On learning to ski
The view from the top at Mount Washington by Jonathan Jacobsen
In January 2015 I learnt to ski. Or rather, I learnt to stay upright long enough in order to stop when necessary to avoid a crisis (internal or external) and turn when necessary to keep from plunging off the edge of the run. And apparently that is called skiing. It took 4,5 days, 3 instructors in 3 different resorts, and some serious deep digging to keep going – especially after the first two hour class which had too many people and too little patience for my slow learning curve. At that point I was fully ready to say “it’s been fab, have your ski’s and stupid boots and you’ll find me in the pub”. But partly because the very tall baby brother (and obsessive snowboarder) and the barefoot husband (and ski devotee) were so keen for me to learn that I didn’t want to let them down, and partly because my ego wouldn’t let me give up, I gritted my teeth and stuck with it.