Certainly a novice ((Kat))

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

In her room, Sapphire frowned. She couldn't put this off any longer. She was going to have to try to ski. Sapphire put on a thick woollen jumper, which was red, and slipped on her blue Ski-Lite suit with ease. Now what? Ah yes. She could try the boots. Sapphire put them on. They were sturdy, blue leather lined with wool inside and with a wool top. Hmm. Sapphire picked up the skis and the backpack, in which she had an assortment of useful items, namely a first aid kit, and the hot chocolate in a thermos which she never went anywhere cold without. She took the other things that were lying around. Honestly. She didn't even know what they were called. They looked like sort of stick things. With spikes on the end. She'd call them sticks.

Sapphire made her way out of her room and down to the main hall of the Enchanted Castle. She looked around, unsure which way to go. Then she noticed the sign, flashing in fairy lights, which read, 'Slopes this way.' Sapphire smiled and followed the signs to the ski-lift.

Once she was at the top, and safely disembarked, Sapphire looked around at the scene. There were holidaymakers skiing all around her, who looked fairly proficient. Sapphire hadn't a clue where to start. After a few mishaps, she decided that this was a little hopeless. After, not for the first time, picking herself up and brushing herself down, only to fall over again, Sapphire decided that she was going to have to find some help. She looked around for a suitable victim, and spotted a small person who had just got off the ski-lift. On closer inspection, Sapphire was fairly sure that she was one of the new first-year Ravenclaws. Sapphire waddled her way up to her and tapped her on the shoulder.

"Scuse," she said, "but do you think you could give me a little help? I'm just a bit stuck on how I should... um... move... or do anything really, and I need to know so that I can get back down to the bottom really." She smiled at the first year, who looked a little taken-aback.

[kat]

Kat whistled some Christmas tune as the ski-lift was going towards the top of the mountain once again and admired the view.

Having been to Switserland before with his brother and learning to ski quite well then, and having had quite much practice at their visits to Russia and Finland as well, Kat didn’t really have any problems with skiing. She was nowhere as good as professional would be, but she was good enough.

She had also dumped the skiing- outfits, only renting skiing boots from here at Weinig Zug, so she was wearing tight gray jeans and a thick dark-blue sweater and the black skiing-boots and black leather-gloves. She had casted a heating spell on her, so she wasn’t cold without a jacket.

Kat got off the ski-lift and turned around as some older Ravenclaw tapped her shoulder and asked for help. Kat was a little taken-aback by this, but then shrugged and smiled.
“Sure, I can help you. I’m Kat by the way,” Kat said taking in the other girl’s appearance and then eyeing her skis.

“Stand still for a moment, will you? I’ll attach your skis a little better,” Kat said crouching and fixing the clambers attaching the girl’s boots to her skis, “That’s better.”<br>
“Skiing – well, you basically just move your legs – glide them over the snow. And help by pushing yourself with the ski poles at the same time,” Kat demonstrated a couple of moves, sking away a little only to return a moment later, "No pressure, no strain, just move. Enjoy yourself."

Kat grinned at the other girl: "Although as you for some unknown reason picked me to be your instructor I am going to make you practice a little bit before letting you go down-hill."

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

Sapphire glanced down as 'Kat' adjusted her skis. Once she had finished she moved her feet around a little. It felt a bit weird. Not exactly comfortable, but she presumed there had been some defect in the way she had put them on. In Kat's opinion, in any case, and that was what mattered at the moment, seeing as she was basically putting her life in the girl's hands. Trusting her not to let her go skiing off a cliff or into a tree or something. It wasn't really fair, to be honest, but she seemed up for a challenge.

"Sapphire," she said, by way of introduction. She watched as the girl skiied away, feeling a little alarmed that her instructor might just have escaped, but also amused to find that the sticks were actually called 'poles'. Interesting, by all means. But it wasn't going to help Sapphire get down to the bottom again.

Sapphire obliged Kat by moving her feet a little. She shuffled forward a bit, and was glad not to fall over. She tried the sticks experimentally, and found that they merely made her go out of control. Sapphire tried to stop moving, but it didn't really work. She was going nicely towards that edge, and it looked fairly steep over there. Snowy, but steep. Luckily no trees.

"OK then, so how do I stop?" Sapphire called out.

[kat]

Kat nodded in acknowledgement as Sapphire introduced herself and watched as she moved on.

Kat grinned as Sapphire tried the poles and pushed herself off balance and control as she was headed to a snow ledge quite quickly. Sapphire called out and Kat followed her , skiing pass her and stopping sharply a few meters off the ledge, preparing herself to grab Sapphire’s hand in case and pulling her off in different direction.

Kat wasn’t particularly worried that she couldn’t do it – handling a horse that weighs about a ton is much harder and Kat could handle any horse she had met so far. She had had numerous injuries during the process, but nothing very remarkable. Most of htem had came when she fell from a horse or when she got hit with a horse’s hoof.

“Just push the poles in the snow and turn your side forward suddenly,” Kat called to Sapphire as she passed her, “It doesn’t matter which way you turn. Just keep your legs strong and your skis straight.”<br>

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

Sapphire raised her eyebrows, wondering how exactly she 'turned her side forward suddenly'. It did sound a little complicated for this time of day. Oh well. She dug her sticks, or 'poles' into the ground and turned her side a bit. Not particularly much. She wasn't sure how much she was supposed to do it. She came to an abrupt halt and fell over, predictably, seeing as she hadn't been expecting quite so sudden a jolt.

Sapphire grinned at Kat, picked herself up and brushed herself down.
"I guess I'll try again," she said, and turned herself round awkwardly in the snow. She skiied fairly easily to an end a little near the ski-lift, and then stopped herself, not exactly smoothly, but at least without falling over. Sapphire turned herself round again and skiied back to the first year.

"Can I turn myself round without stopping?" Sapphire asked her, not sure what the answer would be, but thinking that as far as she remembered Kat had done so when she demonstrated. She hoped she wasn't being too much of a trial for the first-year, but if she was she would probably have been able to tell through her not being so helpful. As it was, she was making quite a good instructor. Sapphire assumed that she must be quite an experienced skiier herself.

[kat]

Kat jumped a little as Sapphire fell, but she stopped and seeing her getting up again, before Kat had a chance to ask if she was alright, she was already up and brushing snow off her.

Kat watched as Sapphire skied farther, stopped and came back again. It wasn’t very bad as Kat decided, when Sapphire asked about turning.

“Yes, of course you can turn without stopping,” Kat smiled and tried to turn in slow-motion, “Let’s say you want to turn right – just slip the right ski towards the direction you want to turn and push with the other leg and pole. You can’t turn on your heel this way – you’ll make a small half-circle.”<br>
Kat smiled at Sapphire calmly: “I won’t let you ski slalom with it’s sharp and quick turns. In slalom you use the technique, where you throw your side forward.”<br>Kat skid a couple of paces further and turned sharply, pushing off a small shower of snow as her skis turned side-ways in the middle of a stride.

“Aynways – it’s a bit early for that yet. Try the regular turning,” Kat suggested brushing a piece of her hair, that had came open from her ponytail behind her ear, “You really aren’t bad – just need a little practicing. And I promise I won’t push you off the mountain said, at least yet, as my brother taught me. There are professional trainers around here somewhere in case – I can’t really explain how to ski very well.”<br>
Kat raised an eye-brow towards Sapphire: “But you try turning and skiing.”<br>

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

Sapphire stared, wide-eyed at Kat, trying to interpret what she had just said. Righty-ho. Gosh. The first year was off again, and she was turning round at a rather nasty angle. Was Sapphire expected to do that? She listened in consternation to the younger girl. No. She wasn't expected to do that. She was expected to learn how to turn round the other way, not in the half-circle with your foot or whatever. Exactly how? Sapphire looked back towards the ski-lift. Was there a possibility that it might take her back down again? No. It didn't take you down again. Darn.

Sapphire heard something about being pushed off the mountain-side and looked in alarm towards Kat. "I should hope not," she said, raising her eyebrows and mock-feigning dismay.

Sapphire tried to practice turning round and failed miserably, ending up in the snow in a rather awkward heap. "Ow," she muttered, trying to disentangle her legs so that she could stand up. She slipped again. "Great," she said, and waited for Kat to come and help her up.

"I think I'll take up a professional trainer," Sapphire said, and then realized that that might be taken as a slight. "Since it really isn't fair for me to pick on someone like you," she clarified, "my being so hopeless. Problem is," she continued, smiling, "to do that I have to get back down to the bottom." Sapphire grinned at Kat and, with her help, heaved herself up.

"Try again," she muttered, and set off.

[kat]

Kat laughed as Sapphire seemed half-alarmed when she mentioned that her brother pushed her down the mountain–side one her skis once, to get her to do it in the first place.

Sapphire tried to turn around and fell, so Kat approached her and pulled her on her feet.
Kat watched as Sapphire said she was hopeless and shouldn’t pick on her, before she started off slowly.

“Someone like me? I’ll take it as a hint to the fact I’m younger and won’t get insulted,” Kat caught up with Sapphire and held the older girls tempo quite easily, “And you aren’t hopeless. It takes practice to get used to being on skis. Getting down? I wouldn't go just yet.”<br>Kat grinned and pointed to the ledge, where others jumped next to people who were skiing downwards: “Besides it’s easier if you feel more secure on skis than you are now obviously. Move around a little and don’t feel so cramped. Loosen up your muscles nad just glide.”<br>
“Pull your skis together and push yourself on with poles for a moment, until you get the feel of those. Then walk with the skis only – as if you were shuffling around with sneakers, without raising your feet from ground, then try the two techniques together,” Kat grabbed Sapphire’s hand just above the older girl’s elbow, when she seemed to be loosing her balance for a moment and pulled her straight again, until she was sure Sapphire wouldn’t fall.

Kat made her next movement accurately and falling a step behind Sapphire pushed the tip of her left ski between Sapphire ski’s, while interweaving their poles and pulled gently while turning herself slowly. The interweaved pole and Kat’s left ski, nudging at Sapphire’s right one allowed her to pull the older girl along with her movements.

It needed some muscle straining from Kat, as Sapphire’s movements were hesitant, but instinctively she followed and Kat turned both around, helping Sapphire manage her balance, before Kat moved next to her again.

“See, wasn’t that hard, wasn’t it?” Kat grinned, “Instinctively you move correctly. You can try some more, or I can help you get down now. Your choice.”<br>

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

Sapphire found that she admired the younger girl's response. She certainly had composure. Kat would probably fare well in later years. Sapphire certainly hoped she would. Anyone who was placed in Ravenclaw clearly had the talent to do well, after all.

Sapphire allowed Kat to guide her, and eventually she found that she became more confident. She considered the younger girl's question as to what she wanted to do. Sapphire tested herself and skiied off for a short distance, before turning quite smoothly and coming to a fairly controlled halt. That wasn't on a slope though.

"I don't know," Sapphire said, frowning. "I'll trust your judgement on that." She smiled at the younger girl guiltily, glad that she had managed to find such a willing helper.

[kat]

Kat smiled as Sapphire seemed rather secure on her skis after a little practicing, and then asked if Kat thought she was ready to go down-hill.

“Well, how about you try on that little step there. It’s only about 25 metres and you won’t go straight down-hill. Try coming down from there for a moment and then you’ll set to go down the real hill,” Kat said with a smile, pointing to the little hill with her hand, before she leaned calmly on her poles to watch, how Sapphire would ski down from there.

“Just push off, keep your legs strong and skis next to each other all the time and you’ll be fine,” Kat said with an encouraging smile an nodded towards the small hill, “Get on there and then I’ll join you down the bigger one.”<br>

[Sapphire Phoenix R7]

Sapphire looked down the little slope with half mock-concern to amuse Kat, and half slight apprehension. In the end she decided just to go for it, and pushed off. "Whoa!" she said as she wobbled her way down. She remembered what Kat had said and tried to apply it. In the end she steadied herself somewhat, and came to a controlled finish where the slope levelled again before the main one.

"Was that all right or did I avoid injury only by luck?" Sapphire asked Kat when she had joined her, grinning at the first year happily.

((Sorry that wasn't very long, I'm not particularly inspired to post as Sapphire as the moment, but I don't want to abandon our post. ))