In an effort to be just a little more responsible...

I am doing just that. Easing back on the partying for now and stepping up the work enthusiasm. This week is 'week 7' (imagine it being said in a booming and ominous voice). Probably the busiest week of the year with around 200 students starting lessons at one time. Fun! My schedule has been solidly booked so far and I find myself running in and out of the ski school changing from snowboard to ski boots and back again.

I started out with a group of kids on skis. They were a pretty mixed bunch to begin with: I had criers, quitters and star athletes all at once. Over the next couple of days we shifted around and I ended up with just me 8 Danish girls and one Icelander between 8-11 years old. Sweetest little girls you could imagine; can be a little trying at times- some of them are much better than others and some have no patience for waiting around just want to fly down the mountain like maniacs... that and the fact that I can barely understand what they're saying half the time. Good times. We've come along mina sma tjejer and me: tomorrow is our last day. Gonna miss the little maniacs. We try to teach each other Danish/Swedish while we sit on the chair but the conversation seems to inevitably work its way back to toilet talk. The perils of 8 year old Danes I guess... or maybe 25 year old Australians?

In the afternoon I had a snowboard class; quite a big one compared to the usual size... 5 English and 4 Danes; saying everything twice was interesting... kinda fun though. Had some pretty gifted students and secured myself some private lessons later in the week. Teaching certainly has its high points. The smile you put on people's faces when they really get something, the feeling you can share with other people and the connection you can make with others. But then it has it's hard moments; when you simply cannot communicate to someone what they need to be doing; no matter how many different ways you explain it, how many images you create or metaphors you concoct, when you simple cannot help them calm their fear or slow their growing frustrations. Snowboarding is a hard sport in the first few stages, there is a lot of falling over and not a lot of going. As much as you can tell people this in a group situation, they will never stop comparing themselves to the other students.

Things will get easier. At least a little?

Playing Catch-Up

February started out with a road trip down to Ål with the boys. It's a much higher level of skiing there with more difficult and steeper runs. What they failed to tell me was that there were no chair lifts in Ål, only T-Bars. Now while T-Bars are a little slower than chairs, they are no big deal... unless of course you are a snowboarder...

Whereas on skis, the bar sits comfortably under your butt-cheeks, on a snowboard all your weight is supported in one small fleshy spot of your inner-thigh just below your crotch. Sounds lovely doesn't it? The main T-Bar is also one of the longest and steepest in Norway constructed with the kind of engineering genius making similar new constructions illegal today. Awesome.

Despite my whining, it was a fun trip, the weather was cold yet beautiful and I got in some serious boarding. Good times.

This week was full of adventures for me. I had my first adult ski group. Started out with about 14 people and two instructors and on day two we divided up into two groups; I managed to convince Malin to let me take the more advanced skiers which set me up for a fun week. They were all English guests and I managed to have a good laugh with them and they all seemed to really enjoy themselves while getting a lot out of it. My ski instruction skills are coming along nicely...

Gulla's pad (my place) is starting to fill up as we have just welcomed our 9th house mate all the way from the snowy mountains in Australia. Marek knew how to break into the group dynamic as he cracked open a fresh bottle of duty-free Jagermeister to get the evening started. I must remember that trick in future...

My lovely house-mate representative at the ski school sales desk, Filipa, set me up with a full week of private snowboard lessons with an 11 year old kid from Luxembourg. Suddenly the pressure was on and I had to fish around in the mess I call a brain for some French words. Day one was rough but by the end of the week my French was flowing once again- it amazing how it all stays floating around in there somewhere- admittedly from time to time some Swedish words would fly out unexpectedly; but that's to be expected isn't it?

This has also been a pretty solid week of partying. Starting out on Tuesday night with Solfest- marking the day the sun begins to shine on our side of the valley bringing us out of the shadow cast by the mountain that looms above. Free alcohol was flowing all night and as we moved onto the reception at one of the best hotels in Geilo we were treated to a very impressive and ridiculously tasty banquet. Free alcohol kept on flowing and as the stand-up comedian tried to prey on my language weaknesses I fought back with a solid effort and surprisingly coherent retort. A little more free beer and wine and I had the mic in hand and was reeling off pure gold Australian humor. Anyone who has heard the one about the man and his musical octopus knows what I'm talking about. Gold. I did get a few strange looks from my colleges and my colourful language came out- what's a joke without a bit of swearing eh?

Thursday was the ski school's staff party. We started out in the snow with some activities, beer and a barbeque. Blindfolded obstacle courses and cross country races saw the eruption of all kinds of laughter. We then retired to the ice hylla for some more drinks as we were handed some knives and spoons to begin our ice sculptures: we were assigned the task of creating a sculpture and a back story to go along with it. Through sheer coincidence just about all of the groups created a sculpture of one of the more 'character' types on staff: Martin.

The ski school is teeming with instructors at the moment in preparation for the all important weeks 7 and 8 as we are inundated with English and Danish on holiday so as the staff party moved back to Lilla Bla aka Martin's house; we felt our numbers on show. The night got a little hazy as we were not too accustomed to starting drinking at 5 o'clock. The best example of this was my fellow Australian, Clinton's 'walk' home. Enjoy the show:

Click here for the video

I must admit the only thing separating me and Clint here was that he was in front and I was behind the camera. I mean... just what the hell am I saying in the first part of the video?

Keep on rolling Clinton...