Alpine Skiing

Cross Country came first and then the invention of tow lifts brought Alpine Skiing. The Austrians, Swiss and Italians have dominated the sport. A lot of young kids in the Alps can ski as soon as they can walk and ski to school everyday.

Most people ski as a leisure pursuit and leave the Olympic ambitions to the daredevils. Snowboarding, particularly popular with the young, has joined Alpine Skiing. Racing down slopes on planks of wood does seem a crazy thing to do. Having done it myself, I know how exhilarating it is. I have skied in Scotland in the fog and over sheer ice. I hit a sheet of ice one day and couldn't stop myself from crashing into a picket fence. There was a log cabin at the top of the mountain where you could buy hot chocolate, coffee and snacks. The local herd of reindeer would come up to the cabin and feed from your hand.

My other experience of was in Austria. The snow conditions and the weather were better there. There is nothing to beat Alpine when the sun is shining and the snow glitters in the sunlight. Après Ski was great too and I remember drinking a lot of mulled wine. I stayed in a picture postcard village in a typical Alpine lodge. The village, which was only small, contained the most amazing church and was adorned with frescoes and gold. One night, my friends and I went to a local bar and I had rather too much schnapps. I suffered the next day and my Alpine had to be put on hold.

I would like to go again and try to improve. A very big dry slope has opened near my home, which would be a good way to get back into it again. I may even try out snowboarding lessons; I don't see why the young should have all the fun. When I was in Austria, we had a trip to Innsbruck and we walked around the old site for the Winter Olympics there. I stood at the top of what was the ski jump hill, and the incline is staggering. You can't get any idea of what ski jumping is like from television. Sometimes, Alpine and its various events, must feel like flying. The only time that I ever flew was by pure accident!

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