Åre Ski trip

Hey hey!
Well I have just had a week up north in Åre for a Rotary ski trip. It was lots of fun, and there were about 40 of us exchange students. I took the overnight train up with Jacquelyn, Alana, Natalie and Adele which was cool. The train ride for me was 14 hours plus the 40 min it took driving to the train station from my house.

Alana, Adele and Jaquelyn sitting on a bed on the train

posers in one of the many mirrors through the train, Alana and Natalie

Nat and I
Jacquelyn and I

We arrived at the train station at about 8am and here is the view behind us:

So It was very lovely, snow all around and when we got to the hotel where we were staying you looked out to this...

So it was lovely surroundings. Unfortunatly the beautiful weather you see in this photo above was only for Sunday when we didnt ski! We had a looksie around town during the afternoon and played games in the evening.

Monday, My first day at skiing. We begginners had a lovely instructer. I was so awful at first but got the hang of it after awhile so slowly cruised down a slope with Belinda for that afternoon. Tuesday I did well on a blue slope which I was very happy with and practised zooming and turning down the slopes. We only had ski school monday and tuesday morning so tuesday arvo after lunch I went down a slope with Jacquelyn who is very athletic. Well it was like I was starting all over again! After one particular fall I had a three year old stop beside me and ask me what I was doing with such a snobby voice and then when I told her I was just eating the snow hanging out she zoomed off with a shake of her head and her nose in the air! Jacquelyn was laughing so hard. But it was a great afternoon despite the many slips! thank goodness WE didnt have a camera with us.

Wednesday we drove up to the Åre mountain area, on monday and tuesday we had been skiing in Åre Björnen ( the bear area-bears as in wooden). I went skiing again with JAcquelyn and we decided to pick an easy slope to begin with and jumped on the t-bar to take us up. Well when we got up there we discovered that the signs had been lying and they were actually red and black slopes, the toughest slopes. Jacquelyn wsa even scared. There we were in front of this amazing view...

Freaking out we decided to follow the little slope that all these black and red slopes started from. As in you go along and turn left into your slope. Ngaire joined us as we looked for the easiest to go down. In the end we didnt actually have a choice as the 'path' we were going along turned into the last slope. Here are the results...

Ngaire standing and me in the backround. But where am i? heres a close up:

There I am! What am i doing in those trees when there is all that space on the slope for me?

Oh dear


....Anywho by the time we actually got down the mountain we figured we deserved a wee fika. After all that work who wouldnt need a coffee!

Jacquelyn and Ngaire warming up with our coffee.

So the three of us decided to head back to the meeting area as we were about to race these world champion disabled skiers, so back into our skis etc we went and chose the easy blue slope to cruise down on our way to the meeting. Howeever we ended up on a cross country skiing slope! Not the way back! We had to leave that as it curved around so ended up in a bit of a wood...

Ngaire on the phone to a staff member who couldnt figure out where we were! We got directions by a passer by who said go up the hill turn right and then go up the other hill. Well I think she meant mountain not hill! So we decided to continue with our Adventure by going off pist ( when you go off the slopes and just cruise down your own path) here are some action shots:

We ended up with quite a run going down through the trees however Jacquelyn and I didnt have a so graceful finish!...

I hope you notice that we did actually fall up this hill! Jacquelyn had quite a hike getting a pole back!

Well it turned out that the races were being held on the very mountain that we had spent all morning trying to escape from so Jacquelyn and I followed an easy looking slope to relax and enjoy the skiing. Well it started off well, we were having a great time and it was a good space to practice turning etc while still having a nice speed. Untill we turned a corner. Well I started just going so faster and started freaking out as this turner was coming up and I wanted to slow down. I didnt slow down enough and flew off the track leaving one pole 50 odd metres behind and another about 20 metres behind. I rolled down this little area and finally stopped. Well it took me a long time to stand up and get up the hill i had just fallen down, although you have to remember i was in skis.

trying to get up the hill but kept sliding down! Jacquelyn and I had a great sense of humour and every fall was just hilarious. I had such a wonderful time skiing and although it looks like I didnt really ski so much its not true. I did get a lot of good skiing down its just easier to take photos when you have fallen over!

On the last night Wednesday night, We went to the biggest waterfull in Sweden. It was big.

On the bus ride to the watterfall looking out the window. The mountains in the far distance belong to Norway.



the waterfall

the river.

Alana and I

Alana the Adventurer.

Sonja, Adele, Alana and I beside waterfall

all the kiwi exchange students in swedenPosers in the snow

At this water fall there was also this little ice house. However I will put the photos up later because I dont have them all yet.

Walking back to the bus from the waterfall was beautiful...

I also have a few photos taken during the week at the ski fields etc that i havent put through the writing...

my fave americans, Sonja and Jacquelyn

Jacquelyn and Alana on the buss








pizza

me adele jacquelyn and laura


cool kiwi

lana and laura

jacquelyn and adele

jac and i before skiing





sorefeet =barefeet for me in the snow






resting

mmm lunch yum

Greetings from Åre

busstop.adele checking out her choc in horror

Laura and Kate

massages we found a big pink couch.we sat on it.
Sonja and Jac.

Well Thursday was time to go home and with an earlier train Jac and I looked around town before going to get the bus to the hotel at about 1. Our train wasnt till 3.30 but there was lots to do. however the bus was either early or just didnt show up so after talking to somebody in a shop we discovered that the next bus to take was at 2.20 which we caught easily. At 2.50 we still werent at the hotel but instead going up the mountain, after talking to the bus driver it turned out that the bus didnt actually go to the hotel. hmm funny that as the shopkeeper had been looking at a map/timetable and all. So off the bus we got, with the next bus not untill 3.30 it was time to ring a taxi. The taxi got us to the hotel at about 3.05. We raced around getting packed but had to leave a lot to our lovely kind helpful amazing friends such as returning our skis. After waiting for the taxi to pick us up from the hotel and take us to train station we finally got there at about 3.38 with the train going at 3.42 I went to step on the taxi and slid down instead, ending up seated on the snow with my bags all around me and Jacquelyn laughing very hard. But it didnt matter because we got there! After spending all afternoon worrying etc we were finally there. So on we got onto the train and found our seats no problem, but there were others with the same seat numbers. After the ticket people came they found that our tickets were actually for the train that went on Wednesday not thursday. So consequently we had no bed or seat once we changed trains in Stockholm, for an 8 or 9 hourish train ride. this was our set up..

me and jacquelyn squished in the stairs trying to sleep

sad about our position haha

When I finally arrived in Lund I arrived to see my next train leave because we were 10 min delayed and so the next train wasnt for an hour...

an exhausting trip but all part of the experiance!!! Had great fun in Åre and am very happy here in Sweden. Will put up the pix of the ice igloo place soon.

love julia x