Skiing? No, not that bothered …

As I run a ski company it is often assumed (not surprisingly) that I do a lot of skiing. This isn’t the case. I’d estimate that in the 8 years since I started running Ski Famille I’ve averaged around 4 days a season on the slopes. Given that I got in to the industry through a love of the mountains, coupled with the unique sense of freedom one gets from sliding around on a pair of planks, this is pretty poor.

On learning that I don’t ski much people generally express shock and ask whether I am bothered or not. My response is that I’ve had my fix (I was a guide in the Alps for two winters) and can take it or leave it. That’s not the whole story though … increasingly I think I just say that to make myself feel better about working too hard and playing too little every winter!

This Autumn I have visited both the London and Birmingham ski shows as a “punter” and have been surprised to find that they have genuinely fired up my enthusiasm for getting out on skis this winter. I’m itching to head to the mountains, and not just so I can meet suppliers, sit in on management meetings or check chalet standards; I really really want to go skiing.

There is a second factor at work. I am, in the nicest possible way, the subject of pester power. My four year old daughter hit the slopes for the first time last winter and absolutely loved it. Whenever ski related paraphernalia appears in the house I get a question along the lines of “Daddy, when are we going skiing next time”. I try and avoid the subject as I have singularly failed to get organised and plan in a family trip to the Alps.

Conversations with guests on the phone remind me what I could be missing out on if I don’t get it sorted out though. There really is nothing like playing in the mountains en-famille. I have decided that this is the month I pull my finger out, before I head off to the mountains on 24th for my first tranche of set-up and training I’ll book a Ski Famille holiday.

Chris
www.skifamille.co.uk