The Morris Family Ski Holiday – Part 1, Packing

Every month we will be sharing with you the tale of the Morris family ski holiday holiday.

Part 1 – Packing  – “Do you want me to ski with you?” 

We are getting ready for our annual ski holiday, it is two days until we leave and most things have been organised ready for our departure. The only thing left is packing. Normally this is a family activity, mainly so no blame can be laid when we arrive in resort to find out an essential piece of kit has been left behind.

This year an unexpected event has occurred and I have been left with the task of packing for the whole family. This also puts me in the position of shouldering any blame for anything left behind. This set up will leave most readers expecting at least another three hundred words before I reveal what I calamitously left at home. I shall not keep you in suspense that long. What I left behind was £750 worth of pre-ordered Three Valley lift passes.

Nothing says organised more than pre-ordered lift passes. Last winter at the end of our week skiing, our rep comes round to say that we need to return out lift passes in order to get our €3 deposit back. Or we could keep them and charge them up online before our next ski holiday. Always keen to try out new technologies and to save minutes in resort not having to order them from the rep, I vowed unconvincingly to myself that I would pre-order them next year.

I am notorious in our family for poor packing. On one holiday that revolved around us hiring a car for a trip around Spain I forgot my driving licence. It wasn’t until we were cruising across the Bay of Biscay that I discovered my error. I am notorious in our family for poor packing. On one holiday that revolved around us hiring a car for a trip around Spain I forgot my driving licence. It wasn’t until we were cruising across the Bay of Biscay that I discovered my error.”Where is your driving licence?”
“Safe.”
“Where safe?”
“My useful document folder, in the spare room, in the paperwork draw.” During the rest of the plane journey I learn that to hire a car you are required to prove that you can drive, and that the car hire people don’t just assume you can drive. This point was pressed home further by the lady at the Hertz desk at Madrid International.

It was easy to see the fear in my two sons voices as they were bundled into the family car to go and see my mother-in-law. The last words of our 16 year old was, “I want the Westbeach outfit not the 1980’s Prince Charles faded onesie”.
“They are back in fashion” I say.
“Do you want me to ski with you?” And with that I was left with our family’s holiday happiness in my hands.

I climbed down from the loft with the bag marked “ski stuff” and proceeded to check off an outfit for each family member. In my jacket pocket I found last year’s Three Valleys lift passes and remembered the words of our rep “Why not charge them up online next time”. Twenty minutes later I had charged our passes ready for our week away. I safely stashed them in my jacket pocket ready to surprise the family with at our chalet.

The family return late Friday night with good news about Gran. This was followed by all of them extracting from me exactly what I have packed for them for the following week. After an exhausting hour of interrogation which resulted in me having to producing two pairs of yellow tinted, scratched, CEBE goggles, just to prove I hadn’t packed them, I was finally allowed to go to sleep.

A flight, a misunderstanding at passport control, a coach transfer and a dinner with strangers later, it was time for our first day skiing.
“What the hell is this? Who packed the faded Prince Charles onesie?” I demand. My son pops his head round the door of our room, “What’s the matter with it? You said they are back in fashion.”
“Where is my North Face?”
“I may have repacked for you” says my son, “does this mean you won’t be skiing with us?”
“It is looking unlikely”.

 

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