- Untitled
- The season begins
- Jan 2010
- Feb 2010
- March 2010
- April 2010
- May 2010
- Ski Pictures 2010
- June 2010
- July 2010
- August 2010
- September 2010
- October 2010
- Late October
- November
- December 2010
- January 2011
- February
- The European Youth Olympic Festival
- March 2011
- The season ends
- May and June 2011
- End of June
- July
- August in Yorkshire
- September 2011
- 28 October 2011
- November/December 2011
- Season 2012
- February 2012
- March and April
- June
- 'Summer' 2012
March 2010
Silver Lining
March 7th 2010
Topolino, which is the 'unofficial children's World Championship' was held in Panarotto Levico this year. We booked to stay in Levico Terme, a quaint lakeside spa town in Trentino, about an hour and a half drive from Verona so we could watch this great event. It was to be a fairy tale crossed with a picture book, except that Honi broke her thumb on the second training day (which was in Slovenia for some unfathomable reason). So we drove six hours to pick her up (plus new four pair ski bag with wheels), bought some Parmesan cheese and went back to Flaine.
I told her about clouds and silver linings (which are not always easy to spot). She told me she thought we should ask for our money back on the lucky charm we bought her for Christmas
A Second Chance
March 25th 2010
Back in Italy for Pinnochio; second to Topolino in the children's ski race hierarchy. Honi has a new pink cast which was moulded round a ski stick, courtesy of that lovely doctor and the team in the plaster room at The Friarage Hospital Northallerton. That was the highlight of our ten days in the UK. Honi wasn't allowed to play football for 'health and safety' reasons so school lost its appeal quickly.
Sam (14) is racing at this one too. He came tenth in Slovenia - quite an achivement for a Brit. It took us eight hours to drive here from Flaine. Not that we expect sympathy; our kids are very privileged. That doesn't, however, detract from the sheer hard work and determination needed to participate, let alone achieve. Because he also races in the French system Sam will take part in forty five races this season. That's forty-five six o'clock (or earlier) starts, most of them in sub-zero temperatures and a similar number of long days. Skis need to 'prepped' every time and massive bags lugged up the mountain. Most competitions involve long and uncomfortable journeys and serious moving around of kit which now includes portable workbench. All this for a run of around one minute where the slightess mistake can result in a poor time, or even worse, a fall or disqualification.
And the races are the highlights of the season; the culmination of hours of training. Our kids take Christmas day off (and then we 'free ski'). Other than that if they are not in school they are out by nine a.m; either training through gates or ski-ing testing terrain. And when they finish on snow they do the work that they have not done because they were on snow and not in school!
I don't apologise for ranting a little. This has been a great season and we have shared experiences with our kids that will be with us for life. Ski racing is an expensive sport that is not open to everyone but isn't it great that those who can afford it to encourage their kids to do something which involves focus, hard work, determination and learning to deal with disappointment as well as success.