Its March so it's time to return to Selva in the Dolomites for our annual silver skiers holiday. We have swapped our bus passes for lift passes. I started skiing over 60 years ago! That was before safety bindings, buckle boots, waterproof GORE-TEX fabrics and ski helmets. All skis were made of wood. No Metal or fibreglass. There was no such thing as snowmaking or the grooming of ski slopes. I will have to get over my advancing age and get on with it.
It's another glorious day in the Dolomites. From beginning to end, the hotel Continental was fab. The rooms were very comfortable, the food top-notch and the lift would take you conveniently down to the ski room to get kitted up before hitting the slopes.
I joined ski school with my friends Pauline and Shona and our instructor, Arnold, was a suntanned wizard of the slopes. Amazingly enough, under his tutelage I transformed from apprehensive to black runs within a couple of days. Ending each lesson in a state of exhaustion and exhilaration. My concession to age - calling it quits after the lesson. I ski for the ambience, the mountain air, to step out of a lift and see the view. It's taken me to the top - all I need to do now is get down and following Arnold and the other members of our group (younger than us, of course) was amazing fun. (Our instructor Arnold Senoner came 6th in the Giant Slalom in Adelboden in 1976).
One of the reasons we return to the Dolomites year after year is the amazing scenery. It genuinely is jaw-dropping, and for this trip we were blessed with great weather to enjoy each and every view.
The "boys" skied without us but back in the hotel each evening over a glass of wine we heard about their adventures.
Cheeky bar stools:-
And have you heard the legend of the German Bierstiefel, the "Beer Boot". As much as you try to understand it, drinking from a smelly old boot would just make your beer taste funny. The boys had a helping hand in the shape of a Glass Beer Boot! Apparently as you get towards the bottom of the glass the air rushes into the toe area and the liquid comes straight down.
One day they skied the Hidden Valley. The valley walls to the left are smaller and scattered with frozen waterfalls. The run twists and turns for 7km, creating a mysterious, secret ambience. At the bottom of the trail, you have the option of taking the horse drag, a great experience, where you hold on to ropes pulled by horses as they take you along the flat frozen river bed to the next lift.
And afterwards Phil enjoyed a Calimero. An Italian coffee-based beverage that consists of a warm egg liqueur that is topped with an espresso shot and a generous dollop of whipped cream. The drink is a spin on Bombardino - a classic Italian cocktail that is enjoyed as an apres-ski drink.
What a wonderful holiday.. People tend to be more relaxed and less stressed when bathed in scenic beauty outdoors. Simply being active outdoors made me feel calmer and more relaxed. Exercise releases endorphins in the brain, which makes us feel better. This helps relieve stress. When skiing, I find myself calming down because I can't think of much else. I have to focus on my ski skills only.
"You don't quit skiing because you get old - you get old because you quit skiing"
