After 12 months off snow, and 11 months bloody hard work in the gym, Monday morning dawned to overcast skies and the chance to see just how the legs would cope back on the steeps of Treble Cone. After picking up the newly tuned skis it was onto the bus, driven by the irrepressibly French ex ski instructor and erstwhile photographer Thierry, who had sent me a Facebook message a few days prior to tell me the snow was "good". Good?? It is awesome!! Top to bottom cover, in fact well below the access road, of lovely soft, even dare I say it, powdery snow!!
I eschewed my usual pattern of toilet, cafe latte then ski slope by skipping the coffee and getting straight onto the piste. With NZ school holidays still in full swing, the queues were crowded but soon I was up and away in windy below zero temperatures to the top of the six seater. After three runs, the planks on the ends of my boots started to feel like they had a reason to be there and it was time for my first coffee in the TC cafe. And at $1.50 off the usual price I'm sure to get my season pass savings back in no time!!
The rest of the day went by in a whirl. The weather was bitingly cold, around 8-10 below zero, but with great visibility and lovely soft snow to turn on it was fantastic. And by lunchtime I had achieved goal number one: NO JELLY LEGS BY NOON!!! Goal number two is quite another story.
With strong southerly winds, The Saddle stayed closed but for a few hours most of this week, and the one time I got over there I managed only one run down Bullet before the chair closed and had to return via Magnum in the powder bowl. This was during a lesson yesterday, with my new bestest instructor Heidi, who did an excellent job of removing some rather nasty little cobwebs working on my psyche. I can actually ski quite well. I just have to believe I can, and after hurting my knee the year before and breaking my arm last year, it's a little psychological hurdle I just have to get over. So Heidi took me down the steeps, through the chutes, over the moguls and well, showed me I could actually do it. As long as I bloody well stood up tall and stopped bending in the middle like a soggy biscuit.
For those waiting on photos, with my little point and shoot lost in action, you'll have to wait a little longer. If skies are clear tomorrow I might take the video cam up, but today is a rest day, as on Sunday I start a week long all day ski camp. And hopefully Heidi will be my instructor. Can't wait.
No comments:
Post a Comment