Would I remember how to ski? What pocket do I put my lift pass in? How many layers should I wear? What clips do my ski boot buckles stretch to? Will my ski edges be sharp enough? I hope nobody recognised me, so today was out of ski school uniform. It doesn't matter how much experience or mental preparation was involved, the sneaky little doubts still crept in. Get on with it Hemsley, I mumbled unconvincingly.
Both skis thumped down onto the snow, two clunks were heard as my boots attached to the bindings. Just as I pushed off with my ski poles I got distracted with laughter in front of me and nearly fell over!?! But hang on, what was all that fuss about? Couldn't deny that I hardly felt like a world champion, but who cared, I was sliding downhill in absolute heaven.
For the record, the piste conditions on the top half of the mountain were brilliant with soft, light and cold fresh snow. Lower down still had plenty of cover, but with slightly firmer 'man made' snow. This is where I bumped into a friend of mine who is also an instructor. Funnily enough, he also confessed to feeling a little fragile and under pressure within himself.
I'm willing to bet my last glass of Chateauneuf du Pape that Gregoire and I weren't the only people on the mountain today suffering from the dreaded first day emotions. But we all survived and can't wait to get going again tomorrow.
Martin
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