Monday 28 February 2011

Claut? Thought that was a smack around the ear...

I have just had the most humbling week of my life.
When Cat & Di said "yes" back in the Autumn we were, to be perfectly honest, completely naive about what we were letting ourselves in for.
As Es quickly pointed out, "the clue is in the title".

Imagine a sheltland pony lining up on the start line of the Grand National - that is what Di & Catrin felt like...

Catrin literally did compete in her lightweight ski touring equipment, which isn't very light when you compare it to race kit.

Di made Catrin buy her a pair of race boots as
she was driving around the Alps so that she wouldn't have to race in her conventional ski boots (i.e. the diva's!) and then Di managed to borrow Lou's ski's which were lighter (but still heavy) than Catrin's.  This is where you are very grateful that you did learn to ski on very long, straight ski's and leather boots some 30+ years ago - there was alot of digging deep into the memory bank.

We had absolutely no idea what a transistion was (but we do now, having had the crash course from Gabby) and it is amazing what you can do with a coat hanger to improvise a race rucksack.

We came last in everything, but I suppose someone has to, but sometimes you just have to make the most of a very humbling experience.

Having dragged the bottom lip around after the first day, I have properly pulled up my man-suit and fully embraced the concept of racing ...

Saturday 26 February 2011

Another chapter for the book

From Claut, the British Women's Ski Mountaineering Team are returning back to the UK.

A week of eating pasta, skinning, eating pasta, skiing, eating pasta, getting transitions wrong, eating pasta, getting transistions right, eating pasta, wearing very heavy equipment, eating pasta and generally having a giggle along the way.

The girls joined the boys and created Team GB and came in an impressive 12th in the National Ranking - seriously, WE DID!

Photo's [still] downloading .....


Friday 18 February 2011

The time has arrived

...and from around various parts of Europe, Team GB are heading to Venice today to compete in the World Champs.

Wish us luck and thank you for all the support that we have received.

Wednesday 16 February 2011

The history classroom

I have so many balls in the air at present, something has to give. 


Yesterday, things gave.

#1 I forgot my flask
#2 I forgot my wallet
#3 I forgot ALL the icescrews

Heather tried to make my feel somewhat better as she left her boot outside overnight which prompty filled up with water.

It was amazing we got anything done.

With the 60th Anniversary of the Lancaster crash high on Fuselage Gully, and fond childhood memories by Heather, the girls went for a history lesson.

Today was not about climbing hard grades, but having an uber classic day on a rather stellar day.