J'apprends à skier!

Last Sunday, I had my very first ski lesson! I have to admit that I was filled with more dread than excitement as we drove the 30 minutes or so to Chaillol, a local ski hill. Anyone who knows me (or who has ever eaten at the same table as me) will be able to tell you that I am pretty darn clumsy.

So I figure take one clumsy non-skiing Canadian, add a bunch of snow, a pair of skis, and a mechanical apparatus or two... sure recipe for disaster. Mais non! To my great surprise, here are the things I didn't do:

- break something
- cry
- fall down constantly (only twice!)
- panic on the T-bar lift thingy (ok, just a little...)
- need to be rescued by helicopter

Here are the things I did do:

- learn how to stop (very important)
- make charming banter with Jean-François, my ski instructor
- ski hand-in-hand with J-F as to avoid faceplanting (ooh là là!)
- look somewhat sporty in my snow gear, Roots toque, and sunglasses
- promise J-F that I would remember to thank him when I was on the podium after winning gold at the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics (swoon!)

So all in all, a very positive experience. Bonus: I was even able to get out of bed the next day without my legs crumbling underneath me. I am actually only a little bit sore, but in a good "I excel at winter sports" kind of way!

Without further ado, here are some pictures of our journée de ski. I won't lie to you: the "look how high up on the mountain I am" photos were all taken by François. I didn't stray from the bunny hill all afternoon. But aren't the mountains gorgeous?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My favourite part of the whole experience: the après-ski crêpe!