Les Arcs Diary - March Week 3

Saturday 18th March

It's a cloudy day but still warm, about eight degrees as I set out. I'm on the Jibber again, but I seem to have lost my mojo. A bad fall jars my shoulder and gives me a bit of head shake, forcing me to retire to the Mont Blanc to watch the rugby. Ralph, who is based in La Tania, turns up after a transfer job. We settle down at the bar with a jug of Amstel whilst keeping an eye on the Wales v France game. The Welsh - me and Baz - are heavilly outnumbered by the French who are, fortunately, quite gracious in victory. As it gets dark I board home to freshen up and eat. Tim and Martin arrive during the evening so we all meet up at Jimmy's for a few drinks after dinner.

Sunday 19th March

While Dave and Debbie are riding the red runs of Vallandry I meet Tim and Martin for a un to Villaroger. I'm back on The Beast, but still jibbing and today all the tricks are coming off. It's the hottest day so far and the pistes are now really soft and great fun. The run down to Villaroger is excellent. Highlight of the day is when we film Marin dropping off the roof of a house, onto a woodshed, dropping off that and riding away. He is about to film me doing it when an elderly French couple ski up and tell us we can't as its their house! The day is spoiled for me when we stop at La Ferme in Villaroger for a late lunch and Martin notices I've broken the toe end of my board. One of my 360 backside buttons has put too much stress on the board causing it to buckle. I've ridden less than four weeks on it so take it back to Twinner. Johan, who sold it to me, is there and promises to call the Burton centre in Annecy in the morning.

Monday 20th March

Tim, Martin and I go cruising and end the day practicing search and rescue with our transcievers, poles and shovels. It's take away pizza around ours in the evening before spending a quiet night in Jimmy's.

Tuesday 21st March

Quiet night or not, it results in a big sleep and Dave wakes me with coffee at 11.00am. just as well as I am having breakfast when I get a call from Dan and Tamsin to say they are on the way over from La Plagne on the Vanoise Express with a couple of friends. They were friends of mine in Tignes when I did my season in 2004, and are out for a week. It is snowing (although very wet snow) and the visibility is terrible so I take them over to Arcs 1600 via Arcs 2000, filming with my helmet camera. After a late lunch at the Arpette we head back to Vallandry, time for a couple of runs through the trees before guiding them back to the Vanoise Express. A top day.

Wednesday 22nd March

I am up at 9.00am and there is bright sunshine burning off the clouds, but they make a comeback as the morning wears on and we get flat light most of the day. No sign of Dave though I eventually wake him up at 10.45 by which time I have had breakfast, serviced the Jibber and captured and edited yesterday's video footage. I even make myself a ham and cheese pancake for lunch whilst waiting for Dave to get ready, and it is 12.15 before we leave for the lift. To say I am a frustrated is somewhat of an understatement. Tim and Martin are on the mountain trying to ride every lift in Les Arcs in a day. I ride with them for a while in Arcs 2000 but racing around gets boring after a while so I head over to Vallandry to find Dave. After a brief foray into the rail park (one attempted rail slide, one fall!) we spend the afternoon jibbing off 69. Renard is a blue with lots of hits off it so we do it over and over. Dave pulls some backside 180s up onto lips and I teach him to do backside 180 buttons. I pull off my first backside 360s jumping onto the piste, the second one is perfect and executed just as Dave is putting his camera away! Cause for a celebratory pint at the Mont Blanc. Dave cooks for everyone tonight, his famous Chicken Maryland, rounding off a good day.