Chamonix City

By Gemma Cleanslate

If you want your absolute fill of winter sports, don’t miss the Chamonix City sims. “Fantastic winter sports community inside Second Life! Sims located to the west of Braggiani. Come visit GOHA ice hockey, and try out hockey, snowboarding, cross country skiing, sledding, ice skating, and more. Everything is free! Chamonix-Mont-Blanc  was the site of the 1924 Winter Olympics (the first Winter Olympics). It has been described as "the death-sport capital of the world". GOHA in slGlobal on line hockey association  offices in neutral zone.. can join and get all equipment free.”

This is another superb area where you can experience all the snow fun you want. It is here all year long. There are several landing places in the  regions for different venues. I like the small park after you cross the huge bridge from the mainland sims. Here you find a teleport to some of the sports arenas as well as a lift to the town in Neutral zone town. The Neutral Zone has some interesting offices..GOHA... one for the cheerleaders group.. one for the women’s wrestling group and more.

 I enjoy using the lifts to get around to the fun places for your own winter sports. Besides the great down hill ski slope there is a wonderful ski jump where you can practice or compete for your distance. I did well to get to the bottom on my feet first time! I really need practice but I did manage 35 m before crashing to the ground, tried again and got to 43m . Bobsledding is one sport I have not seen around except for in Chamonix city. That was a hoot! Practice or compete for time on the board. I need practice here too! There is a lift to reach the tops of the hills to participate in all these activities.

Take a friend or two and go over to check out all the wonderful areas . The arenas are all set for games and you are invited to join the group to find out more. Walk around the Neutral Zone town and stop in.

One thing I did before I left was to hop on the pod that took me over the bridge to the mainland sims and took me up the Amundsen road and up into Hanson on the Hanson road. It was a great tour by interesting places. This landmark will put you by the teleporter in the park.

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Neutral%20Zone/219/189/62 .

Gemma Cleanslate

Winter Sports at Chamonix City

Now that the winter season is approaching, I set off to find some fun sims for you to visit. My first stop was Chamonix City. This is a sports sim named for the location of the first Winter Olympics held in Chamonix , France in 1924. The town in real-life remains a winter sport destination, and here you have your chance to visit in SL. It looks like the GOHA, the Global Online Hockey Association, has been in SL for a long time. This is my first introduction to it.

When I arrived at the Town center, my first visit was to the Hall of Fame. A history of GOHA is there for your viewing, and tributes to those that have made their mark in the League since they started in 2006. Plaques and trophies are displayed honoring the players and their teams on three floors. The town itself is delightful, with the Community Center, and shops filled with freebies. You can pick up hockey shirts, skates, hats and scarves for the winter and more. I stopped in at the church where I found several hockey players prostrate before the altar praying, “We will be strong and play as a team.”

Next I took a tour of the area landing first at the Pond Hockey where I read, “ Pond Hockey is a special tradition for the Global Online Hockey Association since 2006. Enjoy a laid back game with no walls, relaxed rules, and a beautiful setting tuned specifically for Hockey! “ The pond is open the public for practice any time a game is not in progress.”

I flew over to the Breakaway Rookie Training area where all the information you need to learn how to skate and play hockey is located. There is an automated training tools map . There are explicit directions and hints at all the locations on the map to help you become a hockey player if you are interested. I think I will skip it ! LOL. But I did try the tips on skating! Very Helpful.

I located the arena where the games are played. While I was there, some players were practicing for a game. Sure enough at 1:00 SL time, a game started between the Foxes and the Blades. Just like real life , play was fierce. There was a penalty right away! The entire schedule is at http://www.globalonlinehockeyassociation.com/league/page.aspx?PageID=3300 . I saw that games are also televised on Treet Tv on Sunday. Take a look at the website for more information and news.

I found a down hill sky jump that was closed at the time. I located the public skating pond where I found more skates for the taking. There is a couples and a solo skating animation for you to use. I tried the downhill skiing and sledding. I also found an Events Center for performances . You can find those on the Calendar as well.

There is also snow boarding and you will find boots and board . The building is not far from the arena and is on the main road. This sim is definitely worth a visit. Lots to see and do . Take a trip over to the sims starting here at the Community Center . Wear your woolies!!!

Gemma Cleanslate