One of my favorite things about XC skiing at Great Glen Trails this past weekend (besides periodic snow tubing breaks and the cafeteria’s classic cardboard molten-cheese pizza) was how they named their intricate maze of trail loops. While every XC ski center bestows colorful and whimsical names on their trails, Great Glen Trails translated each name into French on the wooden signs along the trails!
So, I was nordic skiing and learning French at the same time. It was like some kind of EuroNerd paradise. For instance, the trail named “Whiplash” was also identified as “Coup du lapin.” “Drifter” was “Errance.” As we progressed, we discovered that some of the translation weren’t literal. “Dancer” was “La Valse,” which means Waltz. “Pipsqueak” was translated into the French as “the cute little trail.”
But the best was “Geepers,” translated as “Hoo-la-la.” Incidentally, “hoo-la-la” is Mr. Pinault’s favorite expression of woeful incredulity (not be confused with ooh-la-la, which is more upbeat.) Now, everytime he says this, I’m going to translate this in my head as “Geepers,” and think him to be old-fashioned.
