2011 April » Sarah Leishman

Welcome!

Apr 202011

Solvista, Co. More checking out shred spots where this came from. 2009.

Well this really should be the first post people actually read on the site as I am a few hours away from telling you all it exists. It’s been a bit of a learning curve for me to get this thing running and it wouldn’t have happened at all if it weren’t for Ian Harker. I’m nervous about it. I didn’t want to call it sarahleishman.com but leishner.com was just as lame. There was more of an urgency to just get this thing up and running than an urgency to think of something as clever as “whistlerdiaries.com” or …”pinkbike.com”. Hah (sorry Seb!).

I’m still learning the ins and outs of how to use this thing but my objective is to have an outlet for writing about my life in Whistler while I work to afford bikes, ride them faster and to teach other people how to ride them better. If you have feedback for me, my email account is listed on the “About Me” page (and I will cry if you tell me I suck so that’s hardly a challenge, now is it). I’m pumped. It’s a start I can live with and hopefully over time this thing will have an organic development process that feeds the creative hunger I’ve had since I moved to this town.

Here’s a photo. I have more but you’ll have to keep checking in to see them.

Whistler Bike Park 2010. Jelley photo.

-Leishner

Hey Winter - Your Time Is Up!

biking No Responses »

Apr 192011

I figured it’d be fitting to have my first post on this site be timed with the end of my ridiculous work season. This is it: I have four (FOUR!) more days left of Ski Patrol on Whistler Mountain, which means I have one (ONE!) more fourteen hour day (when I leave my ten hour day at patrol and book it across the village to Fanatyk Co to finish off the evening for about four hours) for the season. To say I’m tired would be a lie. I’m shattered. But not too shattered to ride my bike or get in the gym or play on the computer.

Last week my weekend consisted of two big rides in Pemberton, a rehab/training session at Meadow Park and my first Crossfit session since December. When I came into work on an early (avalanche control) start on my Monday, I felt about as exhausted as a girl could feel. There’s nothing quite like handling and deploying explosives at the crack of dawn in a storm (my memories of all my AC routes are dark even though we do go out in the daylight) let alone while your body is so worked it feels like you’ve been hit by a small car.

This wasn't last week and it is never this nice out when you're actually doing AC for real. Avalanche Control Route awareness mission - Blackcomb Mtn. Gavin Reed photo 2011.

It’s been tough to come to terms with missing the fun that all the other shredders are having at Sea Otter and GRT races down south, but I guess that’s the price I pay for being part of the working class. Working, working, working so I can ride bikes as much as possible. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel, however, and I will be able to shred harder and live a bit more once my body smashing employment of Patrol is over.