| I am the first to admit that I am a fair weather | | | | gymnasts. |
| athlete, but I am open trying new things. I used to | | | | Then there is the actual process of skiing (or sliding |
| ride, quite like to swim in a hot climate, I am a | | | | down a hillside on your back) and avoiding other |
| spasmodic gym user and have even tried different | | | | people and any solid object that is likely to break a |
| activities such as paragliding in Greece. I even | | | | bone if you come in contact with it at high speed. |
| parachuted off the wing of a small plane (once was | | | | Once you reach the top of the slope and start on |
| more than enough) a number of years ago and I love | | | | your way down, either prone or on your feet, but |
| football, watching not playing! | | | | everything is over so quickly. Its just so much hard |
| But I struggle to understand why anyone would | | | | work for a very small moment of excitement and |
| want to ski. | | | | very little enjoyment. |
| Now I expect you are saying "well what do you | | | | All this misery is without even mentioning the cold, |
| know," but I do know, I have skied both on a dry | | | | the snow and the wet. I have never understood the |
| slope and snow. All the fuss with choosing boots that | | | | appeal of a holiday where you wear more clothes |
| are so heavy and stiff you walk like a robot, then | | | | then you do at home. When it snows here we are |
| the skis have to be sized and fitted. Your clothing is | | | | sent in to panic stations, airports close, trains stop |
| so padded you look like the Michelin man (especially | | | | running, schools close and people suddenly find it too |
| those of that are already a little round). | | | | hard to travel across town to work but then rush to |
| Then once you have organised all this equipment, | | | | book up a valuable week off in a place covered head |
| including goggles, hat, gloves, skis, ski poles, lift | | | | to toe in the white stuff. |
| passes, you have to carry it to the slope, no mean | | | | What is the appeal? I need to know in case there is |
| feat unless you have the muscles of Mr Universe. | | | | something wonderful that I am missing out on but it |
| Once on the slope it is a case of negotiating the ski | | | | will have to be something exceptional to convince |
| lift, not the easiest thing in the world unless you have | | | | me! |
| the coordination of one of Russia's Olympic | | | | |