FONT ROMEU - THE PYRENEES

I see I was in an non communicative mood this time last year and didn't share any details regarding our first ski holiday in the Pyrenees. Suffice to say it must have been good because we've just been back for more.























It is called a ski holiday, but I no longer ski, I've decided to be kind to my damaged knee and stop
skiing - even though my boots and skis still travel with us - just in case.
Last time around we did a lot of walking and discovered the joys of snow shoe walking.
This time I was still walking, walking, walking but also sketching quite a bit. Because there was no fresh snow (but plenty of the stuff, lying nicely compacted) there was no need for snow shoes. I walked about between the various ski stations to rendezvous with the Other Half for lunch and drinks. En route having time to sit and sketch, in glorious sunshine for the first 2 days.

I was using, for the first time, a concertina or accordion sketchbook. It seemed a great idea for doing paintings of sweeping mountain tops - well it wasn't, with no hard back to support the pages once it's opened out it flapped about and was a pain. Not so bad when I found a rock easel, or a picnic table but most of the time the only available surface is snow, not ideal. But I rattled through the sketches, got the book completed and don't think I annoyed O.H. too much making him hang about a bit waiting for paint to dry.

When the sun went away and snow threatened on day 3 we had a great walk to the Refuge de la Calme (alt. 2110m). Maybe we weren't so calm as the weather was changing, but the vivid orange post way markers are frequent, should you be caught in a blizzard.

The start of the route the previous day, clear and crisp.

On the walk the next day. An Easter island statue on vacance?

Font Romeu is very popular with the Spanish and groups of school children are bussed in daily for ski lessons, I found their arrival quite amusing- it put me in mind of  an old fashioned dance hall - waiting to be asked for a dance. Except it was a heard of jostling kids to one side and  small clutch of apprehensive ski instructors to the other. The age old 'will they like me?' 'will we get on?' 'will he be nice?' questions sort of fitting in here just as they would at the school disco.

Very colourful.
 

And more colour , where did I leave my skis?
 

Something I haven't seen before, and a very sensible idea, was  all the little tots sporting their skiing bibs with the name of their instructor on them. There is always a tail end Charlie so this ensures they get repatriated to the correct trail of little ducks should they get split up from the group and end up a blubbering snotty heap (a common sight - are they really enjoying this?)

Another amazing sight was paraplegic skiers being taken up the chair lifts with their 'Skiing for all' companion. These were obviously very serious spinal injuries, who were braced into their 'ski chairs'. an amazing bit of kit. How on earth will they get up the chair lift? I waited and watched, the chair part holding the person was levered forward by the guide at the critical moment, lift seat comes forward and as contact was made the leverage brings the seated skier back down onto the lift seat at a less severe forward angle than they had been held in preparation, with the ski part of the 'ski chair' dangling below just like a regular skier's legs and skis do, off they go. And so at the top just as a skier tightens their boots for the descent, the chair would be finally relocked into the comfortable angle for sking and whoosh - wonderful. Having seen blind skiers and one legged skiers, my wonky knee is a truly feeble excuse. Inspirational.

A final photo and a final sketch.