Days 2 and 3...The Rocky Mountaineer!

The Rocky/Whistler Mountaineer has 3 spectacular 2 day/1 night trips! Whistler-Quesnel-Jasper and Vancouver-Kamloops-Jasper/Banff. I get to take my passengers on either a "Red Leaf" or "Gold Leaf" adventure through BC into the Alberta Rockies! This is one of the best ways to see the rugged beauty of the West!

My first job is to get all my guests settled so that the Rocky Mountaineer staff can"take over". I then start working ahead and get as many restaurant and activity bookings done. This involves providing a ton of info about the many restaurants and specifics about all the activities. It is a lot of work, but it is fun doing all the research. I am pretty much a critic for all aspects of the tour. I have make sure all the suppliers are providing first rate service for my guests.

The food on is excellent! We get a variety of Pacific Northwest highlights and other goodies like wine and cheese, fresh baked cookies and all kinds of beverages!

There is an outdoor area where you can get up close with nature, and that's usually where I'm at telling my guests about all my favorite spots along the river and nearby mountains. There are two tracks on either side of the river. One is owned by CN (Canadian National), and the parallel line is owned by CPR (Canadian Pacific Railways). We depart the Rocky Mountaineer Station near downtown Vancouver and make our way along the Fraser River through the Fraser Canyon. We see the landscape go from heavily forested to semi arid, almost like the Desert in the South West US. We stop in Kamloops for a lumberjack dinner show then call it a day.

Welcoming at the Kamloops Train Station for the big shot Tour Director... Day 2 takes us through either the Fraser Discovery Route through the Yellowhead Pass, or the Kicking Horse Route to Banff. Both routes give us a chance to see wildlife such as Eagles, Hawks, Deer, Bears, Mountain Goats, etc!

We arrive in Banff after 2 full days on the train. Now we hop on our bus and take the short drive to the Castle in Sky, the Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel! I'll tell you more about it next time!

The Canada Post/FIS (International Ski Federation) Freestyle World Cup @ Cypress Mountain!

Cypress Mountain Hosted the World’s best Freestyle and Mogul Skiers in a dry run for the 2010 Olympic Games! Cypress will be the home of these incredible events: Snowboard (Super Pipe, Parallel Giant Slalom and Snowboard Cross) and Freestyle Skiing (Moguls, Aerials and Ski Cross).

I was lucky enough to volunteer for 4 days in a variety of areas. From setup and take down to providing info for the athletes, coaches, crew and media…I did a little bit of everything!

I have been skiing at Cypress for 15 years and have been waiting for this event and the exciting additions to leading up to the Winter Olympics. The Raven Ridge Quad chair opens up some difficult terrain, and the Olympic Freestyle Area.

Team Japan

Russia

Team USA Crew

Finland

Sweden

Canada

It was very interesting to see how part of the main parking lot was transformed into a small town that included VIP tents, athletes/volunteer tents, sponsor kiosks, media portables, a sound stage for concerts, a massive waterproof video screen, officials buildings, etc.

The days of training leading up to the event had some great weather, but the day of the Mogul and Aerial Finals, there were issues with fog and rain. This was a great opportunity to test the crew and see how they adapted to the changing conditions and try to stage the various events. We still got to see how incredible these athletes are, as there was a good amount of training and competition. Watching the racers navigate the moguls and complete two jumps was astonishing! They were timed and judged on creativity. The Aerials was a display of pure skill and courage. These human beings performed all kinds of incredible twists and turns going full speed in mid air, then landed on a steep slope before coming to a full stop at the bottom of the hill.

This was an event that I’ll never forget. I met some very interesting volunteers, officials, racers, coaches, sports reporters, etc. Be sure to watch the Freestyle events @ the Olympics. Cypress Mountain is yet another great venue for what is going to be the "Best Games Ever!"

Walking with the Dinosaurs! Jan 31-Feb 3

Over 47,000 people over 4 days came to GM Place to see this incredible display of gigantic Dinosaurs! Some of these beasts are as high as 35 long as 56 feet! The show made great use of the Arena's sound systems and lighting kits to make the Dinos come to life! The Paleontologist took us on a journey to meet over a dozen types of Dinosaurs that roamed the earth. This was a unique way to learn and be entertained in a way that I never thought possible in a large arena!

This show makes the rounds each year to every large area in North America, UK and Australia. I encourage people of all ages to see this event the next time it comes to town! You will be astonished by how real these dinosaurs seem. It's almost as if they are going to charge the crowd like a runaway Monster Truck! The roars of T-Rex and some of the other Dinos will shake your bones and rattle your brain!

Photos: dinosaurlive.com

The Power Within, Mar 5 @ GM Place

"The Power Within" is a day long seminar that is held in Arenas and Convention Centers across North America. Each event has a lineup of speakers that give the audience an in depth account of their journey to success. This is an opportunity to get a wide variety of expertise from some of the worlds most interesting and intriguing personalities.

Previous speakers include Tony Robbins, Vincente Fox, and Bill Clinton.

The most common occurrence in each of the speakers lives are the immense challenges that they faced and overcame. The audience learned about the resolve and focus that drove these people to achieve success.

I was lucky enough to meet a few of the speakers, and I was impressed by how personable they all were. Here is a list of this year's lineup!

Motivation: Andre Agassi Former Professional Tennis Player

Special Guest: Martha Stewart Founder and creator of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and host of Emmy award-winning TV series “The Martha Stewart Show”

Creativity: Quincy Jones Musician, Composer, Producer, Arranger and Conductor

Motivation: Christopher Gardner "The Pursuit of Happyness"

Self Empowerment: Frank Abagnale "Catch Me if You Can"

Stress Management: Loretta LaRoche "Life Is Short - Wear Your Party Pants!"

Time Management: David Allen Best-selling author “Getting Things Done: the Art of Stress-Free Productivity” and “Ready for Anything: 52 Productivity Principles for Work and Life”.

Investments: Phil Town "Successful Investing"

Tony Robbins in 2007's event.

Photos: www.powerwithin.com