A good day for skiing again today, again the meeting time was due to be at 0930. I turned up at 0945 having already had breakfast, I was not the last to arrive.
We would be split today- the A team and Scott would be together, Vicky was to be teaching Phil to parallel ski, Jane was having a morning off with the 'Cripple Club' (Gaz and Bridie) and Kate was doing I don't know what.
It didn't start too well though, we lost Chris before we left the hotel.
Today Steve was on skis and boots borrowed from Gaz, he felt that the muscles required for boarding were too broken from tobogganing the day before and skiing would use less broken ones. The problem was that Phil had borrowed Gaz's ski poles and Steve couldn't ski without them so he borrowed mine, I had none to borrow so had to go without. Oddly, I don't tend to use my poles when skiing but instead hold them as a pair unless using them to 'punt' my way along a flat area. However not having them at all is very unbalancing, and I don't like it.
We opted to ski in our valley today, but go to a part of the valley we had not previously seen. This also included the highest peak we could visit. On the way there I found a single discarded ski pole branded as 'Scott', which I took and claimed for myself. Also, as it was branded Scott, I used it to prod Scott any time he was in range of it. I have now claimed the Scott pole as my own and I insist it accompanies us on all future trips.
Here we are at the highest point available to us in Val Thorens, at 3200 metres from sea level.
The lift to this height consists of two coach sized cabins side by side, they act as counter weights so when one reaches the bottom the other is at the top and both are are crewed by a driver although other than say then people are in or out I fail to see what use the driver has. When you exit the lift at the top you exit onto a platform hanging off the side of the mountain. The platform has only a metal grille utilizing sizable gaps allowing you to see the considerable drop below stopping you from becoming intimate with the fall itself. You can kind of make all this out in the picture below;
It was as I walked off, marvelling to Russell behind me about the fall and the inadequate feeling grille that it became apparent that Russell does not like heights. This was mostly apparent because Russell had not stepped off the lift cabin, and looked a funny shade of grey. He refused to go near the edges at all, and insisted on no horseplay whilst near the edge.
Here are some further pictures from the very top of the mountain, only because I want you to all be very, very jealous.
From this point it was two choices to get down, or three if you count falling. One was to take a red run, and one was to take a black run. We chose the red option, in fact the first red run I have skiied this holiday. Surprisingly, it all went very well and we made it to the bottom unhurt. We were all to meet at 1300 at the usual mountainside cafe for lunch, but to allow for confusion we split up before meeting up. Russell and I went to wait at the base of a lift where Vicky and Stacy would be meeting to ski together so we could ski with them the single run to get to the cafe. Steve, Stubby and Dom went to the apartments to swap Steves borrowed ski gear for his boarding gear and Crispy and Scott went directly to the cafe. everyone else was making their own ways there, I have no idea what they did prior to lunch. Oh except Bluntly actually - this morning his ski pass broke and he had to go to get a new one, he was supposed to meet us but we missed each other and left him to board with Kate for the morning.
After lunch we decided to go tobogganing again, in fact we have decided to toboggan every night from now on because of how awesome it is. This time Jane, Russell and Phil would be joining us. From the outset Jane and Russell were nervous, and Russell couldn't fit in his sledge at all. Due to sledge size restrictions Russell struggled to keep up and we soon lost him, although he assures us he had some fairly epic crashes.
At one point we were sat waiting for everyone to catch up (its a lot more fun together, sledge bangers) and we witnessed Jane come flying into a bend without turning at all, she hit the banked edge of the track and became airborne - landing in deep snow. I laughed so hard I am pretty certain I wee'd a little bit.
Many pile ups and crashes later we came across another group of sledge-ists on the track in the midst of a massive pileup, we came storming through the piles of arms, legs, torsos, heads and sleds only to find that they had let most of their sleds go - I got knocked off by a riderless sled in fact. On account of the fact it had just knocked me off I did the right thing and insead of helping them find it threw it if the track. Its o, I'm pretty sure they were French.
Anyhow we did eventually make it to the bottom, a little bruised but nobodys broken today, hurrah!
Just one lift and a short blue run home, only at the top of the blue run Bluntly asked for one of my poles (I got both my own poles back from Steve before tobogganing) so he could rude Crispy up with it. Unfortunately for Bluntly Crispy saw him coming, and in a surprise offensive was not only able to push Bluntly over but also nick the pole. Bluntly then ran (boarded) away before Crispy could catch him at the top. Crispy, now armed with the pole and currently 1-0 up gave chase, and caught up on the slope. A hilarious scuffle ensued -like retarded ballet dancing on snowboards whilst moving- and Crispy again won out, able to out-manouvre Bluntly and push him over again. At this point the Blunt one admitted defeat Crispy (now 2-0 up) returned the pole, and I think I had laughed so hard I wee'd again.
Bluntly and I were first back to the chalet, there is a long, wide and shallow run leading to our door and he immediately removed his board upon arrival. This it turned out was to rugby tackle Crispy as he boarded in to rest, with nowhere to go he was a sitting duck for the incoming Blunt tackle. This ended their game, Crispy is still 2-1 u though.
Normally at the end of the day we go in, shower and chill, maybe go out or something. Anyway this afternoon I had my shower with my fixed showerhead and I was blissfully unaware that half the water falling on my was also exiting the other side of the shower curtain. This has resulted in a considerable flood in the bathroom, and also the corridor.
In an effort to dry this up (apparently my towel and t-shirt were not enough) Vicky insisted I use her hairdryer. Only I got bored holding a hairdrier on a puddle (actually I was using it to warm my feet up) and Started to ponder what would happen if I put my hand over the non-blowey end. As it turns out what happens is there is a loud pop and lots of smoke. Apparently I now owe Vicky a hairdrier, I am claiming that someone else did it.
We would be split today- the A team and Scott would be together, Vicky was to be teaching Phil to parallel ski, Jane was having a morning off with the 'Cripple Club' (Gaz and Bridie) and Kate was doing I don't know what.
It didn't start too well though, we lost Chris before we left the hotel.
Today Steve was on skis and boots borrowed from Gaz, he felt that the muscles required for boarding were too broken from tobogganing the day before and skiing would use less broken ones. The problem was that Phil had borrowed Gaz's ski poles and Steve couldn't ski without them so he borrowed mine, I had none to borrow so had to go without. Oddly, I don't tend to use my poles when skiing but instead hold them as a pair unless using them to 'punt' my way along a flat area. However not having them at all is very unbalancing, and I don't like it.
We opted to ski in our valley today, but go to a part of the valley we had not previously seen. This also included the highest peak we could visit. On the way there I found a single discarded ski pole branded as 'Scott', which I took and claimed for myself. Also, as it was branded Scott, I used it to prod Scott any time he was in range of it. I have now claimed the Scott pole as my own and I insist it accompanies us on all future trips.
Here we are at the highest point available to us in Val Thorens, at 3200 metres from sea level.
The lift to this height consists of two coach sized cabins side by side, they act as counter weights so when one reaches the bottom the other is at the top and both are are crewed by a driver although other than say then people are in or out I fail to see what use the driver has. When you exit the lift at the top you exit onto a platform hanging off the side of the mountain. The platform has only a metal grille utilizing sizable gaps allowing you to see the considerable drop below stopping you from becoming intimate with the fall itself. You can kind of make all this out in the picture below;
It was as I walked off, marvelling to Russell behind me about the fall and the inadequate feeling grille that it became apparent that Russell does not like heights. This was mostly apparent because Russell had not stepped off the lift cabin, and looked a funny shade of grey. He refused to go near the edges at all, and insisted on no horseplay whilst near the edge.
Here are some further pictures from the very top of the mountain, only because I want you to all be very, very jealous.
From this point it was two choices to get down, or three if you count falling. One was to take a red run, and one was to take a black run. We chose the red option, in fact the first red run I have skiied this holiday. Surprisingly, it all went very well and we made it to the bottom unhurt. We were all to meet at 1300 at the usual mountainside cafe for lunch, but to allow for confusion we split up before meeting up. Russell and I went to wait at the base of a lift where Vicky and Stacy would be meeting to ski together so we could ski with them the single run to get to the cafe. Steve, Stubby and Dom went to the apartments to swap Steves borrowed ski gear for his boarding gear and Crispy and Scott went directly to the cafe. everyone else was making their own ways there, I have no idea what they did prior to lunch. Oh except Bluntly actually - this morning his ski pass broke and he had to go to get a new one, he was supposed to meet us but we missed each other and left him to board with Kate for the morning.
After lunch we decided to go tobogganing again, in fact we have decided to toboggan every night from now on because of how awesome it is. This time Jane, Russell and Phil would be joining us. From the outset Jane and Russell were nervous, and Russell couldn't fit in his sledge at all. Due to sledge size restrictions Russell struggled to keep up and we soon lost him, although he assures us he had some fairly epic crashes.
At one point we were sat waiting for everyone to catch up (its a lot more fun together, sledge bangers) and we witnessed Jane come flying into a bend without turning at all, she hit the banked edge of the track and became airborne - landing in deep snow. I laughed so hard I am pretty certain I wee'd a little bit.
Many pile ups and crashes later we came across another group of sledge-ists on the track in the midst of a massive pileup, we came storming through the piles of arms, legs, torsos, heads and sleds only to find that they had let most of their sleds go - I got knocked off by a riderless sled in fact. On account of the fact it had just knocked me off I did the right thing and insead of helping them find it threw it if the track. Its o, I'm pretty sure they were French.
Anyhow we did eventually make it to the bottom, a little bruised but nobodys broken today, hurrah!
Just one lift and a short blue run home, only at the top of the blue run Bluntly asked for one of my poles (I got both my own poles back from Steve before tobogganing) so he could rude Crispy up with it. Unfortunately for Bluntly Crispy saw him coming, and in a surprise offensive was not only able to push Bluntly over but also nick the pole. Bluntly then ran (boarded) away before Crispy could catch him at the top. Crispy, now armed with the pole and currently 1-0 up gave chase, and caught up on the slope. A hilarious scuffle ensued -like retarded ballet dancing on snowboards whilst moving- and Crispy again won out, able to out-manouvre Bluntly and push him over again. At this point the Blunt one admitted defeat Crispy (now 2-0 up) returned the pole, and I think I had laughed so hard I wee'd again.
Bluntly and I were first back to the chalet, there is a long, wide and shallow run leading to our door and he immediately removed his board upon arrival. This it turned out was to rugby tackle Crispy as he boarded in to rest, with nowhere to go he was a sitting duck for the incoming Blunt tackle. This ended their game, Crispy is still 2-1 u though.
Normally at the end of the day we go in, shower and chill, maybe go out or something. Anyway this afternoon I had my shower with my fixed showerhead and I was blissfully unaware that half the water falling on my was also exiting the other side of the shower curtain. This has resulted in a considerable flood in the bathroom, and also the corridor.
In an effort to dry this up (apparently my towel and t-shirt were not enough) Vicky insisted I use her hairdryer. Only I got bored holding a hairdrier on a puddle (actually I was using it to warm my feet up) and Started to ponder what would happen if I put my hand over the non-blowey end. As it turns out what happens is there is a loud pop and lots of smoke. Apparently I now owe Vicky a hairdrier, I am claiming that someone else did it.
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