Big Slopes Energy
Day Five = promotion day.
This morning there was BIG news. Almost all the groups got moved up to the bigger slopes. Yes. The actual big ones. The ones we stared at on Day One thinking, “Absolutely not.”
Suddenly we were those skiers. The ones riding higher lifts. The ones looking mildly confident. The ones pretending we totally weren’t nervous.
The mountain looked incredible today — wide runs, longer descents, and views that made us forget how tired our legs were. For about five seconds.
The bigger slopes meant:
* More speed
* Longer runs
* Bigger turns
* Slightly louder screaming
Meanwhile, the top group had their own plot twist.
New instructor.
Which meant they had to prove themselves all over again. Imagine finally reaching expert status and then having to re-audition for the role of “Competent Skier.”
Apparently there was a lot of very serious skiing. Very sharp turns. Very intense focus. Possibly even some showing off. When a new instructor is watching, suddenly everyone remembers how to ski properly.
Rumour has it there were some impressive parallel turns and maybe even controlled speed.
By the afternoon, everyone was exhausted but proud. Moving up slopes feels official. Like we’ve levelled up in a very cold video game.
Five days ago we could barely stand up in skis.
But wait. The day wasn’t over. We now had the ice rink to conquer, because apparently balancing on skis for five days wasn’t enough.
So off we went to the rink at to strap knives to our feet and test our coordination again.
You’d think skiing would help.
It did not.
The overconfidence was immediate. There was lots of students gripping the barrier like it was a survival situation. There were elegant skaters. There were cautious shufflers.
And then there were the human pinballs.
The sound of skates scraping, people laughing, and the occasional dramatic thud filled the rink. To be fair, most wipeouts were followed by applause. Or at least loud commentary.
By the end, a few were actually gliding around like winter athletes. The rest? They specialised in controlled chaos.
Day Five summary:
* Bigger slopes conquered
* New instructor impressed (hopefully)
* Ice skating survival rate: high
* Energy levels: critically low
Tomorrow we go one last time to the mountain. Students are coming to terms with the fact that being a skier is 40% skill and 60% determination.
Today’s awards go to:
Kamikaze – Jess for taking lots of fall and spins
Poser – Lily for claiming she was doing parallel then falling
Muppet of the day – Serene for leaving her bag at the slopes
