I decided last night that I was going to go for it. Military precision, commitment and a stubborn atitude was required after an earlier than normal alarm call. I nearly gave up right at the beginning though. Because as soon as I looked out of the window before breakfast, I could hardly see anything, yep heavy cloud. However a quick look on the webcams on http://www.merinet.com/ gave me hope.
The high altitude panoramic webcam showed breaks in the cloud at different altitudes above resort level. Was my effort to be rewarded? Oh yes. The first photo shows Canon and I looking down on Méribel Village about to be engulfed in the sea of cloud. The second photo displays the beauty of early morning light kissing the ridges and clouds below. But is it only the views that makes the early morning effort rewarding enough? Nope, empty groomed pistes are the icing on the cake. Being able to turn up for my 9.30 lesson with a huge smile on my face is a real perk of the job.
I'd like to introduce to you another of my clients, Sue. This post is all about her. She is a 'Great-Grandmother', yes that's right, a 'Great-Grandmother'. How cool is that?
Last year we skied together briefly, but this winter we had three wonderful mornings all to ourselves. Her goal this year was to progress away from the nursery slope and tackle a green piste. Now, to most of you that probably sounds easily achievable. But, it's actually a big deal.
Because in the protected environment of a nursery slope, one is able to practise skills and build confidence within a comfort zone. Perfect. But as soon as the big 'plunge' is mentioned and then taken, all hell can sometimes be let loose. Why? PEER PRESSURE. From within yourself, from friends you are on holiday with, from colleagues at work, or even from within your own family. Let's just say that Sue had 'a moment or two' when we first left the comfort zone of our nursery slope.
Time for a 'team talk'. Sue loves playing tennis. She regularly plays
with friends at least a couple of times a week, plus still has tennis holidays. She used to play in club/league matches, and follows the professional tour especially our own Andy Murray. I asked if the physical action of Andy Murray's serve differs between a practise session and playing in an Australian Open Final watched by millions of people?
The physical movement will be the same. It's just that Andy Murray has the ability to stay focused unlike most of us. As skiers we often get distracted by others on the piste around us, we can be distracted by snow and weather conditions, and we can even get distracted by the sounds of laughter.
Sue progressed really well, and this morning she admitted that she had exceeded her own goals for the weekend, fantastic. We said goodbye to each other for another winter at lunchtime. I then went for another ski with Canon, because yet again work continues to be thin on the ground.
Whilst skiing this afternoon, I couldn't help but worry about the lack of work available this winter. I also seriously thought about finishing my ski season early to go back to the UK and re-start early with BSM as a Driving Instructor. Strong thoughts. But then suddenly Canon and I opened our eyes and caught this image of the ever changing weather here in the Alps.
A tough choice, continue trying to find work in paradise here in the Alps, or keeping an eye out for uber charged 'Super Grans' every time a learner driver and I go past tennis clubs?
Martin
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