 Poster: A snowHead
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What a day!
What a day, what a day, what a day!!!
And yet, it started so badly………
I deemed very few items of a practical nature worthy of bringing with me, but one was my knife, my one and only kitchen knife! I’ve had this knife, just an ordinary Kitchen Devil, but unlike any other Kitchen Devil I’ve bought before or since, for nearly 20 years, and it is, quite simply, THE ultimate kitchen knife. Now, my culinary exploits are somewhat limited, and, it is fair to say, at times my tastes, food wise, can be a little, well, for want of a better word, fussy. Vegetables I may do at a push (well, some of them, maybe, if perhaps I’m being sensible about stuff; by the way, has there ever been a more apt word than DIE…………T) but salad is, and always will be, a big no-no for goodness sake; you really have to draw the line somewhere.
So, shocked and appalled I was when I saw my poor, beloved, knife being plunged into a, well, I can barely say it, a plump, ripe tomato. My stomach turned at seeing such a friend so horribly defiled, but it was a fait accomplie, and I just had to try to move on………
Revenge was obviously far from my mind when I asked if I could perhaps borrow flowa’s blackberry to check what was, for her at any rate, an entirely inappropriate website. So, logging onto West ham’s club site, I was overjoyed to read details of our glorious victory, away from home, against Middlesboro, and, of course, the fact that finally a sports site had been added to her web history was neither here nor there, but perhaps we were almost even now!
Trying to rise above any such petty issues, we decided that a trip to Meribel was the order of the day, so we started off by taking the Plein Sud lift up to let us get the Bouquetin gondola up to the Mont de la Chambre; our timing was absolutely spot on, as the gondola opened just as we skied down to it meaning we could avoid the necessity of taking the “bite you in the back bottom” 3 Valleys 2 chair up, a big plus as not only is the gondola quicker, but the chair is one of the few that doesn’t in any way slow down when it picks you up. Things, after a very scary start, were looking up.
We had decided to take Lac de la Chambre down into the Meribel valley, and, despite having skied it a couple of times since I have been here, it was far and away better conditions, and I am glad to say that was pretty much the case the whole day. We found some really good snow, slightly softened perhaps by milder overnight conditions, and also generally pretty empty slopes considering it was the week before Christmas. We stopped in Meribel Mottaret for a demi, and then took the very picturesque (if otherwise straightforward) run from there down to Meribel itself. We went up Plan de l’Homme up and another lovely tree lined run bck down to Meribel before the Tougnete 1 and 2 right up to Tougnete where we intended skiing back into the valley but, on seeing our options at the top, in the sun and out of the wind, with a fabulous view, we decided it was the ideal picnic spot so we stopped for a quick bite soaking up the awesome surroundings whilst trying to decide where to go next.
The seemingly empty slopes of Les Menuires were calling, so we decided to work our way down, and so we gradually zigzagged our way along the side of the valley, generally heading Val Thorenswards. Again we managed to find some excellent snow, and relatively empty slopes, until eventually we reached the Mont de la Chambre lift which took us right up to ridge to let us ski down into Val Thorens. We decided to head back to our home valley, and we going to take the blue Pluviometre down when flowa suggested the black Marielle instead. Now I fully realise that rating of slopes can be somewhat irrelevant given conceivably hugely varying conditions, but the long and the short of it was that I had yet to ski a black. I ummed and ahhed, and eventually thought, “what the heck” (after the off piste excursion Topsmoke had taken me on, what was I worried about?), so down we went! I’m not saying it was stylish (then again, very little about my attempts at skiing is anyway), but I got down in reasonably controlled fashion without any moments! Another job jobbed so to speak, my first black under my belt.
We skied down Plein Sud into town, and stopped for a demi; I also needed to check on the progress my mate Martyn was making; he had flown into Geneva and was on the transfer bus en route to Val Thorens. A couple of texts confirmed that he had just left Moutiers, so flowa and I decided to call it a day while we were winning ( well, I certainly felt like I was), finished our beers and made our way home. A short rest later I set off to meet Martyn’s coach, and, perfect timing to cap a perfect day, I arrived at the coach stop just as the coach was pulling in.
We wandered back to the apartment, dissected the mighty Hammers victory over Middlesboro the day before in front of a bemused flowa before the three of us went out for couple of drinks, a few games of pool and a really nice meal; what a great end to a great day!
Great snow, great empty slopes, great company.
What a day.
Perfect.
Ttfn
johnnyboy
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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johnnyboy,
1. Sorry to hear about the knife
2. The Boro were robbed
3. Have you done the rollers in the snowpark yet, above Mottaret yet?
Fantastic blog
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Superb blog johnnyboy, Great reading about your exploits.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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johnnyboy, good to hear snow conditions are holding up well, maybe we can catch a run or two together later in the week, my friends who I'm heading down with are having lessons on thur/fri so i'll txt to see if you are around once we've arrived 
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So, no post yesterday, but not because there was nothing post worthy, quite the reverse in fact; we were so busy I just didn’t seem to find time! We were up, breakfasted and kitted up by about 9.30, we being me, flowa and my latest guest, my mate Martyn who arrived the night before. We shot across the piste outside the apartment to the Funitel Peclat where Martyn bought his lift pass, and we took the gondola up and the Christine down, which was in great shape. We worked our way over to the Portette lift and Funitel Grand Fond, and eventually back down to the Funitel Peclat again to let us ski the Lac Blanc down. Unfortunately the one downside of the day occurred here; as we were queuing to get on the gondola someone nicked my sunglasses that were looped into a jacket pocket; I let the crush go and they definitely hadn’t just dropped to the floor, so unfortunately someone must have taken them!
Anyway, at the top of the gondola we stopped for coffee and hot chocolate, and then decided we’d pop over to Meribel where flowa and I had found such good snow the day before. We took Lac Blanc back down as we had planned, going straight down to the Plein Sud lift, taking that and then the Funitel Bouquetin up to Mont de la Chambre before dropping down to Meribel Mottaret. Our first choice for lunch was looking exceptionally busy, so we decided on one nearby. Unfortunately the waiter there was so rude we didn’t even manage to order anything, and after a quick look at a couple of alternatives we found a table back at our first port of call, which, all of a sudden, seemed to have got over it’s earlier mad crush.
A quick bite later and we dropped down to Meribel itself, before exploring some of the lower slopes on the Les Menuires side of the valley. We then took the Olympic Special up to the ridge before dropping down partway towards St Martin de Belleville. We headed back up on the St Martin 2 lift, and intended to work our way back on a similar route to that taken by flowa and I the day before, but unfortunately the Mont de la Chambre lift was shut meaning we had to drop right down into Les Menuires, along with everyone else in the 3 Valleys it seems, to get the Bruyeres lift back up. The run down into Les Menuires was very busy as so many people were being funnelled down it, and it was also getting mogulled towards the bottom which was really testing. I certainly struggled, but there were some trying to snowplough down it and it wasn’t pretty.
Once we were crammed into the Bruyeres gondola we finally made our way back up to Mont de la Chambre and back home.
It was great skiing with Martyn again, having skied more with him than anyone else on my two previous holidays. He said my technique had definitely improved since he last saw me ski, but he got me working on pole planting to try to initiate my turns, which I so didn’t get initially. However, I worked on it as the day went on, and, at times, I was sort of getting it, but still plenty more to work on.
We had a lazy apres ski, but a great meal last night followed by a quick drink in the bar in the apartment complex before returning home to watch a DVD; unfortunately we were all so tired we didn’t quite make it to the end before crashing out exhausted, but in a really good way.
Today dawned clear and bright again, which was great as the plan was to head over to Couchevel. We were a little late getting into our strides this morning, after a breakfast including beautifully warm, fresh baguettes, smoked salmon, and champagne. I opened cards that had arrived and those that been brought over by Martyn, and a really thoughtfully prezzie (also courtesy of Martyn the courier) of a hot water bottle and some Weleda massage balm to help ease my aches and pains from the dibblettes; many thanks, can’t wait to ski with you all in February.
We took our usual route up Plein Sud and to the Mont de la Chambre, before taking Lac de la Chambre down. We stopped at the bottom for a quick coffee/chocolate and a bit of boot adjustment, before coasting down to Meribel Mottaret and up the Pas du Lac right up to Sautiere to let us drop down into the Courchevel valley. We took the down; I really struggled for the first 100 yards or so, which was both steep and narrow, but after that it opened out and was a really nice run down. We eventually joined up with the Verdons green run, which I had many memories of from my first trip in Courchevel nearly two years ago. It was also at the bottom of this run that I had my “Jet Pack Johnny” moment, so I reminisced a little whilst regaling flowa with the story!
I also spent quite a lot of time practicing pole planting, and at one point flowa, looking back up the run at me, felt I must really have had it “click” as I suddenly seemed a whole lot better. Sometimes I seem to get a really nice rhythm going, but at other times, especially when I’m getting a little tired if I’m honest, it still feels very awkward; plenty more practice required I think.
We played around in Courchevel a bit before taking the Chenus lift up; here we found an empty picnic table and decided it was time for a quick break, perfect timing. We took Chenus down, which was lovely and where I got into a lovely rhythm, and then played around on a couple of easy runs where flowa was practicing her 180’s and backward skiing on her new skis. From there we took the Verdons lift, then the big Saulire cable car (unfortunately only one of the cabins being used at the moment, so a bit of a wait) right up to Saulire to let us cross back into Meribel. We’d covered a fair bit by this point, so we took a couple of runs down into Meribel Mottaret where we stopped for a quick drink, before taking the Plattieres and Cote Brune lifts back up to Mont de la Chambre and cruised the Pluviometre back home.
The weather had been great all day, and made for a truly great day’s skiing, especially as, in the main, we again managed to miss most of the crowds. Another really good day.
It’s the first Christmas in ages that I’ve not spent with sister, brother-in-law, niece, nephew and my mum, and I’ve really missed seeing them today, but I’ve been lucky to spend a great day with a really good mate and a new found friend.
Merry Christmas everyone.
Ttfn
johnnyboy
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johnnyboy, Happy Xmas to you
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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johnnyboy, Merry Xmas, mate. keep posting
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johnnyboy, great post Merry Christmas.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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johnnyboy, mum and sis here, great talking to you yesterday and reading your blog each day. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Hi johnnyboy, sounds like you are really motoring about. Merry christmas. DT & AT 
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No post again yesterday, but certainly another good day! Christmas Eve, as I mentioned, we popped into the local bar, called the Moo Bar (only 1 letter out from the Roo Bar that I often drink in in Bristol, nice of them to make things so easy for me here!), but we caught the tail end of a party in there and, to be honest, it felt a little as though we were intruding. Christmas Day however, after another really nice meal (with two bottles of wine rather than just one) and a nightcap in an Irish bar, we again popped into the Moo Bar for, well, I guess, another nightcap. What a difference a day makes! Perhaps it was just the fact that we, thanks to the second bottle of wine and the original nightcap, had less catching up to do, or perhaps we had just caught it on a slightly off night on Christmas Eve, but there was, from our point of view, a totally different vibe in there, and our nightcap ran to 4 rounds if memory serves correct (which may or may not be the case!).
On a more serious note, I would like to pick up on IncogSkiSno’s thread about the importance of wearing helmets on skiing holidays. So far, apart from a few aches and pains, my various guests and I (with the possible exception of Topsmoke, whose mishap I would love to tell, but am not sure it’s fair unless he lets me know otherwise) have been fairly free of injury. However, circumstances can lead to distractions and unfortunately accidents are far more likely when we are distracted. Perhaps Martyn and I should have seen the signs; having read my last post before we went out on Christmas Day evening flowa commented that I had omitted what, for her it would seem, was the highlight of the day’s skiing.
While waiting for the Saulire cable car to arrive, which, as I mentioned, was a bit of a wait as they only had one of the two cars working, we saw some guys, mostly boarders, coming down a run just above the station, all of them topless, some in ski pants but some just in Bermuda shorts. flowa seemed to take particular interest, lost about 20 years and went all weak at the knees like a schoolgirl when they actually appeared on the platform to take the cabin back up with us. She kept edging closer and closer to them, took photos, to “post on a ski forum” she said (or for her private collection perhaps?), and when the cabin arrived, Martyn and I lost her, as we went in the door that opened right next to us, but somehow flowa managed to make her way into the cabin through another door, the one which, coincidentally, the half naked lads had used!
Martyn and I should perhaps have seen this as a warning, as the distractions for flowa didn’t end on the slopes, but continued in our more sociable second trip to the Moo Bar. They did have a clever trick to keep you on your toes in there, by using a canister of gas to periodically spray water across the bar, and, in trying to avoid one such spray, but whilst distracted by a lad she’d been chatting up, sorry, chatting to earlier that evening flowa whacked Martyn over the head with her drink; just goes to prove helmets should always be worn on skiing holidays, and not just on the slopes! Of course, all the while Martyn and I were simply discussing ways to improve my (skiing) technique and were in no way whatsoever ogling any of the pretty girls in there!
After we finally retired we were somewhat late in rising on Boxing Day, and eventually headed out onto the slopes a little cautiously. It was flowa’s last day of skiing, and I had suggested a trip down to Les Menuires to ski La Masse. flowa also wanted to ski Boismint, which had been recommended to her but was usually not in great shape by the EOSB which she has attended the last two years, so we thought we’d start with that before taking the path down to Les Menuires. Although only a red, it was rather steep at the top for a first run of the day after a rather heavy night, but we all emerged unscathed and then took the linking path all the way down to Les Menuires. We took La Masse 1 and 2 right up to the top, and skied halfway back down before stopping for an early lunch, seeing as we’d had no breakfast. Feeling somewhat revived, we skied on down to Les Menuires before taking the thankfully now working Mont de la Chambre chair back up before skiing down into Val Thorens; a relatively quiet day, but just enough skiing for us all I think.
Martyn and I popped out to see the second half of West Ham-Reading, while flowa finished her packing in preparation for her return home. We watched a few episodes of Spaced, and then it was time to walk flowa to the coach stop and bid her farewell and bon voyage. She really was a great house guest, was fun to ski with and made me realise that I need to work on my control more than anything else when on the slopes. She also did way more than her share of the chores while she was here, and, Martyn’s poor head aside, was great company.
Having seen flowa onto the coach, Martyn and I were about to head off when we saw a woman and her son, having just departed from the coach, studying a map and trying to get their bearings. Not that I know the resort very well, but I asked where they were heading for, and, as luck turned out, it was in fact the same apartment block as me, so the good deed for the day was done by escorting them here and helping with their luggage.
We had a relatively quiet night in, in the company of Kirsten Dunst (and, I suppose, that Toby bloke) watching Spiderman 3, meaning we were suitably refreshed for today’s exploits. We had another great day out there, and I managed my first proper mogul field, the black Marielle from the top of the 3 Valleys 2 lift. I tumbled sideways as I dropped into the field, but managed the rest on my feet, if somewhat inelegantly! I skied over rather than around too many of the moguls, but hopefully that will improve as time goes by. Back onto more normal runs I was definitely building more rhythm, and skiing steeper slopes in a far more controlled manner, using far less width of the piste than even a few days ago. I do feel as though I am at least making some progress, although there is still huge scope for improvement; still, one step at a time I suppose.
We finished the day with a vin chaud in the middle of town, enjoying the warmth of the sun before it dropped from sight, then returning home with that tired but satisfied feeling. Another great day.
ttfn
johnnyboy
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You know it makes sense.
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In my defence I did post about them being nutters to be doing what they were. Anyone know any of them? Naughty boys! 
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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johnnyboy, another super post.
The Naughty Boys look a lot of fun
Now I want a pic of flowa 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Jonpim
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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flowa, Nice pussy 
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Great thread johnnyboy, keep it up. Glad to hear you're now feeling better.
We're out on the 5th Jan so look forward to hearing about conditions up til then.
Want any teabags? 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Excellent post johnnyboy, I am enjoying your experiences also. Keep the thread coming.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Ho hum, time for another post I suppose! I’ll start with today, as yesterday, for some reason, seems a long time ago!
Glorious blue skies by the time we eventually emerged, which was, I must admit, a little later than usual, but perhaps more of that later. We didn’t actually make it out onto the slopes until noonish, largely because Martyn has a dodgy back at the moment, and was wandering around like a man of ninety this morning. We were also a little distracted by Kirsten again, as, for some reason, another of her DVD’s managed to make its way into the player this morning. Seriously though, a long day on the slopes was not on the cards, so there was no particular rush to get out there, despite the great weather and the empty slopes of changeover day.
We had a steady day really, but still did some lovely runs, including Tete Ronde which is fast becoming a real favourite; only a blue, but with some lovely sweeping turns that really let you open out your skis. I have been working hard in the last few days to try to tighten up my technique for better control (well, some control at any rate) on some of the steeper slopes I’ve been skiing, so it is nice to “open up” a little on runs like Tete Ronde and also Moraine which we finished the day with; it is the adrenaline rush from picking up a bit of speed on such runs that first hooked me on skiing, and although I now realise and appreciate the importance of control and technique, there is still a real buzz to be had from letting rip down such a slope.
I’ve really enjoyed having Martyn over here; he was very patient skiing with me and his then girlfriend in the afternoons on both of my proper ski holidays (after mornings in ski school), sacrificing his ski time to help us improve on slopes that were of little challenge to him. However, although I would in no way claim to be anything close to his equal, at least now I feel as though I can ski most slopes with him, without holding him back too much. We even swapped skis for a bit this afternoon; he played around on my very user friendly 165 Salomon Crossmax 10s while I took on his mighty Head Cybers in 180+ with nicely sharpened edges! After this I can tell you that I am really happy with the decision I made for my first pair of skis, but I felt my improved technique of the last few days allowed me to just about cope with Martyn’s skis, although admittedly only on nice easy blues; way more improvement is needed for me to get anywhere near the most out of them. I also think Martyn quite enjoyed the fun side of skiing on my skis, even considering the black mogul field off the top of the Cascades lift until he got his own planks back on and cried off with his bad back!
So, after a relatively quiet but still thoroughly enjoyable few hours on the slopes, we returned to my apartment where we had a quick baguette on the balcony enjoying the last of the day’s sun, before wandering up to the Bowling Club to watch West Ham v Man U; one of the quirks of being over here is that I can watch a 3.00pm Saturday fixture live on TV (well, it’s 4pm over here) which you just can’t do in the UK. And what a match it was, with the mighty Hammers coming back from a breakaway Ronaldo goal, an obvious penalty not awarded to us for a push on Nobby, a dubious penalty awarded against us but missed by Ronaldo, to actually, and entirely deservedly win 2-1 thanks to set piece headers from Anton Ferdinand and Matthew Upson. Great way to cap another great day.
Which sort of brings us round to yesterday, which saw another fairly quiet day on the slopes (Martyn’s back started playing up yesterday morning) followed by a less than quiet evening! Seeing as it was Friday, we decided to check out what VT has to offer on the social side, so after a couple of trips up to our wifi bar to let Martyn get online (each with a corresponding visit to the apartment complex local, just to be sociable) we had a spot of dinner and then headed up to the top of the resort where a lot of the nightlife seems to be. We had a few in the Frog, before moving onto the Saloon Bar, which was VERY lively, if a little young for old fogies like us. We also had a quick drink in El Gringos because it had been recommended, but it was deader than a dodo in there, so we eventually made our way back for our third (I think) visit of the evening to the Moo Bar (the local) for a nightcap; this chain of events is also partly responsible for our somewhat sluggish start to today.
Anyway, that about sums up the last couple of days, so we’re off out for some food.
Ttfn
johnnyboy
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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johnnyboy, Great post, good to see you getting in to a relaxed rhythm, I thought you might burn out if you kept up the antics and excitement of the first few days. Every year about this time I see cars racing around a track in VT on euro sport, it looks a big event has it been set up this season yet? It would be good to see a snowhead out there leading the pack, so if you see a load of cars with spiked tyres jump in and give one a go, don't forget to wave at the cameras because some of us will be watching.
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Headplant, that'd probably be the Andros Trophy ice racing and was earlier in the month I think.
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Headplant, FenlandSkier, There was some fun and games on the track within my first couple of days here, so I'm guessing it may be that which will be shown shortly.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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 Scorchio it definitely wasn’t this morning; it would be hard for a bigger contrast to the brilliant clear blue skies we had yesterday. In fact, visibility from my window was, I think it’s fair to say, somewhat limited! We had our first snow for two and a half weeks last night, and the cloud was continually sweeping through the valley all morning; sometimes we could see the peaks across the piste from my apartment, and 30 seconds later we couldn’t even make out the gondola station less than 100 yards away.
It was Martyn’s last full day here, and he wanted to try to make the most of it, despite the fact that he was still suffering from a bit of a bad back. We’d had a relatively early night last night, a bit of food, a couple of pints and we were back in the apartment by 10.30pm to watch Layer Cake; Martyn has sworn off brunettes for the time being (although he has just said that he is still open to persuasion from any tasty brunettes out there, seems like he is keeping his options open, photo to follow girls!) and so wanted a bit of blonde and settled on Sienna Miller, so Layer Cake it was.
On surfacing this morning I was met by a whiteout, as hopefully shown (or perhaps more accurately not shown!) above but the average visibility did improve as the morning wore on, although, as I say, it was subject to change from half decent to absolutely dreadful at the drop of the proverbial hat. It was going to be a slow rather than speedy day though, wherever we went, and Martyn wanted to tackle one of the two black mogul fields close by that he has been avoiding for the last couple of days because of his aforementioned dodgy back.
We took the 2 Lacs lift up and skied Les Chalets down, partly in half decent light but mostly in very poor visibility; the snow, however, was lovely and fresh even if we couldn’t actually see it for most of the run! We took Plein Sud up, and noticed that the 3 Valleys 2 lift, and thus easy access to one of the mogul fields, was open, so onwards and upwards we went. I’d just about managed to ski it a couple of days ago (apart from the drop into it), but the addition of the fresh made it a whole new ballgame! Pretty it certainly wasn’t, exhausting it was! I lost a ski in a tumble about a third of the way down; unfortunately the ski stopped but I didn’t, so I then had to get back up to collect it. I decided this would be easier accomplished on no skis rather than one ski, so I popped the second binding, planted my ski vertically in the snow, and began the treck back up the slope. Having retrieved the lost ski, I then slipped back down past the ski I had planted, so I then had to go through the whole procedure again! Finally I ended up in the same position as both my skis at the same time, so I then just had to try to get both skis on. By the time I had managed all this, I was feeling a little tired, and the remainder of the mogul field was a real struggle, but I at least made it down the rest of the run beyond the moguls with a little style given it was far more testing conditions than I had yet skied it in. Martyn meanwhile dropped off the edge of the piste for a little play n the fresh, but the moguls had taken their toll on me, so we skied down Plein Sud and stopped for a restorative coffee.
Having got a taste for them, Martyn decided he wanted a bash at the moguls from the top of the Cascades lift; I decided that I had pushed the envelope (and been found seriously wanting) enough for one day, so looped round the blue to meet him at the bottom of the moguls. Visibility really wasn’t great; even at the top of the blue I was feeling queasy, thankful it was only a coffee not a beer we had stopped for as I think I suffered from a bit of motion sickness. Fortunately the light improved a touch and I made my way down the rest of the run in time to see Martyn ski the bottom half of the moguls.
We had the odd break in the clouds as the afternoon wore on, but generally conditions were far from good, especially as we stayed reasonably high; the conditions were making it tough and tiring for me, and eventually we called it a day about 3pm when my legs could take no more. It had snowed on and off for most of the day, and the resort was still cloaked in cloud when we made our way in, so there could well be more on the way. It certainly freshened up the slopes, and hopefully there will be fun to be had once the clouds lift and I can actually see what I’m trying to ski; unfortunately it has come a day or two too late for Martyn as he is off home tomorrow morning.
We’re off out for some fod and a few beers later, so that will have to do for today.
Ttfn
johnnyboy
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So, picture above was the view, or lack thereof, from my balcony this morning.
Now one for the ladies, blondes, or brunettes if they can convince a brunette-burned bloke that the world is indeed a bright and beautiful place alongside them: my mate Martyn!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Ah, johnnyboy, one of those days. Interesting how morale sapping bad visibility can be. Not helped by clambering up the slope to retrieve a ski. And then that ghastly "motion sickness" thing - real odd, because so often you aren't moving at all, but think you are. 'Orrible. 
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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It would seem yesterday’s weather was just a blip, as today dawned bright and clear again; scorchio indeed!
Unfortunately there would be no skiing for Martyn though, as after breakfast we wandered up to the coach park and I bid him farewell after what he said had been a great holiday; I know I certainly enjoyed having him here, and he left his skis and boots here as he hopes to get out again at least once more before the end of the season.
I didn’t realise how tired out I was by yesterday’s skiing until we went out in the evening. At least with the little style and technique I have developed I ski slightly more efficiently as time goes by; I wonder if experienced skiers can remember how truly tiring skiing can be when you are learning, and having to fight gravity all the time rather than using it. However, I know the lack of visibility affected me yesterday; I guess I was less relaxed in posture (which is a bit of an issue for me anyway) than usual, more tense and less able to ski to the best of my current ability, and so I was skiing far less efficiently than I can manage in better conditions when I can relax and ski at my best. Either way, I was absolutely shattered.
Despite a relaxing afternoon after we called it a day on the slopes it was a real effort to get up and out last night, and we took a slow stroll around before settling on a restaurant and treating ourselves to a beef pierrade (hot stone and raw meat that you cook yourself at the table). I really had no energy by the time we’d finished, so we wandered back for a couple of pints in the local Moo Bar, and I was just about done in.
Having seen Martyn off this morning I popped out onto the slopes; it was great out there, as yesterday’s snow had freshened up the piste beautifully and, with the sun shining, visibility was excellent thanks to the sunglasses that flowa generously donated after mine were nicked. I had a bit of a rip down a couple of easier slopes, and practiced my technique on a couple of reds, working particularly on getting down (dancing never was my strong point!). Seriously though, whilst I seem to get the up motion OK as I make a turn, I’m still not properly transferring my weight down and edging the ski, so that’s my current piece of homework I suppose.
Anyway, just a quick post today; I wanted to wish everyone, particularly friends and family that I’ve so missed seeing over Christmas and New Year, but also to all of you following my stay in Val Thorens, a very Happy New Year.
Ttfn
johnnyboy
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Mon 31-12-07 16:49; edited 1 time in total
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johnnyboy, Happy NY to you and keep the posts coming 
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You know it makes sense.
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johnnyboy, Happy new year to you
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Happy New Year johnnyboy.
I was thinking about comments that rob@rar has made elsewhere about making sure that bad habits don't get in-grained and wondering if you had any plans for some technical lessons from an instructor (as opposed to flowa and martyn whom I'm sure were helpful but might not be able to give you drills to work on like easiski could. Just a thought.
Anyway thanks for the posting which has even made Mrs Nick L discuss doing a season when we retire (in 10 years  )
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Poster: A snowHead
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johnnyboy, Have a very happy New Year
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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johnnyboy, and others, wishing you all a Happy New Year!
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Hello from all in Bristol Dan & Anna, Kate Simon & Honey, Mike & Rona, Louise & Robin, Martyn, Annie, Vicky & Brian  Happy new year
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Happy New Year, JohnnyBoy!
As you know, I've been off-line feeling under the weather but am almost back up to speed and finally able to redress a glaring omission on my part!
I know you know that I've thanked you in person and on my thread but I have a little nagging thought at the back of my mind that no thank you will be complete until it is solidly implanted into YOUR thread
's you need to know what a fantastic host JohnnyBoy was.
1: coming to my rescue in the first place to make my "escape from xmas" dream come true
2: giving up his duvet!!!!! How chivalrous is that?!?!
3: letting me boss him around - "slow down", "turn", "wear eye protection", "use your bladder" (backpack, that is), and on, and on, and on!....
There's a lot more to say but it mostly serves to cast me in a bad light, so suffice it to say that THIS GUY IS A SAINT!
Mate, thanks so much! I promise to be less bossy if you let me come back at some stage.
Glad to hear Martyn's back is better and wish him luck with his hunt! Girls, he's a catch .
Keep up the good work with your blog, you're a legend . And always remember, if it isn't what you're into then it's business time
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Hi from us all too, we spent a damp and chilly New Year in a Yurt (mongolian canvas tent thing) in Herefordshire so I'd much rather have been where you are!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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johnnyboy Happy New Year to you........It seemed very busy on the slopes yesterday so hope today was quieter if you got out.
A pity we didnt manage to catch up over the weekend, maybe next time. I got back home at 330am this morning after an eventful journey including an unschedulled 1.5hr stop due to frozen diesel (a lesson learned there  )
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johnnyboy, Happy new year to you mate.
Regards Mark
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Oh my!
The New Year dawned much as the old one had, bright and clear even after last night’s celebrations. I’d stayed online in my favourite café/restaurant, before returning home and joining the celebrations in the local Moo Bar, which included loads of fireworks at midnight and some bubbly too.
I was going to regale you all with a tale of boots today, but yesterday evening things took a turn for the unexpected, so that particular story will have to wait for another day. After skiing I went up to Le Bowling to watch Arsenal-West Ham, and after that I wandered back down to my above mentioned favourite café to go online. Now, one of the reasons that I like this particular place is that they have free wifi, and another, it has to be said, comes in the small, petite and brunette form of a waitress there; well, I am only human after all! Oh, did I happen to mention that she’s extremely cute too?
All this really is an irrelevance to me though, as even when I do happen upon someone that takes my fancy, I very rarely do anything about it; I really am exceptionally shy when I like someone, and also have the poor habit of usually only falling for women who are, for one reason or another, completely unobtainable (usually because they are absolutely gorgeous, and therefore would have no interest in me whatsoever). It’s almost like I’m trying to live by a version of Groucho Marx’s quote “I’d never be a member of any club that would have me as a member”, in that I would never go out with a woman who would go out with me! Probably explains why I’ve been single so long………
So, the fact that a very cute waitress happens to work at said café just made my near nightly trips there more pleasurable; we engaged in a little banter whenever I was there and I got to look at some eye candy while posting (OK, so I’m shallow). However, while I was there last night, I happened to notice that Miss Cutie was absent, so after a relatively short stay I made my way home, intending to watch the remains of the Villa-Spurs game in the local. It was half time when I got there, so I popped down to the apartment to drop off my laptop, and I decided to nip into the onsite supermarket to pick up a couple of bits before it closed.
No prizes for guessing who I bumped into there; I had just said a “bonjour” to one of the girls working there (and no, I don’t fancy her as well, but I always try to be polite and, as I go in there most days, I’m on “bonjour, ca va?” terms with most of them). I got a bonjour back from her, reached for a baguette, and was surprised to get a second “bonjour”, this time from a customer also reaching for some bread. I was initially a little taken aback, then looked up and realised it was, as I’m sure you’ve guessed, the absent waitress from the café.
We engaged in a little chit chat, then she told me she had left the café! Oh no, disaster had struck! What would she do? Where would she work? Would I ever see her again? She mentioned somewhere that she was going to try to get a job, but I was all a blur by this point (both by the fact that she had initiated the conversation, and by the news she had imparted), and though I nodded to her description of where said restaurant was, I really couldn’t place it. We eventually went our separate ways, obviously without me suggesting a drink or a coffee or maybe even just a ski together at some point, but doing that would have been seriously out of character for me, so we couldn’t have that, could we? Obviously, as soon as she’d gone I regretted not having been slightly more forward, (after all, she could only have said no), or at the very least made sure of where she was going to be working, but, oh no, that would have been far too easy.
Now, every story needs a hero, and usually a quest and a girl too. At this point, I think it’s fair to say we almost have all three! As this is my story, I guess I’ll have to do my best as the hero, in a hapless, Mr Bean stylie (have they made Mr Bean goes skiing, now there’s a thought!), and we certainly have the girl, and the quest of finding her again.
So, today dawned another clear and bright, scorchio day, and I awoke with a mission in mind, to try to find the restaurant and woo the girl (well, the first part anyway!). I pottered around a bit, then headed to the lift she had made reference to, and, lo and behold, there was a restaurant I had yet to really notice before. As it was time for a coffee (honestly, I had been skiing for a bit, so a restorative coffee was definitely in order), I made my way inside, ordered a coffee, and was shortly afterwards greeted by a jolly “bonjour” from guess who. She was pretty busy, and didn’t have too much time to chat, but she didn’t run quivering to a lawyer to take out a restraining order either, which is a really good sign for me!
Was it fate that I bumped into her in the supermarket last night, as without having done so, I would never have found out where she hoped to be working? Time alone will tell, but at least I got to see her lovely smile again today.
Ok, so it wasn’t that much of a quest, there were no dragons to slay or villains to defeat (but I did ski a couple of tricky reds en route, does that count?), and I didn’t exactly get the girl, but this is my story, so you’ll just have to take what you’re given! Anyway, days of continually posting “I took this lift up and skied that run down” would get as boring for you all to read as it would for me to write; I’m trying to keep things anecdotal as well as factual, at least, that’s my excuse.
I think that really is quite enough for today; how long before I regret posting this I wonder!
Ah well, what’s done is done, c’est la vie.
Ttfn
johnnyboy
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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johnnyboy, Good luck. "Fair heart never won ......" Have fun!
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johnnyboy, This just gets better. We even have a "does the heroe get the girl" element thrown in. Good luck in your quest. Always go with your heart. Do we need a poll?
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FAQ
