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

Morzine

Although I had less than two weeks in Ireland I decided to cut this even shorter to visit my adorable brother in Morzine, France before heading back to the Ardeche. The first 3hours of my trip set a great tone for the remainder of the travels. The original plan was to meet Willow in the airport (who was due to land a hour after me) and hop on a train straight to Morzine. However not only did I catch up with a Verbier snow buddy who was working for a airport transfer company, to my surprise I randomly bumped into a flustered Danielle in Geneva train ticket office! I had been working with Dani all summer in York and she was on her way from Paris to Verbier for an interview. It was only that she had missed her Paris train earlier in the day that we crossed paths, small world eh! 

Anywhooo, our trip to Morzine took a lot longer than expected, come 4pm we had found ourselves in yet another train station waiting for 3hours so Willow and I decided to hitch the remainder of the trip. Unsure of which street to stand on with our beautiful hand drawn paper "Morzine" sign, we decided search for the local tourist office who then sent us in the right direction. Of course moments later it started to downpour destroying our little paper sign but luckily enough a lovely French boy called Francois collected us within 30seconds and brought us to the doorstep of the gypsygetto!

After that the days were filled with sleep, cheap wine, pointless shots (sorry guys!), BBQ's...more BBQ's, sneaking into the pool, the steepest hike of my life that left both Willow and I crippled for days, debates (Alana you win on this one!), Caravan fun, Allie - the cutest dog ever and of course some well needed bro hang time with Sean.  

Although I have ‘only’ stayed in France and Switzerland since finishing college over a year ago I have been fortunate enough to meet some amazing people along my way. Thanks to my brother I met a great bunch of peeps who were not only inspiring as athletes but as travelers too. Although I had recently finished my first ski season where I met a lot of keen skiers and boarders I felt this particular group of people had the motivation, drive and dedication that I hope to find in some fellow boarders/skiers this coming winter! Not only did their enthusiasm in biking get me (extra) pumped up for the snow this winter but also opened my eyes to other resorts so hopefully I can return to Morzine in a couple of years for my own season.

Caravan settlers and peak proud! 

Thanks to all those who made my Morzine trip a great one, 

C x

To blog or not to blog?

A couple of months ago I decided to join the blogging world as I felt documenting my travels would be a great way to update my family and friends on my whereabouts and for the blog to someways acts as a online diary. Since I set up this blog I have lived in the Switz Alps for over 5 months, worked in France and England, Holidayed in Morocco, cycled to the beach and had a fantastic short trip home in August......yet there's no blog updates to be seen, which brings me to my question, To blog or not to blog?

A collection of my trips in the last 6months. 

So it appears that yes I am quite s**t at updating this thing so I apologizes for the backtracking. I'll try and catch up then keep up! Spring in the Ardeche was alot colder than expected, despite this it was still a fantastic season. Our staff training on the river was pretty intense due to the fluctuating weather, inappropriate gear, sore knees but we're all better paddlers because of it. I was delighted to get back in a boat, so to paddle over 100km in 6days seemed like the perfect way to settle back into the Ardeche. We got to work with some amazing school groups from all over the world and we also got to witness the river flood our entire lower meadow which was quite an impressive site. We also got this beautiful thing called "Time Off!". We decided to rent 5 bikes and cycle to the beach! And this video will explain everything else :) Enjoy

I’ve played with the notion of a blog for quite some time now and after a hectic 10 months of traveling, in which time I managed to fit in a Volunteer trip to Mozambique, work in an Outdoor education camp in France & Switzerland then back to Switzerland for my first Snow season I’ve decided it’s finally time to jump on the blog bandwagon.  As you all know I’ve got the buzz for traveling, exploring, getting out there and meeting new people so no I don’t plan on being  home for quite a while(sorry Mum & Dad x) so I promise to share the best of the best experiences on this blog through text, photos and videos!

So Verbier…Oh where do I start! When I first arrived the grass was green, the streets where empty and the majority of shops and restaurants were shut.  Safe to say that changed when the snow start to fall and boy did it arrive in style as before we knew it the entire resort had disappeared under the powdery snow. Despite its beauty and the excitement of thousands of skiers/boarders it wasn’t long before reality set in as this excessive amount of snow cause quite a few problems on the mountains with countless amounts of slides and avalanches which just showed how dangerous the mountains can really be.  

I think it’s safe to say I was spoilt to spend my first snow season in Verbier as most people seem to work their way up to it. It is situated right in front of four valleys which means we have 410km of slopes to choose from, most likely a couple of thousand off-piste and 3 snow parks. It didn’t take long for me to fall in love with snowboarding. It’s an amazing feeling to meet up with your friends or even stick in your head phones and cruise along. And it’s safe to say I’m severely missing it now.

I had the pleasure to work for the amazing Fairhall family who made my stay in Verbier unforgettable. They are one of the kindness families I have ever met and accepted me into their home with open arms so I thank you for that. As for all my friends I met on the mountain thank for an amazing time and I hope to bump into you on the mountain again next season.

And for my next Adventure, Im back in France working Village camps. Let the good times roll!