I've been hitting the piste

Tignes

Skiing in Tignes was awesome. Awesome snow, awesome scenery and an awesome group of fellow skiers. It really was a cracking week which has reignited my love of going down hills quickly with little or no control.

The slopes on a sunny day

Were my ski trip a televised sporting event the highlight reel (or lowlight in most instances) would contain the following:

• JT (Skanks) accidentally breaking the toilet cistern in a club, getting busted by the club owner whilst trying to make a stealthy getaway and the several hours of barely avoided pugilistic pursuits with the bar staff after this. The end result being everyone in the chalet being banned from the bar.
  

• Drinking far too many vodka shots and loosing several hours. Unfortunately I was the only really drunk one and hence the only person who has no memory of my actions that night. Apparently during my inebriated state I did the following:

• Insulted/infuriated Skanks by gesticulating rather crudely my intentions toward his sister (which were part of a greater plan that should have been executed sober).

• Hitting on every girl in the chalet before going down to the local and vomiting on myself.

• Making bets regarding fellow lodgers that I was always clearing going to loose.

• Tignes itself. The Alps are a truly amazing place with breath taking scenery at every turn.

• Tedothy performing both an inproptu dance whilst strapped to his snow board and a somewhat more promptu alpine rap (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krwqu0YYK0A)

A rather elaborate gondola pully thing at the summit.

I ended up celebrating this momentous week by embarking on a rather demanding travel schedule which began by departing Tignes at 4AM, 3 hours on a bus to Geneva, catching a plane to Gatwick, getting a cab home, packing in 10 minutes, catching the same cab to Heathrow, plane to Hamburg, bus to train station, 2 hours on the ICE train to Hanover, cab to accommodation. Four countries in one day in which I ended up being away for approx 28 hours. This led to a week of the CeBit trade show in which we were exhibiting. The show itself is massive but of questionable value given the draconian costs involved in exhibiting. Anyway, I had a pretty good week with several good customer meetings, some awesome food and the chance to be shown the local night life by one of the locals. I’m currently on the train going back to Hamburg. Upon arriving in Heathrow I need to pick up a hire car and drive (via work) to Nottingham to do some training. It looks like I might also be in Paris this Friday and, whilst I love Paris, I would quite like a weekend at home.

Some of the crew during a nighttime toboggan run.