On Saturday I flew back from the Montreal IETF but not before some pre-season (or pre-school?) skiing at Préski in Quebec City, cave hunting in Parc de Naturel de Portneuf, and airport waiting at the AF lounge for the BA flight that was six hours late.
The skiing was indoor, on a large treadmill-like surface. I've done this before, but ... it is always hard. Snow is more forgiving, you can slide your skis but here you have to have technique, which I don't have :-) You turn either by snowplow or by turning your skis on their edges and letting the ski shape take you. The treadmill is unforgiving because of the grip and friction but also because you don't have almost any space to go forward or backwards, as long as the treadmill is running you have to ski exactly at the right speed. In front you will otherwise hit the bar and in the back you are thrown into the end of the treadmill.
But, a lot of fun, albeit tiring for half an hour ski session.
Why are so many of the indoor ski places at shopping malls? I guess it is a fun activity, just like going to movies or dinner there. But the indoor ski place at the previous IETF meeting in Madrid was also at a shopping mall (link, alt. link).
Préski's website is here. With taxes a half an hour session was about 55€.
The cave hunting and airport waiting have been written in separate blog articles here (alt. link) and here (alt. link).
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This article was originally published in the Planetskier Blogspot article series.
"Mongolia is kind of close, right? Story about an attempt to ski everywhere in the world where there's snow. And in some places where there isn't. On and off-piste skiing on all continents, skiing into craters of live volcanoes, climbing, photography, and travel." The Planetskier blog focuses on skiing, caving, climbing, biking, flying, sauna, and swimming adventures around the world. See the other Planetskier blog articles about skiing, caving, urban exploration, climbing, cycling, flying, swimming, and saunas.