Ski report

After two days of instruction, and two days on my own, I’ve decided that skiing the slopes is more effective on my own. It frees the ski instructor up to yell at the other skiers, and I’m not as likely to be knocked down by someone in my own group. I’m still slow and cautious and getting a bit more comfortable on the blue runs. I like going my own pace and stopping or not stopping where I like. The lessons did help me find out where some skiable terrain was, however. There is one section high on the mountain that I’ve been descending on my bottom. I make it look like so much fun that almost everyone on the slopes wants to slide on down, but they’re afraid of looking silly, so they remain upright.

Sean has been getting into the wild by hiking alpine paths with beautiful vistas.

Q is now signed up for all day ski classes in order to enjoy skiing at his level for a full day. Every time I happen across M during my skiing, she looks sad and wants to go home with me. The last time it was because her pigtails were interfering with her helmet and causing her ears to hurt, which we fixed. However, by the time M arrives home, she is fired up and eager to ski with me in the afternoon. She knows I’m a bit neurotic on the slopes, but she waits at the bottom for me. The kids are really enjoying themselves both on the slopes and at the dinner and breakfast table. The food has been tasty- some savory Savoyard specialties.

Tonight we were treated to a spectacle during dinner. Skiers with torches descended a long slope on a nearby mountain, and afterwards there was quite a fireworks display.

I like the people in our ski area, Plagne 1800, they are average folks. No fur coats, fancy skiwear or beauty ski bunnies. Very friendly and always willing to strike up a conversation.

We are heading back to Paris a little early. We are going to take the “couchette” Friday evening that gets us into Paris at 6:30 AM. There are two bunk beds in the couchette on which we hope to get some sleep. We’ll see about that. I have visions of night marauders busting into our cabin in the wee hours trying to take our ski gear away from us.

Let the skies open up and send snow onto the mountain. It hasn’t snowed in weeks, other than a few flurries today. Each day we take the lift, more ground is revealed where the snow has melted away. So far, the runs have been unaffected, but there’s nothing like fresh snow for skiing. It lessens that horrible crunching sound that those #*@! snowboarders make as they come to a screeching stop or crash centimeters from my skis. Actually, on the serenity slope that I skied earlier today, there were few snowboarders or really anyone at all on the slopes.

After all, JP Sartre would agree that hell is other skiers.


*More pictures at a later date