Recollections of a great winter’s day skiing with a dedicated, happy team of volunteers at Verbier4All from English freelance journalist, Simon Watkinson.
Not being one for surfing the Internet, I don’t really remember how I came across Verbier4All’s excellent website. But I do remember the lightning reply from Secretary, Kathryn Adams, attaching forms to be filled in.
My Verbier ski adventure had begun!
Good friend, and former neighbour, Catherine, was driving me to Verbier from the Pays de Gex area, so we set off at 6.45am on Friday February 3, in order to avoid heavy traffic at Lausanne and stand any chance of arriving in Verbier for 9am.
There was a slight scare the previous evening when Kathryn had messaged me to ask whether I had a helmet. Having had a brain haemorrhage at the age of 10 in 1973, which resulted in dodgy balance and spasticity in my legs, I had visions of a Fat Controller-type individual refusing my access to the slopes for lack of a hard hat.
We arrived at 9am in Le Châble.
‘Hi Simon!’ Kathryn sang out on seeing us alight from the second gondola at Ruinettes an hour later.
‘This is Jeremy and he’s your pilot today. You’re Jeremy’s first ever passenger since he qualified! Jeremy lives in Verbier and runs a business selling malt whiskies,’ Kathryn said.
A man after my own heart at least!
‘You’ll be fine, Jeremy,’ I reassured, fearing his suspect steering due to a copious consumption of Ardbeg, Highland Park and Macallan the previous evening.
But when I later discovered Jeremy was an extreme skier, I knew I was in good hands.
‘Hey Simon, a ski instructor just left me this helmet as he’s just bought a new one!’ Kathryn enthused.
I tried said protection on and it fitted perfectly.
‘Waoh, that’s miraculous!’ Kathryn exclaimed. ‘Well, thank you Lord!’ I countered.
‘Time’s getting on so we need to try you in the Tessier Tempo Duo, Simon,’ Jeremy advised.
It was fine but a snug fit with little wriggle room. Later they’d tried to wrap me in a dreaded straightjacket cover, best described as a tarpaulin sleeping bag. My sheer delight later when this fell off my knees and hooked onto the footrest of the ski lift as we skied off the ski lift at La Chaux was tempered by Kathryn’s agility in stretching up to free it before its hapless descent to the station below.
Our first entry into the scrum for the next chairlift was certainly an experience! The sitski was wrongly positioned for the footrest to fully descend so Jeremy then tried his utmost to slide me over to the left but even Geoff Capes would have struggled. At least Jeremy had saved on a year’s gym membership! On the third attempt at taking the sitski off the chairlift and repositioning it, I was safely installed and ready for the off.
But then after travelling a whole 10 metres an ominous alarm bell sounded and we were stuck in mid-air on the fastest ski lift to nowhere.
‘We’ve well and truly knackered La Chaux 2 chairlift this time!’ Kathryn frowned to Jeremy.
Oh well, at least it wasn’t raining!
An electrician was summoned by the irate lift attendant and after a further 25 minutes, the ski lift moved to hoots of delight from all frozen, trapped-in-mid-air skiers.
The wait was worth it! To be atop Verbier at 2,300m altitude with a perfect panorama of the surrounding majestic mountains set against cloudless azure skies was an unforgettable experience and huge privilege.
‘Look Simon!’ Kathryn instructed, showing me a small black bum-bag after we’d skied onto the piste at Les Ruinettes. ‘This is our first aid kit with vertical evacuation straps for the helicopter.’
Oh for a lovely wee ride in a helicopter amidst all this natural beauty!
‘Idiot! Watch where your B well going next time!’ Jeremy then yelled at a teen snowboarder who’d almost careered into us as we were zigzagging down the piste.
Oh Shoot, there goes my helicopter ride!
After five amazing runs down blue and red pistes Kathryn decided that poor Jeremy could no longer push the sitski and my 80 kg dead weight up those dastardly strength-sapping inclines on the pistes. Truth be told, Jeremy’s was a Herculean, 9 out of 10, effort and I knew I’d made some great new friends.
Before we parted, Kathryn also stipulated that I must go on a diet and Catherine, aka Cat le taxi, alarmingly agreed and started calling me ‘The English Pig!’ This was miraculous in itself as she hardly ever ventures into English from her native French.
I then realised that dry January would have to run till the end of February to just before our next visit to Verbier.
Mince alors!
But seriously, for those with disabilities, hurtling down a slope with the sun and wind in your face is an unforgettable, surreal experience and an incredible confidence booster, which entails the long-lost feeling of momentum.
Set up in 2019, Verbier4All now brings untold pleasure and an escape to a piece of paradise to over 20 skiers with disabilities and also organises summer activities.
So ‘Chapeau’ to all of Verbier4All’s wonderful volunteers, who have a heart for making the majestic, though woefully inaccessible, mountains accessible to people with mobility issues and also to all its generous donors who donate much-needed funds and equipment.
And ‘Chapeau’ especially to Jeremy and Kathryn for all your hard work, care and fantastic welcome!
Looking forward to seeing you again on our next visit to Verbier in early March when I’ll be 3kgs lighter!
Simon
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