Yesterday me and Alex went to the Banff Mountain Film Festival "Radical Reels" show, which was a compilation of independent films about extreme sports: long boarding, solo-base-climbing,
ALLOW ME TO DIGRESS FOR A MOMENT:
I Just saw an advert on T.V. here for Eggs. Not a particular brand of eggs, just an advert for eating eggs. "Eggs: for energetic people." I had been impressed by the crudeness of the Viagra adverts which, shown throughout the day, showed people who were late for things with the clear implication that it was because they had been making use of their Viagra. To be honest this is not how I would choose to advertise it: "Viagra: will make your sex-drive so insatiable you will be late for everything." Perhaps these pills are a little too potent . . . After the advert for eggs, I then saw another advert for Eggs, in the same advert break, which seemed to be attempting to dispel some aggressive and slanderous rumors about eggs being spread throughout Canada. This is not something I have encountered, but inspired by the valiant efforts of this advert, I'll be sure to defend eggs with gusto and aplomb at any opportunity. I do also quite want to eat some eggs right now.
Back to the film festival.
So, a couple of the films of particular note.
One I enjoyed and was very impressed by was of a daredevil climber who had combined the disciplines of solo-free-climbing and and B.A.S.E Jumping, whereby he would try and free-climb cliff faces that were almost invariably too difficult for him to climb, and when he fell off he would pull the chord on the parachute and float down to safety. He described the feeling as being able "to turn the worst thing ever to the best thing ever: dying to flying." He had devised this, the most extreme of sports, so that he could push his body to, and indeed beyond, the limit of what it was capable of, while still knowing the parachute would save him. It was incredible.
Another were two spoof films, which appealed far more to my English sense of humor than the dangerously Canadian humor of the compare who was mostly just a little annoying. One was, "Parking Garage: Extreme!" (or something similar), which was the story of a man climbing the stairs to the roof of a parking garage, and across the roof the "summit", presented as if it was everest. It was in a similar vein to the old Dead Ringers sketch about Elen McCarthur (spelling?) cleaning her house, and pretty funny.
The other of these was called, "Cross Country Snowboarding", a spoof sport where Snowboarders have to hop along on flat ground, making light of how stupid snowboarders look when they run out of momentum on flat ground and have to jump along. It was also done pretty well and made me chuckle.
The last video in the show was a bit of a disappointment. It was a documentary about some pretty hard core kayakers who went to all the most dangerous rivers in the world and kayaked down them. It was very impressive and the locations were incredible but it went on for far too long, and could have done with some serious editing to make it a more nicely contained piece. It seemed it had 3 different films in it: one about their quest to find the best rivers / rapids, one about their quest to find the best waterfall drops, which ended in them breaking the record for the biggest one, and one about one of them who, as a 15 year old, nearly died on a river in Norway, then returned to it 8 years later to conquer it. The filmmakers were at the festival, and at the end got the prize for best film, judged on a seemingly very prescribed "clap-o-metre" judgement.
After this we went home where we caught up with Miguel who had also been there, and after grabbing a quick bite to eat and a couple of beers Miguel and I went out to the Dancing Sasquatch (a club in town) for the after party. The kayak film guys who had won the $350 prize were there, as well as a coupe of French guys who had made the film that was runner up for the prize. The Kayak guys were a lot of fun and bought everyone drinks, which meant I didn't spent a single cent all night - cash-back! I also spent a while talking to the French guys who were really cool, so although the club wasn't very busy it was a cool night.
Right now Alex and I are enjoying the treat that is Canadian day-time T.V. Later on I'm gonna take my boots down to get the bindings on my skis set and bring them back to the chalet. I'll take a couple more pictures then and throw them up on here.
Out.
Wednesday, 3 November 2010
Tuesday, 2 November 2010
Found some skis.
While walking round town today with Alex, browsing in a bunch of ski shops, I got talking with a friendly salesman, who after I asked if they had any ex-rentals produced some of his "high quality demo skis", which I think meant that they were one that had been used as demonstration skis, but in short they were dramatically reduced in price. I had these put aside (the sort-of-gold coloured ones on the right):
As you can see they're real fat pow-pow skis that should also let me tear up some downhill. I figured, I'm not much of a park skier, and if I really wanted to bust some tricks I could always rent some twin-tips for a day.
The bindings are really nice too, and they're a steal at less than $500.
Booya.
The bindings are really nice too, and they're a steal at less than $500.
Booya.
Monday, 1 November 2010
P.S.
Something I really appreciated was that we spent the last 25 minutes of class doing partner stretching, at which point the heat in the Dojo and the intense sparring meant I was able to really push my flexibility and get into some deep stretching.
Out.
Out.
One for the martial arts types.
I went to my first kyokushin session this evening and enjoyed it very much. It was a good work out in a very small (and so very hot) Dojo, which had me sweating, although I wasn't particularly challenged in terms of cardiovascular fitness.
So, what are the principle differences between Kyokushin and Tang Soo Do?
In Kyokushin, all the sparring is full contact, and I definitely took a couple of big hits which I'll feel in the morning. I thought this was good, as it forces the students to really be able to defend themselves, in the knowledge that any lapse in concentration will lead to bruises. I do think it led to something that Alex Campbell, my esteemed instructor, is wary of, whereby students stick to a few relied upon techniques, rarely going beyond this limited repertoire. I think some slowed down sparring would be good, and there was little to none of the "partner not an opponent" attitude cultivated in Tang Soo Do, none of the back and forth, giving each other the opportunity to experiment or try to add to their arsenal of effective techniques.
That being said, it's clearly led to some very capable martial artists.
Another principle difference is in the format of tournament sparring, in which combatants spar for 2 or 3 continues minutes, no points are recorded, and at the end 5 judges each decide who they consider to have had the best of it, and that person wins. Had I known this was the case, rather than points, I would have taken the initiative and gone on the offensive earlier than I did. This is also because I found that, as someone who is quick, and also (I would like to think) able to identify and exploit moments where an opponent's guard is open or a target area exposed, I could, with some work, find myself with the upper hand.
Moreover, there are only two rules in sparring: No punches to the head and no kicking in the balls. However, low kicks are allowed, and in my 3rd pairing I took a couple of whacks to the legs from a clearly experienced martial artist, whose orange belt (one up from white, as in Tang Soo Do), was rather a deception. So, having spent two matches relying on evasion and pretty well ignoring low blows, I was caught heavily in the thigh by this young man, called Jake. He kicks were precise and efficient, delivering considerably power. This is something I am going to have to learn to do, as the touch-control we practice in Tang Soo Do did not stand up to the power Jake routinely executed his kicks with. He also had an excellent hook which has left a nice red mark on my chest. I also wanted to pick Jake out, as he was training with a disability: his right arm was not fully formed, ending (approximately) at the elbow. He clearly did not allow this to affect the way he trained, and his determination and overall attitude really picked him out as a truly exceptional martial artist for me.
The no punches to the head rule was difficult for me, as it ruled out the high backfist on which I rely for stopping opponents short. I find that the ability to step in on an incoming kick and deliver a back fist to the head is an invaluable part of one's arsenal, but it was completely written off by the rule. I quickly noticed that because of this rule, many of the students held their guards with their heads fairly exposed, something I would have loved to have been able to take advantage of, were it not for this limitation.
Overall, the class was very good, and all the students were welcoming and seemed like a really nice bunch of guys. The atmosphere was good, and the instructor struck a nice balance between discipline and informality, although he was maybe a little over keen to get across how he had a "background in street fighting". That being said, he seemed like a good instructor (though perhaps not quite Geoff Keerie) and he was very appreciative of my very different style and the new techniques I introduced. I feel I managed to throw Jake a few curve balls with my patented step behind side kick off the front leg, and a nice jump back kick I popped up into (with some alacrity, if I say so myself) to cut one of his attacks short. Alex Campbell's favorite, the Backfist reverse punch combo of doom, also served me well.
Things to think about for next time?
I need to be able to land techniques with power rather than snapping in and out with touch control, so that I can respond to Japanese stylists' power in kind.
I was also aware of the (idiosyncratically Japanese) efficiency, whereby fights can come down to one, powerful, disabling technique, and think that as long as I can stay on the front foot and use my speed to full effect I'll be able to take control, although this may not be so much the case against Blake (I think was his name), a very large and hairy white belt who although I outclassed in refinement of technique and speed, I could never stand up to in terms of power.
If I'm going to continue to train, I'm going to have to get some more appropriate clothing, as the sweats and sports top I wore were a little bit constricting and definitely not ideal in the very small, very hot Dojo.
I was a little held back by not having any pads with me which meant I was conscious of needing to not go all out, but it was very satisfying to give and take a few good hits, and tomorrow will certainly be a rather achy one for me, particularly in my legs where Jake landed some nice kicks.
All in all, a good training session and a good club that I look forward to going back to. The only thing that might reasonably hold me back from continuing to train is the price, but I may be able to negotiate something.
A pleasantly tired and satisfyingly bruised Jon out.
So, what are the principle differences between Kyokushin and Tang Soo Do?
In Kyokushin, all the sparring is full contact, and I definitely took a couple of big hits which I'll feel in the morning. I thought this was good, as it forces the students to really be able to defend themselves, in the knowledge that any lapse in concentration will lead to bruises. I do think it led to something that Alex Campbell, my esteemed instructor, is wary of, whereby students stick to a few relied upon techniques, rarely going beyond this limited repertoire. I think some slowed down sparring would be good, and there was little to none of the "partner not an opponent" attitude cultivated in Tang Soo Do, none of the back and forth, giving each other the opportunity to experiment or try to add to their arsenal of effective techniques.
That being said, it's clearly led to some very capable martial artists.
Another principle difference is in the format of tournament sparring, in which combatants spar for 2 or 3 continues minutes, no points are recorded, and at the end 5 judges each decide who they consider to have had the best of it, and that person wins. Had I known this was the case, rather than points, I would have taken the initiative and gone on the offensive earlier than I did. This is also because I found that, as someone who is quick, and also (I would like to think) able to identify and exploit moments where an opponent's guard is open or a target area exposed, I could, with some work, find myself with the upper hand.
Moreover, there are only two rules in sparring: No punches to the head and no kicking in the balls. However, low kicks are allowed, and in my 3rd pairing I took a couple of whacks to the legs from a clearly experienced martial artist, whose orange belt (one up from white, as in Tang Soo Do), was rather a deception. So, having spent two matches relying on evasion and pretty well ignoring low blows, I was caught heavily in the thigh by this young man, called Jake. He kicks were precise and efficient, delivering considerably power. This is something I am going to have to learn to do, as the touch-control we practice in Tang Soo Do did not stand up to the power Jake routinely executed his kicks with. He also had an excellent hook which has left a nice red mark on my chest. I also wanted to pick Jake out, as he was training with a disability: his right arm was not fully formed, ending (approximately) at the elbow. He clearly did not allow this to affect the way he trained, and his determination and overall attitude really picked him out as a truly exceptional martial artist for me.
The no punches to the head rule was difficult for me, as it ruled out the high backfist on which I rely for stopping opponents short. I find that the ability to step in on an incoming kick and deliver a back fist to the head is an invaluable part of one's arsenal, but it was completely written off by the rule. I quickly noticed that because of this rule, many of the students held their guards with their heads fairly exposed, something I would have loved to have been able to take advantage of, were it not for this limitation.
Overall, the class was very good, and all the students were welcoming and seemed like a really nice bunch of guys. The atmosphere was good, and the instructor struck a nice balance between discipline and informality, although he was maybe a little over keen to get across how he had a "background in street fighting". That being said, he seemed like a good instructor (though perhaps not quite Geoff Keerie) and he was very appreciative of my very different style and the new techniques I introduced. I feel I managed to throw Jake a few curve balls with my patented step behind side kick off the front leg, and a nice jump back kick I popped up into (with some alacrity, if I say so myself) to cut one of his attacks short. Alex Campbell's favorite, the Backfist reverse punch combo of doom, also served me well.
Things to think about for next time?
I need to be able to land techniques with power rather than snapping in and out with touch control, so that I can respond to Japanese stylists' power in kind.
I was also aware of the (idiosyncratically Japanese) efficiency, whereby fights can come down to one, powerful, disabling technique, and think that as long as I can stay on the front foot and use my speed to full effect I'll be able to take control, although this may not be so much the case against Blake (I think was his name), a very large and hairy white belt who although I outclassed in refinement of technique and speed, I could never stand up to in terms of power.
If I'm going to continue to train, I'm going to have to get some more appropriate clothing, as the sweats and sports top I wore were a little bit constricting and definitely not ideal in the very small, very hot Dojo.
I was a little held back by not having any pads with me which meant I was conscious of needing to not go all out, but it was very satisfying to give and take a few good hits, and tomorrow will certainly be a rather achy one for me, particularly in my legs where Jake landed some nice kicks.
All in all, a good training session and a good club that I look forward to going back to. The only thing that might reasonably hold me back from continuing to train is the price, but I may be able to negotiate something.
A pleasantly tired and satisfyingly bruised Jon out.
Tunnel Mountain
Here are a couple of pictures from Halloween, this is Miguel as "The Amazing Clown Man":
Yes, he is genuinely juggling those bats, what a hero. This is Kat, as "cat":
No, she's not genuinely eating that rat . . . nor is it a genuine rat.
In other news, Alex and I went for a walk up Tunnel Mountain, which is just behind our chalet. It was a cool little walk and there were some great views from the top:
So, its been another good day here, although it's been a little damp this afternoon, let's hope that's a sign that some snow is on the way soon .
I think tonight we'll be staying in with a few beers watching some NFL and some Baseball.
Over and out.
No, she's not genuinely eating that rat . . . nor is it a genuine rat.
In other news, Alex and I went for a walk up Tunnel Mountain, which is just behind our chalet. It was a cool little walk and there were some great views from the top:
I think tonight we'll be staying in with a few beers watching some NFL and some Baseball.
Over and out.
Getting things sorted.
Got my Canadian bank account set up with the Bank of Montreal today; things continue to fall into place.
Obviously, I don't have any money in it yet, so it's pretty much useless till I start work.
I went and looked around for a Canadian sim card or phone or something too but it seems phones in Canada are crazy expensive, they pay 40 cents per minute for calls and 15 cents per texts, and they have to pay for bock sending and receiving calls and texts, so pay as you go works out to some ridiculous amount of money. A guy showed me and Alex a deal for $50 a month which looked ok, but seeing as I'm not gonna buy anything until I've started work and have money coming in, because I don't wanna pay for it from an English account to avoid losing money on the exchange rate and charges for paying from a foreign account, I might as well just wait and shop around a bit online or whatever.
In other news, they don't have Sub of the Day here, which is lame.
Obviously, I don't have any money in it yet, so it's pretty much useless till I start work.
I went and looked around for a Canadian sim card or phone or something too but it seems phones in Canada are crazy expensive, they pay 40 cents per minute for calls and 15 cents per texts, and they have to pay for bock sending and receiving calls and texts, so pay as you go works out to some ridiculous amount of money. A guy showed me and Alex a deal for $50 a month which looked ok, but seeing as I'm not gonna buy anything until I've started work and have money coming in, because I don't wanna pay for it from an English account to avoid losing money on the exchange rate and charges for paying from a foreign account, I might as well just wait and shop around a bit online or whatever.
In other news, they don't have Sub of the Day here, which is lame.
Day three
Halloween was a very good night last night, went round to another GYC chalet where some of Will and Kat's (my flatmates) friends from Plymouth Uni. are staying, then from there out to The Devils Gap and then HooDoo. Met a lot of people and had a good time.
I've looked up the local martial arts club, a Kyokushin Dojo. It looks pretty good, led by a 4th Dan and a 2nd Dan (I think). There's a class tonight so I think I'll go along, but from looking at the website you have to pay upfront for the whole season or something, which it says is about $200, plus becoming a member of the club and getting the handbook, another $40 or so, so it may be a little dearer than the club back home.
Still, the first class is free so if maybe if it's really good I'll think about it, and maybe the instructor will be able to be a bit flexible. To be honest, I don't think there's much point me becoming a member seeing as I'll only be training while out here, and I'll have to see how the session lasts for and if I could get some sort of discount for only being here over the winter. However all that turns out, I think its worth heading down to the class this evening and taking a look.
In other news, Alex and I will be going down with Nancy to open our Canadian bank accounts today, I'm sure that'll be fine, and I'm thinking about going for a walk up the hill behind our chalet on Will and Kat's recommendation.
I've looked up the local martial arts club, a Kyokushin Dojo. It looks pretty good, led by a 4th Dan and a 2nd Dan (I think). There's a class tonight so I think I'll go along, but from looking at the website you have to pay upfront for the whole season or something, which it says is about $200, plus becoming a member of the club and getting the handbook, another $40 or so, so it may be a little dearer than the club back home.
Still, the first class is free so if maybe if it's really good I'll think about it, and maybe the instructor will be able to be a bit flexible. To be honest, I don't think there's much point me becoming a member seeing as I'll only be training while out here, and I'll have to see how the session lasts for and if I could get some sort of discount for only being here over the winter. However all that turns out, I think its worth heading down to the class this evening and taking a look.
In other news, Alex and I will be going down with Nancy to open our Canadian bank accounts today, I'm sure that'll be fine, and I'm thinking about going for a walk up the hill behind our chalet on Will and Kat's recommendation.
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