November 26-28, 2021

Big White opened for the season on Friday, November 26, 2021. It opened with meagre coverage but a lot of anticipation. People were anxious to get outside and breathe the mountain air.

No masks, singles allowed – please make fours. Skiing in the coronaverse was inching back to normal.

If only Mother Nature would cooperate.

I was not disappointed that I missed the opening day madness. Others lined up overnight. I wasn’t that excited to stretch my ski legs on a mere 70ish cm of snow. 

Others would have to blaze that path. 

We finally made it to the mountain at 3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. Powder dreams filled our eyes as mother nature was dumping a magic elixir of fresh snow onto the slopes below.  Perhaps Sunday would be a good day after all.

We hoped.

It was nice to be back on our mountain home. On my first stop at the store, I saw old friends for the first time in months and it felt good making the connection. It warmed my heart to be greeted by smiles even if some were behind a mask, I could still feel and see the welcome in their eyes.

The Big White Chamber of Commerce was having a social that night and I was told we should stop by. I’m sure glad we did. 

It was awesome connecting with all the people that are a big part of the Big White Community – many I knew and some I just met. It’s obvious everyone craved personal connection amidst the chaos of the last year and a half. The in-person connection was a wonderful thing. I left the West Kelowna Board of Trade because I couldn’t do the Zoom meetings. A virtual connection of a screen doesn’t compare to actually breathing the same air as a person you are talking to. 

Unfortunately, breathing the same air took on a much more ominous meaning in the last eighteen months.

I would not want to live a life where the only connection you make is through a screen.

Big White Chamber of Commerce is on the road to recovery for the last couple of years. Some of that is related to covid and some are just the challenge of being a small organization on a monopolized mountain. Living under the shadow of Big White Ski Resort has been a difficult place for the Chamber of Commerce since its original inception twenty years ago. Then came the pandemic and people had no time for volunteer work in a tourist-driven community. 

It has been about survival.

Being around all my mountain friends warmed my soul. Just seeing each other’s faces and having a real conversation about the future made me grateful I was invited to the meeting. Just having the chance to share our stories was a great way to move forward.

Moving forward – that is such a good theme after the last months of standing still.

When it was my turn to introduce myself to the people at the meeting I was stuck for what to say. They knew me as Cal owner of Ever-Clear. But that was not me anymore. Somehow being the owner of a boat tour company didn’t fit in with a ski hill. I introduced myself as Victor Barr – writer. It felt good.

I felt like I made a step in the right direction. I am no longer a window cleaner I am a writer. Now I need to move to the next step as someone who can write for more than just a hobby or a passion. I plugged myself as someone who could do some writing for the people in the room, people on the mountain, and people in the world. 

A writer. It feels good to put that out there. My friends in the room welcomed the new me with open arms. 

Change is good. 

Saturday evening ended with snow falling and a promise of powder days to come. We said a happy farewell and hoped for the future success of the Chamber and the community at large.

Sunday I awoke to the nemesis of skiers everywhere – rain. In spite of the wetness falling upon us, we decided to bear it and get some turns in. As we neared the top of the bullet chair the rain changed to snow. We skied the heavy wet snow to the bottom and knew it wasn’t the best of days but it set up a good foundation for the future. 

Life is about a strong foundation and looking forward to the future.

Thanks to everyone that has followed my musings on my blog. I hope you continue to come to my website and enjoy my stories of life in the coronaverse.

I will continue to share in the new world we are creating for ourselves and thrive long after the coronaverse ends.