Rome - Like something out of a Lord Of The Rings novel, the mountains loom large in front of us.
Shrouded in cloud they appear other-worldy; a playground for monsters and fairies and grand adventures.
And it is adventure we are seeking, although hopefully more of the snow and skiing variety and less of the mystical creatures sort.
Jolting us back to reality, our bus groans and creaks its way up the steep mountain pass. It’s been quite a journey, involving planes and trains and finally a long-suffering bus, but at last we have reached our destination of Foppolo, a small skiing town tucked away in the Alps of northern Italy.
Foppolo was one of the first ski resorts in Italy in the 1950s, and it seems little has changed since then.
Boasting a population of only 200 people, this number triples during the winter season as Italians descend on the town to partake in their two national sports: skiing and drinking wine. And they seem to be exceedingly good at both.
While we were flailing about on the more friendly slopes at the bottom, there were plenty of youngsters barely old enough to stand, confidently whizzing past us as if they had been born with skis on their feet (which maybe isn’t as far-fetched an idea as it sounds).
Foppolo’s ski slopes are quite high in the mountains with altitudes ranging from 1 635m to 2 200m, so snow conditions are normally good. Together with the nearby resort of Carona, they offer 26 ski runs with 12 ski lifts, and the ski pass covers the neighbour-ing town of San Simone.
We were more than satisfied with the range of beginner-to-expert slopes available, although the locals were all moaning about this winter being a mild one and the fact that not all the slopes had been opened.
The resort is well set up for skiing and the prices are fairly reasonable: the ski rental shop had all the necessary gear and charged e50 (R880) for skis for five days, while a ski pass was e130 for five days (cheaper during off-peak times). There were also lessons available at e35 an hour.
While a stay in Foppolo is a truly authentic skiing experience, and a great way to get immersed into the Italian culture, the non-skiing activities are definitely on the limited side. This means that those looking to mix their skiing with other attractions may want to look for somewhere not quite as far off the tourist track.
Luckily that wasn’t a factor for us, as we quickly discovered that skiing and snow-boarding were extremely fun! The beauty of being surrounded by snow-covered mountains as far as the eye can see, while flying down a slope of fresh snow with the cold winter air biting your cheeks, is an experience hard to describe.
The euphoria of learning how to carve through the snow, and the adrenalin of a few spectacular wipe-outs when it all goes wrong, makes for a really different holiday experience for most South Africans.
The blue-rated slopes at the bottom of the resort are flatter and suitable for beginners, with the red-rated slopes for intermediates and the horrifyingly steep black-rated slopes for the experts. Best of all is the quick and easy ride back to the top of the slopes: the ski lifts are daunting at first, but were fun once we had the knack of them.
When we had picked up the basics, we found a few interesting apps on our smartphones that were useful for skiing. I enjoyed one called My Tracks, which worked without wi-fi and tracked each ski run completed, showing a map as well as top speeds and average speeds. Needless to say this made the skiing a whole lot more competitive, and the evening discussions in the bar a whole lot more lively.
We stayed in Hotel Adler, a friendly family-run hotel right at the foot of the slopes (we measured the hotel door as 14 paces from the ski lift).
Originally opened in 1961, the hotel has been run by the Invernizzi family since 2010, and is popular all year round, with hikers and mountain bikers using it as their base camp during the summer.
Prices were e60 a person a night sharing, and as the first South Africans to stay in the hotel, we were treated like royalty by the friendly staff.
The buffet breakfasts were perfect for some serious carbo- loading for the busy day ahead, and during the day the bar was a hive of activity with Italians taking a break from their one national sport and practising their second one in earnest.
Most of the locals spoke enough basic English for us to get by, although we were definitely in a foreign place and culture (which, after all, is the whole point of travelling).
In the evenings the warm glüwein, plentiful red vino and sauna rooms were all much appreciated as a way to ease some aching muscles not used to a day of hurtling down snow-covered slopes.
All too soon our glorious holiday came to an end, and we were back on a bus, creaking down the mountain and into our normal world again.
As South Africans used to holidays involving sun and sand, a skiing holiday is about as far from a normal holiday as it is possible to get, and we’ll always look back on it with fond memories.
Sadly we won’t travel to Europe again until our poor exchange rate becomes more realistic.
Let’s all hope that happens soon!
Sam Bradley, The Mercury