Skiing, Alp d'Huez (18.02.06 - 25.02.06)

six of us went skiing in the french alps in february. five of us had six days of great skiing. five of us took advantage of the awesome blue skies. and the fresh cool powder. and the idylilc setting. and the numerous breath-taking runs. five of us had the perfect week.

one of us landed on his head half way through the 3rd day whilst attempting a 30cm jump. it sure was funny. for those watching. it sure wasn't funny. for the person who ended up damaging every joint in his body. this rendered the person useless for the rest of the holiday. not to mention the bitching and complaining that went on. who was this person?...

was it buffy?

nope. despite having the biggest, shiniest goggles in the whole world, buffy is a pro boarder. he was cutting through the snow. left, and right. backwards, and forwards. doing 10ft jumps and helping old ladies when they fell. he was a star. he also produced some of the dodgiest clothing on holiday (see camo top and polka dot hat combo in "going out" picture below). and he won the downhill race challenge (although i still say he won it because the prize for finishing 1st was sarah... and buffy knew he would never be able to pick up twice in one year).

so... was it sarah who crashed and burned?

nope. sarah is not a boarder. she is a blader. and a damn good one. she beat us to the bottom of the runs every time... and she never fell. she is also a really good cook. as demonstrated by the lasagne she made on andy's night off. it was great. buffy... she's a keeper.

was it spanky who bit the powder?

nope. spanky is a friendly boy. but he is a loner on the slopes... prefering to either shoot ahead... or tag along behind. consequently none of us ever get to see him wipe out. he doesn't know whether he is goofy or conventional (normal). if you want a laugh... watch him on the downhill jump run... classic!!!

was it fredi who planted head first?

nope. fredi has just bought his own ski stuff... and is therefore pretty serious about getting serious ski time. he wouldn't let a mild concussion and a broken neck hinder him.

was it hobson you made like a snow plough?

nope. my vote was for hobson. he is reckless on the slopes. he had only learned to board the previous week... but thought he was super cool in his matching outfit and name-brand board. he was the most hazardous boarder in the resort - zigzagging at high speed without really ever having it under control. nutter.

was it me who face planted off the jump, knocking myself semi-unconscious, and smashing my shoulder and knee?

yip. as you can see from the picture above, i am not the most gifted boarder, nor the most adventurous. in a moment of bravadory i thought i'd go first on the mini jump and show the others how it was done. i flipped backwards and landed on my head. it was super sore. and i don't have many memories of skiing thereafter. i'm tired of writing now...

but at least i had memories of our nights out to hang on to...