Ski Apache
Day 105
Ruidoso, New Mexico
Only 4 of us were brave enough to head out that morning but I had already bought my lift pass the previous afternoon so I really didn’t have a choice. I tried to tell someone that they could do with a lesson but I wasn’t getting through, maybe it was my lack of Spanish skills. We got up to the slope and it was snowing now, usually a good sign but I wasn’t equipped for cold. I passed out the hot hand packets and hope my charges would make it through the day, it was -5 and I was with 3 Mexicans! I would be lucky if they didn’t all die of exposure. I decided the best policy was to keep them moving, so set them off on the very very green run we had been doing the previous day. They did it with no problems but then I saw the queue for the lifts. I left them queuing and skied back UP the slope and got there faster than them. There were only 4 lifts open, all the top runs were closed and the gondola would only take sightseers up. What the hell was I doing here?? I scoped lift 4 and it seemed to be quieter with a ride to a long green run. That was the plan, I got them moving up to lift and we waited and waited. When we finally got to the front I took Stephi up as she hadn‘t been on a lift before, and we somehow made it off without falling over before seeing Dani come up and not get off before jumping off at 2 meters! I nearly had a heart attack. I then saw Raphi come up and fall over before he left the chair! Then I looked down the run and saw this green was so blue you could use it to hide the Blue Man Group! With 3 beginners!
I thought it was too late to put them back on the chair and if I had know how long it would have taken me to get down I probably would insisted they put them on the lift but once we got started it was too late. I told Raphi to snow plough over to the main run and he said ‘what’s a snow plough?’. I then realised he had only been a couple of times when he was 6! I have no idea what he was doing the day before but Dani and Stephi managed to get over to the run and start going down, but Raphi didn’t even know how to stop. Everytime he moved he turned, went backwards and then fell over. If he got any speed up he would probably kill himself, or worse, someone else. I had argued for proper lessons the previous day but my concerns fell on deaf ears. I was the only skier but obviously I didn’t know what I was talking about… The slope was far too steep to get down safely but the girls were slowly moving down, I had to concentrate on Raphi. I made him hold my pole and tried to get him to slide down on the sides of his skis. It seemed to take forever… I would have skied down in 2 minutes but it took more than 30 minutes of falls and frustration.
When I was done I pointed them at the easy slope and went off to find a proper green, but first I stood in the line for the other blue run, I needed to work out some of the stress of anchoring a beginner down a blue run so no one would get hurt. Only 4 lifts open and the place was packed. They had a line for single skiers but far too many lifts were going up with only 1 person and there were no ropes to divide the skiers. After the ease and speed of skiing in Canada I was sorely disappointed by the American experience. I didn’t understand why so few lifts were open! At least the ticket price was reduced but I didn’t think I got any kind of value for money for the day. I wanted to be skiing and keeping warm but instead I was waiting for an inefficient lift. I found a nicer green for the others and directed them onto it, now with the slope being less scary I was able to give them some tips and advise, but I’m not sure an Englishman instructing 3 Mexicans was the best plan. :p
The slopes were full of Texans but there was non of the chat I enjoyed while skiing in Whistler. Going up on a long lift and talking to the people I was sitting with was always great but I didn’t get any of that in Ruidoso. I guess I wasn’t having a very good day :p It didn’t take too long for Stephi and Raphi to give up and go to find some warmth while Dani and I did a last run but I was tired of waiting for 30 minutes in line for 2 minutes fun. One days skiing gave me about 7 runs down which was hardly sufficient and left a bad taste in my mouth for American Skiing but at least I had some time back on the slopes, possibly my only chance this trip, although I suspect there is some good skiing in South America. I certainly hoped so.
Up to the ski fields/3 lifts open/no gondola/another lesson/blue not a green run
Tags: mexicans, decider, spanish skills, stress, mexico, rope, ears, heart attack, ski fields, new mexico, stephi, moneys, hell, eve