Take some (fake?) snow, some ramps, some projection materials, some skiers and a lot of creativity… plus one or two other ingredients… and see what you get! Brilliant!
Saas Fee: SnowPark
- Monday, 04 Jan 2010 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
In 2005, I went to Saas-Fee with Oak Hall, for a full-on week of skiing – it was my birthday that week also, so great fun! I won the ‘Wipeout Award’ twice – I’m not sure if that’s anything to be proud of or not, but I always think if you don’t fall over, you’re not trying hard enough!
Here’s a 10 second video, on an early digital camera, of my first go at the snow bumps – amazingly I got over them all… you can just see me wiping out right at the end.. but I had been told to parallel into the bumps (this was only my 3rd ever week of skiing) – afterwards someone said if you snowplough into them, it’s more controllable!
Tags: Bex Lewis, Skiing, Snowsports
The Snow….
- Friday, 25 Dec 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
Or did we leave it all in the UK?! Snowfall was a bit poor in Lauterbrunnen, and in the Jungfrau region in general, but there was enough to keep everyone happy for the week! I don’t mind – I’m used to skiing on ice, mud, grass – it’s powder that throws me!
Christmas Eve
Having worked like mad this semester, and after several days of heavy cooking… Christmas Eve, I was ready to feel the breeze on my face as I zipped down the slopes…
On the train up to Murren, hopefully en route to the Schilthorn (the famous James Bond black run – which I have done 4 times before, the first time largely head-first, on my back, quite high speed, whilst a friend collected skis/poles, etc. as they flew off, and the 4th time beautifully in deep powder, thanks to the tuition of Sarah!). We’d just dropped a lot of people off at Winteregg, including6-7 base-jumpers – was having a chat with the guy who seemed to be in charge – he said there’s a great jump (if you have sky diving experience) near Winteregg, jumping into a Shooting Range – you just need to ensure that no one’s shooting that day.
OK, if you’re observant, you’ll see that this is Kleine Scheidegg, not Murren, but as the next bit explains… there’s not too many photos of me with skis this week!
Sat in deep snow at a restaurant half-way down a ‘20 minute blue’, after I’d limped down from the top. You know, the only way is down once you get off the chair lift… and my body was past exhaustion and my legs didn’t want to play, way too painful, so 1.5-2 hours later, with some encouragement from others, I made it back to the chairlift , kicked the boot habit, and went back to the hotel for a Hot Chocolate! Incredibly frustrating, especially as there was a chance to ski Christmas Day too (cooks usually only get time for 1 day)
Christmas Day
Ed, ski instructor extraordinaire, looks to be map-drawer extraordinaire also! Good for snowboarders too.
Now that’s what we’re looking for – outlandish costumes on the slopes – or indeed for any extreme sport! “Make sure you don’t slip over” (ha ha ha, oh, ROFL!). I just kept thinking of “Bananas in Pyjamas” (and I’m not even an Aussie!)
Taking a break from the skiing to sing Carols – we had several interested onlookers!
Well, if I’m not skiing, let’s go and eat – if you’ve not tried the Apple Fritters in Brandegg – you’re missing out (they inspired me to get down my first ever blue run on my first ever day’s skiing!). Think it was 5CHF for 3, 7CHF for 3 with sauce, 10CHF for 5 with Vanilla Sauce – pretty filling!
And you may need pretty good eyesight for this one – here’s a paraglider, past the Staubbach Falls!
Extreme Cooking
- Wednesday, 23 Dec 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- 1 Comment
Once we finally got to our destination, it was all systems to go… into this rather ‘cleverly designed’ kitchen, where this week we were cooking for 50 (I think next week they’re cooking for 80, so I got off lightly)… I’ve not cooked on a winter trip before, just camp cooking (which is always bung it all in a big pot and ladle it out!)…, so I felt this qualified as an extreme sport… and meantime from the windows I could see some beautiful snow!
We did the pizzas early – 16 in total – took quite some time (even once we’d found enough trays!) – great upper arm exercise… and some of that flour did make its way into the pizza….
Just one of the small cooking pots – with John – who loves getting out to ski and often works in an outdoor sports centre too… and really knows how to use “the flavourings” in the kitchen:
It’s important to know the opening times, especially when you might need onions for 50…
—————————————–
Thought I’d add a few more…
Christmas Dinner is almost ready, and hoping that Stephen (green t-shirt) is going to write us some info on bouldering – he’s also a snowboard instructor, so maybe we can get some more info out…
Ben asked me to save some of my Chocolate Torte for him – so I saved him an EXTREMELY large piece – which he didn’t quite finish! Ben had done about 5 days of skiing by the end of two weeks and was doing pretty well…
We like to make cake’s for our guest’s birthdays … and Louis was 7, so John pulled together this design based on a red run down the ‘Eiger’ – Louis loved it!
At the end of the week, everything gets deep cleaned… wondering if Tim was taking cleaning the oven a little too far – that’s a little extreme…
And when all the cleaning is done, we sit down with a breakfast of sausage, bacon, scrambled egg & pancakes.. nice!
Extreme Travelling
- Sunday, 20 Dec 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
On December 18th, Bex thought she was heading for the ski haven of Lauterbrunnen in Switzerland, to enjoy some fab snow, and enjoy cooking for 50 over Christmas week, but the journey itself turned out to be very extreme – and when later in the week, Jamiroquai’s ‘Travelling Without Moving‘ came out of iTunes shuffle – that should have been our anthem!
Even getting to Oak Hall’s base in Otford was hairy – this was the car park at Clacket Lane Services. Well, one of my aims is to get onto one of those driving days where they teach you to control the car in dangerous conditions… could definitely have done with that on Friday!
Well, the coach clock is telling the right time – about this time we should have been through the Eurotunnel, but as they seemed to be having some issues (and as we later discovered, many people spent the night trapped in the tunnel without light/food/heat, so was glad wasn’t in there), we decided to head for Dover… Shortly after we thought we’d made a wrong move as we joined a VERY long queue…
The lorry is heading back the wrong way to join Operation Stack (never knew what that was before)… this was an amusing moment, around 9am, Ed Farries, our ski instructor, had slept very well – pulled up his eyemask – and woo-hoo, we’re still in Dover!
12 noon, moved around 2 miles! Why, oh why, didn’t we get the skis out of the trailer and try riding down the rails… maybe it would have been the presence of the Police… to whom we were offering hot coffee and chocolate biscuits as we passed by. Made a change for them from the people yelling at them!
2pm, we’ve moved a little further, and the kids are being amused by Hannah Montana! We finally got on the ferry 5pm, and arrived in Lauterbrunnen around 7.30am, which meant those guests who felt able after 2 nights on the coach were able to ski-up and out… most got out by 10.30am, leaving us free to start cooking…
Really – if we’re talking extreme – that was it… my friend flew back from New Zealand in the same time as it took us to get from Otford to Lauterbrunnen!
Tags: Extreme, Skiing, Travelling
The Korean 24/7 Ski Scene
- Tuesday, 24 Nov 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
“Hilarious vid that made me laugh out loud. John Symms heads to Asia to take a look into the emerging freeski scene in South Korea. XDragon and his X-Crew show off their outfits, cuisine, and passion for the sport at ski area that’s open 24/7. If this episode doesn’t make you smile, you need a new sport. Definitely worth a look see.”
Thanks to Doglotion.
Downhill Skiing (in HD)
- Saturday, 31 Oct 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
THE THIN LINE: Life on the Edge – HD Trailer from VOOM HD on Vimeo.
Here’s a video for the passionate downhill skier – Super. G (Super Giant Slalom) – a pure adrenaline rush in downhill skiing by master athletes (via Highball Blog).
British Ski and Board Show (31st October-1st November)
- Wednesday, 28 Oct 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
“Get ready for the British Ski + Board Show 2009 at the NEC Birmingham. Whether you’re looking for the thrills and spills of spectacular freestyle aerial displays, or hunting for some amazing deals on ski holidays, checking out the latest ski and board kit, learning about survival in the most extreme of conditions, looking to learn some new techniques on the practice slope, or simply looking for a fun day out – we’re sure you’ll find it all at this year’s British Ski + Board Show.”
More Information?
Comfortable Snowboots?
- Saturday, 24 Oct 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
Is there such a thing as a comfortable ski boot? I haven’t yet found one, although I spent around £400 total on my boots (shell, liners, battery-operated heaters – which only seem to work with disposable batteries!), as I was so fed up of it taking so long to find a pair of ski boots I could manage on all day (aside from rear-entry boots, which for some reason always feel more comfortable!).
As the snow-season approaches in Europe, I was curious to read about these custom fit boots available from Salomon (I seem to remember being offered a similar option in 2005, but these are being touted as revolutionary, so I wonder what’s different).
Question?
- Have you purchased these boots, and do they live up to their claims?
- Do you think these boots would be worth the extra money?
- How have you ensured a comfortable boot?
- Would you buy your boots before you go or in resort?
Metro Ski & Snowboard Show
- Friday, 16 Oct 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
Snow is in the Air…
We can feel it coming…, as can the Metro:
“Returning to London Olympia next month, the show is crammed with classic attractions from past years alongside plenty of new additions for 2009. London will get a dose of the white stuff a little early as Olympia is transformed into a winter wonderland, courtesy of Dare 2b who are filling the venue with ten tonnes of real snow.
Join in an attempt to set a new record for the world’s biggest snowball fight, or opt for a calmer pastime and build yourself a snowman. There will also be an ice rink and the chance to meet a pack of Canadian huskies.
Sound a bit sedate? Don’t worry, this is still the place to witness gravity-defying, heart-stopping stunts from the best of the international ski andsnowboard scenes.
The centrepiece of the show, a 5.5m purpose-built kicker, will see the world’s pro boarders and skiers launching themselves skywards to show off their gnarliest tricks.
On Friday, 24 skiers and snowboarders will battle it out in the final of the British Snow Tour Invitational Championships, pulling out all the stops to impress a panel of industry expert judges.”
Visit the MetroSnow website, including their ‘discounts‘ section.
Skiing in the Streets of San Francisco
- Monday, 05 Oct 2009 in Adrenablog!
- Add a comment
- Feed
- No Comments
I am loving this advert from Audi A4… not too much of a car in sight! Awesomely clever advert, with a skier zooming through the streets of San Francisco, kicking up gravel rather than powder… wonder if anything like that would ever be possible for real!
