The Skitrip

1

This one's for you dmfoy43

Skiing was something he had never done before but always wanted to learn. How difficult could it be?

It always looked so fun and relaxing just going down a mountain on skis. A little to the left a little to the right, sun in your face. Lovely!

He had a steady income and vacation days. He had no idea what he was waiting for? He asked his friends if they wanted to join him but they couldn't ski or didn't have the time or money. Well, he decided that wouldn't stop him! He could go on a vacation by himself. Why not?

After some googling, he decided that France was the place to go. If he was gonna ski he was gonna do it in style. Styles in Style. He giggled at his own joke.

Further investigation revealed that Courchevel was the skiing paradise in the French Alps. Perfect! He looked at flights first but realized quickly that he would get there by train in a little less than nine hours. He had to take a cab from Moûtiers-Salins-Brides-les-Bai but it was affordable according to the site he visited.

He booked a week's vacation in February and counted the weeks until he could go. He had bought new skis and suitable clothes. He had also booked a cozy-looking lodge close to the ski slopes.

It was a luxurious ski base and he had spent a lot of money on his dream to ski but as soon as he reached his destination he didn't regret a penny he had spent. It was marvelous!

He got settled in his cabin and immediately got dressed to hit the slope. The shoes were heavy and he had no control in carrying his skis but that was an insignificant problem.

He figured that he would learn how to stand on the skis at first, you know, get a feel for it. After falling over once he managed to get up and headed to the children's slope. He better start small.

Harry took his skis off and walked up the hill for a few meters before he got the skis back on. He took a deep breath and turned front. He started to glide down the hill and it felt amazing for a second but then a kid got in the way. He tried to stop but he guessed he hadn't learned the right technique just yet. He ended up throwing himself to the side so he wouldn't run over the kid.

As he was lying in the snow the kid's mum came and screamed at him for almost killing her child. Harry apologized profoundly and took the skis off.

Discouraged he placed the skis in a rack and headed inside the pub and ordered a beer. Who knew skiing would be this difficult?

One beer turned into two and three. He ate some nachos and drank one more beer while he tried to figure out his next move. He should probably hire a ski instructor but that kind of money wasn't in his budget.

When he got up his head was spinning a little. He wasn't drunk but the beers had definitely affected him. He decided that the best approach was just to throw himself in it. If he got up on the top of the big slope he would probably learn how to ski on his way down.

He headed outside and put his skis on. The beers didn't help with his balance but he at least was in good spirits. He could do this!

He managed to get over to the lift and even managed to sit in one. The view was spectacular! He was so busy looking that he almost missed when it was time to get off. His stomach twisted when he got out of the lift. He fell and landed face down in the snow. He hurried to get up before anyone saw him.

It was kind of slippery. When he finally made it to the top of the slope he was scared. This was such a bad idea. What had he been thinking? Well, there was only one way down! He could do this!

He took a deep breath, jabbed the snow with his ski poles, and gave himself a little push. He started to glide down the slope slowly. Hey! This wasn't scary at all. He smiled brightly and tried to simulate a professional skier. Fake it until you make it had always been his motto.

He picked up speed and furrowed his eyebrows. It was going a little too fast. He looked around and tried to see what the other skiers were doing but they just passed him going back and forth on their skis. He guessed there was some kind of technique behind it. Oh, well. He had a lot of ground to practice on before he reached the end of the slope.

His eyes grew wide when he reached the next part of the slope. Suddenly the angle changed and his stomach flipped when the slope steepened significantly.

He let out a shout when he started to go even faster and lost all control. He didn't know what to do! How did he stop?

In front of him, someone was skiing as they were supposed to. Harry gasped.
"Get out of the way!" He shouted.

The man turned his head to look at him but Harry was too close. A second later he crashed right into the guy and closed his eyes when he felt himself flying high in the air. This would hurt.

It did.