Arinsal Andorra

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.

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 trees 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 25 th. 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.