Style on the slopes

Our little family just spent the weekend in the interior BC Rockies where we had to split our riding time between two awesome mountains, Kicking Horse and Revelstoke, due to avalanche road closures. Thanks to the greatest father in law who joined us, our little guy had some grampy bonding time to give mommy and daddy a chance get out on our snowboards.

The point of this post is simply to share a three observations I noticed at both places...

1) Almost everyone (95-98%) wore helmets!! Great to see people riding and skiing responsibly. Even 4-5 years back, quite a large crowd were still, like..uh.. too cool to wear proper head gear! Or maybe they are still lurking around Sunshine & Lake Louise, closer to Calgary where we used to go? who knows?

2) If you are on a mission to have a snowboarding jacket or pants to stand out so that your riding partners can spot you from a mile away... never fear being bold. There is always someone sporting something more brighter and ostentatious, and they are still so cool. The most rad plaids are perfect for the hills! My age-old teal was fairly neutral in comparison. And with the Sochi Olympics going on, we saw lots of Team Canada jerseys. Bright with pride!

3) Gone are the days where Burton snowboards have a monopoly slope side. Don't get me wrong, I used to be a Burton girl head to toe. They make great gear. However, we noticed every second rider was strapping into Lib Tech or Gnu... everywhere we turned. Hurray for the little Mervin worker elves in Washington who still hand-make every single board! My hubby has a Lib TRS, my bro has a T-rice and I have a Gnu B Street from a couple seasons ago. We have no shame in being sheep in this sense. Baaaahhh...

That's just my 3 pennies worth... if you haven't been to Kicking Horse or Revelstoke, I'd recommend Revy because the snow was just sooooo fluffy I could die!! *Copyright "Despicable Me"*

Fantasy Getaway: Orient Express

I’ll have to credit my sweet hubby for telling me about a retro train that you can take from London to Venice via Paris. What he discovered is actually the Venice Simplon-Orient Express which offers luxury train journeys to Venice, Paris, London, Brussels, Bucharest, and Istanbul. The trains cars are works art in the Art Deco style and they are restored original cars from the 1920’s and 30’s. Throughout history, the Orient Express is the transportation setting for aristocracy, royalty, spies, and artists- in fiction and reality. A journey across the European continent would be a delightful experience with a romantic step back in time to the golden age of travel and the panoramic views of the ever changing landscape enroute. Such a journey does coutte trop chère for the train ride alone, so it will have fall into the fantasy category for now and it makes for a perfect fantasy get away post. 

As the travel literature states “you can never be overdressed aboard the Venice Simplon-Orient Express”. Music to my day dreamers ears! The fine dining and exquisite wines served are "uncompromisingly luxurious" and would make you forget about the 2 star Air Canada service you got on your way to catch the train.. only if you counted pretzels and beverages service. Wardrobe for all occasions on board? I picture Audrey Tatous’s style in her Chanel #5 commercials or Marion Cotillard in Dior’s Lady Blue Shanghai mini movie… and of course, this jacket as worn by my hero, Christine Centenera. Just lovely...

Definitely, we have an Orient Express journey on our bucket list or just for kicks, I may suggest it to my friends for our 40th birthday trip... if one of us wins the lottery! hehe :)

Happy St Valentines!

I must say this heart is much more appealing than any Valentine's confection ever!

Photo: Fashionphile Instagram