Whoo Hooo Hooo!!! The skiing trip has finally arrived! Woke up and ... it was still raining! Cleared up a bit while we packed up, and headed across the road to drop off George and board the coach. Rain started back up on our (slow) way up the mountain, but it was much better than having to drive through it. Nearing the top and the rocks changed colour to white... no wait, that’s SNOW! Got to the top – pouring with rain – and made a dash up the mountain in our ‘over snow boots’ (like ugg boots but waterproof). Into the accommodation, strip off because it’s so warm, and kitted up in our gear. Was a good morning to be messing around getting organised with the ferral weather. Lunch and todays was all you can eat pasta! No more cooking, cleaning, washing, shopping for a whole week! Free lifts this afternoon so we decided to tackle the top of the mountain so Aunty Jacqui, Uncle Ross and Daniel gave us our first lessons... and runs down Mousetrap, the beginner, basic run, where the hardest part is getting back on the travelator to take you back to the top. A few runs of that (and just one minor stack), and when the rain turned to hail we decided to have a break. Into Cloud 9 (cafe right on top of the mountain) for a drink and ... my first beer of the ski trip! Back out for another couple of runs when the weather cleared up, then down the chair lift to collect Cousin Stev. Sorted rooms and gear until afternoon tea, and then stayed in the lounge and Cock and Bull Pub (the next room across) until tea, with happy hour drinks in both from 5 -7pm. Then, about 6pm came the first real snow of the trip, so we went outside (in short sleeve shirts and jeans) to watch it snow – absolutely amazing and just like the movies! Tea, which is 3 courses with choices of 3 for each – tough! Then Dan and I took a walk to walk some of it off and check out a couple of the locals – honestly, you could do the best pub crawl through a ski village, and with hidden entertainment like throwing snowballs at each other and kicking the snow just makes for a quick walk! First stop was Silverski, with a Jamaican teacosy wearing guitarist, who was rather good. Next was a massive trek down to the Frying Pan, which was a bit quiet, and a rather long game of pool (long because of our inept ability to play or because we were inhibited by the alcohol is unknown). From there headed back to The Man, apparently the traditional last stop of the night. Just a quiet one before heading to home just before midnight. The big question - could this be sustained all week???
1st September
Not feeling too bad. Breakfast at 8, cereal, juice, muffins, and everything from pancakes, hashbrowns, bacon, eggs, baked beans and toast it was like a feast! Lesson at 10 with Zuzana so a quick run down Mousetrap to try and remember what we’d done the day before. Weather was ferral, cold, windy and really bad visibility, plus sore standing around. Got Mousetrap down pat! Back for lunch before Steve and I went for another lesson, mine with Ivo – Mousetrap again, then slow down Wombats Ramble, which goes all the way back to our accommodation, and the bottom of the chairlift. Back to the top, met with Steve, Ross and Daniel and did Wombats again – pain and agony, snowplowing all the way down! But, like they say in the snowboarding lingo, ‘fully sick on fresh powder’. After a hard day skiing it was time for ... an outside spa! Bathers is not something you would normally consider at a ski resort, but the swim in the pool and spa was totally worth the freezing condition you have to get out in. Even the VB, which was the only
drink they sold in cans, was bearable! More drinks at happy hour and Rusty, who we’d run into earlier in the day, joined us for a drink and stayed on for tea, before Dan and I took Steve and Rusty out to Silverski and The Man, where a $10 jug was going to be hard to top all week!2nd September
Weather had improved slightly, made breaky at 8 before heading back up the mountain for a 10am lesson, this time with Chris. Started on Wombats, then onto Drovers, nice and slow, before moving onto an attempt to parallel turns. Feeling pretty weary, Stev and I headed back up the
mountain for some photos (nice to get on the chairlift without skis and ski boots!) as it had cleared up again, before having showers and relaxing in the lounge, while the ‘olds’ had their spa. Happy hour beers, and Rusty joined us for tea again before a few games of Pass the Ace with the 7 of us before a (relatively) early night.3rd September
OK,whoever’s sick idea it was to put steps all through our accommodation was obviously trying to torture us! Flexal (numbing cream) on my calves so I could walk, and with a nicely coloured bruise on the inside of my thigh from the day before, I was worried about what was to come. Another lesson with Chris, and we started on Drovers before tackling Highway 83 - a blue run. Wholy Crap - I hope he knows what he's doing! First run was down through the trees before going down the slightly steeper slope and... made it! 4 lessons and onto the blue runs! And when exactly will this become enjoyable? :-) Lunch and all bar Dad headed back up, where it had started to clear up and the visibility had improved again from the morning. Met up with Rusty, with more runs down Drovers (now a piece of cake), then onto Highway before we all headed home (slowly) down Last Hoot – another blue run. Grabbed dad and off back up the hill, but this time in over-snow shoes instead of skis to make our snowman! So 6 of us adults proceeded to
create ‘Charles’, whilst dodging snowballs, flying snow and random skiers! We were rather chuffed with our final creation, with Charles standing about 6’ high, and proudly wearing his supporter gear, and sporting a freshly peeled carrot from our kitchen. Home for showers and squeeze in a happy hour drink, before tea and The Pretty Valley Poker Challenge! 6 of us and 7 from Kyogle (other guests) split ourselves between two tables to play a bit of Texas Holdem, and when it came down to the final 6 only 3 of us were remaining – Aunty Jacqui, Stev and myself. With a nice bluff to win a round and stay in the game, 6 became 4 and then 3, with Aunty Jacqui, myself and the last remaining Kyogle player. Once he went all in with Aunty Jacqui, and she cleaned up it was all over, with the red wine and Pretty Valley thermometers (yes, so now we had two) going to first and second we had beaten the lot! With 90% of the coin, Aunty Jacqui didn’t take long to wipe me out to be declared the first Pretty Valley Poker Champion! Dan and I then headed into the Cock and Bull for a quiet drink, and then a port, before heading to bed.
OK,whoever’s sick idea it was to put steps all through our accommodation was obviously trying to torture us! Flexal (numbing cream) on my calves so I could walk, and with a nicely coloured bruise on the inside of my thigh from the day before, I was worried about what was to come. Another lesson with Chris, and we started on Drovers before tackling Highway 83 - a blue run. Wholy Crap - I hope he knows what he's doing! First run was down through the trees before going down the slightly steeper slope and... made it! 4 lessons and onto the blue runs! And when exactly will this become enjoyable? :-) Lunch and all bar Dad headed back up, where it had started to clear up and the visibility had improved again from the morning. Met up with Rusty, with more runs down Drovers (now a piece of cake), then onto Highway before we all headed home (slowly) down Last Hoot – another blue run. Grabbed dad and off back up the hill, but this time in over-snow shoes instead of skis to make our snowman! So 6 of us adults proceeded to
create ‘Charles’, whilst dodging snowballs, flying snow and random skiers! We were rather chuffed with our final creation, with Charles standing about 6’ high, and proudly wearing his supporter gear, and sporting a freshly peeled carrot from our kitchen. Home for showers and squeeze in a happy hour drink, before tea and The Pretty Valley Poker Challenge! 6 of us and 7 from Kyogle (other guests) split ourselves between two tables to play a bit of Texas Holdem, and when it came down to the final 6 only 3 of us were remaining – Aunty Jacqui, Stev and myself. With a nice bluff to win a round and stay in the game, 6 became 4 and then 3, with Aunty Jacqui, myself and the last remaining Kyogle player. Once he went all in with Aunty Jacqui, and she cleaned up it was all over, with the red wine and Pretty Valley thermometers (yes, so now we had two) going to first and second we had beaten the lot! With 90% of the coin, Aunty Jacqui didn’t take long to wipe me out to be declared the first Pretty Valley Poker Champion! Dan and I then headed into the Cock and Bull for a quiet drink, and then a port, before heading to bed.
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