So, first thing to say is that Kristy did not run into a ski shed or do anything else to kill herself. Second thing to say is that she did really, really well, and even had a bit of fun!
For anyone that has skied in the US, European skiing is a bit different. Over here, all the ski slopes actually connect several different towns, rather than one resort feeding the whole mountain. So it is possible to ski from one town to another. Another difference is that there is usually a train or a large aerial tram that takes you from a village below the mountain (often without snow) halfway or all the way up the mountain. You can then ski to any of numerous train stops along the way up, even though the train only comes every half hour. Of course there are also the more traditional chairlifts as well.
After renting our equipment the night before in Interlaken, we took the ski bus from outside our hotel at about 8:45am to a small town called Grindelwald. From there we got on one of the aforementioned trains to the main area of Kleine Scheidegg. I chose this mountain because it seemed to have a large selection of easy runs to choose from to give Kristy some options. We went into the beginners’ park and did several runs down the small area, during which Kristy learned to ski. It was great benefit to eavesdrop on the instructors with ski school classes for tips and pointers. After we finished there we braved going down the rest of the mountain.
Throughout the day Kristy got better and more and more confidence. She only slightly freaked out when we had to go down an intermediate run that wasn’t planned because one of the lifts we wanted to use was out of service. In the end Kristy only fell a handful of times, none major, and all limbs are still operational, though a bit sore.
As for me, skiing was every bit as much fun as I remember (haven’t been in about 10 years), and it was really like riding a bike as I remembered exactly what to do. We got back to the hotel at about 6pm and both had a much needed warm bath (unfortunately, no hot tubs here). Tomorrow we will be traveling back to Sursee to meet up again with our friend Ines.
Ken
For anyone that has skied in the US, European skiing is a bit different. Over here, all the ski slopes actually connect several different towns, rather than one resort feeding the whole mountain. So it is possible to ski from one town to another. Another difference is that there is usually a train or a large aerial tram that takes you from a village below the mountain (often without snow) halfway or all the way up the mountain. You can then ski to any of numerous train stops along the way up, even though the train only comes every half hour. Of course there are also the more traditional chairlifts as well.
After renting our equipment the night before in Interlaken, we took the ski bus from outside our hotel at about 8:45am to a small town called Grindelwald. From there we got on one of the aforementioned trains to the main area of Kleine Scheidegg. I chose this mountain because it seemed to have a large selection of easy runs to choose from to give Kristy some options. We went into the beginners’ park and did several runs down the small area, during which Kristy learned to ski. It was great benefit to eavesdrop on the instructors with ski school classes for tips and pointers. After we finished there we braved going down the rest of the mountain.
Throughout the day Kristy got better and more and more confidence. She only slightly freaked out when we had to go down an intermediate run that wasn’t planned because one of the lifts we wanted to use was out of service. In the end Kristy only fell a handful of times, none major, and all limbs are still operational, though a bit sore.
As for me, skiing was every bit as much fun as I remember (haven’t been in about 10 years), and it was really like riding a bike as I remembered exactly what to do. We got back to the hotel at about 6pm and both had a much needed warm bath (unfortunately, no hot tubs here). Tomorrow we will be traveling back to Sursee to meet up again with our friend Ines.
Ken
1 comment:
Way to go Kristy for not skiing into a Ski Shed!
I've heard that skiing in Europe is amazing, thanks for describing it further. What an amazing time you must've had together :)
-- Choves
Post a Comment