Ski-Bond Medicated Weekend
I've finally completed one of the missing links to my true Canadian heritage training. Yes, I finally went skiing for the first time ever in life. And it was up in the Swiss Alps, an actual mountain...not some gutter-trash hills, like back at home.
So as of 6:15am our entourage (Gitte, Sarah, Chris, Jedrzej, Tom, Luke, John, Iren, Lukasz, Nan, Jessica) assembled at the train station.
From there, via 2 trains, we made our way up to Les Diablerets.
Along the way, some of us slept...
...some of us ate...
...and some us attempted to sleep.
Evidently some of us slept better than others (*note: Jessica's Hand)
Anyway, we made our way up to rental station, got fitted for boots, skis, and poles, and then we were off on our way in search of fresh snow and excitement.
Now for me, the first day was a bit of a bust. After realizing that Lukusz's friend had broken his boot ever before attempting to ski, I had the sudden urge to run back to the rental shop to fork over my measly 8 CHF for equipment insurance. Yeah...makes a TON of sense, as I've never skied before and don't have a clue as to what I'm doing.
So after brief detour, I eventually joined up with Nan and Lukasz to learn some of the basics: Putting on skis, falling, getting up, and climbing/shuffling. It was after those brief lessons that we decided to try out the bunny hill...too bad, Alan the Retarded, didn't go to pick up his liftcard before learning the fundamental basics. So I had to run back up to the ticket shack, and wait in line for a nice hour.
After that delay, no one was to be found. Nan, Lukasz, Iren, and Miska (sp?) had already moved on from the bunnyhill, and I had no clue as to where I needed to go. Luckily, by a pure stroke of luck, Chris and Tom just finished a run down the hill so they accompanied me to the bunnyhill for another basic skiing tutorial. This was perhaps the most important lesson I got: the usage of the snowplow, and turning.
But even after that I still wasn't confident enough to bring my game up to the next level. So I went back up on the bunnyhill about a dozen more times to practice. And after about 2 hours of that, I got sick of it. Tired of the hill, tired of having 60mph winds blow me right off my skis, but moreso, tired of watching 6-year olds wipe out in from of me on the tow-rope and having to make an early departure onto the bunnyslope.
So that did it for me. After taking some more panoramics of the mountains, I opted to cut my losses, let my 2 lessons of knowledge marinate into me, and wait for the next day to take my game up to the next level.
In any case the 'Bed & Breakfast' that we stayed at was suffice to say, sub-par. Definitely expected it to be better than a hostel, but it did not live up to the descriptions it had been promoting. For example, a notable feature to the B&B was their, communal showers. Just look at the pictures to see for yourself...it was essentially a prison shower with a small waiting room before entering...
...no additional walls or separators. If you took a shower and looked to either side, you might find that you have showering buddy, who is completely buck naked as you are. Nah, I-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, don't think so.
Raclette was on the menu...even though we had to confront both the cook and reception staff to get a freakin' table for dinner (if that doesn't make sense, ask me later). A very fulfilling meal to say the least, and then it was downstairs to their bar/disco for a quick drink and more bonding.
After a goodnight's sleep, interrupted by about 10 minutes of Luke's whale-blow-hole snoring, and then more goodnight's sleep, I was ready to hit the slopes.
The first slope started out okay...then it got really steep and yes I fell...but I back up the rest of the run went fantastic. And after a couple of blue slopes, with no falling, I mustered up the courage to take on red slope. (Oh I should mention the progression of difficulty: Beginner-Blue, Intermediate-Red, Advanced-Black) Only problem with this red hill is that it turned into a black slope. But oddly enough ever after that, I opted to keep at the red slopes and then decided to take on the the tallest red slope.
The view was great at the top...the view going down the hill was insane.
I think had I not gone to the washroom before leaving the B&B I might've soiled myself along the way. But overall it was fantastic...fell only twice that slope, but my legs burned cuz I hadn't quite built up enough endurance for a slope as long as this...and then I reached the final hill of that particular red slope, then it was all downhill from there. Quite literally it was, cuz I fell about 5 times on the last stretch cuz I hadn't yet nailed down the turning technique and there wasn't enough room for me to just ski straight down to the base, without crashing into another skier or some sort of unmovable object. Luckily, with the help of Tom and Vanessa I was able to start to get a feel for the proper technique and get my sore body off the side of the hill.
After a quick lunch, the sun finally came out and lit up the entire side of the mountain. And I think that did the trick cuz the 2nd half of the day was spectacular. After doin' a bit of warmup on some easy slopes, Luke, Erika, Tom and I took on a couple of red and blue slopes that were just the right fit for my learning curve.
And even after a few more falls, but extremely successful runs down the slopes, I was finally getting the technique down!
That's right...by the end of the day, we all had the sweet look of satisfaction on our faces...
Quite literally one of the most AMAZING weekends ever. An exhilarating feeling to say the least. And memories to last a lifetime.
To all my ski-weekend-Groupe-Gitte-compadres, I'm not sure if I can speak for everyone, but this past weekend was possibly the best bonding experience I've ever had. And having said that, I do have to give out some massive shoutouts and props to the wicked crew I was fortunate enough to share this weekend with:
Sarah: Although you never manage to keep me in line with my comments, I appreciate the willingness to go with the flow, and to never give up on me. And I hope you'll still be rootin' for me if I ever make it to bail.
Jedrzej: You didn't really help me out, but you always manage to keep the laughs coming off the chuckle chopper, and for that I will reward you with the following animated gif.
Vanessa: Jedrzej wouldn't get as many laughs without you, and I also wouldn't have made it off that last hill without you either, stay cool girl. (oh and I promise, no cheese in my sandwich if we ever happen to be on the same trip)
Luke: My falling partner in crime. Like I said before, you'll always attain a level of craziness that I will never achieve. You made me go on some crazy slopes, and it was probably for the best. But as long as I see a bright yellow vest, I know I won't be alone!
Stupid Sexy McAllister: Ok, I know I just about ruin every picture you take of me. But you have to admit that I behaved myself more on the pictures this weekend than compared to most. Mad fo-shizzle-thanks for takin' the time to teach me the basics on the bunnyslope and makin' sure I ain't got wrinkles in me stockings. And also for potentially allowing me to raid your ski-weekend photos, cuz I was too busy trying to get good on my skis.
Gitte: Is there anything this girl CAN'T do?? You planned, you organized, you translated, you fixed my skis...I think she might even be able to travel through time. Most importantly, you challenged me to get good. And I did. Incredible. That never happens. Not even when it's my mom. Fanks girl...you da best.
Uncle Tom: Dude, I got-cho back from now till kingdom come. You practically stayed with me on every run I did, fixed my skis on the shizz-nay, gave me advice on turning, and brought up the rear for both myself, Luke, and Sarah. That might also explain how you were the only witness to my ridiculous falls. I swear, I think I created an entirely new method of falling. Seriously, I gots nothing but love fo ya brotha. You can spill coke on my fries anytime.
Man alive! ...see what this weekend's done to me?!? I've gotten all mushy now! Jeez!
Once again thanks to everyone for all the memories! I'll never forget this!
So as of 6:15am our entourage (Gitte, Sarah, Chris, Jedrzej, Tom, Luke, John, Iren, Lukasz, Nan, Jessica) assembled at the train station.
From there, via 2 trains, we made our way up to Les Diablerets.
Along the way, some of us slept...
...some of us ate...
...and some us attempted to sleep.
Evidently some of us slept better than others (*note: Jessica's Hand)
Anyway, we made our way up to rental station, got fitted for boots, skis, and poles, and then we were off on our way in search of fresh snow and excitement.
Now for me, the first day was a bit of a bust. After realizing that Lukusz's friend had broken his boot ever before attempting to ski, I had the sudden urge to run back to the rental shop to fork over my measly 8 CHF for equipment insurance. Yeah...makes a TON of sense, as I've never skied before and don't have a clue as to what I'm doing.
So after brief detour, I eventually joined up with Nan and Lukasz to learn some of the basics: Putting on skis, falling, getting up, and climbing/shuffling. It was after those brief lessons that we decided to try out the bunny hill...too bad, Alan the Retarded, didn't go to pick up his liftcard before learning the fundamental basics. So I had to run back up to the ticket shack, and wait in line for a nice hour.
After that delay, no one was to be found. Nan, Lukasz, Iren, and Miska (sp?) had already moved on from the bunnyhill, and I had no clue as to where I needed to go. Luckily, by a pure stroke of luck, Chris and Tom just finished a run down the hill so they accompanied me to the bunnyhill for another basic skiing tutorial. This was perhaps the most important lesson I got: the usage of the snowplow, and turning.
But even after that I still wasn't confident enough to bring my game up to the next level. So I went back up on the bunnyhill about a dozen more times to practice. And after about 2 hours of that, I got sick of it. Tired of the hill, tired of having 60mph winds blow me right off my skis, but moreso, tired of watching 6-year olds wipe out in from of me on the tow-rope and having to make an early departure onto the bunnyslope.
So that did it for me. After taking some more panoramics of the mountains, I opted to cut my losses, let my 2 lessons of knowledge marinate into me, and wait for the next day to take my game up to the next level.
In any case the 'Bed & Breakfast' that we stayed at was suffice to say, sub-par. Definitely expected it to be better than a hostel, but it did not live up to the descriptions it had been promoting. For example, a notable feature to the B&B was their, communal showers. Just look at the pictures to see for yourself...it was essentially a prison shower with a small waiting room before entering...
...no additional walls or separators. If you took a shower and looked to either side, you might find that you have showering buddy, who is completely buck naked as you are. Nah, I-eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee, don't think so.
Raclette was on the menu...even though we had to confront both the cook and reception staff to get a freakin' table for dinner (if that doesn't make sense, ask me later). A very fulfilling meal to say the least, and then it was downstairs to their bar/disco for a quick drink and more bonding.
After a goodnight's sleep, interrupted by about 10 minutes of Luke's whale-blow-hole snoring, and then more goodnight's sleep, I was ready to hit the slopes.
The first slope started out okay...then it got really steep and yes I fell...but I back up the rest of the run went fantastic. And after a couple of blue slopes, with no falling, I mustered up the courage to take on red slope. (Oh I should mention the progression of difficulty: Beginner-Blue, Intermediate-Red, Advanced-Black) Only problem with this red hill is that it turned into a black slope. But oddly enough ever after that, I opted to keep at the red slopes and then decided to take on the the tallest red slope.
The view was great at the top...the view going down the hill was insane.
I think had I not gone to the washroom before leaving the B&B I might've soiled myself along the way. But overall it was fantastic...fell only twice that slope, but my legs burned cuz I hadn't quite built up enough endurance for a slope as long as this...and then I reached the final hill of that particular red slope, then it was all downhill from there. Quite literally it was, cuz I fell about 5 times on the last stretch cuz I hadn't yet nailed down the turning technique and there wasn't enough room for me to just ski straight down to the base, without crashing into another skier or some sort of unmovable object. Luckily, with the help of Tom and Vanessa I was able to start to get a feel for the proper technique and get my sore body off the side of the hill.
After a quick lunch, the sun finally came out and lit up the entire side of the mountain. And I think that did the trick cuz the 2nd half of the day was spectacular. After doin' a bit of warmup on some easy slopes, Luke, Erika, Tom and I took on a couple of red and blue slopes that were just the right fit for my learning curve.
And even after a few more falls, but extremely successful runs down the slopes, I was finally getting the technique down!
That's right...by the end of the day, we all had the sweet look of satisfaction on our faces...
Quite literally one of the most AMAZING weekends ever. An exhilarating feeling to say the least. And memories to last a lifetime.
To all my ski-weekend-Groupe-Gitte-compadres, I'm not sure if I can speak for everyone, but this past weekend was possibly the best bonding experience I've ever had. And having said that, I do have to give out some massive shoutouts and props to the wicked crew I was fortunate enough to share this weekend with:
Sarah: Although you never manage to keep me in line with my comments, I appreciate the willingness to go with the flow, and to never give up on me. And I hope you'll still be rootin' for me if I ever make it to bail.
Jedrzej: You didn't really help me out, but you always manage to keep the laughs coming off the chuckle chopper, and for that I will reward you with the following animated gif.
Vanessa: Jedrzej wouldn't get as many laughs without you, and I also wouldn't have made it off that last hill without you either, stay cool girl. (oh and I promise, no cheese in my sandwich if we ever happen to be on the same trip)
Luke: My falling partner in crime. Like I said before, you'll always attain a level of craziness that I will never achieve. You made me go on some crazy slopes, and it was probably for the best. But as long as I see a bright yellow vest, I know I won't be alone!
Stupid Sexy McAllister: Ok, I know I just about ruin every picture you take of me. But you have to admit that I behaved myself more on the pictures this weekend than compared to most. Mad fo-shizzle-thanks for takin' the time to teach me the basics on the bunnyslope and makin' sure I ain't got wrinkles in me stockings. And also for potentially allowing me to raid your ski-weekend photos, cuz I was too busy trying to get good on my skis.
Gitte: Is there anything this girl CAN'T do?? You planned, you organized, you translated, you fixed my skis...I think she might even be able to travel through time. Most importantly, you challenged me to get good. And I did. Incredible. That never happens. Not even when it's my mom. Fanks girl...you da best.
Uncle Tom: Dude, I got-cho back from now till kingdom come. You practically stayed with me on every run I did, fixed my skis on the shizz-nay, gave me advice on turning, and brought up the rear for both myself, Luke, and Sarah. That might also explain how you were the only witness to my ridiculous falls. I swear, I think I created an entirely new method of falling. Seriously, I gots nothing but love fo ya brotha. You can spill coke on my fries anytime.
Man alive! ...see what this weekend's done to me?!? I've gotten all mushy now! Jeez!
Once again thanks to everyone for all the memories! I'll never forget this!
posted by Alanosaur at
2:03 a.m.
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