Wednesday 16 April 2014

Crookhorn College Ski-ing Austria Sunday 16 February 2014

Sunday 16 February
Up at 06:00 for a 07:00 breakfast and departure to the slopes at 08:00. It is a shame to be going out as I have a lovely room with a long balcony that has fantastic views of the surrounding mountains.
Mind you I probably wouldn’t see too much today as it is wet and misty!
The group ski at Alpendorf today (and the last day)as this is where the ski hire people have their shop and if there are any problems with the equipment (there always is!) then it is easy to rectify. On the last day they can leave everything here.
Normally we are always the first coach here, and the last to leave, but have been beaten into fifth place this morning!
It is a horrible day as well with a lot of low cloud and rain which will probably be snow higher up.
Once they are all off we stroll up to the little shop to buy supplies of water before returning to the bus where I do some work for an hour or so, well until the battery on my laptop runs out!
I hope to get a couple of days ski-ing in this week and am keen to get a helmut and goggles. I have never worn a helmut before or goggles (they feel uncomfortable with specs!) but after the Michael Schumacher incident I think it is a wise move, as does Wendy, who says I must wear one! As all of the children and adults are wearing them I think it would be a touch inconsiderate of me not to wear one. There are only a few shops here so I have a browse and they vary in cost between €80 - €200 and the goggle will be about €50.00! The final place I look in is the ski hire shop and find a suitable helmut for €120.00 which has a 50% discount. That’ll do for me! The goggles were €49.00 so feel as I have a bargain.


I am pleased with my new purchases and can’t wait to have a go tomorrow.
It is now lunchtime and our little tummies are rumbling!
The parking area is surrounded by 4* hotels and one of them is the Alpin Sport Hotel where we always have our lunch on the first day.
Amongst other things they specialise in pizzas and today we are going to have a couple of those bad boys!
You can chose a ready made pizza or tick the toppings you require and they will make that for you. Brian has a spicy Diablo and I make one up with different cheeses, tuna and pineapple. Delicious!
I am very tired so manage an hours kip this afternoon back on the bus.
After two o’clock I pop into the cash desk and am given €10.00 to cover any meals, something all of the bus drivers receive.
They all start coming down from about four o’clock and there is a bit of commotion involving one of the older lads, George, who has smashed his teeth on the iron bar on a chair lift.
As I understand it he was on a chair lift when he bent forward to adjust something on his boots. While he was bent over another lad pulled down the canopy that protects against the weather and it hit George on the back of the head pushing his mouth onto a very immovable iron bar! Very painful. He is taken off to hospital with Simon and Steve but all is well and he returns to the hotel later. He can only manage soup though!!
We leave Alpendorf and head back to Golling where we drop them all at the local swimming pool. We then return to the hotel and after a shower I go back to pick them up at 19:00.
After dinner it is an early night for me.


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