The more I travel the more I’ve learned – a vacation just isn’t a vacation unless you mix it with a bit of adventure and a small amount of mishap. An excursion off of the road most travelled, a stop in a little known inn, a visit with a couple who doesn’t speak your language, a small misfortune here and there (I lost the only set of keys to a rental car one time – in Croatia!), even a sleepover on the floor in a European airport (yes we did that two years ago) – it’s all good and it all certainly makes the trip more memorable and in my experience, much more enjoyable.
A few weeks ago my husband and I had the opportunity to travel with nearly fifty ski patrollers to Europe for a ski trip. We hooked up with several of the most excellent skiers in our group and spent an incredible several days creating one adventure after another. The mishaps that befell our small band of skiers, and the various excursions we embarked upon were not only memorable to us, but worth telling to you all. And, just in case you’re one of those members – I have changed the names to protect the innocent (or maybe it’s the guilty?).
Taking a Break in Parsenn
The tone of the group was set on our first day in Davos, Switzerland. After our leader scored a great deal on tickets we all headed up the tram for a brief introduction to the area by the local ski patrol. We lost our first member before we even hit the lift. “Nancy” went in to use the bathroom, missed the tram, and we didn’t see her again until dinner that evening. At the top of the lift our second mishap occurred. My husband, who took German in Junior High School, walked into and used the women’s restroom. He discovered his mistake when a couple of women entered while he was standing at the toilet; stall wide open, taking care of business. Later my husband and I made a sorry attempt to ride the T-Bar. I’m 5’ 1” he’s 5’ 11” – the bar does not hit our backsides with any kind of equilibrium! We made a T-Bar riding plan after that. The final error from our little band of ne’er do-wells occurred on a visit to the Davos Avalanche Institute later that afternoon. It was during a presentation about snow crystals when a buddy of ours (we’ll call him Randy) dropped and broke their one and only model of that particular kind of crystal formation. Needless to say a good night’s sleep was in order for all of us.
Day number two rolled around. We all filled our bellies with morning goodies and jumped on the bus to head up to the ski area known as Parsenn. The group we ventured off with were, like us, not much for skiing the groomed runs. Luckily in Europe – you’re responsible for yourself and you ski where you want. We spent the day seeking powder, untracked area, steep chutes, and anything out of the ordinary. By lunchtime we’d lost “Nancy” again, and we’d lost “Randy” – who we quickly learned was easy to lose.
Choosing a Route
That afternoon our now slightly smaller group had one adventure after the other as we skied more or less without a map and found ourselves in some wonderful out of the way territory. Sadly the last mishap of the day occurred when “Matt” lost his wedding ring in the snow bank behind a train station in a place called Wolfgang. I’m curious to know how that conversation turned out with his wife, who was back in the states tending to business as usual. We had no luck retrieving the ring, and in the end we all decided that come spring some poor young couple who can’t afford their own symbol of love will find it, making their life together a happily-ever-after.
The following days were full of more adventures and additional slip-ups. At one point “Randy” lost his pole down a serious vertical run where it lodged itself into a rather large area of rocks. It was rescued, however, by our group photographer “Max”. On day four “Steve” dropped his glove out of the gondola. Thankfully, being the ever-prepared patroller I am (ha!), I had a non-latex medical glove in my backpack. He skied the next hour or so with his hand covered in blue, until he retrieved the lost glove from the drop site. And at the end of that day? Our wedding ring guy, “Matt”, took off from the top of a chair, hit a hole in the snow, and did one of the most spectacular tumbles of the trip. More than likely he partially dislocated his hip, but being the guy he is, “Matt” declined help from the ski patrol, painfully made his way down to the bar, worked his hip back and forth with a series of deep-knee bends and stretches, and managed to pop it back in. I guarantee you – I would have taken the sled ride!
Spectacular Views
Those are just a few of our stories, or at least the tales I can share for now. Vacations should include adventure, and it is okay if they include a little difficulty now and then. The miscellaneous escapades and occasional bouts of calamity truly do provide some great moments to remember, and some excellent laughs to share among your traveling companions when you get together weeks, months, or even years down the road.
To all of my Ski Flight pals – thanks for the friendships, and of course for the memories!!
Shelley's Sagacious Slants 