After the next slope there was a black slope nearby and Alvaro, Juanma and Roberto wanted to ski one time there. Ramiro went with them to the lift . The slope was steep and due to the fact that no sun was shining on the slope, it was very icy. The skis of the four scrape over the ground. Braking was difficult because they slipped a lot. They all did a very good job, but Ramiro was relieved when he had everyone back safely at the end of the slope. They drove to the others who had been waiting for them. Mia took Alvaro in her arms. "It looked difficult from here," she said.
"Let's say it wasn't easy, but it was great fun"
They took the next lift together. When they got to the top, they caught their breath. The next slope lay ahead of them. They looked across the glistening white snow to a mountain range on the other side. The sun was in the deep blue sky. On their right side the mountain turned into rocks and if you looked closely you could see the summit cross. For a moment they let the sight sink in.
Lupe made the start. She let herself slide down the first few meters.
"are you coming?" she called laughing. Juanma was next followed by Roberto and Gaspar. One after the other they all drove off again. It was great to feel the speed, how the wind blew through their hair and the fresh snow crunched under their skis.
At noon they took a break in a ski hut and in the sun, it was so warm that they could take off their jackets. From the hut they also had a very nice view of the surroundings.
Juanma observed a boy who drove down the slope to the hut with a snowboard.
"I think that's great too," he said to Alvaro
"We can see if we can borrow some," replied Alvaro.
They watched him until he reached the hut.
The boy gave them a friendly greeting and Alvaro said "is that difficult?"
"No," said the boy, "If you can ski it's not difficult anymore. It's like you only have one ski."
He was called and said "I'll definitely see you again. I have to go to my parents"
When everyone had eaten something, they went on. At the last lift, one of the employees at the lift said "are you going to have the apres- ski right away?"
"May we?" asked Lupe. "Please papa."
Rsmiro looked at Isabel, who had to laugh. "We can have a look or are we too old?" She asked, looking at the man at the lift.
"No, everyone is very welcome. There's a little music, a little dance and a little drink down at the valley station."
"We like to stop by" said Ramiro and it was their turn at the lift.
So when they arrived, they didn't take the route to the house, but drove a slope towards the valley station. So far they hadn't been down that far. A large tent was set up for the après-ski party. It was already quite full, a lot of skiers were already downstairs and to be honest, there was a good mood due to alcohol. Most of them had ski clothes and boots, which did not prevent them from dancing on some tables.
The music was so loud, that conversation was almost impossible. They mingled a bit with the people, Ramiro, Alvaro and Juanma got drinks, Ramiro insisted on non-alcoholic drinks because they had to ski again to get home.
"The last lift goes up at 6 pm," he warned. Juanma had seen a poster that offered a night-ski run. He made Alvaro aware of this and Alvaro shouted in his ear "that's in two days, if we could join in, we should talk to the others."
They had an hour to the last lift. The girls danced a bit. Juanma had recognized the boy with the snowboard and greeted him.
They stayed a little, and then Ramiro called them all back together. "We'll do that again another time, for today I find this very crowded and loud," he said to the students.
They were all a bit exhausted and agreed to return to the house.
When all the skis were neatly put away, the cozy part of the evening could start.
Isabel took care of the food, Alvaro lit the fire a little earlier and they sat down a little on the sofa.
Isabel said that the table could be set and when everyone was seated, Ramiro said: "The party in the tent was pretty good, but if you go there without us, don't let any alcohol turn on. It'll be quick that one loses the overview and you always have to remember that you have to come here and you can endanger yourself and others.
The students nodded. In general, they hardly drank alcohol anyway. Ramiro and Isabel retired early after dinner. Roberto wanted to drive a little with Clara and see the mountains in the dark.
Gaspar and Lupe lit a fire in their apartment and snuggled up on the sofa. Lupe would never have thought beforehand that she would like such a remote mountain hut. But she just felt good with Gaspar in her arms.
