One day 'till I move ... Should I stay or should I go?

It's around now whenever I have made a huge decision that I begin to have highly irrational thoughts about the future I am creating.  

The resounding support I have received from others, some of which I hardly know, (a lovely lady from boot camp added me as a Facebook friend to track my journey) suggests that lots of people think I can do this. 

But can I? Am I really good enough to become a PROFESSIONAL ski instructor? Is it really possible to turn your hobby into a career? What if I suddenly realize, actually I'm not that bothered about skiing? 

A couple of days ago I had to sign a form that stated I was an Austrian resident. As I shakily scribbled something that resembles a signature I suddenly understood...this is actually happening. 

So to bury my head in the sand for a tad longer I 'researched' some historical ski attire. Some of these are brilliant...

The 50's...

The 60's...

The 70's... Your eyes may begin to hurt from now on!

The 80's...

The 90's... Lady Diana showing us how it's done. 

And little old me, showing you how its done in the noughties...

Now that I felt suitably distracted- this is an ongoing process- I began to think about why I am doing this. 

I look at the picture of four year old McKenzie and remember the magical times I had in ski-school. Now a more experienced skier I can offer and create these memories for other little (and big) people and that concept fills me with excitement. 

My goal of being one of the 'greatest' ski instructors may be a tad unrealistic. A goal of being a happy and memorable one, I think I can achieve. 

Now it is time to stop philosophically writing and start making these dreams come true. 

-Today we're starting by getting food shopping and loo roll for my new home. 

Not so glamorous and magical hey!

Will be back soon writing from my new home!
One girl, Two skis xox 

Three days to go... Am I really ready to be a mountain girl?

When we arrived in Austria, I was greeted by a few droppings left from a little mouse. Having previously found a dead mouse snuggled in the blankets of our sofa (I screamed so loud, I think I caused an avalanche)  I cautiously searched the house (bed and slippers included) for the culprit of these dirty droppings. 

My Mum chuckled at me, I was going to have to get used to this if I was going to be living here all the time. 

So, Am I really ready to be a mountain girl? 

I'm not sure. Back home in England, I'm a notoriously 'girly, girl'. I take great pleasure in meticulously applying my make-up/ war paint. I enjoy spending hours over my correctly placed hair. My rather extensive collection of MAC Cosmetics will confirm these statements. 

I am aware I'm going to have to switch my Kurt Geiger's for a pair of mountain climbers, but I'm not sure I'm ready to take the plunge yet. I like to wear ballgowns...

...And Party Dresses... 

...And wear hat's and go to the races!

Perhaps there's somewhere in the middle... A mountain dress for a mountain girl?

I'm not sure. Maybe it's okay to be both. As long as I manage to avoid the mascara mountain smudges and overworking the hair, perhaps a sneaky bit of lippy and a swish of blusher will be alright? 

Let me know what you think...

One girl, Two skis xox

  

Boot Camp... Austria Style

On Sunday we arrived in Austria, Embach. Our journey took two days longer than expected, but it was worth every second. 

Arriving here reminded me why I decided to move. The air, the mountains, the tranquility. However I can become very lazy. 

My motivational Mummy set up an Austrian style boot camp, that consisted of me carrying the logs for our fire to the house; sit-ups; skipping and running. All in walking boots and jeans. 

Here's what happened...

That's all for today. Only four days until I move to Kaprun and begin training! Exciting times!!

One girl, Two Skis xox

And we're off!... Just

Today my adventure began. In the wise words of my parents 'You're adventure starts once you've passed Sainsbury's.'

However, my adventure was abruptly halted as my car Rita decided to have a tantrum and break down. 

She kindly decided to do this at midnight, when we were tired and frustrated... this led to us abandoning our ferry crossing and calling the trusty AA. 

Unlike our usual journeys, we booked a hotel and had a lovely big breakfast whilst Rita revived the TLC she needed. Thanks to my brilliant Daddy the car parts were found and she was hopefully fixed! 

Now we have sleepily crawled on to the ferry and hope that Rita will get us across France, Belgium, Germany and Austria- a big ask of any car, never mind a 12 year old corsa!

Will let you know how it goes...

One girl, Two ski's xox

If the boot fits...

Finding boots, that don't cause me any pain has been very difficult. This video will show you some of the annoying comments skiers make who have ill fitting boots. 

The guy who made this is pretty bang on...However I can assure you, that build up of lactic acid down the side of your 'too wide' feet is bloomin' painful after an eight hour day. And yes 'my arches do hurt!' 

Having high arches means that there is little support under your foot and again can be very painful. 

To solve this, after much research I found the guys at backcountry UK. Based in Ilkley, their fantastic boot fitting service means that extra support can be added in areas such as the arch and ankle bones. 

.backcountryuk

A massive thank you goes to Phil, who worked so hard to get the boots in time for when I moved. The boot fitting process itself is amazing.

All boots are heated and molded to make them wider and more comfortable. They pinpoint the key areas that needed to be made wider and areas that need extra support. 

....And this is what you end up with! These boots are incomparable to my last pair and I can honestly say that a good fit will make the world of difference. Once again a massive thank you to the team at Backcountry! 

My Mum, My Mountain, My Manager!

My Mummy is the awesomest. She shouts at the sidelines, she gives the best cuddles and mostly she is the cinnamon to my bun. 

For my Birthday she has employed a good family friend to create a logo and merchandise for the One girl, Two skis blog. 

These include T-Shirts, Mugs, Key Rings... You name it she'll make it and I'm so pleased with the overall finish!

A massive thank you to Mark, who has created these. Would definitely recommend his work. The link for his details is below! 

MC Power Panels

Adios Amigos
One Girl, Two skis. 

One Door Closes, Another one opens...

It's my last day working with the amazing VS team at Nostell Priory. I have been there for the last three years, starting as a volunteer and then becoming an employee. 

I'm a little bit gutted to be leaving. My friends on the team have watched me grow from the 'blue haired, crazy fifteen year old' to the 'adult adventurer' I am today. 

Until about 10 seconds ago leaving hadn't felt real. It's only now, when I've got a cracking hangover and I don't have to scramble in my room for the rota, to see what time I've got to be at work! 

My Nostell Family have given me the best send of. Their generous gifts, cards and best wishes are so thoughtful and just highlight how much they know me. Again the Nostell induced hangover I have suggests a great time was had... 

But to VS... I will miss you so much. Struggling not to howl in front of visitors; all the inside jokes 'I don't drink tea'; the daft games we play to keep ourselves amused... SHARK!! Are just a sentence's worth of memories I will cherish. 

Thank you so much Nostell for having me. I've been very lucky to have worked here, it's been such a perfect first job. As I move on to my next adventure, I will never forget you. I will be back for tea.

Love, 

no longer the 'blue haired girl'...

One girl, Two skis.  

Frozen Face Paint

Little people can often get tired and a bit grumpy after a long day's skiing (believe me so can I) and so I have been researching kid's face paint in order to keep them interested and engaged in lessons. 

Even after two years Frozen is still current with little people, Elsa and Anna are leading the way in their winter tale. 

This design is quite quick and not too complicated, but pretty enough to make little people smile. 

These are the face paints I have managed to source and I will also be using Mac's professional 'Reflect's Gold' glitter which is available from Mac's website under the professional section. 

Here is my version of the tutorial. Thank you Mummy for being my model!! After a few more tries, I think we may nearly be there. 

Long Time, No post

Hi there, 

I've been a little bit rubbish at posting lately! As it turns out moving to a different country is quite tricky and rather time consuming! However... this means that I have lots of exciting things to tell you. 

I have been a very lucky lady and for my 19th Birthday my wonderful family and friends have bought me some brilliant 'techy' things for when I move. 

The first, being an iwatch. My wonderful Uncle (a fellow apple geek) had guessed for a while that I was desperate for one of these. When my family took a holiday to New York a few months ago I was fortunate to visit the Apple store. Side note, it's amazing...if you ever get the chance to go it's defiantly worth a visit. I already had the iPhone 6 in rose gold and decided this would be the perfect addition. 

It's stunning. He picked the rose gold face (to match my phone) and neutral strap. The watch connects to your phone through Bluetooth and lets you check messages, control your music and camera. 

I've also found it really useful when training. One feature is that it monitor's your heart rate and tells you how many calories you've burnt throughout the day. It also gives you a good kick up the bum when you're not meeting the targets you've set. And believe me... siri is sassy. 

That's it for me tonight. More to come soon
One girl, Two skis. 

Saying Goodbye...

Moving to Austria will be the first time I have lived away from home. I'm quickly learning that moving away from my family is going to be harder than expected. 

It has been my family who've supported and nurtured my passion for skiing. Who've dragged a grumpy teenager onto the piste when equally tired and achy from a weeks skiing. 

My Mum, who booked me unwillingly onto gym classes, entered me into races and woken me at 6am to go swimming. All in an attempt to boost my fitness and endurance for training and teaching. 

My Dad, who's worked so hard to pay for ski holidays, ski lessons, ski boots, new bindings. No matter how much my dreams have cost he's slaved to enusure I've had everything I need for such an expensive career. 

My brother Pace, who's sarcasm, and 'motivational speeches' have lightened the toughest physical experiences. Who's cheered at the sidelines as I run, who's joined me in the plank position and laughed as I drip with sweat. Who's been dragged to Zumba, and forced to dance with a room full of excitable women. 

I hadn't anticipated feeling like this. With three weeks to go, I feel greatly nostalgic remembering many happy memories of childhood. Coming of age and gaining new responsibilities is rather odd. I have many exciting adventures ahead of me, however don't want to give up my happy past. 

Morning Swims

Most mornings before work I go swimming. This is a great way to stretch out any aches and pains from the work outs the evenings before in a low intensity environment. 

I've also found that this helps me be more motivated. It's tricky to be positive and upbeat at 6am. Finding the motivation to go swimming when I'm in crippling pain will be essential when day after day I will be expected to ski. 

Well that was hard...

I think last nights boot camp was one of the hardest I've been to in a while. Hill sprints, squats and lots of work with kettle bells. 

GoPro

Today I made a splurge purchase. I bought a GoPro. After many years of debating if this was just a gimmicky piece of kit, I decided it was time to forget my pride and join the GoPro craze. 

And if I'm honest, it's probably one of the best descisons I've made. Already, it has helped me to document my skiing experiences and the slightly pricey camera is becoming a part of my adventures. I opted for the hero 4 model, the latest, but not the best with more advanced cameras available. 

The camera itself is tiny. However the image quality is immense. This was my main reason for choosing the Hero 4. The GoPro app allows you to control the camera from your phone through Bluetooth and Wifi. This is pretty cool. 

I could talk about this for hours but it's much better if you actually try using a GoPro. 

Expect lots more videos.  

Parkrun

Parkrun is a free weekly 5K run organised by dedicated volunteers every Saturday morning. This was introduced as a government funded scheme to encourage UK citizens to become more active. There are many Parkrun's across the country enabling thousands to complete the 5K run. 

This gives experienced and beginner runners the opportunity to run together and improve their time weekly. You can sign up online and receive a barcode that is scanned once the 5K run is completed. 

No matter if its sunny, rainy or snowy Parkrun goes ahead. It offers runners a great sense of community and support. Running has never been my forte however I have seen a considerable improvement in the times that I achieve. 

I have completed over 50 Parkrun's and am truely greatful to the volunteers who give up their time to organise these events. The positive and infectious environment has ensured I keep returning week after week. This has also been key to my training for skiing in Austria. 

Morning Bike Rides

My morning bike rides to work are lovely. I'm blessed to work outdoors in the countryside for The National Trust. Cycling has been one of the key activities I do to improve my fitness for when I move. 

Boot Camp

Smashed it tonight at boot camp. In agony but feel pumped! Squats, burpees...... and more squats. 

Training is essential for when I move. Five hours a day minimum on piste. Plus majority of them spent in a snow plough. 

I'm learning to love squats