I am out visiting Kelly, Villars, Switzerland, and the weather has been very kind to use so far, we have had two excellent days on the piste. It has been 10 years since I skied so the first run down was an uncomfortable and slightly agricultural attempt but I did stay on the skis all the way down. I survived most of the day until and bumpy, steep section became a bit crowded and whilst avoiding others, I forgot how to ski altogether and ended up in a heap right in the middle. It was bound to happen sooner or later! Day 2 meant Sinéad joined us for her first day back on the slopes. She had an interesting start, I won't say any more, it wouldn't be fair. By the end of the day she was flying with a smile from ear to ear!
The piste had been very busy, a Saturday and a holiday meant that the queues for the lifts were quite long so we decided to have a day off the piste and get out into the forests for some cross country skiing. It was a great choice as we looked across the valley to see the thousands of ants dodging each other. It requires a bit more effort but I really enjoyed heading up the valley. Quietly gliding amongst the trees, the only sounds were the crunch of snow under ski and the occasional noise made when one loses their balance. It was't until we were nearly at the top we realised we didn't know for sure how to stop/slow down when coming back down. We had an idea which turned out to be right but if you were wondering, thin track cross country skis are made to go, not stop. It took a little bit of getting used to but turning and stopping were highlights of Sinéads day. I'll leave the photos to show the rest, a great day away from the crowds...
Back to the piste tomorrow.
