Happy Belated Australia Day!

It's taken me a while to write this post so apologies for my tardiness. Australia Day has a lot to answer for!! There are many, many, many Australian's in Les Arcs so that meant that Oz Day had to be celebrated in style.   This included a BBQ breakfast at The Loft where the drinking commenced at 9am then a trip up the hill (minus snowboards) for more drinking. Things got very messy, very early but damn it was fun. It also meant that I could rock my best Aussie accent for the day! There were wheelbarrow races, beer bongs and moist tees. What more could you want ay?

The day ended with Kirk vomming his guts up and then having to mop it all up........and little did we all know at this point that the vomming was going to be contagious!! All bar TWO people out of 18 ended up getting the vomiting bug which lasted for a few days. It was not fun but it was an Australia day to remember!!

I've Got My Mojo Back!

I've now left The Loft and headed back up the mountain to stay in Nancroix again before heading down the mountain for the last time and til the end of the season! To wrap up my first stint at The Loft we had a scaletrix night. Took me right back to my youth when me and my sister had a huge circuit that was permanently set up in our study. We were totally addicted. The love of the game was still very much there but unfortunately my talent for controlling my speed without flying off the race track was long gone.

My lovely friend Helen had bought me the One Direction calender for Christmas (how well she know's me!) and it is now hanging oh so proudly in The Loft. I wasn't quite expecting Charley to be so ecstatic about it but she was thrilled! Takes a One D fan to know one.....

Have been having some great days snowboarding. We're in desperate need of some fresh snow which is imminent apparently but we're getting by. I really can't complain can I! I've been getting a lot braver and have a bit more faith in my ability these days so am getting up to my old tricks again. That being said, I went in for some off piste action, went up a huge mound, flew 6ft in the air, screamed with joy then hit the deck - hard! That was my back gone for the rest of the day.

I think having a big splat was just what I needed as I then had the balls to hit the park which I had forgotten how much I enjoy. Been flying off some green kickers, getting more height each time and have been attempting to perfect my box skills. There's a rainbow rail that has my name all over it - I'm just too chicken to approach it! But give me some time and I'll be writing a post about how I've nailed it!! Watch this space.....

Funi, Friends and Fondue

 

There's been a lot going on this week so I thought I'd share it with you all in one post. Lets start from the top and work our way down (oooo errrr!). Been riding with some awesome people who have really pushed my riding and it has forced me to be more hardcore than I may have liked. But I've lived to tell the tale so not all bad! The top pic is of Henry aka Token who represents Funi better than anyone on the slopes. He's Funi'd up to the max! I think that this picture should be the new ad campaign for sure. Henry and Chris had found an awesome off piste natural jump which they decided to fling themselves off (vaguely successfully) but it got me off piste which was ace. Next up we have Elliot in a rather fetching wig. It actually belong's to Chris but I think it accompanies Elliot's tache quite spectacularly.....French Porn Star anyone?!?.Josh went to the charity shop and got himself an epic onesie which cost him the sum of 4euros! I think you'll agree he can pull off that look rather well......It was Willem's last day on Friday and to send himself off in style he managed to break his hand - with the impressive x-ray to prove it! But to celebrate his last night we went on a mass Loft outing for Fondue which was incredible. You really can't beat melted cheese and bread. As the Aussie guys would say - yummo!! I've been working all day today so am exhausted and am going to enjoy a day off the slopes tomorrow. I have a lot of sleep to catch up on. The Loft has broken me but in a truly amazing way.

Killer Night

Loft life is fab. There is such a great crew of people and everyone is on top form when the drinks come out! The other night we had a 'Killer' pool tournament in which in instigator of the game conveniently won......but none of us were that bitter about it.....well.....maybe just me! Who needs a pub when you have such good drinking buddies in your own home! The next days riding proved to be another successful day and I was finally back on my snowboard after having it fixed. It's still not perfect but at least it means I can ride it again. It's so much more flexible than the one I borrowed which meant I had far more confidence in it and could play around a lot more. As usual, a day's riding turned into an evening of apres in the sunshine - this time at Bar King Mad at 1800. Very happy times. The funicular ride down delivered it's own amusements and then most people went out in Bourg afterwards. I on the other hand was knackered from the mountain so passed out instead. Must learn to man up from time to time and try and keep up with the boys......

The Night We Strained Our Hamstrings

My delayed arrival at The Loft finally happened and it was worth the wait. There's nothing like being initiated into a large group of people than getting involved in a mass drinking game! I thought I'd come over from a hard day snowboarding to enjoy a quiet glass of wine with my new hostel mates but the night had other ideas. And I wasn't disappointed! First game of the night was 'Flip Cup' and I was thrilled to see that red cups would be involved - took me back to my American adventure last year. I was officially rubbish at flip cup so it's safe to say that my side of the table didn't win.....the girls then suggested we play the 'Cereal Box Game' which I've always seen people play but never been involved in. I definitely wasn't as flexible as I thought I was! Strong effort was put in by all, especially and surprisingly by the boys! The shock winner of the game was Elliot and standing at 6ft2 it was a very impressive sight to behold. Robyn (pictured above in the lunge position) still hasn't quite recovered from the game two days on! There was then a mass house exodus to the pub and the boys proudly wore their home made badges. Great way to start my life at The Loft.

The Stag and the Powder

I had a very surreal moment in the mountains this week. A guy I went to school with and haven't seen since I left (so 11 years ago) arrived at the hostel as he was out to celebrate his stag do! Couldn't believe it - what a small world. So I, of course, got involved with the stag do! The first pic above is of me and Bruce - if you'd have told me at school that I'd have been on his stag then I never would have believed you! When we got home, some of the guys had blocked off the gate way to the hostel by making a giant snowman - great effort!

I wasn't supposed to still be up in the mountains on the night of Bruce's stag but the weather was so bad that the conditions were too awful to get down by car. That meant that when I woke up in the morning, me and the lads at Chalet Arc could go and make the most of an incredible powder day. It has to be said, and this is a big statement, that that Friday was the best day of snowboarding I've ever had in my life! We got up early to make the first lift and made fresh tracks down the piste which was an epic feeling as the snow was soooo fluffy. BEST DAY EVER! I enjoyed sharing a lift with the new lads as they introduced me to their style of chair lift picnic that involved very dry chicken sandwiches and cans of Kronenbourg! That night I finally made it down the mountain to start my stay at The Loft. More about that later.....