Cassis Rules OK in France

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Cassis Rules OK in France While Karen O'Byrne was on her four your alcoholic variety, but groomed month London to Johannesburg Overland runs) with 90 lifts, gondolas, chairs, Trip, I planned a ski trip for March T-bars and, of course, the old this year: On consultation with faithful - Pomas. Marion Griffiths, and 65 ski brochures, we made the decision on location Next day at 9.30 am, we put skis on actually we tossed one brochure in the outside the apartment building, and air and booked the resort where the zipped down the slope to the assembly page had fallen open La Plagne. point for our lessons. We three were all in the same class, to be taught by One and a half days after meeting a bilingual Frenchman named Humbert. Karen at Heathrow Airport, the three Five French-speaking and five Englishof us met at a bus park near Kensington speaking students meant it was a Palace (Charles and Di's London residivided class, but who cared? Humbert dence). "This bus is different,' was took us all over the resort, including the line I resorted to - an excuse for a number of unpatrolled areas! The not flying as promised. After a quick wine at the bottom of these areas was coffee in France somewhere at 11 pm, worth all the fear in the world... the bus seats were converted into bunks, and although we didn't sleep, Eager to get out there, we set about at least our bodies lay flat for eight organising plans for the next day over hours or so. Tobelerone Chocolate, and Baileys Irish Cream (duty-free on the cross- Saturday morning and the bus stopped Channel ferries). We hired skis for at a hypermarket for breakfast, and so the fortnight, arranged lessons, and the breakfast trend was' set for the purchased food supplies and the first trip : Coffee and Croissants - Hmmm of many bottles of French wine. Hmmm. At Albertville (1992 Winter Olympic City) the bus commenced its As we got to know Humbert better we home run, and we climbed above the would stop and sip the odd Kir (white valley floor, viewing a few intrepid wine and blackcurrant liqueur people skiing down what resembled the CASSIS). After a few of these, who top pitch of the waterfall at Ruapehu. had any fear? We all enjoyed the We all wondered what the rest of the runs in the fresh powder, making field would be like. Fortunately figures of eight - well, how about though, the resort turned out to be question-mark turns? One of our 150 kms of intermediate type Piste (not number, who at the time resembled the

Yeti, was asked if that type of snow other negotiated with the box. The was absent from New Zealand. Of locals thought we were nuts. course after that we showed him that even we Kiwis and adopted Kiwi could Our last day on the mountain came all work in these conditions. too soon. We had planned to come off the slopes at midday, but as the After a week with Humbert, Karen and I weather was perfect and yet again were still keen to learn more, so we there were no queues, midday soon paid for private lessons to attack became 3 pm. Mogals and black runs. Waiting for the bus to leave, Humbert Karen and I became quite proficient in popped in to say goodbye and we again skiing with a box of pastries. The told him about NZ's great skifields. nearest patisserie was in the next His response was priceless = "The last village, so off we would go - one of people I knew that visited New Zealand us with both sets of poles, while the did not come back for a very long time; you know the Rainbow Warrior?" Debbie Hughes Alan Dyer -