Page 49 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

In the early morning of Saturday 15th December 2018, we dodged the late finishers of CC181’s Commissioning Ball and headed for Gatwick
Airport. After a short flight to Salzburg we jumped into a taxi and made it to the chalet with enough time to pick up the ski kit ready for Sunday morn- ing, and our first day of skiing. So far, everything was running smoothly, and morale was high. Exploring the village of Kaprun, we got to know the area, the shops and the bars, before returning to the chalet and preparing for the first day.
First Day – Eager to hit the slopes, we woke up early on Sunday morning and made sure we were on the first bus to the ski lifts. As it turned out, lessons would start early. Instructor OCdt Langley told us how to carry skis properly when a loose left ski from OCdt Perks almost found its way through the bus shelter window. With temperatures low and visibility poor, we tiptoed our way to the top of the beginner slope. After a quick warning order and with the first drill suc- cessfully demonstrated, we began to slip and slide down the slope, not necessarily on the skis. In a testament to the standard of OCdt Langley and his instruction, by lunchtime we were (more or less) able to control our descent down the beginner slope.
Mid-Week – Progressing from the affectionately named baby blue to the considerably steeper reds was a transition some took in their stride, lit- erally double ejecting out of their skis. Following further drills and nurture from OCdt Langley, our motley crew soon started looking semi-decent,
OCdts White-Overton and Elliot
though we were consistently put in our place by the seriously young people on the slopes – our journey was in full flow.
End Ex – No one thought that we would be tackling black slopes (black mamba is the 4th steepest in Austria) by the end of the week, nor indeed dragging ourselves up the mountain and sliding all the way down in one piece. No one also appreciated how much this new sport would become a part of our lives, but it really did. One thing we all recognised during our final few hours was how lucky we all were to be on this trip ‘working’ and the excellent support from the various organisations who helped with financing the trip and organising kit and transport.
1 meal out: 30 euro. Ski hire: 80 euro. The time of our lives: priceless.
Exercise CARVING CADET
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