Sitrep – Day 3

Was today a good day? I’m not convinced. On the up side, we did a pile of runs – albeit down the same slope – but on the down side, I’m still not terribly confident on my toe side.
In a situation strangely microcosmic of my life, I find it hard not to have control of a situation. I’d rather take my time down a run, and do it technically well – my turns aren’t too bad now on either side – than go balls out at it and finish first. There were times today when I actually felt like a snowboarder.
On fairly tame slopes, I can actually turn pretty well, and manage the traverse on my toe side, but then I get terrified of going too fast, and travel uphill until I’ve bled off enough speed to make another good turn. There’ll be no roosters here, Pete…
Now Dec’s got his feet set right on the board, he’s improved by far the most today. As an almighty caveat, that’s only because he was pretty average yesterday, but I’m genuinely glad that he has finally found his balance. The heel side awaits, my friend…
Dave and Aggles are both doing well. Flo was pretty pissed off this morning. With a 6 inch snowfall overnight, he seemed genuinely upset to have to strap a plank onto his feet, and practice the art of the faceplant while lots of skiers were having powder-based fun. But as the day wore on, and we all increased in confidence, the mood of the group lifted.
Half way down the slope, on the final run of the day, we had a bit of a sit-down as a four. With no pressure, we had one of those where-else-would-you-like-to-be moments. We were high in the Alps, amongst friends, learning new skills and experiencing new situations together. The scenery was beautiful, my arse was freezing, and the sun was shining. We shared a few laughs, but mostly had one of those times that people would buy if you could just bottle it.
I may not be progressing as much as I’d like as a snowboarder, but I am having a magnificent time with my friends. Champagne Tuesday sees our final day of lessons. It’s been snowing now for the last 4 hours – I look forward to what it will bring.