The slippery slope of learning to ski, pt 4

If you’ve read my previous blog posts about gearing up for my first ski holiday with this final post you’ll now know that a) I’m still alive, b) I still have a girlfriend and c) I really enjoyed my first trip skiing. Learning to ski as a 30-year-old was terrifying but also the best thing I’ve done in ages. So here’s how I got on with my first week of proper, real-snow-in-the-Alps skiing.

Jon prepares to hit the snow

Day one, and yes I’ll admit it, I’m really nervous. I arrive for my lesson at 9am only to be told that there is no one else to join my level one group, so I either have to start with an intermediate class or a group of absolute beginners who haven’t even put on a pair of skis before. I plump for joining the level two group. Everyone is lovely, a mix of men and woman from all over Europe and our teacher speaks excellent English. The only thing is they are all better than me, quite a lot better than me, and after an embarrassing fall off a drag lift onto a frankly stomach-churning red run I’m swiftly moved to another group. Everyone here was a day and a half into a week-long beginners course and instantly I feel much more at home. The only thing is I’m exhausted, skiing and especially turning on real snow is far harder than at The Snow Centre in Hemel and my legs ache. By lunchtime I’m ready to stop but after a bowl of pasta and some gentle persuasion I head out for a couple more runs with my girlfriend, only to stop soon after and while away the rest of the day on the balcony in the sun and prepare for the next day.

I’m strangely intrigued and looking forward to my second day of lessons but man do I ache. I wonder how I’m going to survive another day but when the time comes I have a great lesson.

Jon takes to the slopes

We have a new teacher and he is great. We learn how to control our speed and turns, something that I seemed able to do at Hemel but out here is much harder. We also learn how to vary our speed by changing our stance and how to ski on one leg when turning. The improvement in my skiing combined with a beautiful sunny day means that I’m still skiing at 3pm. Tired and sore I may be, but today I am master of the green slopes.

On day three we progress to blue runs and chairlifts. I’m a little (ok maybe a bit more than a little) scared of heights so the chairlift is not my favourite thing, but after a few practice runs it isn’t quite as bad as I fear. Today the snow is quite icy and we learn how to vary our technique depending on the conditions. Even accounting for my now permanent feeling of aches and bruising I find skiing on ice a lot more difficult and end up on my backside or face far more than I did yesterday. A low point was being picked up from a snow-drift by an 11-year-old girl. I may have conquered my fear of heights but another difficult and exhausting day has left me frustrated with my lack of progress.

Day four is a glorious sunny day and the snow is good. Soft and powdery and everything that snow should be. My skiing is back to the level it was earlier in the week and I’m improving quickly as the day goes on. I do the blue runs, the Crépines and the Rossa, several times. The instructor is giving us lots of personal advice and I’m happy with my speed, turns and technique. I feel amazing after lunch and show my skiing companions what I have learned with great pride. It’s the first time we’ve all been skiing together and it is a great feeling. I even do a small section of a red run and although I’m more exhausted than I’ve been all week I end the day very happy.

We had lots of fresh snow last night so I really enjoy the next day’s skiing but there is a lot of mist around and the visibility is so low that at some points I can’t see the edge of the runs. Although as we are taken up the long Carella chairlift I’m quite glad I can’t see how high we are as it goes right to the top of the mountain. I’m a little shaky today as I’m convinced I will ski off the side of the mountain in this dense fog but the snow is good and by now I really trust my teacher. We do a really long run down the mountain that takes nearly an hour – we take Le Tunnel to Belle Plagne then down to Plagne Bellecote, and we even have a quick go on the halfpipe on our way down. Then we head up Les Blanchets and join the long and winding run back to Champagny. This is the best skiing I’ve ever done and I feel amazing, this is just what I imagined and more, so I decide to celebrate my success with a crepe and a lengthy beer in the bar.

Taking a well-earned, beer-fueled break

On my last day there are just two of us in the group, the rest having ended their holiday the previous day. For our final day our instructor

takes on a long tour of the mountain down to the next valley. The run takes the whole morning and incorporates a few runs we did the day previously as well as some new challenges. It has snowed again so the conditions are wonderful and I’m really impressed with the way I’ve improved over the week. And to top it off, it is a beautiful, sunny and cloudless day – the perfect way to end my first week’s skiing.

Up, up and away

On reflection I’ve had an amazing week, there have been some dark times when I’ve ached and been so tired I thought my muscles would never recover. But learning a new skill, being out on a beautiful mountain and being able to share it all with friends and my girlfriend is one of the best things I have ever done. In fact, I don’t want to leave and I spend the afternoon with my friends, skiing until the slopes close. Before we take the train home the following day I know that I will definitely be back next year. Skiing has found a new convert.