Muddling down the Matterhorn
Winter 2009
Camels can’t ski. Well not very well. Perhaps, as the season approaches a new alter ego should be adopted.
Grumpygoat?
I ski…a bit. I enjoy skiing and am honest about my limitations.
“Oh I muddle down most things”, was how one friend described his abilities on the slopes when quizzed. Behind this apparent smidgen of modesty was arrogance in the extreme as the message he wished to convey was:
“Actually I’m a supremely proficient skier. Those opening James Bond sequences, for instance, are so dull, I could…blah blah, blah….”.
Every boating boffin becomes a ski aficionado as the Mediterranean waters cool and the snow begins to lie. It never fails to amaze me during the summer month dinner parties when yet another friend, who I’d always assumed saw port as merely the substance in his glass, begins to spout forth about his 16metre Ferretti. (At least it’s not a Sunseeker).
And so round the table blag turns to skiing. Every skier knows every resort, every run and every chalet maid.
Behind the blarney, funding remains the major issue yet again this year, as the Euro seems set to spend another season at a miserable 90p. That’s a smooth £9 or so for a hot chocolate on most slopes and a terrifying holiday bill for mum, dad and the 2.2 kids.
Across the Atlantic the Pound continues to soar against the Dollar, (£1 = $1.68 as I write). Plummeting airfares add to the attraction of heading west. Colorado’s legendary Vail resort opens this weekend (20th Nov.) and many hotel rooms are available for around $100 per night. Food and drink are extra but you won’t be paying anything like the extortionate prices of the Euro zone.
There are also deals to be had in Whistler with 5 star accommodation from under $120 a night, but don’t look for a bargain over the February half term bun fight week. Whistler is hosting next year’s Winter Olympics between 12th and 28th February!
Grumpygoat?
I ski…a bit. I enjoy skiing and am honest about my limitations.
“Oh I muddle down most things”, was how one friend described his abilities on the slopes when quizzed. Behind this apparent smidgen of modesty was arrogance in the extreme as the message he wished to convey was:
“Actually I’m a supremely proficient skier. Those opening James Bond sequences, for instance, are so dull, I could…blah blah, blah….”.
Every boating boffin becomes a ski aficionado as the Mediterranean waters cool and the snow begins to lie. It never fails to amaze me during the summer month dinner parties when yet another friend, who I’d always assumed saw port as merely the substance in his glass, begins to spout forth about his 16metre Ferretti. (At least it’s not a Sunseeker).
And so round the table blag turns to skiing. Every skier knows every resort, every run and every chalet maid.
Behind the blarney, funding remains the major issue yet again this year, as the Euro seems set to spend another season at a miserable 90p. That’s a smooth £9 or so for a hot chocolate on most slopes and a terrifying holiday bill for mum, dad and the 2.2 kids.
Across the Atlantic the Pound continues to soar against the Dollar, (£1 = $1.68 as I write). Plummeting airfares add to the attraction of heading west. Colorado’s legendary Vail resort opens this weekend (20th Nov.) and many hotel rooms are available for around $100 per night. Food and drink are extra but you won’t be paying anything like the extortionate prices of the Euro zone.
There are also deals to be had in Whistler with 5 star accommodation from under $120 a night, but don’t look for a bargain over the February half term bun fight week. Whistler is hosting next year’s Winter Olympics between 12th and 28th February!
Be Frank: agree or disagree? What do you think?
