More Skiing..

Well after the trip down to the snow with Ross the end of the season was near and I had to wait another 8 or 9 months before the snow again began to fall down in Australia’s Snowy Mountains.  Ross wasn’t really that keen (he’s a bit of a wimp when it comes to sports) so I made plans to go by myself..

I think I’d broken up with another girl at the time (or perhaps it was the same one again?) but I was ‘alone’ once more… I didn’t want to drive all that way down by myself and money wasn’t a terrible problem at the time so I decided to book a trip down for 10 days of skiing flying from Sydney’s KingsfordSmith airport down to the thriving town of Cooma on the threshold of the Snowy Mountains and about 60 kilometres away from Thredbo where I was going to spend my holiday.

I’d bought new “Fischer Cut 70″ skis – 180cm long (as I was an accomplished skier – Not!) – the whole ensemble of clothes and boots etc and my parents drove me down to the airport – which took about 1.5 hrs.  The flight down was just on an hour – waiting around and checking in before take off at least another 1.5hrs  and then the coach trip from Cooma up to Thredbo another 1.5hrs!!  I should have driven!! – Normally at that time in the mid to late 1970′s driving time down to Thredbo from where I lived was around 6 Hrs so I really didn’t save much time and spent alot more in flight costs!

Anyway – I arrived finally and stayed in a well known up market hotel in Thredbo (whose name has now changed and due to memory loss I don’t remember the original)  I was put into a room with another guy who was from South Africa and that was that…  This was well before Snow making had made an appearance at Thredbo and I recall being disappointed at the amount or lack of Snow about the Village… It was visible up the mountain but that appeared to be along way away…I’d been expecting to see it banking against the side of the bus as we travelled up the Alpine Way but alas, that wasn’t the case..

I was booked in for 2 weeks of lessons (well 10 days) and not being too adventurous chose the ‘little bit above beginner’ category…My instructor was an Austrian guy (aren’t they all?) named Bernti who in later years built a large Hotel in Thredbo named – you guess????  ”Berntis”

My skiing improved markedly as I tried to replicate Bernti’s method and examples.. I was king of the Green runs all over the mountain!!  We first started at the top of Merritts – which at that time was the only beginner area at Thredbo and eventually crossed over to ski the ‘Basin’ which was accessible from the top of Mt. Crackenback chair..  This chair by the way – back in those days took about 20 minutes to reach the top – now its a fast detachable Quad and on full speed takes something like 5 or 7 minutes…  Anyway back to the Basin… I remember thinking how hard it was, coming down from the top of the old T Bar (Which is still there) and arriving at the last drop near the base of the T bar where there was always a huge queue of people waiting – (and still is) – The last drop generally had a bunch of moguls on it and rarely did I get down to the lift line without giving the waiting queue some entertainment by falling/crashing at least once on the way down!

The 10 day holiday soon came to an end (in 10 days!) and I caught the coach back down to Cooma for the flight home.. – my ‘trip’ was actually 2 x 5 day holidays put together so I really paid for 2 airfares (in the middle days) for Nothing – not very bright was I??

Waiting for me at Sydney was my Dad who drove me back home and learned of my adventures – not all skiing mind you – My parents  found out that I now had a new girlfriend, I was 20 and she was nearly 30!!  Great for me but my Mum wasn’t terrible impressed!  I remember Mum telling me that my girlfriend was “after young blood”  - I think I replied “she can have it”!!  I’d actually met this girl/woman in one of my group ski lessons with Bernti – we came back to the snow a couple more times  before the relationship disintegrated around Christmas of the same year…

Wait with baited breath until the next action packed installment !!