On our first morning, Chemmy took to the task of teaching skiers of differing abilities admirably.
Somewhere in between, Chemmy recounted her career highs – and candidly shared some of her lows – over cocktails at the swanky W bar, and Bella scored us the best table in the house for the hottest ticket in town – a performance by the It Girls burlesque group at the opulent Etoile Rouge supper club. We descended quickly from polite, getting-to-know-you chats over steak tartare at the cosy Le Rouge restaurant to hoots of laughter as we passed round a traditional grolle – a clay bowl filled with liquor-laced café de l’amitié that is sipped from one of its many spouts. Add to that Bella’s ability to secure VIP treatment at some of the best places in town, Chemmy’s charisma and the energy of a fun-loving group of new best friends and we had ourselves a high-octane party weekend. Verbier is already one of the Alps’ best destinations for nightlife. Guests in Verbier that weekend included several London-based 20-somethings: Barnes, a private jet broker his partner in crime Harry former ski racer Kirstin, who along with her friend Zillah, had been taught previously by Bella and a glamorous 40-year-old lawyer, Louisa, who was slightly nervous of skiing after a lengthy absence from the slopes and had brought her 27-year-old friend George with her for moral support.Ĭhemmy shows that her off-piste skills are as finely tuned as her racing carves Photo: Jojo Harper
Up to 12 guests can be accommodated on each weekend, divided into two groups who spend one day with one of the hosts, then swap instructor for the second day – there are never more than six to a class. It was detailed stuff, which, while tricky to adjust to, proved worth its weight in gold after a few days of practice.Ĭhemmy and Bella ensure that, although primarily instructive, the weekends (which run from Friday evening to Monday morning) are fun too, lining up entertainment-packed evenings and keeping spirits high throughout. I had to envisage carrying a tray of mojitos in front of me and not spilling a drop while navigating moguls, then focus on isolating my wrist from my elbow to improve my poling technique.
She had me doing hop turns – jumping clear off the ground with both feet while rotating my skis to face the opposite direction – to highlight keeping my upper body still while rotating my lower body. Bella proved the tougher taskmaster of the two – an unrelenting perfectionist accustomed to training top-level BASI instructors, she stripped me down to basics before building me back up again.
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