A Fire and a Bomb scare, My jouneys to France.

I've been fortunate to spend my past two spring seasons in the south of France. Its something I love to do but reflecting on my past travel experiences to get to the Ardeche (which has now included burning train tracks and a bomb scare!) I'm starting to think France doesn't like me....

Rewind a year and after spending one Autumn season in the Ardeche I decided to take on the Spring season. The main difference between the two seasons is the Grand Descent which is included in our spring program. The G.D is a 32km canoeing trip down the Ardeche river with a overnight stay where the students experience sleeping under the stars at one of two designated camp grounds along the river. As my spring and winter seasons were overlapping I had to take some time out from my job in Verbier to join the staff for one week river training. As I sat in the first of many trains the reality of leaving the mountains was settling in but the joy of being back on the water was taking over. It was a relatively long train journey from Switzerland to the south of France but the excitement of working with my college friend Westy and returners from last autumn diminished any boredom I was feeling. That was until the train stopped outside Lyon. The series of events looked something like this. An hour wait outside Lyon to then be told some train tracks were on fire and most trains had been stopped a three hour wait in Lyon where I worrienly counted down the time where I would miss the last bus to the Ardeche. Arriving at the bus station 2hours late where I found a lovely French bus  driver who first laughed when I told him where I needed to go but then rang my boss and arranged a meeting spot where I could be collected! Finally I arrived in the Ardeche 6hours late, everyone was asleep but I had made it!

Fast forward a year and a similar sequence of events happened except when I arrived in Marseille train station the sercerity was ussering us out of the building which was then followed by alarm sounding and a womens voice telling the crowd that was gathering outside to step away from the building in several languages. I had no idea what was going on but later found out there had been a bomb threat and they were checking the building. It took me a total of 19hours to get to my house in Ireland to the Ardeche, I think I'll drive next time!

 

 

6am airport shot ZzzzZzzz....

From mountains to water.

After 10hours of traveling the beautiful sight of Lough Derg was on the horizon, a view that has always been a confirmation I'm officially home.

Although this trip was short in time its importance was much greater. I only realised this on my third night while lying in my bed enjoying the sound of the wind blowing up from the lake. Its an amazing thing to grow up in an area you adore. The smells, the views and the little quirks in its weather pattern, for instance, knowing that a crisp foggy spring morning will bring a beautiful day or watching the rain pass across the lake while standing in sunshine. It started to make me wonder, will I ever be able to become this familiar with another area?

Another special thing about this trip was I finally got to share it Ed, which was very exciting for both of us! I also got to see how big Ali (my brothers husky) has become....which is VERY Big! I finally got to try on some bridesmaid dresses for my sisters big day. And it was all topped off with a well needed haircut, spin on the Rib, seeing my good friends and their expression of 'what the fuck are you doing here' when I walked into the bar (Sorry I should have emailed you guys about my arrival in advance!) and best of all I got to eat some of my mums home made bread! This one week stop off has defiantly made me think differently about where I would like to settle when I'm older and the importance of going back to your routes, however that's a thought for another day.

C xx

Must be love!

I love when you have a moment of true realisation . The type that makes you feel warm and fuzzy inside. This feeling hit me on St.Patricks day while I was surrounded by my friends on the dance floor of Apres. To look around and see them all dressed in green with shamrocks drawn on their faces, green ribbons in their hair and even a green skirt made from recycled Co-op bags, I felt extremely lucky to be surrounded by friends that care and made such a great effort to enjoy this festive day and make me feel at home.

Whether it be Ireland, Africa, Verbier, VC France,Switzerland or York I feel fortunate to have met so many amazing people in the past few years. To make friends who are true to themselves. Friends who share their stories, love and knowledge is such a gracious way, is very inspiring. On top of all this they are both caring and considerate of others. Their passion for life and adventure rubs off on other people creating a vicious yet beautiful cycle.

And even when everything goes wrong and their life gets turned upside down, they continue. Studing French in France, walking alone in Spain or travelling down under. When the road gets tough they keep pushing through cause you guys, my friends, are bloody legends!

Don't get me wrong though I'm also inspired by my friends who are happy and settled at home. Each ans every one of my friends from home have always been amazing hard working people who are driven by their careers, children, passion for baking, being creative, art, sports and studies. I haven't forgotten about you guys. I love you very much, think about you all the time and look forward to having a drink with you all very soon x x

I would like to finish  with one of my favourite quotes of all time by Mr.Gordon himself "Here, I got you a pot of jam.....cause you're a jammy bastered!".

Keep chasing that dream,

All my Love

Clover, Lola, Laura xx

A winter in the mountains

Its hard to believe that I'm already 4months into my winter season, I suppose I haven't written a blog because I don't really know what to include. Maybe its due to the simple fact that this is my second season in Verbier and I would hate to repeat myself but honestly I've had many ups and downs this season but thankfully they have seemed to even each other out.

The season began a lot earlier this year with the first snow falling in early November which meant I got some early snow time in before the season officially started. Felt pretty good being on 25 ski days by the 3rd week of December!! Unfortunately this snow didn't last for long and with spring like weather settling in early December it left a lot of businesses, seasonaires and snow chasers worried of the possibility of a dry winter season. Worst of all this hot spell left us with a weak base which turned out to be the most dangerous snow base that Europe has seen in 15years. When the snow finally arrived in January it was so dangerous that you were continuously taking a massive risk to go off piste.

Although I do love spending Christmas at home I truly believe that this Christmas n Verbier is one I'll never forget. Thankfully there was no repeat of a rotten Turkey on the balcony but it did include a Christmas Eve Casbah dance session, onesies, skiing in a snow storm, one yummy salmon breakfast, a flying tipsy showoff monkey followed by one concussed tank commander, TLC, flowers from Daddy and a lovely VT + friends Christmas dinner.

New years was another brilliant night. Thousands of people gathered in the centre of town to roll in the new year. A DJ played above the crowd in a festival like fashion. Verbier was enclosed in a array of Firework displays and the new year brought a midnight kiss in a champagne shower as the crowds popped their bottles and let it rain champagne. Delightful! I also got my first experience of an English Army party but that's a little fuzzy...

As for New Years day, that was not a pleasant experience......

Blast from the past

A diary entry on my flight to Ireland from Switzerland on the 8th of October 2013 after finishing the Fall 2013 season with VC.....

Here I am again, on yet another Aerlingus flight. High above a blanket of fluffy clouds which appear beautiful from the top however I'm sure they promise rain down under. Its hard to believe I've completed my 4th season with Village camps!!

The Ardeche was as beautiful as ever. The mass floods of inexperienced punters had dwindled down so the river was exceptionally quite compared to last spring.  We also had the advantage of being the only camp still working on the river so we practically had the river to ourselves, which was great! The caving sessions were muddier than ever thanks to Coral, our new secret evening activities went down a treat and a new program was even added which I like to call the "Nations" walk. The flexibility and creativity of our new camp director gives the camp a new and refreshing vibe. With music at meal times, interesting facts of the day and enthusiastic staff members it gives me confidence that the camp will continue to grow and better itself with every season.

As the schools program ran from Monday-Friday we were lucky enough to get the weekends off! This time was usually spent  climbing and going on adventures but for those of us who were in our 20+ week of working with VC this year our weekends primarily included lots of snuggles and cuddles, Disney movies, Bbqs, dinner partys, gary ball,  my fluffy unicorn outfit, floating around the river on a lilo and ALOT of Nutella. Romances blossomed, the groups were fantastic and the craic was mighty.

As we only had three groups our season in the beautiful Ardreche slipped away pretty fast but we still finished with an epic staff party across the water....then in the water!  Fortunately a group of us got an extra weeks work in Sass Fee, Switzerland which meant a number of things; We would get to spend time with the Switz VC crew, we stayed in bedrooms with real walls and best of all we were able to attend the end of season VCstaff party, which was amazing...besides from my duck being stolen that is.....I actually came straight from the party at 3am to the Airport so I'm a little ZzzzZzz. The Sass Valley is so beautiful, I was so happy to be engulfed by the Swiss mountains, to see snow again, to breathe in that fresh mountain air. To be honest being in the mountains makes me feel complete. I'm so excited to move back to Verbier. To see my board, to ride the mountain, make new friends, catch up with old ones! Oh the endless possibilities and it all lays ahead of me. Let the good times roll.

That Little Green Island I Call Home

From Canadian to New Zealand visitors, family weddings, an epic road trip with the amazing three, pre-wedding dress shopping with Jojo, last minute Halloween parties, a forest walk with Jane, tea with Anna, an unexpected yet exciting Skype chat, a barn party, sleep overs, Jamie & Tash time, knitting, tea, tea, more tea, cooking time with myself, family TLC and reunions of all types it was a memorable 4weeks back in Ireland, that little green island I proudly call home.

With a endless amount of great memories made in such a short period of time, I am grateful that my work (yes I do work when I'm abroad, shocking eh!) allows me to go home and spend time with my friends and family.

Now that I finally have time to reflect on my trip I feel graduation deserves a mention. It was a fantastic four days in the west and a lovely way to finish my trip. I have always held my friends very close to my heart, so of course the reunion was a very special time for me as I got to catch up with some of my closest friends who I do tend to miss when I'm away. Unfortunately with some unspoken words and bottled up emotions it was hard to say goodbye this time round. Maybe that could have all been avoided, who knows. The best thing is to move on and hope the people you care about the most know it without being told. I know in my heart we will continue to stay  in touch over the years and miles, as long as they feel the same. That being said if anyone wishes to spend a lot of money on a Swiss ski pass and have amazing skiing holiday get in touch and for those of you who can't come visit, do stay in touch. I'm a big fan of Skype so make sure to add me!

Love to all and remember if you're planning to get a bus on a Sunday check the bus times out ;-)
Laura/Clover x

How to pack for 5months of snow, fun and hard work!

Congratulations, if you’re reading this it means you’re most likely joining the biggest party on the mountains, a winter ski season. Either that or you’re bored on Facebook, saw my post and now you’re checking out my style of writing and If I am in fact suggesting the right things to pack for a winter season! Got you! 

Packing for any trip can be a tedious task to begin with. It can sometimes leave you standing over your bag deciding between two items, asking yourself, “Is this a want or a need!”. Unfortunately with only 20kg of luggage allowance for five months worth of gear you’re going to have to make the compromise with yourself to pack roughly 85% need and 15% want. For instance my unicorn outfit may take up 20% of my suitcase however it is an essential part of my packing therefore making it a Need, trust me it really is! Packing four fleeces, well....that’s more a want.

I found a pretty good packing list online for those who need it and then I've added a couple extras down below.

http://www.powderhounds.com/site/defaultsite/filesystem/documents/trailmaps/things_to_pack.pdf

Top tips for future seasonaires!

•            First piece of advice; BUY YOUR SHIT AT HOME! It’s stupid expensive to buy anything in resorts, I’m talking about 130chfs/110euro for a pair of ski gloves, this bring's me onto my next point.
•            TK-Maxx. If you’re new to winter seasons and you still need to get your gear I would strongly suggest you pop into TK-Maxx and pick up all your winter gear there. Just splash out and get your jacket, pants, gloves, hats, socks etc etc like I said it's going to be about triple the price in any resort so be prepared.
•       Sun screen, lip bam with UV & moisturiser. Your lips and knuckles will crack, your skin will burn and you’ll have one nasty goggle tan if you don’t pack these!
•       Bring flipflops and a pair of shorts! I know it sounds crazy but we were in Bikinis and having BBQ’s by April.
•          You need sunglasses. I saw more sun last winter than I have in my entire life, when it’s not snowing its usually sunny so yes you need your goggles on the mountain but don’t forget to have your sunglasses for walking around town.
•      Sound system. The best thing we had in our apartment were Stefs speakers so If you’re driving out from England or Ireland it’s something to think about.
•          Leggings are great, fit nice and snug into your snow boots! Same goes for skinny jeans. 
•     You need a helmet. I know some people may think helmets aren’t very cool but trust me it  is a necessity.
•       Fancy dress. You may get the opportunity to dress up every couple of weeks however the big nights to look out for is Mardi-Gras and the seasonaire one piece decent so leave a little bit of space in your suitcase for that purple wig and one pieces.
•      Pain killers. Yet another expensive thing in Switzerland. 
•           Hot water bottle, I loved this one! For those colder nights, hangovers, ski pains and when a housemate is a little under the weather.
•      Needle and thread. 

And finally, and most importantly thing.....

• A KICKASS PLAYLIST! Sync your playlist with your skiing buddies, press play at the same time and BOOM Silent disco on the mountain! You’re welcome!

 Stick on some music and get packing.

C x