Day 3: Blue Skies As Far As The Eye Can See
In what may be a Ski Tour first, all 34 tourists finished breakfast and were on the bus early. So early in fact, that the bus driver had to knock on bedroom doors to get the teachers moving! What a keen bunch! If we were going to be early, today was the day to do it. Not only did we have glorious weather, which attracted all of the locals, but the Mountain was also holding the annual Peak to Pub race. This race is a cold weather triathlon. Competitors ski or board 2km from the summit to the first car park. The second leg is a 18km mountain bike ride down the mountain access road before they begin a 15km run to Methven Village's Blue Pub. This year's race saw over 450 people competing, a new record. The race provided spectacular lunchtime entertainment and perhaps some inspiration, though some of us have some work to do before we reach the summit.
This morning, on the short walk from the bus to the slopes, Claire tripped not once, but twice proving that mothers are right and you will always trip on untied shoelaces. This made her the first, and hopefully the last, visitor to the medical center for the trip. The tumbling continued. Next to stack was Jacob who had ventured onto Upper Fascination. A small over correction led to a not so small butt slide, rather sympathetically captured by Mr Ward on the GoPro. You can look forward to seeing this footage on the Ski Tour video. Not to be outdone by Jacob, Tara too decided that Fascination was the spot for a slide, though opting to do so on her stomach. Both students recovered with only bruised egos and managed to kill it for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, further down the Mountain, our newbies continued to impress, proving that practice really does make perfect. The majority of beginners made it up on the chairlifts for their first attempts at a green run, some even taking on the blue. Annie, Priscilla and Roop scored a master class from Mario and Mr Ward. The first ride was a bit gumby, but the second run saw vast improvement in skill levels. These girls will be at the summit before we know it! Everyone gave it their all today and were spent by the time 4pm rocked around and it was time to bus it back to Methven. Heavy eyelids made for a quiet journey home.
Tonight saw the clock turned back to pre-wifi days where eyes were not on screens, but rather on the hands they were dealt. Monopoly, Risk and Poker were games of choice. A fun night was had by all, which was topped off with a lovely cup of tea before bed.
This morning, on the short walk from the bus to the slopes, Claire tripped not once, but twice proving that mothers are right and you will always trip on untied shoelaces. This made her the first, and hopefully the last, visitor to the medical center for the trip. The tumbling continued. Next to stack was Jacob who had ventured onto Upper Fascination. A small over correction led to a not so small butt slide, rather sympathetically captured by Mr Ward on the GoPro. You can look forward to seeing this footage on the Ski Tour video. Not to be outdone by Jacob, Tara too decided that Fascination was the spot for a slide, though opting to do so on her stomach. Both students recovered with only bruised egos and managed to kill it for the rest of the day.
Meanwhile, further down the Mountain, our newbies continued to impress, proving that practice really does make perfect. The majority of beginners made it up on the chairlifts for their first attempts at a green run, some even taking on the blue. Annie, Priscilla and Roop scored a master class from Mario and Mr Ward. The first ride was a bit gumby, but the second run saw vast improvement in skill levels. These girls will be at the summit before we know it! Everyone gave it their all today and were spent by the time 4pm rocked around and it was time to bus it back to Methven. Heavy eyelids made for a quiet journey home.
Tonight saw the clock turned back to pre-wifi days where eyes were not on screens, but rather on the hands they were dealt. Monopoly, Risk and Poker were games of choice. A fun night was had by all, which was topped off with a lovely cup of tea before bed.
