Italy France ! No stopping these boys

     After the chambre Neuf last night we decided because we had not had any dinner we made a decision on what to do for dinner we would go to a nice restaurant for a change, so we went to the cave and the food was very nice, but the problem is when you've been drinking beer all day and then stop for a substantial dinner the belly can only take so much ! We were all stuffed . We went to the PUB but the beers were taking too long to drink because we were full !so it was an early'ish bed because we knew we were up early for the bus to courmayeur , no need for a massive chorizo pizza tonight! 

      The bus was booked for 08:30 so we got up at 07:30, it was still pitch black outside, shouldn't need to get up so early on your holidays' we got organised to go and we got there in good time and sorted our bus tickets and ski passes. Once on the bus we were all sleepy but there was some fantastic views from this bus, some of the trees were bent double with the amount of snow that had fell on them. As We got nearer to the Mont Blanc tunnel, the monument for the disaster was an empty snow bound spot, but none the less a reminder that we were about to pass through a fantastic piece of modern engineering that required a bit more thought than first considered! I will make a point of reading a bit about the disaster when I get home, but nonetheless our journey through the nearly 12 km of tunnel was interesting but perfectly safe because things have changed so much since the disaster. we arrived in Italy at courmayeur to take the big Armani designer ski gondola Up to the start of the slopes we were impressed by courmayeur, we liked the layout of the slopes and the size was good it would be great to see how much distance we actually covered but we done a few km or miles and enjoyed 90% off it. if we had a complaint it would be the usual, that sometimes we had to ski in the shade. in the morning we skied while the snow fell in buckets blinding our turns , but in general it was a great days ski'ing and we were very fortunate that the last days skiing together we skied all the way down an excellent run in great weather to shake hands at the bottom to say thanks to each other for a fantastic week and an excellent day to Finish on courmayeur / Italy and the holiday as a whole was a great idea for the last days ski'in !

          We got back to the bus station and had time for some beers before the bus left ! Very pleasant it is to sit outside a cafe/bar with your mates in semi sun drinking beer and the staff start bringing out free pizza pieces ! Ali decided it was a good idea to buy 4 grappas !, not a good idea really schnapps or whiskey yes  is nice but grappa is like helicopter fuel it burned all the way down, cammy refused as he didn't want shots, even when he's out with his mates he doesn't drinks shots ( apparently ) ! Sensible boy for a change . Once the bus was organised we were on our way back through the tunnel and back into France to be dropped at the main bus stop , which was right next to chambre Neuf ! Our favourite bar it was 17:10 and the alps looked beautiful, the band would start soon it's our last day !, let's do it!! We had a beer a pitcher each ! Apparently they do around 850 pitchers a night here at €10.50 each not including the jäger bombs stupid stuff and ordinary everyday drinks 

        Common sense prevailed and we carried our skies back to the hire shop ( insert sad face ) that's it now, we are out of ski gear and already started packing ,but back out to see the end of the band which as I'm writing this are now finished it's been a fantastic day ,we loved courmayeur so much so that we would consider basing there one day . We have loved Chamonix but it's not the best for our skiing maybe if we were loving the off piste ! 

   Things to remind mysel for next year ! Vision is paramount I may need to at a minimum look at wrap round prescription sun glasses perhaps even consider contact lenses ! Fitness is different from ski fitness I can run a half marathon and i do well in the gym BUT ! Ski fitness is different I require now To train before a ski holiday ( not as young as I was ) I could do a half marathon tomorrow but my quads glutes and calfs were struggling on the slopes and now felling the pain as it's bloody hard work at times , enjoyable work but ! I wished I had trained more for a weeks  ski'in next year I will work my legs More in the gym cut back the running and hit the cross trainer , 

   Ok I'm ready to drink beer and finish my holiday now I hope you've all enjoyed the blog