I lived with John during a work term in Calgary, as a matter of fact he gave me a ride to work every day. He was by far the best skier that I had or for that matter, have since seen; he was probably in the top 5% of all Canadian skiers, he really was that good. You know a guy is good when everyone (and I do mean everyone) takes the time to turn back while riding the chairlift to watch a guy ski the moguls, it was like poetry in motion.
During one of our many ski trips that term, we were skiing at the very top in Lake Louise, and he decided to take a jump. He flew at least 80 feet, but the landing wasn't overly successful. He got up moaning a bit, shook himself off, and realized that he had broken one of his ski's. He convinced Laurie (from our class) to carry his broken ski down for him.
The rest of us would have walked down, but not John. He proceeded to ski down the hill on one ski, for the remaining distance of about 2.5 miles, stopping only once to rest. The rest of us could barely manage to keep up. If you have ever tried that you would realize how unreal that would be to do. It was truly an unbelievable experience.
All the best, unfortunately I likely won't make it this year, I really do treasure all of the moments that I have shared with past classmates. They were such a unique and gifted blend of people, it will be hard to top those life experiences.
J. Parnell Levesque
Sep 15, 2008
In the early eighties, John and Warren came through Castlegar, where I was
living, on a ski trip.
We intensively skied Red Mountain for 3 days in great conditions. Warren had
the easy, effortless smooth style that could only be acquired by starting very
young. John's ability to wind his 207cm VR-17's through tight trees was an
inspiration.
John retired early to Fernie to powder ski and mountain bike fulltime but sadly
passed away before I could make some turns with him at his new local hill.
Dave Rush
Sep 5, 2008
Warren Yule died 2 years ago in May. A sad loss for someone so full of life.
Dave Stephens