Number One Report.

Today, Sunday is change over day for the British and Irish. So there is very little work for us. Steve the horse, the lovely Corinne and I went skiing and enjoyed the quiet slopes and the good condition of the snow. We all enjoyed the black and red gullies down from the Pic Negre. The weather has been warm for the past week and the conditions are similar to March. Firm to start with, then very good until late afternoon when it becomes very heavy. We stopped about 3pm.

In the ski school race on Friday, special K did win her fifth medal by narrowly beating Chris, a young man with the potential to become an instructor. Well done Krystyna, not bad for a young glamorous grandmother. During my free time I enjoyed several runs with her and Jake.

There are a few more clients here this week. The numbers tend to build up until the school half term. If you do not have children try to avoid going skiing on the 10th and 17th February. Either come on the 3rd or wait until 24th. The atmosphere is entirely different during half term. The slopes are very crowded and the bars have children in them in the early evening and are very quiet at night. There are very few young single people in the resort during than period, except for a few groups of teachers.

We could do with some new snow or a few cold days so that we can make some.
On Friday we had a very successful Burns Supper in the HOTEL PALARINE. The dinner was fully booked and some others arrived for the dancing and poetry. Stuart, our convivial barman gave a spirited rendering of Burns’“The Henpecked Husband”. The Burns Party at the RED X BAR, was much quieter, which made the dancing much more comfortable. Those that did attend enjoyed their evening and I was grateful for a fairly early end to the night.

Number One Report.

This week I have had a group of “advanced beginners” and a few private lessons. This had me thinking, which is best? Group or private lessons? Being in a group is very good for someone on their own. It is a great way to meet other people of a similar level. However to improve your skiing there is no doubt that a private lesson is best. YOU will have the undivided attention of you instructor, rather than it be shared with a dozen others. The speed will be suitable for YOU, not constantly being adjusted to suit the inevitable difference in abilities of 12 people. There is no pressure to keep up with the others, the only objective would be to improve your own standard of skiing.

There was a lovely lady in my group who skied well but lacked confidence in her own ability. She booked a one hour private lesson with my good friend, the very attractive Corrine. The next morning this lady was skiing as well as anyone in the group and not staying at the back, a long distance behind the others. I am positive that it was that one hour lesson with Corrine that totally transformed the lady’s skiing.

I had a private lesson with a client in his 60’s. He had been skiing for some years and had become used to skiing around the mountain safely and enjoying himself. But is parallel turns were a succession of skids. Before the lesson had finished, he was edging his skis and carving his turns instead of skidding.

The choice is yours. You can enjoy the company and fun of a group lesson or if you want to improve you skiing rapidly, go for private lessons. After all it is YOUR holiday, so enjoy yourself.

Number One Report.

We had a nice fall of snow on Friday night and some on a blustery Saturday. Sunday was my day off and when I awoke, there was a bright clear blue sky. I had a quick breakfast and rushed up to the slopes. The snow was light and powdery and there were very few people on the pistes, so I had a great morning’s skiing. All the gullies from the top of the PIC NEGRE were open and we made the most of the quiet slopes. I finished early and went to the HOTEL PALARINE for a late Sunday Lunch. Roast beef and roast pork with all the trimming, washed down with a couple of bottles of Fuller’s London Pride. I felt very pleased with my day and I still had time for a quick “siesta” to refresh me for the evening.

If there are any “Jocks” coming to Arinsal for next week, we have a treat for them. There will be two nights to celebrate the birth of Robert Burns. On Friday the 25th The HOTEL PALARINE will be holding a Burns’ Supper with Haggis , Roast beef, smoked salmon and other Scottish fayre. There will be live music and Scottish country dancing. It is surprising just how many instructors are now expert at “Strip the Willow” and “The Eightsome Reel”. It would only be fair to point out, that they all ski a lot better than they dance!

On Saturday 26th, the RED X bar will hold their long established Burns’ Party. This is a very informal occasion, where people are encouraged to bring finger food to share. Haggis, by it’s nature, does not make good finger food so plates and forks are provided. There is usually wild and energetic dancing, fuelled mainly by Whisky and San Miguel. Last year we had six nationalities dancing in one Eightsome reel. Both nights promise to be great fun.

Last year we held a very successful Burns’ Night in the RED X bar. Two clients, who attended this party are returning this year. Due to a gap in TV production JAKE, who was here with his brother also called JAKE, is going to spend two weeks here to include Burns night. He will arrive on Sunday. His stay will overlap with SPECIAL K “, who is another fan of Burns night. This will be SPECIAL K’s 5th visit to ARINSAL. This remarkable and popular lady has won her ski school race on her 4 previous visits. Can she make it 5 in a row? Watch this space for the answer. This year she is bringing her man on his first ever skiing holiday. The ARINSAL Ski School are excellent at helping first time skiers to enjoy the sport. We all hope that Steve becomes another fan of ARINSAL and will return on many occasions in the future.
ARINSAL has a large amount of clients returning each season. This is particularly the case with our many Irish guests.
Now for some information for our first time visitors;
A frequently asked question is,“What group should I join?
The answer is fairly obvious if you have never put on skis. You go to the beginner’s class.
If you have skied before and when you stand outside the ski school and look to the right, you will see a 4 seat chair lift. If you can safely ski underneath it, you should go to the intermediate groups, where you will be graded and put into a suitable class. In Arinsal we have levels 1, 2 and 3 for intermediate skiers.

The problem group are those people who have skied before but do not feel confident enough to join the intermediate group. They should go to the dry slope/ advanced beginner’s group. This applies to people who have had two hours on a plastic slope or went skiing 35 years ago with the school and anyone in between. I have this group this week. We spend a little time classifying these clients to make 3 or 4 different levels.
Skiing is like falling off a bicycle or eating cucumber. It soon comes back to you.

Number one tells his story for the New Year

New Year weak is now over. I saw the New Year in at the Palarine Hotel. We had a magnificent buffet followed by an inclusive bar and fancy dress party. The hotel helped with the fancy dress and I think that less than half a dozen were not in costume. I wore my infamous Speedos as a beach bum. No one abused the bar, I did not see anyone totally drunk, but then I did not see anyone over 18 totally sober. A great night. I met my morning group at 9-30 am. All 12 were waiting for me. Well done guys. Most of the group were Irish and I think that was a great turn out for New Years day. Wednesday and Thursday brought some welcome snow. On thursday the roads were very slippy. In fact I walked back to my hotel in in my 20 minute walk I saw 4 vehicle (including the ski bus) in various ditches. The skiing on Friday was superb. Fresh snow and a clear blue sky. Absolutely marvellous.