Ski jackets: check
Goggles: check
Ski pants: check
Thermals: check
Tard helmet: check
Money for rentals: check
And off we went to ski the Alpine pistes of Combloux-Jaillet, France, in the shadow of the Mt. Blanc massif! For those of you who haven’t heard about our skiing histories, let me rehash it a bit. To put it mildly, we are probably the worst skiing couple you know. The one time I went (in the ice-mecca known as mideast Missouri), I ended up breaking my ski pole…with my chest. It wasn’t pretty. Sophia, always able to one-up me, skied off a cliff – yes, you read that correctly – she went off a cliff. She had to be pulled out of the netting by a snowmobile. So needless to say, I was a little worried about how our first skiing experience – not only in Europe, but as a couple – would go.
Surprisingly, we both accomplished more than we thought we would. I was able to keep on my feet with a moderate amount of speed by the end of the day – even figured out how to do basic turns – while Sophia made a couple runs herself without falling. Of course, I did come extremely close to plummeting into a ravine – and it would be true if someone said that I ended up on the wrong side of the mountain at one point and had no idea how to get back (and these are Alp-mountains here, so it’s kind of a problem to be on the wrong side). Meanwhile, Soph hit her head on a fall and had to end her day a little early (she’s alright, except for maybe her pride, as she had been mocking me for wearing a helmet). But all in all, neither of us ended up in the hospital, so it was a good day.
So – as far as skiing in the Alps goes – it’s amazing. Granted, I don’t have much to compare it to, but there were a variety of slopes, quite a few for beginners, and all seemed fairly long. More importantly, you never had to fear running into other people, because there simply weren’t that many others out skiing. The slopes we skied had great views as well, with Mont Blanc directly in front of us, and when you factor in a near-cloudless sky and amazing weather, it made the experience one we’re itching to repeat. Almost makes me want to start exercising, just so my body won’t hurt so bad afterwards next time!
