Page layout is a bit changed... Presentations converted to html seem to harm the quality... so now just please enjoy if you can a short introduction and the pictures as provided as links
The time has come... I had to try it out. I had to see how it feels to ski. This morning my experience was oscillating around 0 Level. I wrote was oscillating because some may perceive my 3-hour-cross-country-skiing in 2008 as the first ski experience...
During the week I had watched 2 or 3 youtube videos about how to ski...
and on Saturday I hit the slope... On the way o the ski rental I was thingking that I should have watched a viode again before setting off... But eventually I found it a waste of time and thought that 1first I will rent the ski and go up and only than, being up, I will ask someone how to ski.
And so I continued my way to the ski rental...
I was at the ski station rental point at 11am and ... having found out the prices I decided to wait 45 minutes to pay for half day and not the whole day (15,- CHF saved). n than... smiling cheerfully I was serverd by a nice guy who found the right shoe size and the ski and sticks length. Nice. He wanted to sell me the socks (mine were sure to hurt my legs) but I was fine with mine which were a nice present from my mum. And so I went... imitating the others in the technique they were using to walk or carry the ski. I did not want to stay down on the beginners slope so I took a cable (for free as I have a pass thank to my job) and went up. The ski outside. Me inside the cable.
Fortunately there was a beginners' slope up on the mountain so I had a chance to practice. After first go I was considering going down and giving back the ski. But after the second one I figured out that there are some rules which allow you to control what is happening (to the certain extend).
After about 10 times going down that beginner's lane(can you name it a slope?) I decided to ... have a go on a real slope. The reason: I wanted to see the panorama from the top of the mountain and they do not allow you in the cable without the ski... just because you are not allow to go down by the cable... So I had to put on the ski to go up...
BEAUTIFUL!
The slope was the blue one, marked as easy. hen I saw it from the top I thought that I would not like to see the medium and seeing the hard I would probably faint. But... I was up... so I had to go down. Somehow. Wishing it to be in one piece.
SIDE NOTE: Only that moment did I realise that I was the only person without the helmet...
I had my mp3 with music from the James Bond ski chase in the film "On her Majesty's secret service". I took it to stimulate and motivate me. It did... first couple of seconds till I fell down with my left ski detached from the shoe.
A nice advanced Italian speaking skier helped me up (even ifI told him that tutto a posto and tutto bene was). Nice of him. He gave me an encouraging smile for good bye and ... skied down so fast. And I was struggling with the velocity being developed too fast even if I was turning right and left and right and left... (the turnings had various effect... right leg pushing harder to turn left but the left leg being unwilling to take the turning...)
The worst thing were all those skiers going so fast down. I was afraid that they might run me over... I was taking the substantial width (all provided) of the slope trying to ski cross the slop and not straight down.... well... at that moment I thought: get out of MY blue slope and go to the red one, you fast [...].
Not sure how :) For sure it was not my mistake... I was going down on my back and this backwards (head first, than the body and legs... in one or two cases already without the skies) instead of on skies...
But I DID IT!
Princess - my first (and last?) piste.
Wish to have another go but... all those advanced skiers make me fear....
and the promised pictures:
In cable: skies out and shoes in