My first time .... snowboarding

The amazing country, the superb ski resort and the perfect weather.. or so I've been told. Yet I set off at 11:15 on a Friday night, full of expectations and excitement. The destination was Val Thorens in France... My first snowboarding trip and I didn't even have a clue how to snowboard. I am glad I took the risk though, as I had the time of my life.

Once I stepped into the coach, I knew I was in heaven... a bunch of drunk guys where the population of women was less than 1%. What more could one want??? But, I must be getting old as the coach journey wasn't the most comfortable. The night was painful, the neck hurt, not to mention the pain in my butt. I was dreaming about bed. Literally. Nevertheless, the morning arrived swiftly and I got to see the beauty of France in all its glory. I've got to admit, it really is gorgeous. The northern part reminded me of home. It was incredibly flat, just like my beloved Lithuania... And the mountainous part... I was left speechless. I couldn't keep my eyes elsewhere. Was staring at those mountains in the horizon and saving pictures in my head. You know every time I go some place nice, I tell myself I would love to retire there. But those views... fell in love instantly. I not only wish to retire there, I must...

The town of Moûtiers, France

Various places in France on the way to Val Thorens

Skipping the part where we settled down in some "3 star" apartments, I got up to the most stunning views. Feeling the same excitement as I did when we left England, I couldn't wait to start my snowboarding lessons.

I 've got to admit I did really well on my first day. Was slightly impressed myself (...humble brag :D). The instructor was a cute Frenchy. Aren't they all?!!! :D I was surprised by his kindness and that French accent was sometimes a distraction. Yet I managed to learn to snowboard straight and in zigzags down the hill by doing the front lift. At the end of that  lesson I realised that I ain't goofy at all. Once I changed my board to be a regular I felt much more comfortable on it.

Funny how in the evening everyone could tell who the noobies are. My face was so burnt I had to hide it the next day. Can't believe we all managed to burn our faces, being in the freezing mountains. Who would have thought!!! Besides, since I fell on my pretty tushie lost count how many times, I was in quite some pain at night. Some falls were real hard that I could hear my brain screaming, but my enthusiasm didn't fade at all. I waited for the next morning with even greater eagerness.

The following day after learning to master zigzags, the instructor taught me how to do turns and be comfortable leaning forward. I was still having troubles to put the pressure on the front leg, but managed to slide down a long slope several times with just a few falls. Yet my butt hurt so much I was about to reach the point where I wouldn't have felt it at all :D so bought myself some very expensive butt pads. Guess if they helped...

Day 3 went well... Or not. Early in the morning I went on a green slope, which the day before was a walk in the park. I should have listened to a good friend of mine who suggested to avoid slopes too early in the day. It was so icy, I fell, hit my head and lost all my confidence. Started to be afraid of going down the hill, so went back to the beginner's track for the rest of the morning to brush up on my skills and bought myself one of them helmets. Having to relearn everything and getting the confidence back was painful. I was literally fighting with my devils, telling myself that I can do this. I got it back in the end and went on a couple of blue slopes for a reward.

Dan got drunk that night. Poor him, was painful to watch him. So the following morning we left without him. Was doing blue runs all day and found myself feeling so confident that I had to consciously stop speeding :D or else I would have ran off of one those edges :D

It was the day we all went to the top of the world. And the views were stunning... I was at the height of over 3km and felt like nothing else really mattered. The peak of the entire trip was at that altitude. It was the "dream came true" moment and the one to remember forever.

Day by day I was getting much better at snowboarding, leaning on my forward foot more unconsciously, yet I was still putting pressure on my back foot sometimes, especially at the end of making a turn. Glad I didn't fall as much now, only to rest my bones a little :D Did you know that snowboarding is so physical??? :D

Day 5. L'Hermine - my nightmare. That slope is so steep and icy, even the midday sun couldn't do the trick. At one point I was sliding on my butt for what felt like eternity. And then the failed jump where before even doing the jump I hit the snow wall and I'm pretty sure my back bent like 90 degrees... ouch. This was the last full day on the mountains, so we decided to treat ourselves to a little concert. Was really nice to be chilling like that... the gorgeous views, the sun and a good tune.

On the day of departure we only had a few hours on the slopes before checking out of the rooms. I spent them well, mainly on the blue slopes. It actually felt like the right time to be leaving. 5 days of skiing or snowboarding is actually very exhausting. Luckily the holiday ended without broken bones or major injuries. Just a couple of bruises :D

My best moments

6pm, said my goodbyes and left with the hope to come back one day.