The number of times I fall over

It's been another great week here in the Haute-Savoie region.  We took the opportunity to have a few days on the southern shore of Lake Geneva (or Lac Leman as it's called locally) and visited the lovely and very interesting Chateau Ripaille.   I've posted a couple of photo's below.

But mainly I thought I'd tell you about the times I've fallen over whilst skiing on this adventure.  Not something we talk about often but it happens to us all.  Sorry no photo's though!!! 😉

The first times I fell over were one afternoon early on when I went skiing on my own for an hour or two (Melle was teaching that afternoon).  I tried a new route to get to the top of the Samoen mountain (I've since found out that it's called Tete de Saix - altitude 2118m) and skied down the Aouia blue run to the Coulouvrier chair lift.  Normally most people ski to the Chariande Express as it's quicker to get to the top.  But I wanted to explore a bit and noticed that no-one seemed to be on the Aouia blue run.  I soon found out why as the run is on the northern slopes and therefore in the shade in the afternoon.  The snow had hardened in the shade and ice had formed in patches which I found out as I made my first real turn at pace.  It (and the subsequent 2 or 3 falls) weren't major wipeouts but I did bruise my hip as the skis slipped from under me and it did make me a bit more cautious for the rest of the afternoon.  Although once I got higher and out of the shade I didn't experience any more ice.

My next two falls were almost in exactly the same place and also almost exactly the same time of day, when we were skiing back home at the end of the day.  They happened on the Perce-Neige blue run just off the top of the Tete de Saix.  It is a bit of a bottle neck and as such it has both small moguls and patchy snow and ice.  It also has large numbers of skiers many of whom are beginners so there's a lot to concentrate on!  We normally turn right onto the Marmotte red as I think the steepness of this piste puts off the beginners and so reduces one of the dangers.  Just before the turn off is where I've had two wipeouts, which I think took place on consecutive days.  The first was when my ski's caught a bare patch of earth, which skis don't really like they and they stopped.  I, however, continued with my momentum and did a somersault on my back.  No damage done except to my ego.  The next day it was a beginner skier who just skied into me. I did try to take last second avoidance tactics but our skis caught and mine got stuck with me again somersaulting down the slope.  The beginner skier, a teenage girl, just stood there and looked at me and while I was getting up I asked her if she was okay?  She just looked stunned and really I don't know why as it was me who had experienced the wipeout.  Anyway, no damage done.  Since that time I've tried to avoid that spot although sometimes it can be really hard as you do need to avoid other skiers!! 😀

This last few days, since we returned from Lac Leman, we have noticed that the snow conditions are definitely worsening.  It's been nearly three weeks since we had the original dump of snow and we could definitely do with some more.  So previously great slopes now have some icy patches, especially where they get over skied, and the piste operators have also started to pump artificial snow onto the slopes in some places.  Artificial snow is better than bare patches, but it is very fluffy and not as good to ski on as natural snow.  Anyway, everywhere has been a bit more treacherous and as the crowds grow during the February school holidays, skiing becomes a bit more difficult.  This week on the Dolomie blue run, which is the connection between Samoen and the higher Flaine resort, I had another unfortunate interaction with another skier and I did another front somersault after our skis clashed.  Interestingly, as opposed to the other clashes, this time my skis did not come off and as I rolled over I just rolled onto my skis and carried on down the slope.  As a result I nearly crashed into Melle, who was watching on with interest and was taken aback by my hasty return to my feet.  Later, on the Torumaline blue piste which runs into Flaine, I had a further couple of slips on the ice, more bruises to my bum and confidence but nothing dramatic.

Melle doesn't fall as often, probably as her skiing is a bit more graceful and controlled than me, but when she does she tends to hurt herself more and yesterday she had a bump at the end of the day as we were coming down the Perce-Neige blue run again.  That's definitely a slope to concentrate on - although anyone who ski's will know that sometimes the more you concentrate and are defensive the more vulnerable you can be to falls.  Anyway, Melle has a nasty bruise and graze on her forearm as souvenirs of her fall!!  Below are pics as we set off the next day - got to get up and brush yourself down whatever the world throws at you, if you can.

This blog was written by Chris