I just spent a fun-filled week of snowboarding with the usual suspects from work. Here are some pictures and details on the trip:
When: March 18-25, 2006. We skied for 6 days during that time.
Lodging: We stayed in chalet "La Vuargne". There were like 6 bedrooms, kitchen, lounging area, fireplace, etc. The decorations and layout were a bit strange but the place as a whole did its job.
Slopes: We went to Avoriaz in the French Alps. It borders with the Swiss Alps and has a fairly large terrain for skiing and boarding with absolutely stunning views. There are also several neighboring slopes that can be visited from Avoriaz. In Europe, there are 'red' slopes in addition to green, blue, and black. The red slopes are somewhere between blue and red. I think the green slopes are pretty much bunny slopes here. It seemed like we spent most of our time going down moguls, hitting the blues only to warm up in morning and after lunch. We also had to take the blues once in a while to get from one area to another. The downside at times was that there were many flat bits which is bad for snowboarding. There are also snowboard parks, but Trond and I didn't get around to hitting them.
Participants:
"President" Joe: Skier and leader of the pack (literally, at work also). He had been to Avoriaz before so he lead the way most of the time. He also resided the most number of times as President while playing Asshole.
"Speedy" Thomas: This guy can move for his size! He impressed us with his down-hill skiing skills... usually first one down the slopes.
"Cheese King" Trond: Ate cheese for breakfast, lunch, dinner and desert. Fellow snowboarder. The mastermind behind the trip (he organized it). Voted snow-bum of the week.
"Newlyweds" Lars & Ionna: Just married last fall, it's Ionna's first time skiing (she's from Greece). Lars took up snowboarding to keep her company on the easy slopes.
"Must... sleep..." Rune: First one to bed and last one to get up. Also the resident food barometer - if he's hungry, you will know it. Telemark skier.
"Had the whole of Africa in my hands" Theo: Mini-skier & champagne tasting organizer. Was the first to occupy a continent at game of Risk... but lost it while being distracted on the North Eastern front.
"Don't You Want Me Baby?" Lukasz: Spent the whole time (trying) to sing to this song by Human League. For future reference, here are the lyrics babe.
And me.... No intro needed here I hope.
The Snow: The conditions were great for the most part, considering it's about the end of the season. They got several inches of snow about a week before we arrived. The base was pretty good. It was sunny some days, and warm all week. It did rain on one day which was a bummer, but it was good for a break and a night of drinking. It snowed here and there, and dumped on the last day. It was my first time in that much powder and found it a bit difficult but the variety made it very interesting!
Evenings: We spent some evenings eating out and enjoying fine French dining. Other nights we stayed in and cooked. We played lots of games - Yahtzee, Risk, Jenga, cards, etc. Of course, drinking is always involved with this group. One night was spent "champagne tasting".
Logistics: We flew from Amsterdam into Geneva on EasyJet (about 1.5 hours) and then took a car service to Avoriaz from there. Here's a rough break down of what it cost in Euros:
- Flight: 200
- Ground Transport: 80
- Chalet: 425
- 6-day ski pass: 170
- Board rental: 120
- Food: 250
Casualties: Amazingly, there were no hospital goers. A few of the guys had minor aches and pains here and there. Only two took a break from skiing as a result. Crazy boy also took a bad fall down the moguls and landed on his already injured shoulder but that took him out only for an afternoon. I took many tumbles too, but I guess four layers of clothing and a butt pad saved me from anything serious. I had a sore neck and a thumb for a day and that was it as results of falls (though my muscles were pretty sore the first couple of days from simply being out of shape.)
Geneva: On the last day, we left Avoriaz early so that we might have some time to check out Switzerland a bit. Geneva is the land of watches, chocolate, cows, and Swiss Army knives. It is also a very beautiful city with the Alps in the background. I wouldn't mind living here, especially with the Alps only couple hours away.
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