One Day At A Time

Hi everyone, and welcome to the latest post from your favourite blogging Méribel ski instructor. It's been a while since my last post at the beginning of February, when everyone was still at school. Then we had the big UK school holidays and the chunky four week version in France. However, I'm back again and will restart my blogging and social media posts for the remainder of the winter. So how has the busy holiday period been?

For the main British school holiday week I was back with the lovely Team Harrington plus added chums. I skied with parents Laura and Keith and said chums. Their sons Jack and Charlie skied with my colleague from the ESF ski school, Greg Saunders. Greg has been focussing on performance skiing with the boys the last couple of seasons or so. With a gradual progression into the race gates.

Race training is proving very popular with the boys, in fact Charlie has joined a local ski racing club in the UK and trains through the year. This is right up Greg's street. Greg trained and competed regularly around the country (France) to a very high level, and still loves to keep his hand in, so to speak. In fact he regularly 'opens' (ie sets the official race time) for the ski school at their fleche races in Méribel and Méribel-Mottaret. During which, I couldn't resist grabbing my big camera and take some action shots.

It was a very fun Half Term week skiing with Team Harrington again, and of course working alongside Greg.

I've had a couple of periods back in the UK during the month of Feb, one of which resulted in me returning mid-week. I was available to the ski school, and was promptly sent up to the Adray Telebar hotel to meet Robin and Paola. Robin has skied in Méribel for decades and particularly likes staying at the Adray hotel.

Robin has had an absolutely fascinating career in the advertising industry. You wouldn't believe some of the stories he shared with me, here are a few ad phrases he dropped that he had been involved with; 'The Best 4x4 By Far', 'If Anyone Can, Canon Can', 'The Ultimate Driving Machine' amongst others. In fact often whilst we were skiing he would come out with rhymes like 'Icy Not Nicey'! Once an Ad Man, always an Ad Man. As for his wife, the Countess Paola (the title originates from Hungary), I don't know where to begin. Thanks Robin (79 years old) and Paola, it was great meeting and skiing with you.

During the French school holidays we are sometimes asked to participate in a torchlight descent during the ESF show on a Thursday evening. One of the weeks this show didn't take place, but instead we were asked to go up to the Col de la Loze after work and take part in a large group photo for the ski school.

We were all knackered from work during this busy period, but I have to say it was still great fun being up the top of the mountain as the sun was setting. During the day we are all rushing around being very busy bodies, and this was a rare moment to slow down, take a breath and really appreciate where we were.

It was a lovely 30 minutes or so up there, and an amazing privilege to experience Mother Nature at her best. Just watching the sunset behind the Tougnete ridge was mind-boggling, and the ski home down the Pic Bleu piste and the Altiport was rather special as well.

As mentioned earlier, I've had a few unplanned trips back to the UK recently. This continued last month, the main visit was to attend my Mum's funeral. It all went as well as you could expect, but I'm not going to lie, things are still a bit raw at the moment. In fact whilst servicing my skis on the balcony this morning in the sunshine, another flood of tears suddenly appeared from nowhere. Oh well, one day at a time and all that.

It's been a relief to navigate the busy French holiday so successfully; the next couple of weeks looks just as busy for me work wise, and then soon it will be the early Easter break. If you are coming out to the Alps in the next few weeks, you will be pleased to hear that the weather has turned cooler, and the snow conditions remain very good, especially on the top half of the mountain. Right, that's enough for now, do come back soon. As ever, Live With Passion. Martin.

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