Archive for February, 2010

• What a bizarre day – really heavy snow all morning, cloud so thick you couldn't see the tips of your skis, & now everyone's sunbathing… G #

Isn’t it funny how you can plan a big day on the hill and then when you get a day off instead of going on a massive trip you simply end up taking it easy?

Well Toby and I had a day off so planned a day skiing with some friends. We even started using all the usual names of ski areas to persuade ourselves we were serious – Col des Mouche, Catwalk, Stairway, Barry’s Bowl, etc.

But the light got a bit dodgy so we decided on “a quick break” to see if it improved and nipped into the new bar  at Col des Gentianes with some of the Swiss guys.

In the end it wasn’t very quick at all and we ended up having a rather long chat with the slightly crazy French barman (using our very best French much to his amusement) kidding our selves we were just waiting for the girls to join us and that we weren’t just wussing out…

• Got the day off and about to head up. Think we'll be using the words "amazing", "epic" and "stunning" a lot later… G #
• Managed one entire run and stopped at the new bar at Col Des Gentianes for a drink. Risky… G #
• We, we seem to have discovered the most enthusiastic batman in Switzerland. G #
• A great afternoon in Verbier up high…. G http://bit.ly/d0LjFi #

• The big dump is finally here and more to come. Be very careful up there. Fresh snow and a lot of wind makes it very avalanche dangerous….K #
• An epic day up there – loads of fresh snow all day but some howling wind. Amazing fun, if a little deep for Saskia (aged 4)… G #
• Want to know what the conditions look like here in snowy Verbier? Well have a squiz at this… G http://bit.ly/cGdTYm #

Yup, after a rather spring-like feel to the last few weeks we’ve suddenly been plunged into winter. OK it’s not been super cold but it’s been chucking it down. There was a foot or so of fresh (if windblown) snow on the piste and it was dumping most of the day. When the clouds broke it revealed a rather good looking Verbier…

It has taken a couple of day for all of us to get over the controversy of leg 3 of the inter ski school bowling contest. But it mornings like this that can only put a smile on your face…! Toby

• So the Swiss won GS Gold but Powder Extreme (under the revised scoring system) seem to have won the 10 pin bowling. The jury's still out.. G #
• The story of the Performance vs Powder Extreme bowling match is now immortalised on the blog… G http://bit.ly/9X2mTv #
• Is it spring already? Starting to get a wee bit slushy this afternoon – we'll be skiing in Tshirts inside a month if this keeps up… G #
• After an afternoon of spring we've just had some pretty enthusiastic snow showers. Meanwhile we're watching the GS waiting for Chemmy… G #

So every year we have a bowling competition against Powder Extreme. It’s fast becoming a tradition between the two schools, and last season the series finished one all – we won the first match and the narrowly lost the second at the end of the season (a result which has left the Performance team feeling like we let ourselves, our fans and the sport itself down).

As such we went to Martigny last night with high hopes and a team of psychologically prepared athletes. The first set (as usual) went to Powder Extreme, but the second set was won at a canter by Performance. Six months of hurt was about to be ended.

But as we went into the third set and there was a little confusion over the scoring system – do we take the total for the top eight scores for each team (we had nine and PE just had eight) or take the average individual score ?

Well, amid the confusion, jugs of beer and slices of pizza we seem to have plumped for the latter – a decision which is still difficult to explain even when you talk to Felix – and this morning the trophy is a long way from Performance HQ…

That’s because despite winning on the top eight system (which would allow for the fact Karolina has only ever seen bowling on television…), we were beaten on the player average system by the tiniest of fractions.

As well as sending shock waves through Martigny’s bowling community it also means that Powder Extreme have the bragging rights and we’ll now never hear the end of it. So we’re already preparing for the next round and to get our trophy back – as well as getting everyone to sign up to a formal and leglly binding scoring system before we start…

• Looks a bit cloudy but patches of blue sky up there. Anyway, in theory it's just a question of getting above it… G #
• Enjoyed a picnic in the snow this arvo. Check out the photos http://tinyurl.com/yaqa3t6. Powder Extreme v. Performance bowling tonigh…T #
• A mixed day up there – everything from blue skies to blizzards and back to blue skies. Was snowing hard on Savoleyres at the end too… G #
• Oh, and Toby's been blogging. He seems to have a very tough life… G http://bit.ly/aSLeFL #
• Didier Cuche on the GS course… Cross something will you? G #
• Carlo Janker 2 hundredths in front – the Swiss could still get a result… G #

Well, it wasn’t quite perfect weather, but after skiing a good morning around La Chaux we ended next to Carrefour Restaurant for a bit of lunch. Eating fine food and sipping Krug with a celebrity chef. No points for guessing…!

Watch out for picture from the 3rd leg of the Powder Extreme v. Performance bowling contest. Currently standing at 1-1, thrilling stuff.

Toby