‘Cuties’

The Festive Season is in full swing here in Méribel. The number of visitors has shot up in the past week. The snow conditions are just amazing at the moment thanks to the heavy snowfalls of the last few weeks.  And finally we’ve had a few days basking in the sunshine. Don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that snowy days improve skiing conditions. But some official statistics recently stated that in December sixteen days out of nineteen were heavily overcast and snowy.

The first evening of the festive torchlight descents and fireworks took place here in Méribel on Christmas Eve. My name wasn’t on the list of participants which meant I could attend the event with my mates, Canon and Tripod, instead. One of these days I’m going to manage a decent photo of fireworks, it’s still a bit hit and miss at the moment. Note to self, must sign up for guru status firework footage seminars and courses….

The last week I’ve had two separate half day commitments. Afternoons have been dedicated to three ‘Spritelets’, or ‘Cuties’ as I call them. I’ve had the experience of introducing three, umm, three-year-olds to skiing….Yes, three-year-olds. At this age, to get them to walk in a straight line in ski boots is a success, let alone skiing in a pizza shape without splatting. Hence my description of ‘Cuties’. They were all soo adorable it was unbelievable. I’ve never had so many chats about monsters, fairies, high fives and Peppa Pig in all my life. What a load of fun, except for the odd screaming ab-dab moments. No photos of course because of child protection, but I loved spending time with them. As for my other bunch of ‘Cuties’ this week, meet Michael, Ryan, Mani and Sundeep.

Their goal this week was to continue improving control on blue pistes, trying the odd red piste and then deciding for themselves if they think they could try things beyond. We made the most of the stunning weather and snow conditions. We spoke about balancing on skis, steering effectively and had a really useful session using video.

Many people have never seen themselves on video. It can be an incredibly useful tool, as long as it’s used constructively, as these adult ‘Cuties’ found. The video confirmed things that were going very well, but also showed what else could be done to help achieve goals. On our last day together we came across a red piste over in the Courchevel valley that had a few bumps.

Like most people, they stopped at the top, and looked down with their facial expressions changed. We spoke about how to deal with bumps both technically, tactically and of course psychologically. The bumps were big, but in great condition with gorgeous fluffy snow. When we got to the bottom of the bump run all in one piece, they were all buzzing from the experience saying they will never hate them again. On the next chairlift up they were planning where to try the next bump field.

New Year is fast approaching, so another torchlight descent will be on the cards for me. I’m now skiing with John and Gilly until the middle of next week. The weather has just changed from sunshine to thick cloud, but this morning it’s dumping down with snow yet again. Better dash, I’m off to ski powder with John and Gilly. Happy New Year everybody.

Martin