Event - Ski Trip to Alpe d'Huez
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Day 5 - Wednesday 30th January
For a change Andrew DIDN’T visit the ski shop!! ... But felt he wanted to, just to maintain consistency. He had been every day until now either to exchange skis, adjust boots, or some other such excuse. Perhaps he was trying to avoid too much skiing??!!
The weather began cloudy but the sun gradually began coming through. We skied above, into, and below the cloud.
Notable "happenings" of the day:
- Lucy attempting to grab a pine cone while on the chair lift - with her skis - also had her first fall of the holiday.
- BIG COKES! A little like on a previous occasion when we ordered GRANDE BEERS, these were the same size ... eventually we (the 'A Team') were joined by the rest of the group and we were able to share out our litre of coke each!
- I even managed to take Jon out while standing still, a feat in itself! My excuse is that someone (unknown) skied over the tips of my skis as I started off in a sideslip ... thus then unable to prevent myself sliding into him and taking him out while he was stationary and I was doing about 0.5km/hr.
- An
unheard
of moment - Tony left a ski behind .... While inadvertently finding
himself skiing backwards down a black run
- Found a great run (black) to the lowest point of the entire area. (La Fare)
- We were supposed to be heading for a vin chaud stop on the way home, but Coops was in the lead at the time and took a wrong turning so we missed it. Have to teach him how to read a piste map sometime.
- However, having missed our regular stop, we used the situation to advantage and I got everyone trying their 360 pirouettes on skis (see video to come) I even managed 7 consecutive! However, this was after attempting one or two others and ending up skiing on my nose ...
- Brian to doctors today, allergic reaction to something, possible allergic reaction to French onion soup!?
- Skippy for tea!! Kangaroo steak on the menu for dinner.
- Man Utd vs Portsmouth Premiership game. Had to watch because Wilson and Coops wanted to see it. The other Wilson (Lucy) made a point of sitting where she couldn't see the screen.
- Late night cards - I beat Coops in one game ... but he pulled one back later. But who's counting?
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| The day began cloudy but the sun began to show through, and once we went to the highest point at 3330m we had a magnificent view of the peaks above the clouds. | This is the big cable car descending back into the mist. The mist hung about for most of the day, although there were clear patches every so often. |
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On our travels around the resort we came upon this magnificent ice waterfall. This photo really doesn't do it justice. |
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Another view taken from near the top as we were setting off for our vin chaud stop ... but on missing that we turned it to our advantage and practiced 360 spins instead. |
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| Then it was back to the hotel for the inevitable tea and cake ... | ... and later into the restaurant for our evening meal from 7:30pm. |
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Day 6 - Thursday 31st January
Alternative title: CHAOS IN THE GONDOLA!!!
The absolute highlight of the day, and possibly the week, was Coops managing to have a major fall, ending up flat out on the floor, losing both skis and both poles in a major fall, and lots of noise. He fell over INSIDE the big gondola lift. He was second person through the door (I was first) and then he fell flat on the floor , thus blocking the door, and causing some chaos as the other 10 or so people trying to get in the same gondola had to stop moving while he picked himself up, and a couple of us rescued his skis and poles!
Once all the fuss had died down, we (well, the 'A Team') eventually worked up to doing the Tunnel run, the 2nd steepest run in Europe. This was after doing the Sarenne, the longest Black run in the world/europe (depending which reviews you read!)
Coops managed to ski the Sarenne top to bottom non stop. I did try to catch up with him, but my excuse (ahem!)was that the rest were skiing socially and ensuring the group stayed together and no one got lost. In fact he did it twice that day. That is two lots of 16km without a stop. Where does he get his stamina? All the golf?
That while some of the rest of us were tackling the Tunnel piste, among others.
We played cards again late into the evening, Coops won.
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| The view of the town from the top of the Marmottes gondola is worth at least one more photo ... | |
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| Here we are in the DMC gondola (the on where Coops had caused chaos earlier) ... | ... spot the difference between the two pictures ... |
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| Anyway here we are sunning ourselves. This photo was meant to be the one texted to Martin Williams who was in Austria with Colin Bowater at the time, but Martin had "conveniently" forgotten his phone charger ... | Meanwhile, Lucy was checking where we are and where to go on the piste map. |
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| A view of the Marmottes gondola ... | Eventually we made it back for tea and cake ... |
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| Later that evening Coops played three of us at cards. To state what happened would be all too much ... | ... so I thought a picture of some of the town lights might be rather more soothing. |
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