Opening that freezer in Tesco’s and getting a gush of -16c. Agh, that’s the alps in winter, our minds flirting with the memories of past trips. The sight of frozen chips and birds eye fish fingers brings us back to reality. You may think that skiing is just a winter sport. But it’s not. There are plenty of opportunities in summer too. (More on that in a forthcoming blog about Stewarts trip to the Tignes and Zermatt / Cervina glaciers in July/August of this year).
You might get strange looks as you head down the dual carriageway, sun and +25c outside with one’s ski’s strapped to the roof. The closer you get to Hemel Hemsted and the Snow Center the less odd it becomes. We might be in middle age, but that does not stop the childness and over excitement we have when it comes to skiing. “Dad” you can’t get out of the car in your salopets and ski jacket. People will think you are mad. My aim is always to embarrass the kids, this ticks that box. Being fully dressed though saves time upon arrival; and is a requirement at the moment as changing facilities are closed. The feeling of being in ski kit for any length of time certainly gets the skiing juices flowing.
We booked the family for an early session, no queues! (it’s not in our DNA to queue when it comes to skiing). All very straight forward upon arrival, scan the reservation barcode, up the stairs to the ski hire. So straight forward that the kids themselves are able to sort out equipment. Through a sliding double door and boom onto the slope and that cold air, we adore.
You couldn’t miss Stewart’s in his shiny blue Red Bull helmet. I’m sure all of us chaps at some point have had spotted a blue helmet in the cold winter in the Alps. Safety is paramount.
If you are a nervous skier, the well marshaled ski lift and slope, kicks any Folly Douche at closing time nonsense into touch. Once the initial excitement of being on real snow and -6c abates plus few bombing straight lines down, the 160m slope is enough to practice and hone skills. We both keep fit, Stewart is a tennis coach, but even so, we felt skiing muscles the day after. Maybe we are masochist, that feeling is great.If you are an absolute beginning or seasoned pros, 3 hours passes in a flash. It might not be the Alps, but for a quick ski fix it more than hits the mark. So good to see the kids out, having fun and forgetting about their social media accounts. Not many can say they went skiing at the weekend at school on Monday. While there is plenty of upside, the cost for a family pass is a bit hefty, though that does included all equipment. We’d certainly recommend a session or two with the family during the off season.
