I’m not sure when the temperatures were last above freezing, but I think it was a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately there isn’t much snow looming in future forecasts, but at least all the cold will be helping the ice climbs get nice and fat.

 
But I’m beginning to see what all the Canadians in Melbourne were complaining about. Whether it’s the proper heating over here, the really dry air, or the fact the temperatures don’t seem to jump around so much, I’m finding the cold here easier to deal with than in Melbourne. Of course I might change my mind when it hits -30oC, but by then I can probably get away with whinging about the cold.

All right stop collaborate and listen …

Erm, so I went ice climbing. Nine in the morning and we were strolling along a packed snow path up to Mt Stanley Headwall. Two hours later, and we’d completed the final slog up through deep fluffy snow, arrived at Sinus Gully, and were strapping on crampons. In my case they were a pair of antique crampons that attached to my ski boots via a mechanism involving a couple of trusty leather straps that were probably just as good as they were when the crampons were originally purchased (in Kathmandu in 1972 – no really).

My old tele boots were a size too big, designed for touring, and I’ve been using them for four seasons now. My feet could have invited a whole other pair of feet to have a party inside them. So now I have shiny new boots that fit (and are designed for turns rather than touring). I plan to thoroughly test them as soon as possible.

6.20am Wake up
7.00am Leave home to walk to the bus stop to catch the bus to work
7.10am Stand around in the cold, sipping at my tea, waiting for the bus to come and hoping it isn’t too full
7.45am Arrive at work
8.00am The sun rises
11.30am Go out skiing
1.30pm Get back to work
4.50pm The sun sets
5.30pm Catch the bus home
6.00pm Arrive at the house
10.20pm Fall asleep (maybe)

The most snow we’ve had in town so far… I was sitting at work all day, where the snow just didn’t stop, and it really does feel like you’re inside a snow dome.

I had a deprived Australian childhood, so I’d never dressed up for Halloween before. Trick-or-treating wouldn’t have been particularly practicable in the neighbourhood I grew up in anyway.

But: Celebrating the final harvest, starting the dark half of the year, boundaries between the living and the dead becoming blurred, all sorts of dead souls and creatures from the underworld coming back to life and wreaking havoc, and everyone running round dressed up in an attempt to mimic or placate the spirits. Or in an attempt to get candy from their neighbours. Or just an excuse to wear a silly costume (and perhaps as little clothing as possible) and drink copious amounts of alcohol. So, a snapshot of Halloween 2007 in Banff:

And I just discovered that I really should have been carving a Halloween turnip (or a mangelwurzel). It’s traditional. This pumpkin business is modern rubbish.