Pam

Days keep getting better! Today, our whole room plus Eloise (Team Winning aka. Winning Squadron) hit the slopes (shlopes) of VT to get some action footage of our immense skills. We busted out the gopros and DSLRs and made the most of the sunny weather, hitting jumps, 360s and slaloms. Within ten minutes, we had two brilliant wipeouts from Tom and Ali on a treacherous jump and a broken gopro mount. That didn't stop us from continuing and we ended up with awesome footage for our tour video. I gotta say, filming on a DSLR while skiing is intense, but incredibly rewarding. I'm particularly keen on the crossover shots. I still managed to hit a pole on the side of the piste and almost crash into two stationary skiers. Danger ski. Lunch was had at 360 bar in the sun, super relaxed. It's the good life with Winning Squadron. On one of the final slopes, we decided to do a race for the skiers. Alex and me ended up battling it out fiercely, I even managed to overtake him properly on one of the long runs. Nearly at the end though, I hit a beginner guy's ski just after a jump, meaning I ended up flying 5 meters (apparently) and faceplanting in the snow. Ouch. It took me a while to get my act together after that: snowburn on the face and hip, a good bashing on the ribs and what would end up being a very sore neck the next day. Lets just say the award for Best Stack would end up going to me...

After that experience, we hit 360 bar for a much deserved apres. Comfortable bean bags, 3€ mulled wine and great company, what more can you ask for after a sick day of skiing and filming? A good wok meal was well deserved as well. Ricky, Zoe and Robbie joined us and then the show got started. Some dutch DJs came on and slowly the place turned into a party. Literally, I said it yesterday, there is nothing like partying on the cold slopes to sick house music with other skiers and boarders exhilarated from a day of adrenaline. Our group was one of the most eager, and the vibe was mental. Another highlight to add to the list.

Not ones to stop at that, we all headed back down to rest and have dinner at the local restaurant: fondue, raclette and pizzas, with Ant's flat. Our own mountain meal, and a real success, I miss this kind of food. Then it was another session of pre-drinks OBVS, although a much more relaxed one than usual. Hamza, Eloise and Pam came by for casual beers. The thing with apres is if you go all out, you're satisfied enough to call it a day. Still, that doesn't mean it's what you should do. So we all put on our tour t-shirts and headed all the way up to Saloon Bar. When we got there, it was pretty dead, but a very friendly wasteland rep (who turned out to be Freddie, Johannes' ex-housemate) began pouring very sweet liqueur down our throats. We checked out the downstairs bit of the bar (Down Under apparently), and found a beer pong table. That was good enough, so we played two games: Pam, Kris and me vs. Tom, Hamza, Ali and Eloise. My team ended up losing both times, but by one very close cup, which was very frustrating!! Good times though. After that, the place upstairs had become alive and packed. Now I understood why Saloon was reputed as the best bar in town. It's really just a classic bar you'd find in any side street of a big European city, but its also the type you won't find in Leamington. They also handed out many bottles for reps to serve people up. There was a good vibe, but when the others decided to go to Malaysia, I called it a day, feeling the pain in my ribs from the fall, so decided to get a burger and head back. Wise decision and still one of the best days of the whole tour!

peace