Ski
Trip 2002
School ski-trip Diary
21st
March
Today
was our final day on Ehrwald Alm. And it was also my birthday.
I got up and went downstairs where people wished me a happy birthday
and sang it a couple more times as I sat down to have breakfast.
I didn't mind. I hadn't expected anything. Breakfast as usual,
but a sweet dessert afterwards. I got 16 kisses, oh yeah! Not
bad. We got on the bus after getting ready as usual, when we saw
Florian the second group's trainer stop us and say that his group
were not going to Ehrwald Alm today, instead they were going to
a separate one called Lermoos. We left them at the village where
they had to get a second bus in order to get to Lermoos, and continued
on to Ehrwald Alm. Three days of rain had melted and thawed out
much of the snow and it was not as good skiing there as it had
been on the other two days. However, after lunch things brightened
up when we were let off in small groups and at one stage I was
with Mr. McCrohan in the half pipe for the first and last time.
It was actually more a third pipe really because of the thawing,
but it was cool anyway. I was the only one apart from McCrohan
who rocketed down the side of it without falling (Though I did
the first time) and got a sense of achievement to finish the day
off with.
After it was all over we took the bus to Lermoos to meet up with
the others and found that it had snowed properly over there and
that the snow had been "brilliant". Damn second group
I thought. They had also been down a black slope! We all hung
around in the "Apres-Ski" bar and ordered a couple of
drinks (soft drinks). There was some sort of disco light set up
and low and behold, didn't they get my name called out by the
D.J. Next began a sort of party for the end of the lessons (we
would still ski the following day but our tutoring was over) during
which we all danced around and Walter the Ski Instructor got up
on a table and led us all in the "Makerina" It was good
and the long haired hippy D.J. gave me a free poster on account
of it being my birthday. I tell you I was really getting spoilt.
They also brought out this sparkler thing in a bun and all sang
Happy Birthday again. It was a weird sensation dancing in Ski
boots but all in all my Apres-Ski birthday/end of lessons party
was highly enjoyable.
Went back to the hotel for dinner, which consisted of a soup,
a main course and dessert, followed by yet another birthday surprise.
They had gotten me, on the request of mum, a lovely chocolate
cake with "Happy Birthday Shane Sibble" written on it
in white icing. I also got a blue "Tiroler-Zugspitz"
T-shirt and, unbelievably, 75 Euros from 13 of the others! I couldn't
believe it! Each of them gave me five Euros or more and it amounted
to that. Plus, mum left me Fifty Euros in a card! I was stinking
rich that day I could tell you!
That evening we went out late to this place in town where Hubert
the advanced Ski Instructor was in a band. There was loud music,
lots of people, a pool table, a fuseball table that ate your money
consistently and one of those air hockey tables.
At the end of the evening Ciarnan, who had won the talent show
earlier in the week playing one of his own composed tunes on the
guitar, got up on the stage and played his party piece again.
It was cool, and even though he was a third year, you had to admire
him. And so ended my birthday, and it was brilliant.
