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.