(no subject)
I seem to have abandoned LJ quite a bit in the last few weeks. I haven't forgotten any of you, I promise, but life in a ski resort is so surreal and isolated in a way - you get very absorbed into your busy little life of work, ski, work, drink, sleep, work, ski, work, drink, sleep, etc that you forget that there's a whole world out there of people whose life you used to actually pay attention to! Also not having the internet except in the pub doesn't help. So what I think I'm trying to say is 'Hello lovely people, how are you and do you actually remember me?'
So, a quick update: what has been going on in the life of your favourite chalet host?
- My parents came out to visit me about a month ago, which was pretty fun. On the way up the mountain in the coach my dad's skis fell out of the locker on the back of the bus. The managers drove down the mountain looking for it, but to no avail. Mum had decided to rent boots and use my skis, and the managers managed to arrange free ski hire for my dad. Dad then put on his 35 year old ski boots, and tried to clip into his new skis...and the whole plastic toe of the boot just broke off! So he had to go to the hire shop and hire boots, so for the first time EVER my parents were skiing on MODERN skis!
- We had a very eventful Tuesday night a few weeks back. A lot of us decided to walk over to Arc 1800 to sample the nightlife over there as something different. We turned up at the Mont Blanc clutching milkbottles filled with alcohol for the long walk over and after having several rounds of shots bought by Justyn's guests, about 10 Ski Beat staff, 3 guests and our scottish ski bum friend Reay set off. Abi, Jo, Muff and I power-walked off, swigging merrily from our milkbottles and made it safely to 1800. Poppy and Justyn turned up soon after, minus Justyn's guests. Frantic phonecalls assured us they were still walking, and finally after 2 hours most of them turned up having walked halfway round the mountain to Arc 1600. Reay was still missing though and no one could get hold of him. There are terrible tales of drunk people wandering off and falling in rivers or snowdrifts and dying of hypothermia, and obviously we were all thinking the worst. But fortunately he had simply taken the wrong turning, walked halfway down the mountain to Bourg, then hitched back up with a lorry driver, bought a kebab and wandered back home to Peisey. We ended up in a slight altercation with some French guys, one of whom wouldn't leave Sophie alone, despite massive hints involving shoving him away so hard he went reeling across the dance floor and kneeing him in the balls. Eventually one of the guests stepped into defend her...and got punched in the face so hard that his tooth went all the way through his lip! It was certainly an eventful night...and I think we're staying away from there for a while, mainly because it's quite a trek and you don't get back until 5am. Probably going over at the beginning of April as it is Jo's birthday on the Tuesday, and also I think it is the week that Kats, Weese and Jen are staying in 1800 so it all coincides nicely.
- I also fell over while skiing a mogul-field very fast, bounced spectacularly off every single part of my body, including my face and thus sliced my nose open on my goggles. Miraculously unharmed, but every part of my body ached badly for the next week, which was fun. Less fortunately I did this in front of ALL my guests, who I was ski-hosting and another group hosting by Dave who skied over, picked me up, then laughed hysterically.
- I tested out an AMAZING pair of skis yesterday, oh my god they had edges that gripped the piste, and despite the fact I got rather stuck in a small tree when I took them off piste through the trees. But they cost about 300 euros WITHOUT bindings, so there is no way I can buy them :(
And...that is all my lovely superficial news. Oh, forgot to say that Poppy's parents brought us LOTS of mini eggs and creme eggs to satisfy our chocolate craving, so if anyone wants to send us poor deprived chalet hosts chocolate, then feel free! We are dying here, DYING I TELL YOU!
Work time now.
So, a quick update: what has been going on in the life of your favourite chalet host?
- My parents came out to visit me about a month ago, which was pretty fun. On the way up the mountain in the coach my dad's skis fell out of the locker on the back of the bus. The managers drove down the mountain looking for it, but to no avail. Mum had decided to rent boots and use my skis, and the managers managed to arrange free ski hire for my dad. Dad then put on his 35 year old ski boots, and tried to clip into his new skis...and the whole plastic toe of the boot just broke off! So he had to go to the hire shop and hire boots, so for the first time EVER my parents were skiing on MODERN skis!
- We had a very eventful Tuesday night a few weeks back. A lot of us decided to walk over to Arc 1800 to sample the nightlife over there as something different. We turned up at the Mont Blanc clutching milkbottles filled with alcohol for the long walk over and after having several rounds of shots bought by Justyn's guests, about 10 Ski Beat staff, 3 guests and our scottish ski bum friend Reay set off. Abi, Jo, Muff and I power-walked off, swigging merrily from our milkbottles and made it safely to 1800. Poppy and Justyn turned up soon after, minus Justyn's guests. Frantic phonecalls assured us they were still walking, and finally after 2 hours most of them turned up having walked halfway round the mountain to Arc 1600. Reay was still missing though and no one could get hold of him. There are terrible tales of drunk people wandering off and falling in rivers or snowdrifts and dying of hypothermia, and obviously we were all thinking the worst. But fortunately he had simply taken the wrong turning, walked halfway down the mountain to Bourg, then hitched back up with a lorry driver, bought a kebab and wandered back home to Peisey. We ended up in a slight altercation with some French guys, one of whom wouldn't leave Sophie alone, despite massive hints involving shoving him away so hard he went reeling across the dance floor and kneeing him in the balls. Eventually one of the guests stepped into defend her...and got punched in the face so hard that his tooth went all the way through his lip! It was certainly an eventful night...and I think we're staying away from there for a while, mainly because it's quite a trek and you don't get back until 5am. Probably going over at the beginning of April as it is Jo's birthday on the Tuesday, and also I think it is the week that Kats, Weese and Jen are staying in 1800 so it all coincides nicely.
- I also fell over while skiing a mogul-field very fast, bounced spectacularly off every single part of my body, including my face and thus sliced my nose open on my goggles. Miraculously unharmed, but every part of my body ached badly for the next week, which was fun. Less fortunately I did this in front of ALL my guests, who I was ski-hosting and another group hosting by Dave who skied over, picked me up, then laughed hysterically.
- I tested out an AMAZING pair of skis yesterday, oh my god they had edges that gripped the piste, and despite the fact I got rather stuck in a small tree when I took them off piste through the trees. But they cost about 300 euros WITHOUT bindings, so there is no way I can buy them :(
And...that is all my lovely superficial news. Oh, forgot to say that Poppy's parents brought us LOTS of mini eggs and creme eggs to satisfy our chocolate craving, so if anyone wants to send us poor deprived chalet hosts chocolate, then feel free! We are dying here, DYING I TELL YOU!
Work time now.