17th August 2024

We arrive early to the Snow Center for something to eat before my lesson at six p.m. we sit at the benches where you can view the slopes. I am surprised to see moguls on one half of the main slope, but assume that something will happen to correct this before the lesson. After dinner we head off so I can get ready for my lesson, today there is only three of us on the lesson. We head to the slope and the moguls are still there. We head off up the slopes and are told to try a run down. I go last and stack it, the half that isn’t moguls is like sheet ice, I get back up and the instructor asks if I am OK to continue and I say yes, I am not the only one in the group that stacks it. I later find out that if your stance and balance are not perfect on ice you are likely to stack it. We give it another go with another failure, time for try number three it is slightly better be I start to head into the moguls and fall on to my stomach with my skis crossed, I try to recover myself but end up tweaking one of my knees, but with assistance I get back. On return to the top we are advised to try and stay in the middle of the slope where there is still some light snow covering, and we were shown how to do short turns, this is a technique where you face your body down the slopes whilst moving and balancing to turn making use of the limited space we had. We were offered the chance to try the moguls but we declined. After a few runs we were allowed to continue with supervision from a distance. At the debrief we are advised that the conditions on the slope were similar to a black run and due to the moguls people wanting to just ski had been using the other side all day making the icy conditions. As we had managed to ski these conditions and were completing runs on our own we all pass our level five. We are now able to buy lift passes and ski the main slope on our own.

On the way home we discuss the possibility of going on a ski holiday and that it is something to look into, in my head I am thinking January 2026.

Reflection: I have only gone and done it. it has certainly been a challenge getting here but I am giddy that I have, at times I didn’t think I would make it despite my determination, I now have the skills to gain more confidence and start to progress.