SNOW WORRIES!

As a past NZ Rep Roller Skater, who missed out on MANY social weekends with 'my girls' as a teen because I was driving up and down the country for competitions, I've ended up being ridiculously good at New Zealand geography! However, one place I've never spent too much time in is Ohakune. 

With the annual Mardi Gras weekend being THE social event on the Ohak-alendar, my boy and I drove for what felt like a lifetime - probably felt longer for him having to put up with me - to arrive in Ohakune for my very first ski trip (yes, at 28 years old. True story!). 

As most of our friends are pretty hot stuff on the mountain, this meant I'd get some Pam-time on Turoa Ski Field's Beginner Flats (you can't get away with calling them Slopes). I was certain that if five-year-old kids and the elderly could conquer this mountain, so could Pamela Marker!  

I borrowed/hired my kit, looked the part, and told myself that my roller skating skills would get me through. Boy, did they what!? After a few tracks down Beginner Lane, I was very proud of myself for never falling, never hitting anyone, turning with ease and stopping fairly gracefully. After some encouragement and a whole lotta positivity I decided I needed: a) a challenge and b) to get my money's worth out of Ruapehu. The chair lift looked idillic and like a slow-mo theme park ride, "Sweetbix" I thought. My attitude (and the altitude) changed quickly as I unloaded from the chair lift to a mini-FREAK OUT! This was going to be a serious challenge.

So picture me - half way up a mountain, two hours into my first attempt at skiing and quite honestly wondering what I'd got myself into. Because the whole of New Zealand (slight exaggeration) was on the mountain, it meant that even if you were a good skier, there was no way you could possibly dodge all the bodies safely and get back to ground level - so to speak - without some serious pain. I decided to go for it, and, fall after fall, I had a laugh at myself, picked myself up and was determined to finish what I'd started... 

Obvs, I'm here online telling the tale so all was good and I'm definitely happy I did the ski thing. I think I'll finish my next challenge - the September issue of Girlfriend - before I head there for more action.

Hope you're staying cool but keeping warm, Pamela, GF editor x

* Ohakune is a small ski village just south of the middle of the north island. Home to Mt Ruapehu, the carrot, ski bunnies and ONE supermarket that does not handle masses of people well.