Jo and Token Make Carbonara

Token and I decided that we would make a Carbonara for dinner. Problem was, neither of us can cook. We blame our Mum's for cooking so wonderfully for us that we've never really seen the need to learn. Now I know I moved out of home for 5 years and did have to fend for myself but it would normally involve something from a jar, something in a microwave or something that someone else made for me! But we manned up to the challenge and randomly picked the ingredients and managed to get them right! When we got back to The Loft, Token tried to Google a recipe but they all seemed a bit complex so we just started chucking things in the pan and hoped for the best! Our recipe included lardons, salami, creme fraiche, garlic, parmesan and tagliatelle. It was actually bloody tasty! The verdict was that next time we'll probably use a little less creme fraiche but still, our Mum's would have been very proud of our creation! Nigella and Gordon can rest assured that their jobs are safe......

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.....

New Year, New You!

New Year's Eve for me is normally pretty straight forward. It's my best mate Paige's birthday so I normally do whatever she wants to do to celebrate (even though she hates having to make the plans!) so this year it was a little odd having to fend for myself. The day started like all my Saturday's do now, with a bit of chalet cleaning but it seemed to go by really quickly. I woke up early doors and it had chucked it down with snow which was amazing. Shame we couldn't hit the mountain hard but think it was good to give my neck a break! We hit Mont Blanc after work which is now a bit of a tradition and managed to make it back in one piece after Alice's epic 'reversing down the mountain with her head out the window'. The lads at the hostel were then on hand to get the drinking well and truly underway before heading back up to Mont Blanc for the celebrations. We all hit the dance floor hard and there were some eye opening shapes being thrown! All in all, an ace night and a great way to start 2012!

Pow Pow POWDER!!

For the first time since being in Les Arcs, the snow started to fall. And BOY did it fall! We all got up for the first bus of the day which was definitely a new experience for me and it was totally worth it. The view had completely changed from the day before as you couldn't see any of the skyline or anything that resembled a mountain. We had to queue a while for the first lift to open and on the chairlift up we tried to decide which route to take. Somehow, the boys convinced me to go down the black run (only the second time I've gone down a black one - the first time was by accident!) but it turned out to be the best decision of the day. I was thigh high in fresh, buttery powder and was gliding down the mountain and it was glorious! I was cheering and wooping the entire way down, accompanied by a few beautifully cushioned splats! We were all a bit excitable (it was James' 30th birthday and he was like a kid on E numbers!) as it was so much fun but then I had a spectacular face plant that gave me whiplash which wasn't so great. BUT I manned up and dealt with it and carried on til the afternoon where the visibility then got terrible and the snow kept falling. It was a challenging day but rewarding all the same. As you can see from some of the above shots, the scenery was amazing - obviously that includes my epic frozen helmet hair! Roll on another powder day!