‘Cuties’

 

The Festive Season is in full swing here in Méribel. The number of visitors has shot up in the past week. The snow conditions are just amazing at the moment thanks to the heavy snowfalls of the last few weeks.  And finally we’ve had a few days basking in the sunshine. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that snowy days improve skiing conditions. But some official statistics recently stated that in December sixteen days out of nineteen were heavily overcast and snowy.

The first evening of the festive torchlight descents and fireworks took place here in Méribel on Christmas Eve. My name wasn’t on the list of participants which meant I could attend the event with my mates, Canon and Tripod, instead. One of these days I’m going to manage a decent photo of fireworks, it’s still a bit hit and miss at the moment. Note to self, must sign up for guru status firework footage seminars and courses….

The last week I’ve had two separate half day commitments. Afternoons have been dedicated to three ‘Spritelets’, or ‘Cuties’ as I call them. I’ve had the experience of introducing three, umm, three-year-olds to skiing….Yes, three-year-olds. At this age, to get them to walk in a straight line in ski boots is a success, let alone skiing in a pizza shape without splatting. Hence my description of ‘Cuties’. They were all soo adorable it was unbelievable. I’ve never had so many chats about monsters, fairies, high fives and Peppa Pig in all my life. What a load of fun, except for the odd screaming ab-dab moments. No photos of course because of child protection, but I loved spending time with them. As for my other bunch of ‘Cuties’ this week, meet Michael, Ryan, Mani and Sundeep.

Their goal this week was to continue improving control on blue pistes, trying the odd red piste and then deciding for themselves if they think they could try things beyond. We made the most of the stunning weather and snow conditions. We spoke about balancing on skis, steering effectively and had a really useful session using video.

 

Many people have never seen themselves on video. It can be an incredibly useful tool, as long as it’s used constructively, as these adult ‘Cuties’ found. The video confirmed things that were going very well, but also showed what else could be done to help achieve goals. On our last day together we came across a red piste over in the Courchevel valley that had a few bumps.

Like most people, they stopped at the top, and looked down with their facial expressions changed. We spoke about how to deal with bumps both technically, tactically and of course psychologically. The bumps were big, but in great condition with gorgeous fluffy snow. When we got to the bottom of the bump run all in one piece, they were all buzzing from the experience saying they will never hate them again. On the next chairlift up they were planning where to try the next bump field.

New Year is fast approaching, so another torchlight descent will be on the cards for me. I’m now skiing with John and Gilly until the middle of next week. The weather has just changed from sunshine to thick cloud, but this morning it’s dumping down with snow yet again. Better dash, I’m off to ski powder with John and Gilly. Happy New Year everybody.

Martin         

Splatting

 

Everyday this week I’ve been driving across to Courchevel 1850. Since taking this booking I was really looking forward to this week for many reasons, one being the pretty drive around the mountainside. It’s a stunning route that enables you to see across to the other side of a deep valley. Well, you would normally, but of course it’s continued to snow which meant I couldn’t see a thing. In fact there were a few times when I nearly didn’t make my destination because of the snowy road conditions. Thankfully yesterday morning was different; it threatened to clear up (when I took the above shot en route) before clouding in again.

 

I’ve spent all week with Helen, Charles, Gilly the Giraffe (Ella) and Billy Bonkers (Max). The weather was a challenge a few times, but we all made the most of what was available to us. On our last afternoon together we finally saw the sun break through, in a manner of speaking.

 

Being with them all day every day meant we had complete flexibility in terms of who was going to ski with who. This gave me the chance to adapt my teaching methods depending who I skied with at any given time.

 

Some examples of technique methods included squashing bugs, balancing on wobble boards, scraping with the big toe edge, zero position, steering wheels and many more.

 

Tactical and psychological methods included deep breathing, ignoring the red piste markers, one turn at a time, and looking forward to hot chocolate stops. One thing I soon learned was that the boy Billy Bonkers enjoyed his skiing more and more especially when the powder got deeper and deeper, and his first French black piste got steeper and steeper.

 

I completely lost count how many ‘splats’ he had, so did he, strangely enough!?! It’s funny how each individual enjoys this sport in so many different ways. So well done Team even though I felt sorry for you with the weather, I was chuffed that the weather cleared up for you briefly in the end. One new thing I learnt with the team though, and that is I will never eat a Steak Tartare again……. let’s just put it this way, my weight loss has continued.

 

Talking of Splatting, I had a short free ski with a mate last Saturday, funnily enough in the powder. He has featured on this blog a couple of winters ago, so some of my regular readers may recognise him.

 

He is one of the most relaxed guys in the valley both in temperament and fluidity on skis. His final ski instructor exams were put on hold, maybe indefinitely, due to a nasty break of his leg whilst training a few winters ago. Just over a year ago he had his ‘metal work’ taken out of his leg to help improve his quality of life. So with that in mind he is taking it easy on skis, just in case.

 

But as soon as Canon appeared on the scene he (who shall remain nameless) changed the way he skied! We call this a superman splat, ie a double ski ejection with a forward flip.

 

It was funny as anything, but he didn’t move for a while after the dramatic fall. To say I had a sudden panic about him and his injuries again would be an understatement. It took him a while to collect himself, and then shouted out in a muffled fashion “Did you get it?”

 

So what’s next in store? Starting tomorrow I’ve got a very busy schedule ahead of me with eleven straight days of work in a row. Harriet my wife flies out tomorrow as well for the full festive period. So whatever you are doing over the next week or so and wherever you will be, have a fantastic Christmas and I hope Santa brings you lots of lovely things. Stay healthy.

Martin

P.S. Come on Jez, oh rubbish I’ve just mentioned his name, stop messing about.

Attrition

 

What’s the first thing you do after getting up in the morning on holiday? It has felt as though I’ve been on holiday the last two weeks whilst being at high altitude in Tignes. Don’t get me wrong, I have been teaching. But because I’ve stayed in a chalet it’s kind of felt as though I was a holiday maker. Back to my original question……I wish I could answer honestly and say I skip gaily out of bed full of the joys of spring. The reality is more like a bumble and a fumble searching for the curtains.

 

My bedroom in the chalet was facing due east, perfect for the early winter sunrise. Except that I only had about four days out of the two weeks of clear weather. Don’t get me wrong, the sunrise over the Aiguille de la Grande Sassiere, with Italy beyond, was very special. Fortunately the sunrise disguised the, how shall I put it, pig ugly urban landscape of the resort. Thankfully the breakfast room faced south looking towards the impressive skiable glacier of the Grand Motte. A gorgeous sight as the early morning sun gradually lit up the mountain.

 

I taught two groups this week, both under the description of ‘All Mountain Performance’. We looked at how to use skills that can be applied both on and off piste, in the bumps and also in variable conditions. We went through the theory of how the four ‘Performance threads’ can affect a skier's performance, ie Tactical, Physical, Technical and Psychological. This was particularly appropriate because the weather was quite a challenge yet again this week.

 

We had to deal with many days of heavy snowfall, and strong winds which resulted in sudden lift closures. We had a bit of a close call early in the week when we were rushing back from Val d’Isere, and only just made it to the Tignes area before the top lift and link closed. Our hoods and collars were used daily, as well as our psychological stamina.

 

I particularly liked Jane’s green collar, it was almost the shape of an angel's halo. It gave her the air of ‘butter wouldn’t melt’, but…….Our last afternoon together was focused on making the most of the stunning fresh snow, but at the same time as trying to ignore the very strong winds. We all started together, eight plus me, but within seconds two decided to head back to the comfort of the chalet.

 

As the afternoon wore on, and the weather continued to break us down, the group got smaller and smaller until just three of us survived and conquered (just) the war of attrition. Well done team.

 

I left Tignes whilst the storm was still blowing. The return trip to Méribel should only take 90 minutes with clear roads, but it took close to three hours instead. Thankfully I was able to tuck in behind a snow clearer between Tignes and Bourg St Maurice.

 

Since I’ve been back in Méribel the strength of the wind has increased with the precipitation continuing. In fact Meteo France today has increased the avalanche risk up to the maximum of five out of five above 1800 metres in the Savoie (of which Méribel is part) and the Mont Blanc range. The Mont Blanc range is due up to 150 cms of snow as the storm called ‘Joachim’ crosses the region. I’ve got to be honest with you, it’s a little unsettling to hear the wind outside of my apartment as I tap away on the laptop. But I’ve a fresh pot of chilli, and lashings of flapjacks to keep me company tonight.

Martin

P.S. Already missing the cooked breakfasts, afternoon tea with cakes, three course evening meal and cheese board in the Tignes chalet. Amazing to think I lost weight over the two weeks.

Ear to Ear Smiles

You wouldn’t believe what has happened in the last seven days. It felt as though the whole of the French Alps would stay brown and snowless. The pistes were bone dry, with the odd mound of ‘cultured snow’ if you were lucky. But then it started to snow last Sunday night, and it snowed, and it snowed, and it snowed……. you get the picture.

 

After four days and nights here in Tignes we had over a metre of the white stuff in the village. What a transformation and what a relief. I’ve now been in Tignes for just over a week working for a top British ski coaching team. Catching up with Slippers (pictured above and below, see previous post), Bryan, Dave and Rupes.

 

The four of us had different teaching commitments and different levels. But it didn’t matter what standard of a skier you were, everyone loved these new conditions, there were smiles from ear to ear all over the mountain.

 

During the four days of storms, the visibility was a little tricky. We didn’t mind at the time of course, because we were all playing about in the deep stuff just like children. But then on Thursday when the high winds blew away storms, we were all stunned to see how much snow had fallen.

 

Some aspects gave us awesome depths, but other aspects were wind affected. It understandably took the pisteurs a while to make the mountain safe with extensive avalanche control, and then grooming the pistes for the first time this winter. Even when we could ski on the newly opened pistes, the mountain restaurants still had to dig themselves out and then get organised to serve us smiling new customers.

 

Because, you see the thing was, we just couldn’t stop smiling. I skied all week with Elaine, a lovely lady from Birmingham. It was her fourth week skiing, and she had never been to Tignes before. We spent every morning and afternoon together chipping away at her technique and confidence. It was a brilliant way to start my teaching this season. Elaine and I also had some great times with her friends Mike, Lucy and Captain Fred. One of my best memories from last week was skiing down from the top of the Toviere peak, one of the borders between Tignes and Val d’Isere, after a hot chocolate in the last light of the day down a deserted piste. Did you enjoy that Lucy?

 

It seems like it, there’s another smile. I’ve just started my second week of work here in Tignes, and then I’ll heading back to Méribel on Friday. The snow continues to be fantastic, and it looks as though we might get a top up tomorrow. Méribel opened its lifts and slopes yesterday, and it felt strange for me not being there this year. If it was half as good as it is here, then I’m sure everyone had a belting opening day. Ladies and gentlemen, the winter season has finally begun.

Martin

P.S. It seems my mate Slippers was enjoying the powder last week whilst teaching as well. How is it going Slippers?

Oh, looks like he can’t wipe off that smile on his face either.

Being Cultured

Us Brits sometimes describe man made snow as artificial, or fake, snow. Yet the French typically have their own, how do I say it, arty way of labelling frozen icicles blasted out from a tall metal pipe. They called it cultured snow. How can snow be ‘cultured’, i.e. having class or educated in the finer things in life. Maybe cultured in their eyes means these frozen icicles have been nurtured?

Either way, I shouldn’t lose too much sleep about the nuances between our languages and how we look at things. As you may be aware, the French Alps has had one of the driest and mildest Novembers for many years. To be able to see some of these huge piles of ‘cultured’ snow up close is an instant relief. Ski resorts these days have a pretty good back up plan for when mother nature doesn’t play ball for us skiers.

My wife Harriet has been on holiday this week in Méribel, and we went for a walk together up and around the altiport ‘piste’, or should I call it the upper nine holes of the golf course? In fact last week I saw many people playing golf, for free, trying to avoid not only the bunkers but the snow mounds as well.

During the ski season it’s very rare to see how large the mounds can grow, so it’s difficult to describe to people. But a picture can say a thousand words…

Sorry about the bald bloke spoiling the shot, but at least he helps give a sense of scale to the image! So what’s on the cards for the coming week? Harriet heads back to Leamington Spa tomorrow. After dropping her off at Geneva airport I then drive directly to the ski resort of Tignes. I’ll be teaching and staying over there for the next two weeks which I’m really looking forward to. Sadly I’ll miss the opening weekend here in Méribel which has been sensibly moved back to next weekend. Good news on the weather front, it looks as though this stunning weather that we’ve had to ‘suffer’ is on the verge of deserting us and making way for much chillier temperatures and a few showers of precipitation. Can’t deny that I’ve enjoyed my time here in the sunshine, but I think it’s time to welcome more of the natural snow flakes for a change. Have a great week everyone.

Martin