Half Term Hallelujah

What a brilliant week we've had here in Méribel. The snow conditions have improved massively due to three separate snowfalls. None of them were huge but each one has really helped, especially during one of the busiest weeks of the ski season.


The 'skiers dream' continued because straight after each fresh snowfall, bright sunshine immediately followed. One day we dressed in full combat gear to deal with the falling snow, the next day we were slapping on the sun block and thriving with awesome conditions and visibility.

Over the last few weeks we have had to choose our pistes very carefully depending on aspect, frequency of piste grooming, snow cannon cover and altitude. Plus regular sharpening of the ski edges also was a must. However, we can now choose our favourite pistes without any of these considerations. This photo is the Lagopede red piste, taken on Wednesday just after the second snowfall.

All week I've been skiing with Helen, and occasionally her daughter Olivia. I've skied with Helen many times before, she is an accomplished skier capable of moving around the massive '3 Valleys', claimed to be the biggest ski area in the world. So we had plenty of options when staying ahead of the crowds, finding secret quiet spots and making the most of the fresh snow.

It was a real pleasure to be able to ski in the fluffy stuff again after weeks of being on firm snow. But, we still wanted to improve our performance particularly in the chopped-up snow the other side of the piste markers. Helen's balance works well, so we looked at the quality of pressuring and edging the skis. It can be tempting when off piste to shove the skis around the corner of the turn quickly and slam the edges in the snow which can result in stressful, jerky and unbalanced results. Instead we looked at the advantage of keeping both skis flatter on their base when steering patiently around the curve of the turn, ie avoiding extreme edge angles.

This is quite a big change to make both technically and psychologically in this environment, and it can take a while to trust this method. But, blow me down, Helen immediately felt the benefits and loved this new relaxed, floaty and energy-efficient way of skiing. Fantastic. Although this all sounds very technical and intense, we still had plenty of time to admire together the beauty surrounding us, including unusual wind ripples left in the snow at the top of Mont Vallon, the highest area of the Méribel valley.

It was an excellent week we shared together with awesome skiing, in awesome conditions avoiding the crowds. A special time indeed after weeks with slightly below-par snow conditions.

BREAKING NEWS: It's been snowing again for the fourth time this week, and heavily since 'Sparrows Fart' today, and it hasn't stopped yet, it's now late Sunday afternoon. I can't give you any official depths but it was easily over 30 cms in places by mid-morning. I didn't have any work today so I went skiing with friends and colleagues Mike Harrison and a new British recruit within the ESF school Lara Crisp. Today is my birthday, and what a present to have. So here is a rushed processed photo of Lara from earlier this morning.

Martin

P.S. I fly to London tomorrow afternoon to have a few days break from work, and spend some time with my wife Harriet. I did take loads of photos today of Mike and Lara, but don't worry I'll post them later on in the week.

Cosmo Time

For many years I have skied with Robbie and his family several times each winter. The last three or four years Robbie has thrown himself into ski race training, up until recently. He has now decided to retire from racing, for different reasons including various injuries and impending GCSE exams !?!


Yesterday we skied over to Val Thorens in search of some good snow, and to enjoy a bit of cruising. Robbie is now revelling in free skiing (and I have to say, doing very well indeed on his slalom race skis) away from the confines of the race pistes. Whilst on the Moutiere chairlift we spotted some bumps on a black piste, got fidgety with anticipation and I was dead chuffed that Robbie was more than keen to give them a go.

We spoke about different techniques that can be used in the bumps and practised together underneath and in full view of a very busy chairlift (no pressure then!) Whilst practising together, I decided to take some photos with Canon. This time I took my skis off to get a lower viewpoint of Robbie, and guess what happened on this steep black - one of my skis decided to slide down the mountain below me, rubbish.

Both Robbie and everyone on the chairlift above us found this highly entertaining, with Robbie taking a sneaky photo on his mobile phone when I side-slipped down on one ski to retrieve its offending partner. Thanks everyone, very funny !?!

Last week I didn't have any of my own work, so I returned back to the ESF ski school and opened myself up to their planning. What a cosmopolitan week I had, due to the start of the main European holidays. I was given a group lesson in the morning, and loads of private lessons that filled the rest of the time.

My group each morning consisted of three from England: an Investment Adviser, Intensive Care nurse and an 81 year old retired Surgeon - and then we have a Parisienne singer, a Dutch Community Care Adviser and two Russians.

We had fun enjoying experiences together, sharing our language skills, learning about each others' cultures and jobs - and building confidence on skis to move away from the comfortable green piste of the Altiport to further afield.

I think one of the most interesting things from last week with this group, was not only how quickly they built confidence with improved technique, but the realisation that the mind can be a used in a very positive manner. For example, ignoring the colour of the piste markers at the side of the piste, and focusing on how to ski each turn one at a time.

It was a great week last week, finishing off with a decent fresh snowfall today. About time I hear you all cry !?! Here is Robbie from today in the fresh stuff before he flew home for some mock GCSE exams. Good luck.

Have a great week everyone.

Martin

P.S. Apologies to Robbie's family for being 35 minutes late for our very nice lunch yesterday. We got carried away by squeezing in an extra bumps run, plus I slightly mis-judged our route back from Val Thorens. Oooops.

Gooney Birds Are Go

Last week I had a brilliant time with some of my regular clients, the Dublin Ladies. I've taught Mary, Fiona, Jane and Rohiyah the last three winters and each time we've had loads of laughs on the green pistes. Their goals were to stay safe snowploughing, to have fun and feel good about their skiing without becoming Olympic Champions !?!


Staying safe is always a priority of mine, having fun with these ladies is never an issue and very infectious, so much so that I had to keep reminding myself that my job was to improve their skiing without being too strict !?! But, and there's always a but, early in the week I was intrigued by Mary talking about the Gooney Birds.


Each time I want to stop skiing at the side of the piste and then have a discussion, I try to give everyone plenty of warning by putting my hand up and then say the words "Coming into land". And of course the quality of the landing (stopping) can vary depending on all sorts of things. This is where Mary in her strong Irish accent rated her landing on the 'Gooney Bird' scale. So what was a Gooney Bird? Mary explained it was a large bird that lived on islands in the South Pacific.

It sounded more like a character in a Monty Python sketch to me. But one evening I went onto the internet and googled 'gooney birds' and then clicked on a few youtube clips as well. And sure enough, 'gooney birds' do in fact exist. One article describes them as 'The Keystone Cops of the bird kingdom'. Apparently their flying is magnificent, however their landing can be, how shall I put it, rather ungracious and clumsy. It wasn't unusual for them to crash into each other when landing !?!


Towards the end of the week I realised that I hadn't captured any of our fun with Canon. So they all tried posing in front of Canon by pretending to be pouting at each other together. It kind of worked in between the laughter.


But then I noticed that Rohiyah was very relaxed in front of my camera. Eat your heart out Victoria Beckham and Naomi Campbell, your pouting skills have been eclipsed.


At the end of each day, I had several of my French colleagues come up to me and say "Hey Martin, I saw you with some loud laughing ladies today on the Altiport, couldn't understand a word they were saying, looks like you were having loads of fun". Oh yes.

Martin

P.S. The school holidays have just started, am I ready to deal with further enjoyment on skis? Stay posted.

British Ski Instructors in Méribel

Towards the end of last week I had some spare time on my hands. I took this opportunity to have a play with Canon on the snow, whilst spending time with a couple of my colleagues and their clients over two separate lessons. First off, Mike Harrison (pictured above) and his friend Gil.


Mike has skied with Gil many times before, especially last winter. Both Mike and Gil were delighted that I tagged along. It was almost a technical overkill having two ski instructors, but it became immediately apparent that both Mike and I were 'singing from the same hymn sheet' even though we used slightly different words and phrases which mean the same thing.


We went over to Val Thorens for a change of scenery and to benefit from the snow conditions there. We spoke about various disciplines within skiing, especially steering the skis in different terrain.


Speaking of different terrain, I also had a brilliant morning skiing with another British colleague, David Lindsay and his clients Tish and Elodie.


Hang on a minute, that surname of Lindsay may well ring a bell to Méribel regulars. Let me put you out of your misery here. David's father, Colonel Peter Lindsay, co-founded what is now one of the world's most renowned ski resorts in France, if not the world; a place called Méribel. So with his background and pedigree, I had huge expectations of skiing with David and his clients. Guess what, I wasn't disappointed.


Even though David teaches/guides for only two weeks each winter these days, he hasn't lost his passion for this sport. If anything, it's the complete opposite, he is like a kid in a sweet shop. He loves exploring off-piste areas and finding the best snow. Which at the moment is no small task. However, we all went over to ski the Lac du Lou itinerary starting at the Cime de Caron and had a great time.


I continue to utterly love this career. A job that enables me to be in amazing scenery, amongst people on holiday having fabulous experiences. But also a job where it's a joy and a pleasure to be surrounded by motivated, passionate and friendly colleagues all sharing the same values.

Martin

P.S. Canon and I have recently experienced plenty of Irish silliness. Keep posted !?!

P.P.S. Cheer up David, I know you are only out here in Méribel working for just a mere two weeks each year, but next winter will come round soon.

Misty Eyed Young Love

Yesterday I took my new 'Young Love' to the shores of Lake Annecy. It was nice for both of us to have a change of scenery, from a ski resort to this stunning lake surrounded by mountains. What is it that makes 'Young Love' so, well you know, so fantastic? We can't help but keep staring into each other's eyes, we giggle together at silly little things, and don't care about normal annoying stuff because 'Young Love' just glosses over them. But there's one problem though, guilt. Guilt about how my previous love is/was..... well, let's be blunt here, history.

I feel guilty because we had many many years of happiness. We had so much in common. We shared many holidays together. We shared many weekends away together with other friends. Don't you hate it when friends become involved in personal issues?


We have had countless happy times together on skis, especially powder days in the snow....


But maybe because I'm approaching middle age, I decided recently that it was time to move to a younger model. Someone who has more intelligence, more of a personality, better vital statistics and younger fresher looks. All those things that makes 'Young Love' so special........


Hang on a minute, I've just realised how this reads and looks, I hope you don't think that my marriage to Harriet has taken a turn for the worst? Not at all, I'm not talking about my lovely wife, I'm talking about Canon, silly. Without going into all of the personal details, Canon and I have decided, amicably, to go our separate ways. On Monday Canon was replaced by, well let's just call the new Young Love 'Canon' again shall we?


So going back to yesterday walking around Lake Annecy. We couldn't keep our hands off each other.

We absorbed the beauty around us, and also noted how the locals love to stay in shape in the great outdoors.


Granted it's going to take a while for us to get used to each other, but hey, that's 'Young Love' for you. I can't wait to introduce Canon to skiing in Méribel, and all of my friends and colleagues. Plus most importantly, I can't wait to introduce Canon to Harriet this weekend, she flies out here on Saturday for a week's holiday to keep an eye on me and also to make sure I'm not going around the bend here at altitude!?! So if you hear me whistling and see me skipping gaily down the street next week, you know why.


Martin

P.S. If you are new to this blog, or haven't got a clue what I'm talking about in this post, then I'm not surprised. Don't worry, I'll go back to my usual style soon.