Skiing 2020 Alp D'Huez.
Getting there........
Long time since a blog has been written but it is now time for our annual ski holiday. Unfortunately for various reasons the squad holiday cannot happen this year but with a bit of luck that will be rectified for the future. Never mind, things must go on, so for this year Team Easson chose Alp D'Huez. The main driver behind this was the really good flight prices from Edinburg to Grenoble this year so we jumped at the opportunity, the beginner friendly slopes and very good sun record of this resort also had a large bearing on our choice.
The flight times were good and Grandad very kindly did the honours of ferrying us to the airport at a very leisurely hour in the morning, our 11:20am departure meant no silly o'clock rise which was nice. After bags were checked in team traditions were continued with morning refreshments in the newly enlarged Wetherspoons bar, we all learned at this point that our flight was going to be delayed a little but nothing too serious, I think a French air traffic control strike may have been to blame for the hold up. It was quite strange to see a few people at the airport with face masks on, obviously they were worried about the Corona Virus which is currently spreading around the world. Soon we were on the plane and the captain did a grand job making up 30 minutes of our lost time, were arrived only 10 minutes later than scheduled. There were very few empty seats on the plane so clearly not too many people were put off their holidays by the virus........had we been booked to go to Italy it might have been game over for our holidays as all travel to Northern Italy is currently suspended. Soon we had our bags and were on BensBus for our transfer, but, some other passengers were delayed also so there was a delay of around an hour before the bus turned a wheel, so it would be around 7pm before we got to Alp D'Huez. The 2 1/4 hour transfer went by quite quickly, we hit rush hour traffic in Grenoble but no major issues.
Soon we were dropped of at Palais des Sports and after a little wandering around and asking direction we soon found our way to the Chalet de Niege Daria I Nor accommodation. Its a rather posh place, certainly one of the best we have stayed in, the boys immediately hit it off with the reception staff, they are both very quick to introduce themselves and tell every one they speak to how old they are which is amusing. Fortunately they have now ceased expanding on this and also explaining how old their parents are!!...Formalities over and we were in our room, now our delay meant that we were too late to go and collect our skis, but after dumping the bags we headed into town and found a Spar shop to get some supplies in for the next day.We also decided to grab a couple of pizzas for the night, but being Saturday things were busy so there was a bit of a wait for these also, so after ordering we wandered back to the apartment and started emptying our bags before Logan and myself walked back up to collect our dinner which was ready and waiting for us. The pizzas were pretty tasty and perfect for ur first night.
After a game of dominos, which Logan was the champ of tonight, both boys were ready for bed at the far from early time of 10pm, but a good nights sleep by them was assured. I had decided at this point that since the next days forecast was good that I should get online and book their ski lessons and to my horror I found that ALL lessons were fully booked.... what a major faux pas this was, and all my doing. I hadn't pre booked as I was unsure whether to book the 5 or 6 days of lessons, which in hindsight was stupid as they were the same price......so, it was a major grumpy Bob who finally hit the sack at midnight......had I messed up the boys long awaited holiday, all sorts of scenarios were running through my mind, was it all sold out as everyone was here who had maybe planned on being over the border in Italy?? My concern about the ski lesson booking must have played on my mind as I woke at around 3.30 am and really struggled to get back to sleep.....and when I did finally, I had to endure one of my worst nightmares for a loooong time.....I am gonna blame the cheese on the pizza, but I sure was relieved when my alarm went off and saved me from my torturous dream.
Day 1.
The boys were soon up too, and we opened the curtains to the most beautiful view from our accommodation windows. Theres tonnes of snow and the Alpe Express chairlift runs right beside our room and the mountains were shining in the sunshine. After breakfast we wandered all of 100 yards and picked up our ski's and then set about trying to find the ESF office to see what was going on and whether we could get ski lessons booked. There was no problem, the online booking closes 3 days before the dates you want, after that you need to do it in person......what a mega relief for me!! We sorted out ski passes also. We have chosen afternoon lessons this trip, it meant the boys will still get 6 lessons instead of 5....and it's a bit cheaper also for PM lessons. Logan is booked in as a beginner who has had ski's on before and Callum booked into the 1st star group, it's hard to judge exactly where they are skill wise.
We had an early lunch and also used this time to make a big pot of chilli, this would save us later in the day, We got sorted and headed down to the Bergers area where the lessons would take place, it was roasting hot in the sunshine and soon layers were being shed before we had really even done anything. Logan had a few practice slides and I got Callum on the Poma for a couple of runs before his lesson was due to start, which I think was a good move....skiing on real snow is very different to a dry slope and it took him a couple of runs to adjust to it. Soon, both Calum and Logan were at their respective lesson meeting points. Callum met his instructor who quizzed me about his skiing, its possible he is in a group to high, but they would all do a run to assess their level, I followed them down a distance behind and Callum comfortably held his own in the group and the instructor was happy with what he had done..........Logan was soon zipping up the magic carpet and skiing down with his group mates also, it takes him a wee while to integrate in different surroundings in a group environment but like Callum was doing brilliantly, equally as well as anyone else in his (huge) group.
After a wee while and checking all was good I took myself off to blow away the cobwebs and managed a few runs, while Joyce stayed put making sure Logan was ok. Soon it was time for a beer in the sun, Callum was miles away....somewhere, who knows, and Logan was fine so we were happy to leave them for a wee while. It's a bit strange handing over your children to complete strangers, in another country and leaving them in their company, but no different to them starting normal school I suppose. After refreshments I had another few runs and then the boys appeared back. Logan first, he was bursting with enthusiasm for what he had been doing, and rather than wanting to take his ski's off' he kept getting them back on and finding wee slopes to ski down. Callum appeared back with his group also, and apart from being a bit warm and red about the face was also full of energy still which was great to see. We had a brief chat with his instructor. Now, it seems he is possibly in a group higher than he should be, he is sort of expected to be in a parallel position between turns for starting this class, he almost is, but not quite....he can easily keep up with the group and the instructor is happy for him to remain, he may just have a little more to learn, and quickly. The instructor for the lower group does not speak English, so he is staying where he is, and it was his instructor who decided this and not us.
We took the Alpe Express back to the Daria and got out our hot and sweaty boots and helmets and relaxed for a wee while, this was not the night far any Apre's ski, the boys were knackered after a late night last night, and also their exertions. We had some tasty chilli and soon after dinner Callum declared he wanted a bath and his bed, so that's what happened. Logan appears to have a little more staying power and managed a game of dominos's....his luck wasn't in tonight, but its cool, he is as good a loser as he is a winner. Soon after he hit the sack also, and there has been not a sound from either of them......the end of a successful first days skiing for us.
Excuse the (incorrect) time stamp on the photo's, will have that fixed for tomorrow......Doh!!!
Long time since a blog has been written but it is now time for our annual ski holiday. Unfortunately for various reasons the squad holiday cannot happen this year but with a bit of luck that will be rectified for the future. Never mind, things must go on, so for this year Team Easson chose Alp D'Huez. The main driver behind this was the really good flight prices from Edinburg to Grenoble this year so we jumped at the opportunity, the beginner friendly slopes and very good sun record of this resort also had a large bearing on our choice.
The flight times were good and Grandad very kindly did the honours of ferrying us to the airport at a very leisurely hour in the morning, our 11:20am departure meant no silly o'clock rise which was nice. After bags were checked in team traditions were continued with morning refreshments in the newly enlarged Wetherspoons bar, we all learned at this point that our flight was going to be delayed a little but nothing too serious, I think a French air traffic control strike may have been to blame for the hold up. It was quite strange to see a few people at the airport with face masks on, obviously they were worried about the Corona Virus which is currently spreading around the world. Soon we were on the plane and the captain did a grand job making up 30 minutes of our lost time, were arrived only 10 minutes later than scheduled. There were very few empty seats on the plane so clearly not too many people were put off their holidays by the virus........had we been booked to go to Italy it might have been game over for our holidays as all travel to Northern Italy is currently suspended. Soon we had our bags and were on BensBus for our transfer, but, some other passengers were delayed also so there was a delay of around an hour before the bus turned a wheel, so it would be around 7pm before we got to Alp D'Huez. The 2 1/4 hour transfer went by quite quickly, we hit rush hour traffic in Grenoble but no major issues.
Soon we were dropped of at Palais des Sports and after a little wandering around and asking direction we soon found our way to the Chalet de Niege Daria I Nor accommodation. Its a rather posh place, certainly one of the best we have stayed in, the boys immediately hit it off with the reception staff, they are both very quick to introduce themselves and tell every one they speak to how old they are which is amusing. Fortunately they have now ceased expanding on this and also explaining how old their parents are!!...Formalities over and we were in our room, now our delay meant that we were too late to go and collect our skis, but after dumping the bags we headed into town and found a Spar shop to get some supplies in for the next day.We also decided to grab a couple of pizzas for the night, but being Saturday things were busy so there was a bit of a wait for these also, so after ordering we wandered back to the apartment and started emptying our bags before Logan and myself walked back up to collect our dinner which was ready and waiting for us. The pizzas were pretty tasty and perfect for ur first night.
After a game of dominos, which Logan was the champ of tonight, both boys were ready for bed at the far from early time of 10pm, but a good nights sleep by them was assured. I had decided at this point that since the next days forecast was good that I should get online and book their ski lessons and to my horror I found that ALL lessons were fully booked.... what a major faux pas this was, and all my doing. I hadn't pre booked as I was unsure whether to book the 5 or 6 days of lessons, which in hindsight was stupid as they were the same price......so, it was a major grumpy Bob who finally hit the sack at midnight......had I messed up the boys long awaited holiday, all sorts of scenarios were running through my mind, was it all sold out as everyone was here who had maybe planned on being over the border in Italy?? My concern about the ski lesson booking must have played on my mind as I woke at around 3.30 am and really struggled to get back to sleep.....and when I did finally, I had to endure one of my worst nightmares for a loooong time.....I am gonna blame the cheese on the pizza, but I sure was relieved when my alarm went off and saved me from my torturous dream.Day 1.
The boys were soon up too, and we opened the curtains to the most beautiful view from our accommodation windows. Theres tonnes of snow and the Alpe Express chairlift runs right beside our room and the mountains were shining in the sunshine. After breakfast we wandered all of 100 yards and picked up our ski's and then set about trying to find the ESF office to see what was going on and whether we could get ski lessons booked. There was no problem, the online booking closes 3 days before the dates you want, after that you need to do it in person......what a mega relief for me!! We sorted out ski passes also. We have chosen afternoon lessons this trip, it meant the boys will still get 6 lessons instead of 5....and it's a bit cheaper also for PM lessons. Logan is booked in as a beginner who has had ski's on before and Callum booked into the 1st star group, it's hard to judge exactly where they are skill wise.
We had an early lunch and also used this time to make a big pot of chilli, this would save us later in the day, We got sorted and headed down to the Bergers area where the lessons would take place, it was roasting hot in the sunshine and soon layers were being shed before we had really even done anything. Logan had a few practice slides and I got Callum on the Poma for a couple of runs before his lesson was due to start, which I think was a good move....skiing on real snow is very different to a dry slope and it took him a couple of runs to adjust to it. Soon, both Calum and Logan were at their respective lesson meeting points. Callum met his instructor who quizzed me about his skiing, its possible he is in a group to high, but they would all do a run to assess their level, I followed them down a distance behind and Callum comfortably held his own in the group and the instructor was happy with what he had done..........Logan was soon zipping up the magic carpet and skiing down with his group mates also, it takes him a wee while to integrate in different surroundings in a group environment but like Callum was doing brilliantly, equally as well as anyone else in his (huge) group.
After a wee while and checking all was good I took myself off to blow away the cobwebs and managed a few runs, while Joyce stayed put making sure Logan was ok. Soon it was time for a beer in the sun, Callum was miles away....somewhere, who knows, and Logan was fine so we were happy to leave them for a wee while. It's a bit strange handing over your children to complete strangers, in another country and leaving them in their company, but no different to them starting normal school I suppose. After refreshments I had another few runs and then the boys appeared back. Logan first, he was bursting with enthusiasm for what he had been doing, and rather than wanting to take his ski's off' he kept getting them back on and finding wee slopes to ski down. Callum appeared back with his group also, and apart from being a bit warm and red about the face was also full of energy still which was great to see. We had a brief chat with his instructor. Now, it seems he is possibly in a group higher than he should be, he is sort of expected to be in a parallel position between turns for starting this class, he almost is, but not quite....he can easily keep up with the group and the instructor is happy for him to remain, he may just have a little more to learn, and quickly. The instructor for the lower group does not speak English, so he is staying where he is, and it was his instructor who decided this and not us.
We took the Alpe Express back to the Daria and got out our hot and sweaty boots and helmets and relaxed for a wee while, this was not the night far any Apre's ski, the boys were knackered after a late night last night, and also their exertions. We had some tasty chilli and soon after dinner Callum declared he wanted a bath and his bed, so that's what happened. Logan appears to have a little more staying power and managed a game of dominos's....his luck wasn't in tonight, but its cool, he is as good a loser as he is a winner. Soon after he hit the sack also, and there has been not a sound from either of them......the end of a successful first days skiing for us.
Excuse the (incorrect) time stamp on the photo's, will have that fixed for tomorrow......Doh!!!
thanks for the blog buddy i love it obviously except the fact I`m not in it with you all! marsh is skiing in north Italy, looked ace empty slopes and no ques at the bar he also wont be allowed to go to work for two weeks now, next year is a defo we dont wont team easson to get faster than team Alexander, at present i am considering hiring somewhere for a month
ReplyDelete