Snowboarding Holiday 2012
Hi everyone!
I apologise for being MIA all of last week, I actually went on a little trip to France and had my first ever snowboarding experience! However I’m back now and ready to update you with some exciting reviews! =) I just wanted to share with you a quick post on my first snowboarding holiday 2012!
So we (my boyfriend, our 2 friends and I) departed London on Saturday 14th January for our destination – La Tania. La Tania is a ski resort in Courchevel which is a part of the 3 Valleys in France. This was my first snowboarding holiday so naturally I was very excited and couldn’t wait to get stuck in! We stayed in a lovely Chalet with 8 other guests and had 2 hosts who looked after us throughout our stay.
Our friends who we went on holiday with are skiiers, so my boyfriend and I booked ourselves some lessons in snowboarding since we were complete beginners and didn’t know where to start!
The first lesson was quite intense as we had to learn how to be comfortable with our boards, how to use our ‘Heel-Side Edge’ to go down a slope and how to do a ‘Falling Leaf’ using our Heel-Side Edge! The Heel Side Edge consisted of us going down on our boards and the turns and control was focused in our heels. The Falling Leaf is a technique of which we went down the slope, going from left to right (like a leaf) until we reached the bottom. The lesson lasted 2 hours and was quite tough since it gave our bodies a complete work out and of course the expected tumbles didn’t really help much! When the lesson was over though we spent the rest of the afternoon practising the technique we had just acquired and by the end of the first day, we were on the right track! =)
The second lesson was definitely the hardest one for me as we were taught how to go down a slope using our ‘Toe-Side Edge’. The Toe-Side Edge was like the Heel Side Edge except this time the focus and control was on our Toes. This technique for me was the most difficult as we were facing up the slope, and had to travel downwards with our backs facing the downward slope. I think I just found it particularly challenging because I wasn’t facing the natural direction of travel. Even with practice I was falling over considerably more than the first day and this really wore me out, BUT I wasn’t going to let this defeat me!
So after the 2 lessons, it was time to face the pistes (a marked ski run or path down a mountain for snowboarding/skiing) and we made our way to Courchevel as there were plenty for us to explore. After a short bus journey we made our way to the bubble lifts which would take us further up the mountain and would give us more opportunity to practice our newly developed techniques! Needless to say, the first time we were up on some of the slopes was utterly terrifying. The beginner slope back in La Tania was tiny in comparison to some of the slopes in Courchevel, but it was quite an achievement when we managed to shoot down the hill in less time than expected! We started off on only the ‘Green Runs’ (Jardin Alpin, Bellecôte, Etoiles, Verdons, Renard, Loze Est and La Tania) as they were classified as ‘Very Easy’ but by the end of the holiday we had even braved it down some ‘Blue Runs’ (Crêtes) AND even managed to snowboard back to the chalet one afternoon! =) These Blue Runs are considered easy if you’re more experienced but for us beginners it was more like an intermediate slope as some were particularly winding and lengthy. Unfortunately I didn’t take my camera with me to Courchevel, so these few photos are only from La Tania!
Overall the experience has been amazing and I certainly can’t wait to get back on the slopes to progress further with snowboarding! I’m very proud of what I’ve achieved in such a short amount of time, the bruises and falls were certainly worth it. My boyfriend and I are already planning a trip to the indoor snowboarding/ski centre in the UK so we can keep our techniques up, ready for next year! =)
Have any of you ever tried snowboarding/skiing? Did you enjoy it?
Let me know in a comment below!
Love Sophia xo
Ps: Our friends actually got engaged on this holiday, so I would just like to congratulate them again! Best wishes for the future Kat and Chris! ♥