Monday 28 February 2011

Always check, check, and check again...

...or in other words, don't get blindly on ski lift without checking where it goes first.

We just got back from our week skiing and bless me father, for I have sinned.

I took my seven and five year old sons down a red run.

What the ?

As you can tell, we've come a long way baby from the post I wrote about trying to get Boy #2 to master a 'pizza slice' on the slopes; God help me, he can do 'chips' as well now (which for the uninitiated means pointing your skis straight down the slope). And luckily, I had re-found my skiing mojo after the lesson from a friend that I mentioned in the same post. However, that still doesn't excuse our adventure (I'm calling it an 'adventure', but I'm guessing you'll understand by that I mean 'incredibly stupid escapade') on Saturday afternoon, when the Potty Family got on the wrong ski lift and ended up at the top of Mount Death.

I can only count my blessings that a) the weather was fabulous, meaning we could actually see the slope properly b) there was plenty of recently fallen soft snow to act as a landing pad (not that it proved necessary), c) Husband was with us and able to carry Boy #2 down the one part of the slope that proved too much for him and d) we were also with a good friend and her 5 year old son, and who - also being a very good skier - with her matter-of-fact demeanour and calm resolution not to be phased by the situation, helped me to keep my cool and to ski Boy #1 down whilst Husband dealt with Boy #2.

With the exception of the carrying incident the Boys were admirably relaxed about their 'adventure' (see? That word again), to the extent that I am now seriously considering not ever taking them skiing again because give it two years and there will be no stopping them. I'll be reduced to being the anxious mum wringing my hands at the bottom of the double black diamond slopes as they whoop their way carelessly down them, no doubt.

I should also say that the resort we were staying in was rather namby-pamby with their classifications of degrees of difficulty; most of the red slopes would have been labelled blue in France, for example.

But enough excuses, because despite the fact that we actually had fun whilst doing this, Christ, I never want to do that again.





4 comments:

  1. I took my, then 5 yr old, daughter down a red run accidentally last yr, on her 4th day of skiing. Ok, well 11th day if you count a week skiing betw hubbie's legs... But her 4th day of solo skiing. She coped better than I did (nerves wise) Was a bit tense tho!
    My son did his 1st black at the end of his 1st wk of learning to ski (in powder admittedly) & this yr I was trying to dissuade my son (aged 10) from doing off piste & blacks. Needless to say hubby was NO help on that front. He constantly pushes them to the next challenge, to leave their comfort zone etc. So we did reds almost the whole time with both 6 & 10 yr old last week. Mainly they just aren't afraid, which makes a huge difference. The down side is I am now afraid, not only for myself, but for my 2 kids too. The upside is at least my husband bnow focuses on pushing 6 y-o & 10 y-o to ever new challenges & levels so after 20 yrs, I get left alone to potter & do what the hell I like.

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  2. Oh Grief! Should I be thinking that going on a skiiing holiday would be no good for my nerves? Finally got husband to agree to one and would look a totally nit wit if I pulled out ....glad you got down safely!

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  3. a) I think that living in Russia has really toughened you up and
    b) you say Christ a lot, lol

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  4. Paradise, I bow to your superior nerves (and thank god it's not just me that ends up in these situations!)

    TW, go, go, GO! You'll have a fabulous time - but I think you know that already...

    MM, a)I think you're right and b)Christ, yes I do. Must stop that and reintroduce the Enid Blyton 'gosh' etc... x

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