It's official: my blog has gone completely "All Ski, All the Time" this week.

Here's Alexa in front of the café at the bottom of the slopes

Mallory took the chairlift today and went on the blue and red runs!

She was VERY pleased with herself!

I even recorded a short film today, but can't figure out how to post it.

Too tired, I guess. Maybe tomorrow..

Yet another astoundingly beautiful day in the French Alps!!!

I spent most of out on what I have christened the "Degu Slope". Why should bunnies have all the fun?

This morning Alexa left behind the easy slopes down below and took the chairlift up to the red and blue slopes. She's skiing like a real pro already!

And Mallory has made huge progress as well. As someone with zero "need for speed", she has never been a lover of roller coasters or any other kind of scary experience that other people think of as "fun". And she really didn't see the point of sliding extremely fast down a hill. But she's a good sport and gave it a chance.

Today, she even abandoned the Degu Slope and started taking the platter lift up. She had been very nervous of the lift, but by the end of the day, she was going on it on her own with no problems.

I had to look up the word for this type of ski lift in English. I only knew it by it's French name: "tire-fesses", which translates as (This is true. I swear.) butt-puller.

Here's a very short video filmed up at Les Haberes. It shows kids using the infamous tire-fesses and gives you a look at the place where I'm spending a lot of my time these days.

At their school back in Africa, the main sports activity for the kids was swimming.
But here in the French Alps, they SKI!

So, the twins' class headed off to their first "classe de neige" today. (That's "snow class" in English. So cute!). The teachers and kids will spend every day this week out on the slopes. Luckily, the slopes are very near by. Just a ten minute drive from the school (and our house!) and you are at a nice little ski resort well-suited to all levels.
The twins, of course, were relegated to the lowest level, as they'd never, ever been on the slopes before.

Oh the shame of it.

Through sheer willpower and the force of extreme vexation, Alexa learned to ski well enough in one day to get her into the next level up.

I got to see all this firsthand, as I was (of course) one of the "helper moms".
As I am strictly a cross-country skier, I couldn't help much with the ski lessons. But I went up to help serve lunch and then stayed out on the bunny slope helping the twins' very pregnant teacher manage the beginner's group. The village school board had said they couldn't afford to pay an actual instructor for the smallest group. Good thinking there.

At least it was a GORGEOUS day and we ended up having lots of fun. Except for the poor teacher, who looked absolutely exhausted by the end...