Why am I reminded of the scene toward the end of 聯Pulp Fiction” when the John Travolta character, Vincent, berates his friend Jules (Samuel L. Jackson) over Jules’s plan to give up the gangster life and 聯walk the earth.” Says Vincent disgustedly: 聯You聮ve decided to become a bum.”
Outdoor Research Aurora Bivy
Aurora BivyWhich sounds like what you聮ve decided to do. You don聮t even seem to be talking about 聯camping.” It聮s more like, 聯find a place to sleep in the woods.” And I can聮t begin to list all the reasons why this is a bad idea. I see you at a party, consuming vast quantities of beer, then staggering out into the snow to find a place to 聯save money,” and freezing to death in your bivy bag. I see you getting hit by some guy on a snow machine. I see you being frisked by local police after a condo owner looks outside and sees you peeing in the woods, and decides you聮re a vagrant.
As far as your choice of gear goes, well, it聮s OK. The Outdoor Research Aurora Bivy ($169; outdoorresearch.com) is a perfectly decent Gore-Tex bivy bag, in which you聮ll be reasonably snug and exceedingly uncomfortable because you can聮t sit up, easily change clothes, read, or anything else. The Coleman Tasman XO Hybrid bag ($80; coleman.com) is a reasonably priced zero-degree bag that also is extremely heavy ( more than six pounds). That doesn聮t include the other stuff you聮ll need聴a pad, flashlight (right now it gets dark at Whistler at 4 p.m.), extra clothing for fumbling around in the cold, boots to wear when not boarding, etc.
My advice: Get on Craigslist and start looking for a group of people your age going to Whistler and sharing accommodations. A lot more fun, much more social, vastly safer and saner. And probably cheaper. By the time you fuss around getting set up for 聯sleeping in the woods,” you聮ll have spent enough to take care of you for a few weeks in some hostel-type experience.
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