My experiments with skiing....

Before i go into the details about my totally crazy skiing adventure, you should know a little about the relation that the French have with skiing. You see, skiing is to the French, what cricket is to Indians. It is a religion, something pursued with great passion. The French swear by skiing, and Indians will stay home from work to watch a great game of cricket !

So, off i went to a ski resort called l'Alpe d'Huez, about 60 km from Grenoble, up in the mountains, a drive of an hour and a half. Jean-Eudes promised to give me a decent lesson, so when we got there we just had to buy the ski pass and rent the skis.

My first shock was the ski lift itself, which took us straight up from the base of the station up the slope for 2 kms or so! What? It's my first time, for god sake !! Fully equipped, skis on, when you get to the top, you have to jump off the seat and slide down a small slope to be ready to do bigger things. I got my first negative vibe when i went face flat into the snow, right after i got off the ski lift !

Believe me, snow is nice to see. It is cold !! When you fall and have it inside every possible piece of clothing that you are wearing, it is not a nice feeling....

I should also speak a bit about ski shoes/boots. Ever heard someone say "my feet turned to lead"? Well, i know where they came up with that. Ski boots make you sympathise with Darth Vader. They are so heavy that you cannot move your feet to get up, once you fall. You cannot bend you ankle joint either, and that does not simplify things !

So i got my few basic lessons, and was ready to start "skiing". Or what i called skiing atleast. Because it included falling every 10 metres, and sliding the next 2 or 3 after falling. Each time i fell, by backside felt a bit more sore, my neck got a bit more stiff, and i regretted my decision to come here a little more.

Well, after about an hour or so, i finally got the hang of it, and could go about 30 metres at a stretch (yeah right, big deal!). The problem now was that i didnt know how to stop or turn, and my only method : engineer a fall ! So i started to fall more and more, and ended up in all kinds of sprawled positions, with skis and sticks in 3 different directions, and me looking up at the sky, or face down in the snow.

I figured a bit about turning while on the move, but the sheer problem with this move is that you face the slope directly. I could even do that... but the problem is that once you face the slope, you go straight down, picking up speed very very quickly ! I was shit scared of the high speed, simply because i was not good at controlling it. I would stand tall, and that would result in yet another fall !

After about 30 falls, i was about 100m from the base of the station. That is like seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. That is like taking warmth from the distant lamp. Thats when i hit a patch of ice, slipped, and kept sliding for another 10 mts, before injuring my left wrist on another chunk of ice. I lay still for a few seconds, thinking my hand was broken. I took off my glove, to see my wrist all red and sore, hurting like mad. Then to add insult to injury, a 5 year old kid does a screeching stop next to me and asks me "ca va?". Kids !

Anyway, i walked back down the slope (actually stumbled, thanks to the boots), since my hand was telling my brain to not do anymore skiing that day...

There i waited, and did some serious thinking... I guess there is a difference between learning a sport when you are young and once you grow a bit older. Especially a sport where you risk a limb or two. Kids are not afraid of anything. I mean, anything ! I saw kids yesterday go down the slopes yesterday like it was childsplay (well, how ironic). I think as adults, we start to set limits for ourselves, mentally. I learnt how to play cricket as a kid, and i was never afraid of the red cherry. I know now what it can do if you get struck by it, but nobody told me when i was a kid. I found out years later, but by then i was already conditioned to not be afraid !

I have to reconsider skiing a second time. I want to go back, i dont like to give up on something so easily. Besides, it was fun, except for the falls. But none of us likes broken limbs, and i surely cannot afford one right now !

Anyday, put me on a 22 yard stretch, and i'll face up to a Kookaburra !

(I'll put up pictures soon, once Jean-Eudes send them to me)