Saturday – sunny but cold.
Kurt, Fiona and Jaspers first day, so they have a lazy day. Supermarkets, walk and Outlet Centre. Jaspers in his Chariot. Great pushchair, Wendy will be able to go jogging with Jasper in it.
Picked up a great windproof jacket from Columbia Outlet, only £60.
Sunday – blue bird day.
Take Fiona on the magic carpet for her first day’s skiing. She’s only had a 1 hour taster lesson at Chill Factor, so can’t believe how good she is. Snow plough turns and stops are no problem to her. She’s even linking the turns and traversing no problem. Has good ski control and soon gets bored with the nursery slope.
Meet Wendy and Jasper for lunch on the deck.
My 20 year old rear entry boots are really on their last legs. Nothing’s built to last these 
days. Back is coming loose, strap has come off and interior’s starting to decay.
Call in a few ski shops and try some new ski boots. Every one laughs at my rear entry boots.
End up liking some Technica’s but as the fitter says they’ll be a lot tighter, firmer and more difficult to get into but will improve my skiing – sales talk? Have identified my preferred boots so wait until Tuesday nights block buster sale at Cole Sports.
Jacuzzi in the evening, along with well deserved beer.
Monday – cloudy, very windy and snow. End up getting 7’’.
Fiona’s done that well that Kurt and I take her up to the top of the mountain, 9,250 feet. She’s technically ready for this and can manage good turns and most importantly stop. Came down Home run and then Claim Jumper. Fiona “papped herself” with the wind and slope. Then to add insult to injury a skier skied into her. Had a drink in Snow Hut and then Silver Load to the top again. Wind and snow was worse by now. Skied and walked down to Town Lift in the hope that Fiona could download to PC and I could then pick her up in the car. By now the wind was that bad that Town Lift and Crescent lift were closed. Fiona was exhausted. I flagged down a ski patroller on a snow mobile and they shipped Fiona down on the back of the snow mobile.
A bit of a disastrous day for Fiona, 30 mph wind, snow and being skied into really didn’t help. She’s lost confidence. Sad really because she’s got the ability. Her turns and technique are more than adequate to cope. But it’s all about confidence.
Meet Wendy again for lunch at Payday.
Kurt and Fiona have an afternoon nap so that they’re ready for a trip down Main Street for a meal and some booze. We look after Jasper.
Tuesday – cold, sun and cloud.
Merciful thanks to Chione (a tasty nymph and goddess of snow) for the 7″ of powder. Orgasmic. All gratefully received. And a special thanks to Jasper, shouting for his Dada, Dada, for waking us up at 06:00 so that I’m ready for the onslaught.
Kurt and I get up on the slopes for 8:45 to get a couple of hours skiing in. Two hours, 10 runs, 25 miles and maximum speed of 39 mph. A great mornings skiing. Amazing we manage to get in as much skiing as most tourist manage in a full day.
The it’s back home, change, some lunch and off to Hogle zoo for Jasper. It’s a neat little zoo. Just big enough for a youngster.
There’s want. There’s need. Then there’s reckless endangerment via merchandising with “is there something we can buy?”.
Then it’s back home and I nip down to Cole Sport to join a queue for the opening of the 
ole Sport blockbuster sale. Yes, I actually joined a queue for 20 minutes to buy me new Technica ski boots. $700 boots for $350, that’s 50% off. Well worth the trouble. Takes me 10 minutes to buy the boots I tried on the other day. Organised. That’s how to do it.
It’s good by comfy, old faithful, rear entry (nothing obscene about them) ski boots. For 20 years you’ve served me well, kept me warm, kept me safe and given me months of very comfortable skiing. Let’s hope the new technical marvels are as good.
Hal, Carol and of course Angela come round for dinner. They get to meet Jasper who gets on well with Angela. Have a good dinner and of course some wine.
Wednesday – blue bird day but quite cold that fortunately keeps the snow feeling good.
An early morning, 06:00, just wouldn’t be the same without the Tweenies. I can feel my brain turning to jelly by 08:00. Then of course there’s Thomas The Tank, so much more intellectual.
Fiona’s got over her fear and is ready for some more skiing. Off up to PCMR we all go and Fiona spends an hour on the magic carpet while I go off to break in my new boots, on Jonesys of course. They’re certainly more difficult to get on, tight, firm and less flex than my old slippers.
After an hour Fiona’s ready for the green run First Time and seems to have overcome her fear. She’s doing some great skiing and amazing turns – she is a natural, despite her doubts.
Just look at this picture of a snow board instructor showing 5 year olds how to choose the best place for a siesta on the mountain. “Always choose the narrowest and most inconvenient place and spread yourselves out”. Then we wonder why they grow up with no consideration for others and the skiers code.
Meet Wendy and Jasper for lunch. Then after lunch Fiona does some more runs down First Time and Turtle. I nip up and do a run down Payday. By the time I meet up with Kurt and Fiona again she’s getting pretty tired and legs aching so it’s time for home. She’s doing really well and is technically really ready for Home Run and the top of the mountain.
Jacuzzi time complete with a beer.
EVENING CLASSES FOR MEN!
OPEN TO MEN ONLY – ALL ARE WELCOME
Note: due to the complexity and level of difficulty, each course will accept a maximum of eight participants
The course covers two days, and topics covered in this course include:
DAY ONE
HOW TO FILL ICE CUBE TRAYS – Step by step guide with slide presentation
TOILET ROLLS- DO THEY GROW ON THE HOLDERS? – Roundtable discussion
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN LAUNDRY BASKET & FLOOR – Practising with hamper (Pictures and graphics)
DISHES & SILVERWARE; DO THEY LEVITATE/FLY TO KITCHEN SINK OR DISHWASHER BY THEMSELVES? – Debate among a panel of experts.
REMOTE CONTROL – Losing the remote control – Help line and support groups
LEARNING HOW TO FIND THINGS – Starting with looking in the right place Instead of turning the house upside down while screaming – Open forum
DAY TWO
EMPTY MILK CARTONS; DO THEY BELONG IN THE FRIDGE OR THE BIN? – Group 
discussion and role play
HEALTH WATCH; BRINGING HER FLOWERS IS NOT HARMFUL TO YOUR HEALTH – PowerPoint presentation
REAL MEN ASK FOR DIRECTIONS WHEN LOST – Real life testimonial from the one man who did
IS IT GENETICALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO SIT QUIETLY AS SHE PARALLEL PARKS? – Driving simulation
LIVING WITH ADULTS; BASIC DIFFERENCES BETWEEN YOUR MOTHER AND YOUR WIFE – Online class and role playing
HOW TO BE THE IDEAL SHOPPING COMPANION – Relaxation exercises, meditation and breathing techniques
REMEMBERING IMPORTANT DATES & CALLING WHEN YOU’RE GOING TO BE LATE – Bring your calendar or PDA to class
GETTING OVER IT; LEARNING HOW TO LIVE WITH BEING WRONG ALL THE TIME – Individual counsellors available
