The Problem With Giants – ‘Slalom Problem’ Part 7

Years ago in Kaprun, Austria I had some ski training. A guy who owned a clothes shop, ex racer, I forget his name, taught us ‘dynamic turns’, big turns, Giant Slalom turns. We would count to five pointing straight down a steep hill, then put in an aggressive turn, cranking over the skis, forcing the edges into the snow.

At the same time I saw some older guys entering a race. All lycra’d up, some had their bindings raised so they could get more of an edge easily. I knew then, I wanted to have a go at racing.

Since November 2022 where the idea of learning to slalom began [see reason in episode 1 below] I was thinking it would be great to enter a ski race. On snow. Maybe train for it then go to the Alps just to race.

Well, last Thursday we had a lot of snow in the UK. Checking snow forecast.com and a few other ski weather sites, lots of snow was coming to the Alps. Les Contamines, Val Thorens and Tignes were flagged as going to have superb snow. I immediately booked a flight to Geneva.

The idea was to hire a car and head to all of those places, starting at Les Contamines.

Cut to two days later, the rain and the low clouds having cleared, it was blue sky in Les Contamines. Am sat on a lift and notice two guys wearing racing bibs. [One of them was 88 years old.] ‘What race are you entering?’. ‘It is our annual club race. We are from Ski Club Esperance, Geneva. We come here once a year and race each other’. I ski with them to the race start which has a shiny bright red tent. ‘Could I enter?’. ‘You will have to ask the director, he is wearing the backpack, there’. I ski down to this guy helping put in the gates.

I explain I am from a ski racing club in England and that we race on plastic. ‘Plastic?!’. Pasqual, laid back, says ‘Sure, you can enter, why not! Get here about 1145’.

OMG, I have just entered a ski race! I shoot off and get practicing, discovering there is a ski service shop on the piste in Les Contamines. [I’ve never seen one of these before]. It turns out the owner is an ex-racer, all his racing bibs on the ceiling. ‘I am doing my first ever race on snow, in thirty minutes.’ ‘Let me put some special wax on for you’. He rummages through a drawer and pulls out a cannister of some chemicals with various warning signs on the side. ‘This will make you go faster John!’. He paints it on with a crappy old paint brush.

I get to the race slope early chatting to some of the coaches who are very friendly, welcoming. I am nervous as hell. There are some young kids, one aged 5, about to do their runs. ‘You go after these guys’. A ski trainer goes down with the kids – if they are ok they go behind, if not so experienced, they go in front. An 88 year old and a 5 year old in the same race! So cute to see! I like this club!

Looking at the track, this was very different from what I was trained to do. ‘No hitting the poles!’ You have to go around them, and there are two each gate, not one.

It was way steeper than Rossendale, wide, and fresh snow. Lots of it!

On his walkie talkie – ‘Ok Mnsr Le Visiteur, preparer! … Vous ete pret? Le Visiteur et pret. TROIS, DEUX, UN, GO!’

I was away!

The slalom training was perfect. It was fast, wide, sweeping and had a great rhythm! It suited my skiing perfectly! ‘Aim for the gate ahead, not the next one’. You know, it felt pretty perfect, so much easier than skiing on plastic mats. I loved it, my skiing felt solid. My slalom skis at 150 cm were a bit short, but they felt fantastic being just a few weeks old. Rock solid!

On my second [and last] run, I was one second faster. I came in at 1 minute, 11.64 seconds. When I took a photo of my times, there were five other racers on that bit of the results sheet. I was third fastest of those five by just a few hundred milliseconds.

It was one of the best things I have ever done in my life. Why oh why did I not take up ski racing earlier? Why do we put things off?!

What lovely people and what a fantastic thing to do.

I asked for my position, but they would not give it to me. Did Le Visiteur from England embarrass a few Swiss racers?

I am going to contact them and ask again!

www.scesperance.ch was the club

STOP PRESS – a week later I got my position. I came 3rd! Podium in my first ever ski race on snow!