Day 1
Started at 4:30 am and I had a strange feeling that I had timed things right but why on earth would the underground be running this early, though yesterday it showed as ok, quick fire up online showed not ok, options to drive and pay parking, no, already purchased train ticket, taxi....the best easiest booking and ride from start to finish, and for 13 pounds only ! No traffic all went well, nothing forgotten so far. Not feeling too much of anything at this time of morning the thought of skiing got me to swing my legs out of bed. I'm now tapping out this web log from my very comfortable room as we speak, yep great to have wifi.
I am very impressed so far with the attitude helpfulness and demeanour of the staff at VIP Val D Isere. I'm also relieved to be sharing with what amounts to a pretty large bunch of friendly outgoing people and I'm of average age of 37 I'd say. And oh my god !!!! the sundeck with its hot tub will not fill all of us but its going to be great water is heating up ready for tomorrow. And I don't think its all couples either, but anyway its been a cracking start. The malbec was a great hit at 11.am on my ba charter flight which was yes you guessed good too. Quick check in today man today has gone like bloody clockwork, I'm just waiting for it to go wrong quick touche de boir ...Our chalet has an identical sister next door and you could hop across the flower pots to her deck and they also have a hot tub - adding to the convivial spirit that for me is a skiing holiday.The chalet Cognac is very well designed and made with beauty and alpine feel it is a real chalet and we should with the aid of toby's (our chalet host) video be able to do a ski in straight away. Will try and get him to upload to you tube so we can show it here. I think its Helen the other chalet member of staff / host who is also excellent..
Simon the bus rep on the bus assures us that its a good forecast so I'm glad I got the suncream, the snow would be enough if it didnt snow all week, but would be good perhaps to get some later in the week.
Day 2
Today I was able to test out my rental skis, that have a nice tight turn radius and at times didn't let me get away with being sloppy ! The day was half filled with sun, good thing really as I might have been burnt even with f25 !
I did a couple of runs and then headed up top of Olympic to do the face before meeting with Toby. Ended up skiing most of the day with him and then some of the other reps joined and we had some free cakes and wine due to an extremely rich guy who was slightly blatted but all the same very nice thank you, oh you love my hat. cool. And then he wanted to throw his wine like a spinning rugby ball to this French group, I was close to getting covered then it would have gotten ugly even if he did give us some wine. Still eccentricity knows no limits like bottles not working like a rugby ball. Again he mentioned reference to France playing Wales. Would love to know the connection..
Fell a few times due to similar lack of attention with upper ski and it catching snow nothing serious the lower ski well solid just that I felt the need to correct of course and its all about getting acquainted. Some of the guys from the chalet went out and came back very late and got into the not yet chlorinated jacuzzi with women, though today reports are filtering in that the women were not naked and my jealousy subsided slightly.. One of the guys face planted into the drive and bust up his nose and lip a bit, so there was blood on the tracks so to speak before even taking a chairlift.
I had my luxuriating hour maybe more in the jacuzzi, but when the lid is off it sits up and blocks next door and the view a bit, how can I be complaining ? I'm not a great days skiing and listening to the unmistakeable sounds of metals and composites on ice. later Val D'Isere night-life.
Final
I'm going to wrap up this blog here as a daily account was not possible to the sheer lack of time due to good weather. Indeed I had dropped from factor 25 to factor 15 and one day in particular I was in body-warmer and t shirt and not uncomfortable. Towards the end of the week I realised my boots were too big at the top but really tightening the bindings sufficed I think it was my last day as I realised that I couldn't properly stand and rest my thighs.
Had some excellent fun at la folie douce. The young farmers all left towards the end of the week and so did a lot of the fun it has to be said. The rest of the chalet didn't leave it all week apart from to ski. I went out most nights looking for fun but didn't really want that fun to be at 4.30 am ! I'm not really that impressed with that weeks nightlife in Val, you can just plugin and start to have fun here except at the folie docuce. You have to know where you are going and the people having most fun know this and where to be when. As a seasonaire I can see this not being a problem. But as an individual just arriving its hard to fit in so for me it lost points here. But I was here to ski, and for that it is truly amazing.
I started to master my small tight carving dynamic skis after the third day I would say and I was leaning back more over the rough which helped stop the tips from digging in like before. I really think I need lessons again just to iron out the bad habbits I'm sure.
