Snowboard Master (4-7/06/09)

THURSDAY 4TH JUNE

We’re off to Methven today. Methven is the place where Louise and I are going to be based for about six to eight weeks as we’re going to learn how to snowboard and ski. Due to the fact that Mt. Hutt has had some good early snow Flash said he fancied having a go as he’s a pretty good skier, so we thought we might as well go for a couple of days while we’re passing through. On the way we go over Arthurs Pass again, but this time we don’t see any Kea’s that we shouldn’t feed and I have a slight feeling of regret that my eagerness to feed them may have caused one or two to become slovenly and die.

FRIDAY 5TH JUNE

A very slow day today as we’d missed all two of the busses up to Mt. Hutt and so we had to bum around the town. I did have my first haircut since early March which was done by a girl from Bristol, who just so happens to have gone to school with one of the two people I’d ever spoken to in Methven before today- Small world. In the evening we had a homemade roast dinner and then I built a fire.

SATURDAY 6TH JUNE

We’re all up at 07:00a.m to catch the 09:45a.m bus up the hill to the ski slopes. It’s NZ$26 each to get up in the bus. Hopefully if we’re here for a good part of the season we can get a better price on the bus otherwise we’ll be cutting our snow time dramatically.
On the way up to the mountain Dot near enough has a heart attack as it’s so high up and the roads are windy and it’s windy and there are zero crash barriers. It comes as little consolation to her that the driver has done this for more than twenty years and a bus has so far failed to fall off the edge since the road has been open. Once we’re in and kitted up Flash goes about his day alone somewhere amongst the thousands of advanced level skiers while Louise and I find someone to teach us. In no time we find ourselves in some group lessons and we head our separate ways. I’m being taught by Matt a 26 year old from Christchurch who has been teaching for about three years even though he’s only been snowboarding for a total of five. Maybe it’s true what they say about snowboarding: it doesn’t take you long to get good at it.
The first challenge for me is to get into the leading foot of one of my bindings. Because I wasn’t too sure about which foot I would be leading with, Lyn the Shopkeeper set me up duck i.e. with both feet, toes angled out. It doesn’t take me long to realise that I’ll be more comfortable leading left-footed, which comes as a little bit of a surprise. Before long I’m able to snowboard in a straight line, turn left and right and stop. The only thing is I tend to fall over at will at regular intervals.
After lunch (which is needed) the rest of my group disappear and so I get one-on-one tuition. This helps me to sort out some of my problems and soon I’m off down the slopes on my own, but I’m still falling on my arse. And then the snow comes. This also coincides with the end of my lesson, which means I’m trying to ‘board on my own in heavy snow after only minimal guidance from Matt. I stick with it and manage not to kill myself or break any bones, which I must admit is good going on my part.
On the way down it’s still pissing with snow, and because she can’t see the drop, Dot is fine with the bus journey back into Methven - Weirdo.

SUNDAY 7TH JUNE

An even earlier start today as we get on the 07:45a.m bus. Dot stays at the campsite as she’s going for a hot-air balloon ride, which leaves the rest of us in peace. Somehow the journey takes two hours and so we miss out on an early lesson. The whole place is packed to the rafters with families with small children (all of whom are expert skiers) and school kids. This makes it extremely difficult to practice or learn anything new on my own. With a great deal of effort (due to my aching body- I think I may lose a bit of excess weight doing this) I manage to do a few runs without falling over. Result.
As the day draws on it’s clear that I’m not going to get all that further with my newly acquired skills. I think it’s safe to say that Sundays may well be my day off from this as there are far too many people to safely negotiate. We all head back into Methven t 15:00p.m, and when we get back to the campsite we find that Dot hasn’t been on her balloon ride as it was cancelled due to cloudy skies. Although she waited patiently at the right place from 08:20a.m this morning, no-one came to pick her up. After Lyn from the ski shop phoned them up to find out where they were, apparently they had left a voice mail at 07:00a.m this morning. Maybe that was who rang while we were all getting ready this morning!