My flat in Munich became a mere hotel room, in between my Dutch adventures and the next trip to a conference held in Steamboat Springs in Colorado, USA. I didn't expect to be going on this conference but my departmental head, who was one of the organisers of the conference, asked me to be a conference assistant as the original person had pulled out. I only received the news after booking my trip to the Netherlands, and the conference was supposed to start on 6th January, just 3 days after returning from the Netherlands. The secretaries to the departmental head joked that I was living the life of the big boss.
Steamboat Springs is located in the Rocky Mountains within Colorado, and I have long expected it to be under some cold weather and a cover of snow. Little did I expect to feel the full force of the elements even before I reached the town! After arriving in Denver at 20:00 on 5th January, I found that my connecting flight to Hayden Airport, the closest one to Steamboat Springs, was cancelled. I had to queue up for 3 hours at Denver Airport to have a new flight and temporary accommodation arranged. I happened to meet an American youth who was also stranded by the same flight. We shared a hotel room, and in less than 5 hours' time, we were on our way back to Denver Airport for the flight at 08:00, but that flight was also cancelled! The airline was planning to arrange a coach to take us to Hayden, a 4-hour trip from Denver. Realising that I wouldn't have enough water to last that much time, I went away to buy a bottle. Then fate had it that I spotted another flight was departing for Hayden as scheduled, within 10 minutes. I told my American companion, and in a split-second decision we found ourselves racing towards the gate for the flight as he decided that a flight would be more bearable than a coach ride. We boarded that flight in the nick of time, as the gate staff was literally about to close the gate! Only when the adrenaline rush was over then I realised I've still left my luggage behind, but honestly we were only too glad to be on board. It turned out that the replacement coach for the other flight did not materialise, and another colleague of mine affected by that flight resorted to renting a car with a few other conference attendants. My luggage also made its way finally to my hotel one day after my arrival. So I think I've made a wise split-second decision after all.
With my trip dragged out to 20+ hours, there were only 3 hours left until the start of the conference. The line-up for this conference was indeed impressive, studded with speakers with a high standing in their research fields. A few speakers even presented results that were fresh from very recent research, so fresh that they were in fact not yet published. Those results were particularly exciting as the experiments were at the forefront of current research and were extremely demanding technically. My job as a conference assistant required me to take notes from all the talks and later compile a conference report with the help of another conference assistant. That made sure I had to pay attention to all the talks!
Attending presentations and taking notes are not a particularly difficult job, particularly at this conference where there was a free period from 11:00 to 17:00. It wasn't a problem for a lot of the attendants to spend the free time, as the venue was conveniently located in at the foot of ski fields. Snow sports were the obvious choice, and the weather didn't disappoint everyone with fine weather during the day and powder snow every night, up to 50 or 60 centimetres overnight. Skiers and snowboarders couldn't possibly ask for better conditions with a fresh daily dump of the best type of snow! On the last day of the conference, I made a quick visit to the town centre of Steamboat Springs to get a feel for what a typical American small town would be like. After lunch, I joined a tour group for a hike up in the slopes. Hiking on snow requires the wearing of snow shoes, equipped with spikes for standing and walking in the snow, and hence this kind of hiking is also known as snow-shoeing. The tour guide first took us along a hiking trail to give us an impression on the expanse of the ski fields (and national park in summer). After a break, a person from the tour group joined me for a hike downhill along the skiing trails suitable for beginners. Along the way we passed by many slopes filled with skiers or snowboarders racing downhill, including a rather large number of very young participants who were showing the techniques and finesse as if they were very seasoned experts. I only wished that I had learnt snow sports from a much younger age when it would be so much easier to pick things up and not to make a fool of myself like back in December!
Apart from the snow, the weather during the 5 days at Steamboat Springs was really memorable. With temperatures often below -10 degrees Celsius and piles of snow everywhere, I've finally seen what a 'true' winter is really like. It has also made up for what was sorely missing in Munich this winter (and the last one as well). It seems that after November, so much snow has already been dumped in normally warmer places like southern China and southern Europe that it's skipping this part of the world!
從荷蘭回來，椅還未坐暖，便得再上路，往美國科羅拉多州的Steamboat Springs出席科學會議。事緣是這個由系主任籌辦的會議，原本的會議助理未克前行，系主任便着我頂替，會期是我從荷蘭回來後不久（1月3日回，1月6日會議開始），而且是訂了往荷蘭的行程後才通知，系主任的兩個秘書，都笑言我像系主任一樣風塵僕僕。
Steamboat Springs位處科羅拉多州的雪山，天寒地凍、漫天風雪早已是意料之內，但風雪的威力，還未抵達Steamboat Springs就已感受到！我乘飛機於1月5日晚上8時到達丹佛，原定接駁前往Steamboat Springs的Hayden機場的航班卻因風雪暴而取消，在丹佛機場排隊排了三句鐘，好不容易才安排到改航班及當晚入住酒店，排隊時碰到同一處境的美國青年，我倆便一同度宿，睡了不足五句鐘，便再返回丹佛機場，準備乘早上8時的航班，怎料又再取消！航空公司打算給我們安排長途車把我們送到Hayden，四小時車程，我得買瓶水才夠喝，就是在買水途中，給我看到了有另一航班十分鐘後準時起飛，我告訴了那個美國青年，他不假思索便認定趕搭那班機是上策，於是我倆便往該航班的閘口直奔，到達時閘口的服務員叫我們立即上機，因為她正要把閘門關上呢！坐下來定過神後，才醒起行李的去向仍未解決，究竟何時才能到達手中實是未知之數，但也擔心不了那麼多，後來受到同樣航班兩度取消影響的另一個同事告訴我，原來長途車最終也不了了之，她和其他前往會議的人便得合租一輛車，而且我的行李再過一天也終於送到酒店，所以那個一剎那的決定總算沒錯吧。
騰折了二十多小時，到達Steamboat Springs後三個多小時會議便正式開始。這個會議堪稱猛人如雲，所有講者在其界別都有名氣，而且有些演講內容，是新鮮熱辣出爐而尚未在文獻發表，兼且本身難度極高，能造出如此成果，真令人嘆為觀止！我這個會議助理，職責便是出席所有演講，擲下要旨，會後與另一個助理合撰會議摘要，所以演講時要份外留神。
這份職務其實是優差一份，會議每天上午11點至下午5點都是空閒時間，而且會場位於滑雪場山腳，悠長空檔，正是滑雪的好時間也！會議期間的天氣真不負愛好滑雪者，日間天色不錯，晚上則不斷下粉狀雪，下50至60厘米絕不為奇，如是者每日增添新雪，而且是最宜滑雪的雪，所以滑雪者人人都讚不絕口，也玩得暢快。會議最後一天，我抽空到Steamboat Springs小小的市中心逛逛，見識美國小鎮的特色，午飯後參加踏雪遠足。在雪山遠足，踏在厚厚積雪上，得穿上特別的雪鞋（snow shoe）。導遊帶我們一團人，先上山頂的路徑走一圈，令我們感受到整個滑雪場（夏天時是國立公國）有多大，休息過後我跟一個團友沿着一道適合初學者的滑雪道下山，沿途經過不少斜坡，但見一個個滑雪或雪板者疾然而下，其中不少更是年紀小小便滑得輕鬆自如，儼如經驗老到的高手，想起我十二月學滑雪時的艱苦，覺得滑雪這玩意，真得從小開始學才能好好掌握，我現在才開始，能免有為時已晚之感。
在Steamboat Springs那五天，氣溫往往低於攝氏零下十度，而且四周積雪極多，令我深深感受到真正的寒冬究竟是啥回事，看到Steamboat Springs的漫天飄雪和滿地積雪，正好彌補慕尼黑這個（連續第二年）冬天遺漏了的光景；連平常較暖和的歐洲南部和華南地區也迎來場場風雪，但慕尼黑過了十一月就好像與雪無緣了！
Countryside covered in snow 白茫茫的郊野
The conference venue (top two), right at the base of the ski resort (left)
位於滑雪場山腳（左）的會場（上兩圖）
The town centre of Steamboat Springs, including the building of Routt County (top left)
Steamboat Springs市中心，包括Routt縣政府辦公室（左上）
The gondola ride uphill for snow-shoeing
乘吊車上山遠足途中
A walk in the (national) park and the ski field 踏雪尋芳
Busy ski traffic! 雪山上絡繹不絕
The serene world in snow 無邊無盡的雪國
New curtains draping from the roofs!
冰柱三尺，非一日之寒！
Steamboat Springs is located in the Rocky Mountains within Colorado, and I have long expected it to be under some cold weather and a cover of snow. Little did I expect to feel the full force of the elements even before I reached the town! After arriving in Denver at 20:00 on 5th January, I found that my connecting flight to Hayden Airport, the closest one to Steamboat Springs, was cancelled. I had to queue up for 3 hours at Denver Airport to have a new flight and temporary accommodation arranged. I happened to meet an American youth who was also stranded by the same flight. We shared a hotel room, and in less than 5 hours' time, we were on our way back to Denver Airport for the flight at 08:00, but that flight was also cancelled! The airline was planning to arrange a coach to take us to Hayden, a 4-hour trip from Denver. Realising that I wouldn't have enough water to last that much time, I went away to buy a bottle. Then fate had it that I spotted another flight was departing for Hayden as scheduled, within 10 minutes. I told my American companion, and in a split-second decision we found ourselves racing towards the gate for the flight as he decided that a flight would be more bearable than a coach ride. We boarded that flight in the nick of time, as the gate staff was literally about to close the gate! Only when the adrenaline rush was over then I realised I've still left my luggage behind, but honestly we were only too glad to be on board. It turned out that the replacement coach for the other flight did not materialise, and another colleague of mine affected by that flight resorted to renting a car with a few other conference attendants. My luggage also made its way finally to my hotel one day after my arrival. So I think I've made a wise split-second decision after all.
With my trip dragged out to 20+ hours, there were only 3 hours left until the start of the conference. The line-up for this conference was indeed impressive, studded with speakers with a high standing in their research fields. A few speakers even presented results that were fresh from very recent research, so fresh that they were in fact not yet published. Those results were particularly exciting as the experiments were at the forefront of current research and were extremely demanding technically. My job as a conference assistant required me to take notes from all the talks and later compile a conference report with the help of another conference assistant. That made sure I had to pay attention to all the talks!
Attending presentations and taking notes are not a particularly difficult job, particularly at this conference where there was a free period from 11:00 to 17:00. It wasn't a problem for a lot of the attendants to spend the free time, as the venue was conveniently located in at the foot of ski fields. Snow sports were the obvious choice, and the weather didn't disappoint everyone with fine weather during the day and powder snow every night, up to 50 or 60 centimetres overnight. Skiers and snowboarders couldn't possibly ask for better conditions with a fresh daily dump of the best type of snow! On the last day of the conference, I made a quick visit to the town centre of Steamboat Springs to get a feel for what a typical American small town would be like. After lunch, I joined a tour group for a hike up in the slopes. Hiking on snow requires the wearing of snow shoes, equipped with spikes for standing and walking in the snow, and hence this kind of hiking is also known as snow-shoeing. The tour guide first took us along a hiking trail to give us an impression on the expanse of the ski fields (and national park in summer). After a break, a person from the tour group joined me for a hike downhill along the skiing trails suitable for beginners. Along the way we passed by many slopes filled with skiers or snowboarders racing downhill, including a rather large number of very young participants who were showing the techniques and finesse as if they were very seasoned experts. I only wished that I had learnt snow sports from a much younger age when it would be so much easier to pick things up and not to make a fool of myself like back in December!
Apart from the snow, the weather during the 5 days at Steamboat Springs was really memorable. With temperatures often below -10 degrees Celsius and piles of snow everywhere, I've finally seen what a 'true' winter is really like. It has also made up for what was sorely missing in Munich this winter (and the last one as well). It seems that after November, so much snow has already been dumped in normally warmer places like southern China and southern Europe that it's skipping this part of the world!
從荷蘭回來，椅還未坐暖，便得再上路，往美國科羅拉多州的Steamboat Springs出席科學會議。事緣是這個由系主任籌辦的會議，原本的會議助理未克前行，系主任便着我頂替，會期是我從荷蘭回來後不久（1月3日回，1月6日會議開始），而且是訂了往荷蘭的行程後才通知，系主任的兩個秘書，都笑言我像系主任一樣風塵僕僕。
Steamboat Springs位處科羅拉多州的雪山，天寒地凍、漫天風雪早已是意料之內，但風雪的威力，還未抵達Steamboat Springs就已感受到！我乘飛機於1月5日晚上8時到達丹佛，原定接駁前往Steamboat Springs的Hayden機場的航班卻因風雪暴而取消，在丹佛機場排隊排了三句鐘，好不容易才安排到改航班及當晚入住酒店，排隊時碰到同一處境的美國青年，我倆便一同度宿，睡了不足五句鐘，便再返回丹佛機場，準備乘早上8時的航班，怎料又再取消！航空公司打算給我們安排長途車把我們送到Hayden，四小時車程，我得買瓶水才夠喝，就是在買水途中，給我看到了有另一航班十分鐘後準時起飛，我告訴了那個美國青年，他不假思索便認定趕搭那班機是上策，於是我倆便往該航班的閘口直奔，到達時閘口的服務員叫我們立即上機，因為她正要把閘門關上呢！坐下來定過神後，才醒起行李的去向仍未解決，究竟何時才能到達手中實是未知之數，但也擔心不了那麼多，後來受到同樣航班兩度取消影響的另一個同事告訴我，原來長途車最終也不了了之，她和其他前往會議的人便得合租一輛車，而且我的行李再過一天也終於送到酒店，所以那個一剎那的決定總算沒錯吧。
騰折了二十多小時，到達Steamboat Springs後三個多小時會議便正式開始。這個會議堪稱猛人如雲，所有講者在其界別都有名氣，而且有些演講內容，是新鮮熱辣出爐而尚未在文獻發表，兼且本身難度極高，能造出如此成果，真令人嘆為觀止！我這個會議助理，職責便是出席所有演講，擲下要旨，會後與另一個助理合撰會議摘要，所以演講時要份外留神。
這份職務其實是優差一份，會議每天上午11點至下午5點都是空閒時間，而且會場位於滑雪場山腳，悠長空檔，正是滑雪的好時間也！會議期間的天氣真不負愛好滑雪者，日間天色不錯，晚上則不斷下粉狀雪，下50至60厘米絕不為奇，如是者每日增添新雪，而且是最宜滑雪的雪，所以滑雪者人人都讚不絕口，也玩得暢快。會議最後一天，我抽空到Steamboat Springs小小的市中心逛逛，見識美國小鎮的特色，午飯後參加踏雪遠足。在雪山遠足，踏在厚厚積雪上，得穿上特別的雪鞋（snow shoe）。導遊帶我們一團人，先上山頂的路徑走一圈，令我們感受到整個滑雪場（夏天時是國立公國）有多大，休息過後我跟一個團友沿着一道適合初學者的滑雪道下山，沿途經過不少斜坡，但見一個個滑雪或雪板者疾然而下，其中不少更是年紀小小便滑得輕鬆自如，儼如經驗老到的高手，想起我十二月學滑雪時的艱苦，覺得滑雪這玩意，真得從小開始學才能好好掌握，我現在才開始，能免有為時已晚之感。
在Steamboat Springs那五天，氣溫往往低於攝氏零下十度，而且四周積雪極多，令我深深感受到真正的寒冬究竟是啥回事，看到Steamboat Springs的漫天飄雪和滿地積雪，正好彌補慕尼黑這個（連續第二年）冬天遺漏了的光景；連平常較暖和的歐洲南部和華南地區也迎來場場風雪，但慕尼黑過了十一月就好像與雪無緣了！
Countryside covered in snow 白茫茫的郊野
The conference venue (top two), right at the base of the ski resort (left)
位於滑雪場山腳（左）的會場（上兩圖）
The town centre of Steamboat Springs, including the building of Routt County (top left)
Steamboat Springs市中心，包括Routt縣政府辦公室（左上）
The gondola ride uphill for snow-shoeing
乘吊車上山遠足途中
A walk in the (national) park and the ski field 踏雪尋芳
Busy ski traffic! 雪山上絡繹不絕
The serene world in snow 無邊無盡的雪國
New curtains draping from the roofs!
冰柱三尺，非一日之寒！
Comments
我好怕凍,所以冰天雪地的地方真的不適合我