The Mid Point

It is only when the snow really starts to fall that you realise just how artificial the entire idea of a mountain ski resort is. Everyday becomes a battle against the mountain, it would only take maybe a couple of months of snow to hide the buildings entirely. And, given the style of architecture, maybe this would be no bad thing. It is easy to become insulated against the dangers of the mountain; avalanche risk, collisions on pistes, falls off piste, exposure and hypothermia.

It's only a model

 They are all always present but not always appreciated. In fact it is only really brought home when something does happen, such as guests being brought back safely by mountain rescue after falling asleep outside a piste side apre ski bar. Alcohol, extreme sports, low light and loud music are surely not a good mix and yet every evening the bars on the slopes are packed with revelers sampling the delights of on mountain entertainment. It is a miracle not more are escorted off the mountain.

There is perhaps more risk around skiing and mountains than people realise, but in resort it is not just your physical health that can be put at risk. Resorts are small places and even smaller still for 5 months. Foolish actions can have long lasting consequences and good stories travel fast. Reputation fluctuates as gossip circulates. Each new tidbit bringing delight and mirth to some and embarrassment to others. It sure is fun watching someone squirm as events of the last night are recollected and retold. Some things never get old. In order to survive in such a small place for such a time, you must look after your actions as well as your body. Some wounds heal faster than others.

That's a ledge, get away from the ledge

Somehow it is strange to think of February as the halfway point in the season, it seems far too late in the year and yet it still feels like last week that the first guests were dropped off. Will there be snow in March and April? Has the best powder already fallen? Will we soon be skiing in t shirts and shorts? Who knows.

Can you see the line in the background? 3 lines 3 riders.

February is known as the best month for fresh powder and 2013 has not disappointed. With the snow so fresh and the pistes so busy, the only option is to leave the groomed and managed areas behind and head out on to the fresh untouched snow unreachable by chairlift. This is one host who has most definitely caught the powder bug.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow...

Time is a funny thing. There, now that's out the way. Months of planning and organisation (and a couple of days where everything actually got done) are well behind your host now. Ready to board the bus to pistures new.

Like any good trip, your host has put in the minimum required planning and research. This not only cuts down on effort but it allows for the place to unfold by itself. Of course a bit of back story can transform an experience, too much though and it begins to prejudice the eyes of the beholder. At least that is how your host is justifying it.

So, fully equipped and awaiting the final embarkation, your host sits on the event horizon ready to tip forwards and fall feet first into the new. I wonder how big the coach will be?

7 Day Countdown

Well here is where it starts to get real. As always too much to do, not enough time in which to do it and no idea what to do first. Ah that familiar feeling, as always it should all be all right in the end. A few things might help though.

1. A personalised itinerary and travel schedule
2. An online "staff room" that doesn't suck seven shades of ass
3. No I think that is pretty much it.

The facebook message boards have been awash lately of the same questions from confused staff each receiving a personal reply, usually fairly fast but sometime with slightly differing answers. In essence confusion. When organising a mass exodus of the country, a little bit of order is preferable.

They must have on file for each employee their date of departure, place of work etc etc. So why not make that accessible to the employee? Everything is second guessed to the point where it is only confirmed a couple of days before departures that yes every staff member should bring their own towel. Now the staff have been great but they are hindered by the fact that the online resource the "staff room" sucks absolutely. The one strike and you're locked out password policy is lunacy, the user experience is as far from intuitive as it is possible to get.

What kind of website is best viewed in Internet Explorer anyway?

If it is worth doing well...

Then it is worth procrastinating until the last possible moment. Your host's embarkation date is the 4th December, your host's to do list is still longer than Don Quixote and possibly a worse read (possibly).

Having said that a remarkable amount has been ticked off this list. Granted your host should probably write this list down somewhere, but had your host written this list down then some items would already be reassuringly struck through.

And yet the impending weight of the deadline hangs heavy over your host's head like the old friend that it is. This exercise merely highlights the recurring theme of "sorting ones life out" so when your host tells you he still doesn't know what else he needs to do, he is well aware of the exasperation. He has lived it for too many years already.

Also this Movember/not shave thing is getting long, might be time for a trim....

Muddle and Faith

Outdoor gear shopping is confusing. There are all kinds of kit to cover and protect you from head to toe, for all different conditions and activities. I am by no means an enthusiastic shopper, retail tires me out and too often your host is easily swayed by even the most simple sales pitches. So when faced by an entire hobbies worth of kit to buy your host naturally put it off.

Enter the internet the most wonderful of things, a place where one can browse and research uninterrupted. Only there is no official start point, no shallow end. Instead you plunge into a world of goretex's and primalofts and thinsulates and softshells. Between brands there are no standards for direct comparison, each have their own proprietary insulations and breathable fabrics and whatnots.

These items are all bought on faith and recommendation, there is no real way to tell whether a £100 jacket will perform as well as a £300 or a £30. Since I'm not a big fan of high street shopping, this is how I must shop, trusting in product descriptions and customer reviews. So far so good, still waiting on the delivery of one item, albeit a fairly crucial one; the ski jacket. Gloves seem to me to be the most confusing all different size scales different padding and insulation and designs. What is a host to do?


Size guides that go beyond small medium and large are an absolute godsend, for online shopping these should be mandatory. The best include detailed measurements in centimeters for torso lengths, chest widths and so on. But moving on swiftly, after a couple of days spent very enjoyably in the Lake District, your host can say with confidence that soft shell jackets are very much worth the investment. Layered up in my own take on the 3 layer system, (thermal underlayer, mid insulating layer and top wind&rain layer). Your host wore a t shirt a soft-shell jacket and a soft-shell gilet, with a shell waterproof over the top. In days full of walking in wind rain and hail, these layers kept me dry, warm and free from sweat.

For all you try on in shops and buy online, the only way to really appreciate kit is to use it in the extreme conditions for which it is designed. Not so much of an issue perhaps for an odd day walking or a week's skiing, in this host's case this kit must withstand the rigors and tests of a full season.

If your host ever gets his head round the ins and outs of outdoor gear perhaps there will be less of a whine and more of a guide. But sometimes it is nice to have a good moan.