Well today was pretty frustrating after two fantastic days. Yesterday we had 50cm of snow in 24hours, and since it wasn’t very busy, we got plenty of runs in, and lunch break was awesome.
Today, however, the lower slopes (about 3/4 of the Sunbird lift area) had been rained upon, leaving icy groomed runs and an icy crust over the powder. Then the precipitation kept on coming throughout the day. On the upper slopes, they kept getting tons of fresh snow, we got sleet.
I rode down a couple of the ungroomed runs during ride breaks and lunch, and the top section was nice, but then a quarter of the way down, it was like snowboarding in a slush puppie a foot deep. Without the flavour. Really hard work!
The seats for the Sunbird chair are difficult to flip up at the end of the day. You can’t do it with gloves on, and the sleet had iced over the seats, so that I had to dig my bare fingers into the ice, at speed, to try and get purchase. It’s not exactly comfortable, and it’s generally cold. Oh, and there are 170 chairs on the lift, which takes a little over 16 mins to complete a circuit.
I had to physically move the sharp ends of someone’s ski-poles away from my face, asking them to watch their poles as I like my face unskewered. Then the next guy hit me in the face as he reached for the chair while I was bumping it for him!
Had a bit of a rant with one of my colleagues today. I’m amazed at how many people fail at the simplest of things. I’ve decided we need a sign at all loading stations saying “Stop. Look. Listen.” Stop at the Wait Here sign (self explanitary), Look for oncoming chairs, and Listen to the lift attendant. The fixed grip chairs don’t slow down in the station, and the outer edge is going quickly as it turns around the Bullwheel. The number of people that either fly through the maze, straight into the oncoming chair, or suddenly decide to leap into it’s path having been waiting at the Wait Here sign is truly astounding!
And the thing with the ski poles? There are signs at every load station telling to take straps off of their wrists, hold the poles in one hand and point them forwards (i.e. not at my face). And this is standard procedure at every resort I have ever been to, world over. I’ve been to plenty. So the guy that whinged at me the other day about skiing for 20 years and never having to do that, rubbish. You’re just a stubborn muppet who refuses to obey or read signs. I’ve been skiing for 24 years and it has always been so. French lifties will have no compunction about informing you as to your disobedience.
Rant over for the day.
This evening should be good though. Hosting a cheese fondue night. Hopefully someone can source a fondue set.