DOC POW, SnowSeekers Inc.
As I type this, the world is a very comfortable, relaxing place. I am sitting aboard the Rocky Mountaineer Train travelling from Whistler to Vancouver in style with country music star, Aaron Lines strumming a pretty stellar instrumental. He is here to help the province celebrate Alberta Day and they are doing it in style with the transfer from one Olympic site to the next – linking Vancouver to Whistler.
The train’s been rebranded for the month by the Alberta Government and is travelling as the Alberta Train – and we were here for the party.
The provincial government’s mission was simple: to provide an opportunity for travellers from all over the world to experience a little piece of Alberta while they are here for the Olympics. hey did it through a few means, including utilizing the latest in technology supplying iPod touches for guests loaded with content on what keeps the province one of the world’s top spots.
Of course Calgary, Alberta was home to its own Olympics back in 1988, the last time Canada held these games. To celebrate that moment, Travel Alberta welcomed two-time gold medalist, Katarina Witt on the train with us.
“The hospitality and the friendliness of the people is what I remember best,” said Witt during our interview. Witt has been in Vancouver and Whistler as a journalist for ARG German TV – a broadcast rights holder – Germany’s NBC.
Chief executive officer for Travel Alberta, Bruce Okabe asked Witt what her impressions were of the Alberta Train.
“It’s a very great thing to be able to sit back and relax while on a train like this,” she said.
The perfect ride to the perfect place; I couldn't imagine riding into Whistler any other way. It’s not just during these Olympics that you can do this, the Rocky Mountaineer offers up the experience any time at www.rockymountaineer.com/olympicnews
Stay tuned to www.snowseekers.ca/olympicnews for daily blogs, videos and more throughout the Olympics.
For full stories on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
Showing posts with label Alberta Train. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Alberta Train. Show all posts
Friday, February 19, 2010
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Head first on the Alberta Train
WILL COLFORD, SnowSeekers Inc.
Growing up in Alberta makes you a little crazy, and extremely outgoing. After all, how many places is sliding head first down a river-valley ice-bank, in –30C, considered recreational … and social?
It came as no surprise, then, when I met the perfect example of an “Albertan” on the Alberta train from Whistler to Vancouver. Hadley Lamotte is a skeleton athlete, and just like the province, she’s easy to talk to and a little bit crazy. Though she’s not competing in the games this year, it’s likely Canada will be cheering her on in the future.
As the train chugs through Squamish, Lamotte answers the question everyone asks when watching skeleton: why?
“It’s a total rush,” she says with a contained exuberance. “The sledding community is really tight knit. We all come for a love of adrenaline. We love to train and we live to slide.”
Even at this early hour, Hadley is jittering with energy. You can tell she’d prefer a coaster track to the relaxing plod of the train.
As mentioned in our video blog, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOtSVifJ9A&feature=channel, sledders can pull up to eight Gs on some tracks; fighter pilots do seven to 10, but they have special suites.
“It’s not so bad,” retorts Lamotte. “We’re laying down flat so the extra weight of the gravity forces through the banks are manageable. Our centre of gravity is so low, we’re actually considered the safest. It’s when you begin oscillating and your head and feet are dragging on the ice, that gets a little hairy.”
She says this all through a kind of deranged laugh, as though she likes flirting with losing control.
As crazy as her sport is perceived, Lamotte finds one Alberta past-time even worse.
“I went GT snow racing with my nephew the other week. I felt bad because I push it down the track, but I got on that thing with him and screamed all the way down. Those things are nuts.”
Even though she’d rather be going head first down a sheet of ice, Lamotte agrees that if you have to be travelling, the train is the way to do it.
“It’s relaxing and you get to meet everyone on your own time and pace.”
It was time to move on – after all this is what train travel is all about, so I bid Lamotte a good day and headed down the aisle eager to find out whom I might meet next.
For full stories on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
It came as no surprise, then, when I met the perfect example of an “Albertan” on the Alberta train from Whistler to Vancouver. Hadley Lamotte is a skeleton athlete, and just like the province, she’s easy to talk to and a little bit crazy. Though she’s not competing in the games this year, it’s likely Canada will be cheering her on in the future.
As the train chugs through Squamish, Lamotte answers the question everyone asks when watching skeleton: why?
“It’s a total rush,” she says with a contained exuberance. “The sledding community is really tight knit. We all come for a love of adrenaline. We love to train and we live to slide.”
Even at this early hour, Hadley is jittering with energy. You can tell she’d prefer a coaster track to the relaxing plod of the train.
As mentioned in our video blog, www.youtube.com/watch?v=3nOtSVifJ9A&feature=channel, sledders can pull up to eight Gs on some tracks; fighter pilots do seven to 10, but they have special suites.
She says this all through a kind of deranged laugh, as though she likes flirting with losing control.
As crazy as her sport is perceived, Lamotte finds one Alberta past-time even worse.
“I went GT snow racing with my nephew the other week. I felt bad because I push it down the track, but I got on that thing with him and screamed all the way down. Those things are nuts.”
Even though she’d rather be going head first down a sheet of ice, Lamotte agrees that if you have to be travelling, the train is the way to do it.
“It’s relaxing and you get to meet everyone on your own time and pace.”
It was time to move on – after all this is what train travel is all about, so I bid Lamotte a good day and headed down the aisle eager to find out whom I might meet next.
Stay tuned to www.snowseekers.ca/olympicnews for daily blogs, videos and more throughout the Olympics.
For full stories on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
BS, bull riding and snowboards
WILL COLFORD, SnowSeekers Inc.
The afternoon was winding down and I was enjoying some beers in the lounge car of the Vancouver to Whistler Alberta Train with Alberta country music star, Aaron Lines, chuck wagon driver, Kurt Bensmiller and bull riding champ, Ty Elliot.
In case you don’t know, chuck wagon racing is the biggest event at the Calgary stampede. You could say the venue is the Olympics of Chuck Wagon, with a million dollar purse up for grabs. This ain’t Canadian Tire money. Within the sport are a few family dynasties. The Bensmillers are one such family.
“My mom cooks for all four camps. My dad, myself, and two brothers. We’re all married now too, so everyday we all congregate as a family and have meals together.”
The Bensmillers definitely have a competitive spirit, and are taking the Alberta Train to the games for three days.
“It’s funny,” says Bensmiller, “people come up to me and Ty and say how crazy our sport is, but we were at the luge today and we think they’re insane. Than there’s the skeleton which is even worse.”
Like being at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, Elliot notes how the games have, “a similar atmosphere you can’t get on television. The best part is the people and being in the crowd watching, even though you can’t see the whole event.”
They both agree the Alberta Train is, “the only way to travel as everything’s at your fingertips. You can move around and meet people in a familiar Alberta setting.”
As crazy as their sport is, if they could pick any sport to do outside of hockey, they’d be in the snowboard halfpipe.
Elliot, Bensmiller, and Lines are great of examples of what makes Alberta, the train, and the games great: the people.
For full stories on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
In case you don’t know, chuck wagon racing is the biggest event at the Calgary stampede. You could say the venue is the Olympics of Chuck Wagon, with a million dollar purse up for grabs. This ain’t Canadian Tire money. Within the sport are a few family dynasties. The Bensmillers are one such family.
“My mom cooks for all four camps. My dad, myself, and two brothers. We’re all married now too, so everyday we all congregate as a family and have meals together.”
The Bensmillers definitely have a competitive spirit, and are taking the Alberta Train to the games for three days.
Like being at the Canadian Finals Rodeo, Elliot notes how the games have, “a similar atmosphere you can’t get on television. The best part is the people and being in the crowd watching, even though you can’t see the whole event.”
They both agree the Alberta Train is, “the only way to travel as everything’s at your fingertips. You can move around and meet people in a familiar Alberta setting.”
As crazy as their sport is, if they could pick any sport to do outside of hockey, they’d be in the snowboard halfpipe.
Elliot, Bensmiller, and Lines are great of examples of what makes Alberta, the train, and the games great: the people.
Stay tuned to www.snowseekers.ca/olympicnews for daily blogs, videos and more throughout the Olympics.
For full stories on Western Canada's winter destinations, visit snowseekers.ca and friend us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
