Patrick Lam

Thoughts and travels of Patrick Lam

Western Newfoundland, April 6-9, 2023

Marble Mountain, arguably better than Tremblant; unarguably fewer lines. Gros Morne in the winter.

Bouldering Gym Review: Backbone Boulder, Bromont, April 2023

Small but worthy climbing gym in Bromont. Also offers other services (café, terrasse, hammocks).

Japan part III: Two days in Hokkaido and one in Tokyo, February 2023

The last segment of our Japan trip: skiing and birbs in Hokkaido, as well as snowshoeing and katte don. Plus most of a day in Tokyo.

March: lots of good news

Reasonable success this month, professionally (awarded grant, major revisions on a paper) and for refereeing (selected for Canadian nationals). Lots of work and also weekend trips.

Championnat provincial (Laval), March 24-26, 2023

By special permission, refereeing at the Quebec provincial judo championships (biggest ever).

Edmonton International Judo Championship, March 10-12, 2023

Off to referee at the Edmonton International Judo Championship for the first time. Easier to get to than Vancouver for a short weekend.

Japan part II: historical (looking) buildings in the Japan Alps, February 2023

Next stops: Matsomoto (a castle!), samurai district, historical houses, festival floats, and gardens. Plus, an 11 hour train ride.

February: COVID, teaching, and a trip to Japan

COVID didn’t throw too much of a wrench into things, thankfully. Second month of teaching for Winter 2023, including reading week and a trip to Japan.

Japan part I: cherry blossoms and part of the Nakasendo, February 2023

First overseas trip since 2020, to Japan. Walking on a bit of the Nakasendō, plus some info on pre-trip planning, and early cherry blossoms.

January: teaching and extracurriculars

Back to the classroom (teaching two courses), plus judo tournaments and some skiing. Before that, we hiked Around the Mountain (Taranaki) in New Zealand.