Anyone who knows me knows I’m a sun baby through and through. I need the sun and the heat that comes with it. So skiing may not necessarily be the holiday you would think I would go for. And you would be right! But it was a milestone birthday for my friend and skiing was how she wanted to celebrate it so off to the Alps I went!
Our ski adventure was set in Les Menuires in Les Trois Vallees, France. We flew into Geneva airport and then drove nearly 3 hours to the resort. As our journey went on, my ears began to pop and I was starting to get a sense of just how high up we were going. By the time we arrived at our accommodation, it was nearly midnight so we crashed to be well-rested for skiing the next morning.
I was not particularly excited to ski so, after a bit of a comedy of errors getting to the ski school which resulted in us getting to the class over an hour late, I wasn’t that sad that I had missed my class. But I wasn’t getting out of it so easily – I ended up rescheduling to get a class in the next day. The class was actually pretty fun and I started to get a sense of why people love skiing so much. I am officially the queen of the SNOW PLOUGH! ๐
Being honest, learning to ski, especially as an adult, is not easy. Two of my friends had skied before, and my other friend took to skiing like a duck to water. I was more like a cat to water – we didn’t go well! I had an amazing class where I didn’t fall at all, and then proceeded to fall several times when skiing with my friends afterwards and one fall in particular really spooked me. I’m definitely not ready for the big slopes yet, but I’m the queen of the baby carpet slopes ๐
The best thing about skiing IMO is the apres-ski. Everyone told me about it but I couldn’t really visualise it until I was there. Imagine taking a ski-lift up high into the mountains and getting off to discover a rave in the snow! Mad, but that’s exactly what Roc Seven is and it’s awesome! People are skiing all around us but I could happily have spent all my time grooving there. You don’t have to ski to go there – you can just take a gondola/ski lift up there, cross the slopes and groove the day away!
As regards skiing, I’m in two minds as to where I go from here. It was not as bad as I thought – I actually enjoyed it when I wasn’t terrified I would fall off the side of the mountain and die. Everyone there from beginner to pro was so lovely and the vibes were incredible. And Apres-ski is LIT! On the cons, skiing is pretty difficult to grasp and the risk of injury should not be underestimated. Bear in mind, you need different insurance to your normal travel insurance when you go skiing. And it’s an expensive hobby because it’s such an investment to get the gear and also to learn. I was lucky enough to be able to borrow most of the gear required but I still spent a bomb on the stuff I couldn’t borrow. It’s no surprise that it’s a sport associated with the elite and wealthy.
I don’t think I’ll ever be a champion skier (and I don’t particularly have the desire to be either) but I wouldn’t mind giving it another go (especially if sponsored!๐). One thing’s for sure – I will definitely be going back for the Apres-Ski!
