PG Blown to SMITHEREENS

Yes AJ blogsters the agonising wait is over. PG is back on the keyboard to tell it how it really is. And this week it’s all about the small things that matter. Despite being a sod of a place to get to (ie 2 days on a train, 19hrs in a bus, 13hrs in a car or one daily flight from YVR) this wee place punches well above its weight.

Except small cars. Unfortunately Enterprise Car hire didn’t have any small EV’s available. Bugger.

We all know that ski area stats don’t always paint the real picture, and that’s certainly true of this locale.  With an advertised vertical of (only) 525m and accessed by a bum numbingly slow 24 tower triple chair and 2 weenie T-bars, you could be fooled into thinking there isn’t much here for the inner PG in you all….. .but you’d be as wrong as I was. With an almost exclusively very laid back local vibe (there are zero ski hire shops in town), JAPOWesque snow dryness and nary another skier in sight you be a mug not to do some turns here some day.

Always a good sign when your skis get buried during play lunch.

After a 2024 year from hell (and those of you reading this blog will know exactly what I’m talking about) it was just fantastic to see PJH getting her ski mojo back, closely followed by Alice who hasn’t skied in about 12 years. They both really enjoyed the smooth, creamy and uncrowded powderouy (yes PJ I made that wee JEM up as well….). Our last day today saw Japan dry powder puking to set up the weekend really well.     

This JAPOWderouy……. PJH and Jano having a blast.

And Alice. Also having a blast.

But ! The real star of this show is Jano.  Without her energy, enthusiasm and intrepidness PG and his entourage wouldn’t have left NZ for this place.  Despite having a mother of a flu these past couple of days, there she was in the RAV4 ready to roll every morning at 10am…….after coffee of course ! Us three are very grateful.

Smithers. In the middle of butt hole nowhere. But put it on your to-do list. PG will cetainly be back.