Red Mountain 11 Week Ski Instructor Course ‘07 – Week 4
by Rebekah Galligan
We started off week 4 with group instruction on Monday and Tuesday with it dawning on us that it isn’t long until the Level 1 Exam.
For a lucky few Tuesday night was designated for “First Tracks Hut”, (one of the Credit Activities). After lessons, with our back packs full of food, blankets, beers and cards we got the last chair up to the top of Granite Mountain where we found our log home for the night. After sitting by the nice hot fire playing Top Trumps it was time for bed. The following morning we skied down before the lifts open and got fresh tracks all the way!
Wednesday was a day for much needed 1:1 instruction for the 2nd half of the group, it was also the Public Skating evening which was entertaining for both those that had never skated before and those that had! Thursday night Al and Dan did some cross-country skiing under moonlight; out to the Rock Cut Pub where they had “Beer and Wings”.
Skiing on Thursday and Friday was extremely intense, Thursday morning was racing through gates, and Thursday afternoon was time for the “Cliff Dive” (The Cliff being the name of one of Red Mountains double black runs, the name says it all!) along with some other steep and deep double black runs. The next bit of good news was that on our list of runs for Friday was Beer Belly and 3rd Slide (some more double black runs, Whoopee!).
To finish off the week, another Credit Activity; a trip to Nelson. Saturday involved going up to the Whitewater Ski Resort for a ski, and with beautiful sunshine some people finished for a beer earlier than others. Saturday night included food, beer, and rowdy behaviour in the early hours by some in the hostel! Sunday was a much more chilled out day, we travelled to Ainsworth Hot Springs where we soaked in the springs and surrounding caves followed by a late lunch and then a long ride home.
It was a busy week for everyone but it was great fun!
