Ski Instructors Report 6 April 2013

My season is finally over. It has been a great season for snow but not such a good one for weather. At least I was not being constantly asked “Any snow forecast?” on glorious sunny days. These were sadly very few this seasons. My last group was a difficult one, with some wanting the group to travel faster and some wanting it to be slower. As I have often said in these reports, if you want a lesson to be 100% at your pace, book a private lesson. Most of the group were very nice and thoroughly enjoyed the week, in spite of having more snowy days and sunny ones. I was fortunate to meet a lot of friends who were clients in previous seasons. I hope that I may see some of this years’ clients back in the future. I keep meeting lots of friends who return to the Hotel Palarine each year. Arinsal does have a large band of loyal clients, who all seem to enjoy returning this friendly little village. I will say goodbye to anyone reading this and I hope to start these weekly reports in December. In the meantime, “Have a Great Summer.”

Ski Instructors Report 30 March 2013

Last week, I said that I would tell you about the Music Festival. Well, I did not hear much music, i.e. sounds from musical instruments played by musicians. I did hear a lot of sounds produce electronically on a computer, then repeated constantly and left on a loop. This seemed very popular with the 800 young persons who attended the festival. Many stood in rows banging their heads in time to whatever rhythm decided by the knob twirler. It was not my scene. The only music I heard was from the Velvet Blues, who were given an extra gig for the festival. Sadly, the people who attend such events cannot be trusted with sharp objects, so I had to drink my beer from a PLASTIC beaker. The organisers considered the week a great success and are looking forward to holding it again next year. If you are this sort of person who enjoys such events, I would suggest that you book early, as this year’s event sold out very quickly. I was watching the BBC News in my room at the Palarine and heard that the Home Secretary is changing the Border Security agency. This has prompted me to tell you about my experience as an economic migrant. Andorra treats migrants very differently from the U.K. When I am offered work, I have to take my employer’s offer and a clean British Police Report to immigration. Then I am sent for a blood test and medical to make sure that I am not bringing unwanted diseases in to the country. If any young person looks upon his ASBO, as a badge of honour, they may well find themselves being unable to work in a bar or as a ski instructor. On second thoughts, if they have an ASBO, they are more likely to snowboarders rather than skiers. If all goes well, when one starts to work, you will be covered by the Andorra Health Service, AFTER a period of time and have made sufficient contributions. The health service will pay 75% of all medical services or 100% if it is an injury at work. There is no such thing as unemployment benefit. It is a case of work or go home. It is possible to live in Andorra without working. You must prove that you have full private medical insurance and show proof of sufficient income to live on and rather controversially, deposit €30,000 with the Government. This will be returned to you on death or departure from Andorra and have incurred no local debts. I think in some ways Britain could learn something about immigration from Andorra There is only one week left before the resort closes. The weather has been very mild and I am starting to think about returning to England. I have enjoyed this season, which has produced more snow than any other that I can remember.

Ski Instructors Report 28 March 2013

Most of my reports appear to be about the weather. I am only going to say that we are enjoying spring weather at last. Once again I had a very cheerful class of beginners. We all had a great time and four of them came down to the Palarine for the excellent Oriental Buffet and dancing to live music in the bar afterwards. I had several dances with two special friends Anne and C####. When I met up with the second young lady she apologised to me, for falling on top of me whilst dancing. I pointed out that I was dancing with Anne at the time she was dancing with Eric when they fell. Her reply was “Who the hell is Eric.” Apparently both ladies enjoyed there evening out. The festival goers have arrived and the bars were very lively. Sadly I have heard of two fights on Friday night, one was dealt with swiftly by the bar staff but the other one involved the Police. I must point out to prospective troublemakers that the Police here will deal with them very robustly. The best they can hope for is to be escorted to the border and deported. On the other hand, the prison here has lovely views of the mountains. The government here respects law and order and does not agree with the British way of placing the human rights of criminals above the safety and security of the honest citizen. I hope that last night was a one off and that the music festival is a great success and is enjoyed by all who are attending. There are only two more weeks of this season to go.