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GROUND FORCE! Guided by Darren, our very own Alan Titchmarsh, we spent Saturday 6th March with our sleeves rolled up surveying the garden at Saffron Walden Youth Hostel. See the full story with pictures! CYHA on the Piste! Six members & ex-members went skiing in Italy for half-term week. Karl & Daryl and 4 friends were joined by Lorna, Dave J, Robert and Chris H at Livigno. Braving potential avalanches and sub-zero temperatures (it was a bracing -17C on our first evening) we showed our paces on the slopes. Well, that is, the paces were a bit variable - none of the Essex 4 had been skiing more recently than 4 years ago..! Snow conditions were perfect for the first few days - fresh deep crunchy snow, and lots of sunshine, wow! Then we had a couple of days of snow - spot the piste weather - and it cleared for our last day, and the ski-school slalom race. Chris H got the Gold for experts, Daryl got Silver for beginners. Wow! Best bits - whizzing down the slopes in gorgeous sunshine, loadsa cheap Italian food, no bum-pinchers, the view of the Alps from 37,000 ft, my lovely ski instructor, and, the day he led us through powder snow in the woods, the sight of one of our class playing dead ants the whole way down. Other notable items - bus traumas, the quiz-night tie-breakers, Karl holding court with all the women in the bar, talent-spotting in Daphnes, the dancers at the nightclub. Lorna We arrived at Lovigno - in the far north of Italy, right next door to Switzerland, after a five hour coach journey past lake Maggiori and increasingly high, dramatic and snowy mountains. It was cold -15 C at 3pm! But it had warmed up, having reached -25 earlier in the week. Most of us had not been skiing for about ten years - or in Lorna's case since1865!, and we were worried that all our hard earned skiing skills had been lost. But we could remember and were soon zooming down the lower slopes as fast and as much out of control as possible. We had 3 days of perfect weather - bright sunshine - followed by a couple of days of snow. Skiing was still possible although skiing in a blizzard on the high peaks with visibility of 3 cm is interesting to say the least! Robert's description of the experience is rather different and involves lots of ****'s! It was great fun. Skiing down wide open snowy pistes - steep enough to be a challenge but not too steep so as to cause complete nervous breakdown - is one of the most exhilarating (and only) sporting thingy I can do, even my usual sporting incompetence cannot stop me! There is nothing quite like bombing down a slope as fast as you dare carving out turn after turn (until you do something wrong and end up in a crumpled heap in a snow drift) Climbing mountains is much easier, and quicker, with a chair lift up and skiing down. You still get the views without the effort! There was a quiz one evening which was won by the Chelmsford contingent who beat Karl's mob by one point as they answered the easy tie breaker - who is taller the Queen or Princess Margaret ? - wrongly. Dave J
Making a Splash I swam like Sharon Davies, Tom & Jim showed off their pecs, Jane looks very appealing in a swimsuit, etc. Best leave it that we were there! - Lorna Swimming was good this evening, though I''m stiffening up now! - Jane Get Well Soon Helen Not to be out-done by Lynn, Helen has managed to break her arm in a gruesome skiing accident! Unfortunately this was on the dry-ski slope in Gloucester, so poor H has had to cancel her hols. Dave thinks this might be the latest in a long line of excuses for not writing his cheques. Anyway, I’m sure we all wish Helen a speedy recovery and look forward to her joining us in Holland. Anti Art Evening A superb evening of messy self expression. I’m still washing the paint out of Dave’s clothes! Lorna Who? Lorna is pleased to announce that she is reverting to her maiden name of Benson. |
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