Ski Instructors Report 30th December 2010

I had a great day’s skiing on Christmas day. The slopes were deserted and the sun was shining, on the down side there was a very cold wind blowing. I was skiing with Ian, or more accurately I was going up the lift with him. Ian is training for the Euro Speed Test, so when we set off I would follow him down. He then had a short wait at the bottom, or sometime not so short a wait. We skied the top gullies, which had filled with fresh windblown powder. By the time we had skied a few of the gullies we would go back to the first and the wind had filled in our tracks. It really was a great day. But where were all the people? Surely they could not all be hung over or had decided to eat turkey all day instead of skiing. Whatever they were doing they missed a great day.

One evening Mike, aka Elvis, entertained the guest in the Palarine bar. There were very few British there but quite a few Catalans enjoying a drink after their Chinese Meal. We had the first “Sweet Caroline of the season”. With hindsight I think that it may have been too early. There was a bit of dancing and about midnight I noticed that there were six Catalan children dancing, the eldest about 9 years and the youngest 6. They were well behaved and enjoying themselves. Mike was playing for them and keeping them involved, whilst their parents enjoyed there coffees and brandies. There is such different attitude towards children in bars here than that in Britain.

Mike had an easy evening as we had several quest appearances. Lucy Jones, who was over here from her London Musical Theatre School, gave us a great performance, as did her younger sister, Sophie. Both received a much bigger round of applause than Mike. (What does this tell you? Mike!) There was a surprise performance by Josh Jackson, the 8 year old internationally recognised, Michael Jackson impersonator. It was another most enjoyable evening in the Palarine.

I am posting this report early, as I am seeing in the New Year at the Palarine. The guests are treated to a spectacular Chinese Banquet, followed by a fancy dress party with a free bar. Just in case I do not feel like typing tomorrow I am posting this now. I will, of course, give you all about the party in next week’s report. Well, at least, all the bits that I can remember.

I wish all my reaaders a Very Happy New Year, with lots of great skiing, in perfect powder.

Ski Instructors Report 24th December 2010

I did not send a report last week as I had returned to England for a hospital appointment.  Then my return journey was delayed by three days due to my flight from Gatwick being canceled, this meant that I did not arrive in Arinsal until midnight on Tuesday.  I had a few private lessons for the rest of the week, some of them being my specialty, nervous ladies here with their children. The kids were flying around the mountain, while the mothers were finding it difficult keeping up with their group lesson.  Both my ladies made great progress and said that next year that they would not book group lessons but take private, one to one, lessons instead.  Group lessons can be very good for the social side. Someone on their own will meet other skiers of a similar level and so have someone to ski with after the lesson.  In a small friendly resort like Arinsal, it is inevitable that you will bump into others from your group whilst out in the bars and restaurants.  But if your aim in taking lesson is to improve your skiing, then private lessons are a must.
The Weather on the first two days after my return was a bit too warm and humid but fortunately it turned cold on Christmas Eve. The snow cannons were running, even during the day and the sun was shining.  In fact Friday had great skiing conditions.  I enjoyed several good runs during my free time.  In spite of it being Christmas Week there were very few people in the resort, so I was able to enjoy fairly fast runs on the very quiet pistes.
I was reminded of the quotation that I have often used in the past, A lot more people would come skiing if it was always this quiet.

An Instructors Weekly Report 10 Dec 2010

After a perfect first week, I was slightly disappointed with this week. I still enjoyed my skiing but the weather had warmed up a little and there was more humidity in the snow than the light dry stuff we all enjoyed so much last week. The conditions were not bad but we had been spoiled by perfect snow that we had previously. However the conditions improved when the Spanish left. The weather was brighter and colder and of course, there were less people. I felt sorry for those who had come up for the holiday as they had the worst conditions so far this season.



There were a lot of Spanish in the resort this week. The 6th Dec is a Spanish National holiday and the 8th (as the devout amongst my readers will know), is the Immaculate Conception, major holiday in Andorra and Spain. The Spanish join these two holidays with the nearest weekend and take a ski break.

I thought that I might advise you on other Bank holidays that may affect your visit to Arinsal.



8th Dec. Immaculate Conception. Can be very busy.

25th and 26th Dec. Bank Holidays as in the UK. Can be very busy

1st Jan. Bank Holiday. Sometimes quiet in the mornings as the Andorrans make a big thing of New Year’s Eve.

6th Jan. Epiphany, The three kings, Little Christmas or the last day of Christmas. Bank Holiday. Usually quiet as the Spanish go home to celebrate this at home. There is a big parade the evening before, during which the 3 kings distribute sweets to the children. The traffic can be awful due to the parade.

17th Jan. St Anthony’s Day. A major holiday in Andorra. The council brew up a huge Stew/Soup in public squares and distribute it to the “poor” of the Parish. It may be worth missing an afternoon’s skiing to attend this event. (Bring your own mug, spoon and glass). There is usually free wine and music and cake to finish.

25th Jan. Robert Burns’ birthday. This is not a bank holiday and does not affect skiing but he Palarine usually provides an excellent Burns’ Supper, with Haggis, tatties and neeps. They also serve Cock-a-leekie soup, prime Scottish Roast Beef, smoked salmon, tipsy laird and other sweets from Scotland. This is followed by Scottish dancing in the bar. We start and finish the evening with the ever popular “Strip the Willow”.

17th Mar. St Patrick’s Day Not a Bank Holiday but usually a great night out in the bars. Again the Palarine puts on an Irish evening with Irish dishes, Colcannon, Irish Stew, Bailey’s Cheesecake and many other dishes that I am not familiar with. There is usually live music and a bit of a knees up in the bar. Last year the Derby imported an Irish band for the week and I enjoyed a very lively après ski there. Regular readers may remember my description of last year’s event. The Irish do like to celebrate St. Paddy, especially when away from Ireland.

19th Mar. St Joseph’s Day ( the Father of Jesus). A major holiday in Andorra.

I hope that the above may be of help if you are visiting Arinsal this winter and have to catch the bank. The resort and the ski school are open every day until the end of the season. I have not mentioned Easter as this year it is so late, I think that the travel companies will have stopped before then. One Bank holiday that caught me out, whilst trying to draw out some cash from the bank, is in October; St. Carlos of Bormio, the patron saint of Bankers. Everyone else ignores poor old St. Carlos and carries on as usual but all the banks were shut. I needed the cash so I thought, “What a load of bankers.”

An Instructors Weekly Report 1

The first week of the season has just finished. The snow was fabulous due to the fresh snow

and the very cold weather. We had no clients so I was able to play. There will be another two weeks

before the British groups arrive, so I shall have plenty of time to play with no work. I am reminded

of the old saying “All play and no work makes Jack a poor boy”.

In two weeks, we will be hearing the familiar questions; What is the snow like, Answer, "White, cold and very slippery and “What do you do in the summer?” Answer "Instructors do very similar things to the rest of you. I know that lists make very boring reading. Nevertheless I am going make a list of some of the jobs that instructors do in the Summer: Steel Erector, Electrician, Campsite Manager ,Housewife and mother, Mountain Walk Guide, Barman, Chef, Sound Engineer, Musician, Facilities Manager, Sailing Instructor, Australian Ski Instructor, Geologist (mud logger), Builder's Labourer, Garden site assistant and a Police Pensioner, just to mention a few."

Try to guess which one of the above was your instructor. Wait until the end of the week and ask if you were right. We are looking forward to seeing you all, in two weeks time

Just a post script to my last and final report. I did not ski on the last day of the season although it was a glorious sunny day, I am sure that the snow turned to sluch very early in the day. Instead I went to a birthday celebration lunch for Kevin (Quo Vadis). About 30 of us met in the Palarine for a pre-lunch drink. We then sorted out the drinkers and non drinkers and organised a convoy to the Font D'Arans for a late lunch. Kevin was driven there in style in an open topped Jaguar. The sun shone on us and it was unbelievably hot.

We all enjoyed a fabulous lunch,the food was of the highest quality but I must admit that the service was a bit slow. In fact, we left the restaurant about seven thirty and returned to the Palarine, where we had a bit of a knees up and dance.

I woke up on Monday morning about 8 o'clock feeling slightly tired, I looked out the window to see that it was snowing in the village. The weather can change rapidly in the mountains. The first day the resort is closed and it snowed! Anyone coming to Andorra for a walking holiday may find some of the high routes blocked by snow well into June .Byt he way, if any of you do come here walking, you may find that your guide is my good friend Corinne.

I hope that my weekly reports have given you an insight into the life that one enjoys in a friendly jolly ski resort and that it may convince some of you to visit us in the future.

It always snows in April in Andorra that has been true for the last 26 years that I have been here. This year we had three falls during the first week of April, so we have been enjoying good skiing for the past week. It has been very busy during this week, as a lot of Portuguese arrived and gave work to the Spanish speaking instructors. Some of the English speaking ones left early as they thought that there would be no work for them this week. One is on his way back to Australia for their winter season. We needed you Dingo, have a great season down under.

Now that the season is over, I have been thinking what I shall miss in Arinsal and what I am looking forward to in England. Of course, I will miss the skiing and the great holiday atmosphere in the village. I will miss my many friends that I will not see again until December. I must also mention the tremendous hospitality of all the staff at the Palarine, especially Graham, Maria, Stuart (BBA) and the lovely newcomer, Daniela.. And finally free skiing with my good friend Corinne. What I will NOT miss is the smoky bars. Andorra still permits smoking in bars and restaurants. They will eventually catch up with the rest of Europe, after all they have allowed women to vote since 1970.

Now, for the things that I am looking forward to in England. Firstly, seeing my wife and daughter, Alexandra. A pint of real ale in a smoke free pub.. Seeing this year’s spring flowers. This year they are late appearing in Andorra.. Usually I see crocus, hepatica, grape hyacinths and hellebore before I leave Andorra.

This will be my last report until next season, unless I hear something interesting about Arinsal, before next winter. Bye for now and have a great summer.

Last week I attended an instructor’s refresher course in the nearby resort of Soldeu. This course was both enjoyable and informative. When the course finished, we like many other skiers, decided to go for an “après ski” beer. We went into the Aspen Bar, an ordinary bar but very conveniently situated in the main street. I was shocked to be charged €6 for two bottles of local beer. Back in Arinsal you would have been charged €2-50 for the same round in the Palarine during après ski. Two pints of the same beer on draught would have cost you €3 in Cisco’s and there, they would have offered you free nachos. Soldeu has an extensive ski area and is a much larger village. Many people have said that it is not as friendly as Arinsal. Now I have decided that it is also a lot more expensive.

Enough of me complaining about the price of beer in Soldeu, let me tell you about the great spring skiing that we have been enjoying in Arinsal. The past week has been very warm and sunny. This means that the snow is very slushy by the late afternoon but we have enjoyed great skiing in the mornings and higher up the mountain during the lunch time. We had a fresh fall of snow on the 1st of April and it was a lot colder, so the skiing was great for the whole day. We have very few British skiers in the resort but quite a few Spanish enjoying the Easter holidays.

Next week is the last of the season, and then it is back to England for the summer. I am always sad at the end of the season but I am looking forward to seeing my family again.

It has been very warm this week. I had a morning group from 9 o’clock until noon. This meant that we had the best of the snow. After lunch, I did not go skiing as the snow was very heavy and slushy. There were very few people in the resort so the skiing was exceptionally good. There was a great difference in the level of skiing in my group; this was due to the Monday night pub crawl. On Tuesday morning I only had seven clients. Three others turned up but did not put their skis on, they returned to the hotel, without skiing Two others did not get out of bed until midday. The result of this was that we made great progress with the seven, some had slight hangovers but greatly improved their skiing during the lesson. Usually when this happens, an instructor who has a slow group takes the ones who missed the Tuesday lesson. However this week we have so few groups that all the instructors took their classes up the mountain on the chair lift on Wendesday. Next week I am going to advise my group that should they miss Tuesday’s lesson though drink, I am going to assume that they have left the class. Regular readers will know that I occasionally go out for a drink in the evenings, indeed sometimes until the very late mornings but always turn up for lessons, although sometimes I do not feel 100%. I realise that clients are on holiday and want to enjoy the social life as well as the skiing. They must make their own minds up, to what is more important to them..

One evening this week, I was walking home as usual, when I met Graham and Stuart (BBA) going up to the village. They invited me to have a drink with them. To cut a long short, we visited every bar except one (it had already closed). The point of this story is to point out Stuart’s misfortune. Each time that he has an evening off, his duty next morning is early morning breakfast chef. This means that he has to prepare a cooked breakfast for the hotel guests by 7-45 am

I have just been told that Ryanair is having a very cheap promotion during April. I do not use this airline myself, as I prefer Easyjet to Barcelona, as there is a very good public transport link to Arinsal.. Ryanaair flies to Girona and Reus, neither has good public transport to here but a hire car is an option for two or more people. So if you have the time, come and have a cheap end of season holiday. We close on Sundy11th April.

Music was very much the theme for this week. The Big Snow Festival attracted a lot of skiers and snowboarders. The ones I met seemed a very nice bunch; however I was never around for the 11 pm to 3 am gig at the Surf. I understand that was, (how shall I put it?) very lively

On Wednesday all the bars celebrated the birthday of St. Patrick, The Weightless Astronauts from Galway started the evening in the derby at 5 pm. There was a bit of Irish dancing, (at which I was not very good) then a lot of modern beat and jive (at which I was even worse). I then went to the Quo Vadis where I danced to Mike (aka Elvis) whilst wearing a freebie hat that looked like a pint of Guinness. I was dropped off at the Palarine by my dance partner, the lovely Corinne, about 8-30 pm.. That gave me a very short break to have bath and then enjoy the special Irish dinner provided by the Palarine. After dinner we went into the bar where the ubiquitous Mike had set up his equipment for a special Irish session. We had a few guest singers the beautiful Jackie from Majorca and Mike’s daughter, Lucy. Both these ladies drew much more applause than Mike. I sure we did “Sweet Caroline” somewhere but I cannot remember where or when. We stopped celebrating just before 3 in the morning. It had been a long day but a very enjoyable one.

Next morning my 9 am class had a few absentees, they were Irish and of course, here on holiday to enjoy themselves. Which they thoroughly did...

Tomorrow the 21st we will have a live appearance of Leapy Lee, who I am sure, will sing his biggest hit “Little Arrows”. I will do a report on the event next week.

Now back to the skiing. We had a great week of sunshine with cold snow until the last couple of days when the temperature rose. Then it was typical spring conditions,; firm first thing and soft late in the afternoon. The sun was so strong that one of my group missed a day due to sunburn. She attended hospital for treatment but was able to ski for the remainder of the week, with her face covered. I mention this merely as a warning to anyone coming to Arinsal in March or April, do use a lot of sun cream..

We have very few guests for the next three weeks, so anyone looking for a good deal with any of the hotels should get a bargain.

The weather was the most important feature for this week’s guests. It started to snow lightly on Sunday afternoon just as the guests arrived. It continued through the night and into Monday morning, producing the largest fall of the season. Unfortunately this caused the ski bu to run very late, so some guest and instructors did not arrive until after 10 o’clock. It continued to snow lightly during most of the day. This meant skiing in poor visibility but on great light powdery fresh snow..
Tuesday was very cold, with a bright blue sky., ideal skiing conditions. I had a morning class of advanced beginners, who very much enjoyed the great snow conditions. After my class, I was able to ski down to the village on the black run with Ian, another instructor. Although late in the day we were still able to find some untracked powder. A great day!

It remained cold and bright for the rest of the week so this week’s guests have enjoyed the best week’s conditions of any group this season.. I really enjoyed skiing with my group as they were a really nice bunch.

Next Sunday, the 21st March, the Palarine is hosting a performance by a 60’spp star, whose biggest hit was kept of the number one stop by the Beatles’ “Hey Jude”. . in 1968. Can you name the singer and the song? So if any of you were fans and are coming out next week the performance starts at 9 pm..

There is a music festival in Arinsal starting on 14th and none of us knows what to expect.. I will report ob the festival next week, so watch this space..

Regular readers will have noticed that I did not write a report last week. This was due to the fact that I returned to England for an appointment with an eye specialist. You will pleased to hear that hopefully, I do not have to see him for 3 months.

I returned in time for work on Thursday, obviously I did not have a group but had several private lessons on Thursday and Friday. The first was with a guy who dropped out of his group lesson on Monday. At the end of our hour, a girl from his party saw him ski and was so impressed with the improvement, that she immediately booked a private lesson with me. She recommended me to a friend after we had finished our lesson. I mention this piece of self praise to highlight the advantage of private lessons over group lessons for those who want to improve their skiing. Group lessons are great for the social side but learning is slower.

My week ended with a great evening in the Bambu restaurant in the Palarine. Fourteen Catalan ladies had booked a table for a birthday celebration.. Graham had arranged for Mike (Elvis) to entertain them. In true Catalan fashion they arrived for their dinner about ten thirty. I popped into the Bambu bar for a night cap around eleven and the ladies were enjoying their first course. There was only one other table occupied and on this table were six other young ladies. I noticed that in the bar, apart from twenty young ladies, there was only Mike, myself and a fellow Scottish lounge lizard. The male members of staff served the ladies with their usual quiet efficiency. I may be wrong but I thought that Stuart (BBA), when not actually serving, was hiding in the kitchen for his own personal safety. Whilst the ladies were not dancing on the tables, they were dancing on their chairs and singing into Mike’s mike. We ended the evening with a hectic but chaotic version of “Sweet Caroline”. (A particular favourite of mine.)

The number of people expected in Ski school next week is low. That means low wages but more time to play. We can’t have everything.

Half Term Week Arinsal

I am so glad that half term week is over. I feel so sorry for the many families who have paid top price and received, perhaps the poorest service of the season. This week I had to take two groups and the classes were quite large due to the number of clients booked into ski school.

I noticed that there was a rush for breakfast and that the dining room was very crowded. The staff coped well with the extra numbers. Indeed they even added blackpudding and hash browns to the breakfast menu. Then after breakfast there was a queue for the ski bus. When they arrived at the telecabine there was a queue to get on. The hire shop and yet another queue, however most of our guests got their equipment the previous evening. After the lesson there was a huge queue or the bars and restaurant. I usually advise the clients to go back to the village where they will find a good selection of bars serving quick lunches. This week a lot of the families took my advice after their experience on Monday.

In the early evenings there were a lot of people watching videos of their classes.. But of course, the footage was very much shorter than on other weeks as the camera men rushed around trying to catch all the extra classes. The evenings were very much quieter than usual. So much so, I was in bed every night by midnight, except one, when mike was singing in the Palarine. (That is another story).

I realise that this is the only week that families with school age children can come skiing in February but I feel very sorry that due to the sheer numbers, we cannot deliver the service that we want to provide. I hope that they were not disappointed and that they may be able to visit us during a much quieter period when we can make their holiday a much more pleasant experience.

The weather was the main feature for this week’s guests. We had perfect skiing conditions on Sunday and Saturday but the period in-between was very mixed. It varied from mild and overcast to windy and very cold (-27) to a blizzard. On the windy day the lifts at the top of the resort were closed. This left the beginners area and the green El Cortal open. Thankfully, the run down to the village (Les Marrades) had been widened during the summer. Snow cannons had been installed so this run is open practically all season. On the windy day I was able to take my class down this run several times. As it runs between the tree it was fairly sheltered from the wind. I think that the group enjoyed their morning, in spite of the weather.

Next week is the schools’ half term. This is the busiest and most expensive week of the season.. The price of a week’s stay in one hotel drops by £400, the week following half term. There must be a strong case for staggering half term ,to stop this appalling rip off of families with school age children.

Everywhere is crowded and the atmosphere in the bars and restaurants is totally different during half term week. I am always glad when this week is over..

My luck is definitely in this year. I had a wonderful group yet again. The men were of mixed ages; father and son, grandfather and grandson and Mike, aka Elvis, a local entertainer, of indeterminate years. The ladies were all lovely and liked to party. Some of them would have had a quicker time in the slalom race if they had enjoyed themselves just a little less in the evenings. They had a great time and I very much enjoyed their company.

I would like to mention one young lady, Debra, who arrived in the resort on Saturday and so was able to have a private lesson with me on Sunday. We progressed so well on the beginners’ lift that she was able to join my intermediate (1) on Monday morning. This returns me to one of my favourite topics; private or group lessons? There is absolutely no doubt that progression is much faster with private lesson.. This week I had private lessons with two separate ladies, who were very timid and tense. They both would have hated the pressure and competitiveness of a group lesson.. I honestly believe that they made great progress during their lessons. I am not against joining a collective class. It is ideal for some people. It gives you the opportunity to meet lots of other people and as Arinsal is a small and friendly resort, there is a huge chance that you will meet other class members in the evening. This all makes for a great social life.

Earlier in the week I was involved in m impromptu Malt Whisky tasting session, hosted by Graham at the Palarine. Stuart (BBA) sadly missed this event as he was enjoying one of his many evenings off. We are considering organising a tutored Malt Whisky Tasting Evening in March, when we will taste six classic malts. However, I am reminded of an old Scottish saying regarding whisky:

ONE is fine,
TWO is too many, but
THREE is never enough.

I was fortunate again to have another very jolly group this week. They all appeared to enjoy their skiing and the holiday. Some spoke of returning. Their week was rounded off with a fresh fall of snow on Friday night with more during the following day.

On Tuesday two ladies in the group told me, that they thought that they were slowing down the group and would like to be put in another class. During a coffee stop I met an instructor, who had the next class down from me. He readily accepted my two pretty ladies and offered me one of his own, in return, as she was skiing slightly faster than the rest of his group. The following morning my two ladies were back, saying that the other class was slow for them and my group was too fast for them. There is a very easy solution to this problem;. a private lesson.. Both accepted my advice and booked a one hour lesson with Marcus. As the price is the same for one or two people they shared the cost. The result was that they rejoined my class and were able to keep pace with the others.

Monday 25th was of course Burns Night. The Palarine provided excellent Scottish food, including haggis. We had six nationalities dancing Strip the Willow. Mike Jones, the entertainer sang a memorable medley of Elvis songs played in the traditional Scottish style, a great night..

Each year the instructors hold a Burns Party on the Saturday following the 25th. This year we held it in Bogart’s Bar in the Princessa Park. We had very few people at the agreed start time. In fact, at 8-15 pm , we had insufficient ladies for a Strip the Willow. I was forced tto improvise by borrowing one of the bar staff to be the fourth lady. This delightful Spanish lady said that she enjoyed the dance, or did she just prefer this to working behind the bar. Who knows? The evening improved with time and the last dance had 20 dancers. I did not count the Nationalities but I saw Argentineans, Australians, French, Spanish, Swedish and some South Africans. You do not have to be Scottish to enjoy Scottish Country Dancing..



Perhaps I shall get more skiing next week and a little less social life.

I have enjoyed a week of good weather and great company . We had a small overnight fall of snow otherwise the weather was good. I had a beginners group. All twelve were Irish (2 from N.I. and 10 from the Republic. We enjoyed our time on the slopes and met in the evenings to watch ourselves on video, in several bars. Sometimes, the videos were hilarious and other times educational. We had one casualty; Paddy (a great character) injured his knee but was talking about returning next season.

On Wednesday night, we enjoyed a late night Karaoke session in the Derby. I am sorry to report that out of my 12 strong backing group, only 4 made it to the slopes on Thursday morning. (Well it is their holiday; they can do what they want.) I had good attendance for the Friday morning Slalom race. Won by Stephen, who loved skiing from the very first day.

I am going to finish with a Mark Twain quotation (I don’t know why);

“Go to heaven for the climate, hell for the company.”

Burns Night

Regular readers will have noticed that I did not post a report last week. This is due to the fact that I had to return to the U.K. for some medical treatment for A.R.M.D. I returned to Arinsal last night, so on Sunday morning I had a great time skiing. The light was flat in the morning but brightened up in the afternoon. The snow was great all day.

It made a nice change to be back home to see my family during the winter. The weather was awful, so in many ways I was glad to be back in Arinsal. I did manage to get a couple of games of badminton during my visit. Two of our mature but fit members are going skiing next week and this made me think of one of things that I keep repeating. Do some exercise before coming skiing. It is often the unfit person who picks up a niggling little injury during their holiday. Enough of my lecturing, now for the commercial;

A week tomorrow (25th), will be Robert Burns’s’ 251st birthday. The Palrine will be holding a Burns Supper with fine Scottish food, including Haggis, Tatties and Neeps. We then have some Scottish Country dancing, a little poetry and modern live music. It promises to be a great evening. For the less sophisticate holidaymaker we hope to hold a Burns party in Bogart’s Bar in the Princess Park Hotel on Saturday 30th. This is a similar night to the Palarine’s but with a lot less food and a lot more drink, This event is popular with the ski instructors, as we can usually rest on Sundays after Mass, whilst all you nice people are travelling to Arinsal.. So if there are any Jocks visiting that week. Bring your kilt.

Happy New Year.

The weather this week has been very changeable. We have had wind rain and snow. The temperature has varied from warm to very cold. This week the New Year’s Eve party was the big social occasion. All the usual bars, El Cau, el Moli Quo Vadis , el Derbi and Cisco’s had very successful parties. I chose to stay in my hotel, The Palarine, which had a special Chinese Dinner and fancy dress party with free drinks.

I was surprised how many people had made a great effort to dress up. Stuart (BBA) was an unmistakeable Freddie Mercury I made a feeble attempt to dress as a pirate. There were several other pirates, all better than me. Paul, the barman looked splendid in a Johnny Depp costume. I concluded, that with so many great pirate costumes around that I could not be Captain Blood but merely Roger the Cabin Boy.

The ladies looked lovely. Fiona was magnificent in her nurse’s costume. Due to N.H.S. cuts, there was very little material in her nurse’s uniform, so one could quite clearly see the colour of her bra, pants and suspenders.(red, by the way) Jane, a lovely local lady, looked delicious in her Bunny Girl outfit. Jane and I had the first dance to get the party moving. Well, Jane is 3 inches taller than me. She was wearing boots with 3 inch heels and of course, bunny ears. This meant that every time I attempted to twirl her, my rather short arms knocked off her bunny girl ears. Jane then had to bend down to pick up her ears; this gave a lovely view of her beautiful cottontail.

There were just too many stunning ladies to mention them all. I had one very pleasant dance with Bubbles DeVere from Little Britain.. I happened to notice that a curvaceous lady had a rude comment on the back of her Anne Summers’ knickers. I won’t repeat it to avoid upsetting the more sensitive readers.

Just after midnight it started to snow quite heavily, so the conga ended up in the street, followed by the inevitable snow ball fight. Ladies with an exposed cleavage became very obvious targets.

I left the party to get just over three hours sleep as I had a class at 9 am. Only 4 out of 11 of my group arrived at 9 o’clock. Well done to Rhian, Dave, Noel and Sam. At my first prearranged coffee stop I was joined by five more of the class. In the end only two of my class did not make it to the mountain on New Years Day.

Overall I think that it was a very succesful week.