalanche snapping trees and stripping the hill to bare rocks in some parts.” Six individuals were initially reported missing–all but one were rescued. Sadly, the body of a 21 year old Australian man was found the next day under 4 meters of snow.

Riptown Office Christmas Party: