First weeks teaching with number one

The first real week of teaching has just finished. All the instructors had work. As it was Christmas week there were a lot of children in ski school. The younger ones and beginners were kept in childrens groups. I had an intermediate group which consisted of 5 well behaved older children and 7 adults. They were a nice mixture of Dutch, Irish and English. We all got along together and we often went out in the evening, as a group, to watch our video. A lot of the bars take videos of the groups skiing and show them to entertain the drinkers in their bar. No one bar could accommodate the whole ski school so you must find out, from your instructor, which bar, if any, videoed you that day. These videos are not only amusing but can be a useful training aid. The kids loved to see themseves going over jumps! As the schools are still on holiday, I would expect a lot of children next week. We would also expect a lot of merrymakers, out to celibrate the New Year. Still no new snow, but it is still cold, so think white.

A week with arinsal ski instustor Number One

On Sunday, the first of the British groups arrive in Arinsal. The English instructors will be glad to get some work at last. I will be very pleased to get some groups as it will give me something to write about. Last night some of us had a very convivial meal in the QUO VADIS PUB. Each week this pub has a free raffle for customers and the prize is a pair of skis. And this week `I WON! I am now the owner of a brand new pair of Blizzard skis. Thank you QUO VADIS. On Wednesday night .we had an excellent curry at the British run SAN ANDREU. Simon and the lovely Kirsty provide an amazing variety of curries to suit all tastes. It is help yourself, so do not be surprised if you see a lot of fat instructors this season. We rather overate slightly, on Sunday at the HOTEL PALARINE. They provided a huge Chinese buffet. The Dingo and Steve the Horse appeared to be in a competition to see who could eat the most desserts. Jan the Swede, from Manchester, persuaded Robber's Dog and I, to sample few bottles of Fuller's " London Pride". The Palarine had managed to find a couple of crates of real ale. Something that I miss over here. I hope that next week I can write about skiing and not just food.

Number one tells his story for the week.

The slopes were incredibly quiet on Sunday. I had a lesson with a delightful young lady,called Erica, who admitted hating hearing snowboards and skiers behind her. We took the high speed six seat chair up Les Fonts(1.7 Kms long) We chose the less popular Port Vell run and then onto the Margarita to the Obileix restaurant and had seen only two skiers and two snow boarders. It was blissful. We then rejoined the Les Fonts piste down to the bottom. Do not expect it to be that peaceful if you are coming to Arinsal for Christmas or New Year. This story reminded me of a client, who thought that more people would come skiing if it was less crowded! Talking of crowds, a bit of advice for visitors coming during a busy period. On MONDAYS the ski school finishes at 5pm, and a queue often forms for the Gondola down. If you are at the back of the queue, it is quicker to take the two seat chair from the Panoramix Restaurant down to the Crest Hotel. You should turn LEFT off the chair and walk DOWN the road for 150 metres, where the road turns right over a bridge. From there it is five minute walk to the Princessa Park Hotel and the other hotels in the village. The base of the Gondola and ski bus are only a few more minutes walk down.

Number one tells his story for the week.

I have just finished my first week of work. I had a very lively group from Denmark and Sweden, they were great fun on and of the slopes. They were training to become tour guides and not surprisingly skied very well. They enjoyed the quiet slopes and the very good condition of the snow. This leads nicely to an instructors second most asked question, "What is the snow like?" (By the way, the most asked question is "What do you do in the summer?") The short answer to the question about snow is "white, cold and very slippery!". However, when beginners ask about the snow condition, they actual want to hear about the depth of the snow. We do not have a great depth at present, but it has been very cold and this means that the snow has stayed light, dry and powdery. The ideal snow for skiing. Even if there is several metres of snow, it only takes one warm day to turn the top layer into slush. If the night time temperature is below freezing the slush will turn to ice. Not the most enjoyable thing to ski on. At Arinsal we are fortunate to have a fleet of "Piste bashers". These are specially designed machines that groom the piste at night, so that it smooth and user friendly in the morning. At present, all they have to do is smooth the snow and we then have great skiing conditions. The machines have the ability to break the top layer of ice, so exposing the powder underneath, if required. In the late spring, when the afternoon temperatures can be very high the piste bashers will smooth the very deep slush until it is smooth. So if it freezes over night we will have a firm but skiable surface, usually referred to as "boiler plate" or bullet proof". This soon softens into a very skiable snow as the morning warms up. I have heard that Eskimos have 14 words for snow. As a skier, see how many words you use to describe the different types that you meet during your visit. I have heard from some clients, who have skied in some eastern european countries, that they did not have these expensive machines and found that they could not ski on the lumpy frozen slush. The huge capital investment here, means that we can usually enjoy good skiing.

Arinsal Ski instructor Number One tells his story

This morning, at about 6 am on the 10th Dec. I was awakened by a beautiful sound. The sound of a snow plough clearing the road way. A few of us decided that an early start was called for. We found about 4 or 5 inches of new snow on the beginners area. That is about 10 to 12 cms for those born after 1970. At the top of the six seater chair we were not able to estimate the depth of new snow as there had been a bit of wind, so the snow had moved into small drifts or back to hard packed base. The run down Les Fonts required a bit of care until about half way, after that, the bottom section was delightful with some light powder on a firm base. As there are very few visitors in the resort, we were still able to find some untracked snow on the sides, even after a few runs. The rest of the runs were still closed but looked very tempting. I expect they will remain closed until the pistes have been prepared. Many of the snow cannons were working in some strategic places. There are very few visitors but three Irish guys were spotted on the slopes. Aparently they had driven up from Barcelona and arrived in Arinsal just as the first few flakes of snow started to fall last night. Talk about the luck of the Irish. All the bars are now open and I hope to have an early night after a few beers in most of them, ending up in the RedX to discuss the time and meeting place for tomorrow. Keep thinking white. Number one.

Ski Rider Expeditions: Skiing is our Passion! Ski Rider is the dream child of founder Matthew Bowyer, who as a keen ski enthusiast wanted to transform fellow ski lovers’ experiences by providing expert knowledge and advice to ensure your next ski holiday can be tailored around you! I'm qualified with BASI (British Association of Snow sport Instructors) to the level of Ski Teacher ISIA (International Ski Instructor Association) which is recognised world wide.I have spent the past 15 winters in many worldwide resorts. For the past five years I have been working with Arinsal ski school Andorra where I teach all levels of skiing. We offer advice on the most suitable ski resorts, flexible flight options, transportation to and from the airport as well as a variety of accommodation options to suit your specific requirements and pocket. We are also able to assist you with ski lift passes, ski lessons and equipment hire. I would like to invite you to explore http://www.skiriderexp.com/ give us your feed back of what you would like to see on the website to share your enthusiasm and questions for your next trip to the mountains and expect a lot of fun that the freewheeling style and freedom of choice gives you on your flexible ski holiday, with lots of stories for the gang back home!