Saturday 21 February 2009

Black

I met up with Lee and David at Guzet today for a morning's skiing. After finding my ski legs again and getting some hot technique tips from Lee, we headed over to the Freychet sector of the resort where I would tackle my first ever black run. We took the top lift from where the only way down was black. I managed a weak smile as I tried not to let nerves get the better of me. I knew I could do it, so positive thinking was the way forward. The snow was in excellent condition, the runs had been pisted so there was not a better time to break into the blacks. I skiied the top half well, making a conscious effort not to allow the steepness to be an issue but concentrating on my technique and my turns instead. But ahead of me was a very nervous bloke, sliding his way tentatively down the slope. I lost my concentration along with my balance and ended up on the floor with a faceful of powder as I slid a good few metres down the slope. But no damage done and I went on to complete the run without further incident. There followed a couple of excellent, uneventful descents of a shorter black run (the pisted slope on the left of the photo below) which boosted my confidence
With the cyclo sportive tomorrow, I was keen not to overdo it today, so left the boys at lunchtime and headed home. I still need to work on my technique but at least I know that I can ski black runs now, which is progress indeed.

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