i didn't break a leg

without our international resident cards, our medical cover can't kick in.  yet despite this fact, Fathead and i threw caution to the wind (well, okay ... truth be told i threatened him with horror stories of how we would be bankrupt if either one of us ended up needing medical assistance) ... and decided to try our hand at snow skiing.

we woke bright and early this morning (okay, again ... if the truth is to be told, our alarm was set for bright and early.  we woke late and panicked).  jumped into a taxi, and then onto a bus and off we set for the great white slopes in a town i still do not know the name of.

the before shot: Fathead, monica (aussie-korean), ian-"with-one-I" (canadian), maya (welsh), me (festive)

Fathead's virginal ski

... annoyingly, he has a natural talent for this kind of thing and not three hours into it, braved this little hill:

i however, did not - and chose to preserve my limbs (for fear of snappage).  it was surprisingly easy, actually.  especially considering the fact that we chose not to splash out on an instructor.   all self-taught i tell you.  hey?!  how impressed are you?

 

it was amazing how hot it got up on the slopes.  possibly a result of physical exertion - as we also chose to save the expense of lift-passes, so instead of hopping on and off the ski-lifts, we had to hike back up the slope post every decent - ski's and poles flailing about as we stumbled up the snowy incline in grip-resisted "shoes".

i use the word "shoes" rather loosely here - as actually they were indestructible straight-jackets for your feet.  houdini couldn't have escaped these bad boys.  and they would have made chuck norris cry in pain.  believe me.  i will be for a least another week.

by the end of the day, our feet had turned blue (not from the cold, but as a result of being in the torture shoe-mbers).

we were absolutely exhausted.
we were freezing and blistered.
and we could ski.