Skype In Number

Hi,

I have two new telephone number which can be used to contact me anywhere in the world. They are below:

USA: +1-303-800-GENE

UK: +44-207-193-7213

If I don't answer then I am not online, please feel free to leave a voicemail message. :-)

Gene

HSBC Brilliant Customer Service - Not!

Another example of crap customer service from HSBC.

Google Video

As an avid user of all things Google, I have added my more interesting videos to google. These can all be seen here on video.google.com.

December 2005: Breckenridge Video Short

November 2005: Dad gets angry with HSBC

April 2005: LFN in Lake Tahoe

Have Fun

Audrey in Breckenridge

On the pen-ultimate day Audrey came to visit me in Breckeridge. Here we are enjoying a meal in the local Mexican restaurant. I believe I had Chicken Fajitas, which was nice although not as good as Audrey's.

After Breckenridge we went to stay in Denver, to check out her home town, visited various places and did lots of American things. I had a brilliant time and can not wait to go back there. 

Breckenridge Empty Slopes

The slopes here are amazing, and completely empty. A bliss to ride on.

Powder day

After some fantastic sunny days the weather has changed to full on snowy, bringing with it a fantastic powder day. Boarding down the runs towards the mercury superchair is awesome, empty slopes, fun snow, i could not ask for better. Also practiced riding fakie so that is coming on well too! Here is to the rest of the day!

American breakfast

Grenola for breakfast.

Breakfast at American Diner

Early morning breakfast in american diner, next to the super six express chair lift.

20 minute hike above highest lift

After hiking above the highest lift point in the states this is the view. An initially scary decent but was well worth while and snowboarding skills are approaching something nearing skilful. Another major bonus was being bumped up to the highest snowboarding group, guess i must be doing something right.

Breckenridge - Imperial Express

New Snowboarding Technique
On this vacation I decided to take some lessons, just to check my technique out, aparently I was doing (as most Snowboarders do a lot of things wrong). Always remember to lean forward, stand perpendicular to the board, and close your stance, i.e. your chest should be pointing at 90 degrees to the direction of travel, in a Homer Simpson belly out style (on piste, not fopr deep powder technique). After the instructor told us this, it became aparent that 90% of the people are snowboarding incorrectly, using the "Fear" stance, leaning back with belly pointing down the slope, this is incorrect, and after days of trying the correct stance I am now able to board faster, safer and under much more control.

Highlight of Second Day
On the second day the instructor took us up to the top of the Imperial Express, which is the highest lift operated terrain in the USA. However after getting off the list, he decided that this wasn't high enough so we walked for another 20 minutes further up the slope. It was worth it, the views were fantastic, and we then snowboarded off the top. This is the closest that I have come to the footage I watch in most of my snowboarding videos, the steepest, smoothest terrain I have ridden down. It is making me smile just thinking about it. On the picture it is the little bump the the left of the lift top, you can just see a slice moving diagonally from right to left where we entered this slope.

Beautiful Breckenridge Weather

Well just having the second day of lessons, went to the peak in the picture and tried to ski some blacks. They were ok apart from the bumpy ones. American resorts are fantastic in that the busy days are very quiet compared to europe, and everyone knows how to queue here. Going to spend the next five days putting into practice what the instructor has taught us. We are so tired that every night we are in bed by 8.30 and up around 6am, but it feels good. Well off to practice jumps, fakie, and 180s. Lfn!

Arriving In Style

After travelling to Whislter in similar style, a limo seemed to be the only way to go to get to Breckenridge. The funny thing is that it doesn't cost that much more than getting a taxi, so why not travel in style. I could highly recomend the company that took us (Front Range Limos: www.denvercoloradolimousine.com), as they were the cheapest and it came with a free, yes free bar.

Fantastic Condo in Breckenridge

Arrived at condo in Breckenridge. Amazing facilities, got up at 5am and going out for walk, kinay! Looking forward to trying out the mountain at an estimated -15oC LFN.