Bend ze knees – How I learnt to ski

Working for the skiing holidays company, Erna Low, it’s always a bit of an embarrassment to admit I have never skied before. Tired of always receiving questionable looks and sympathetic smiles whenever I revealed my guilty secret, I decided to make a change for the better and get myself out the Alps and strap a couple of planks to some uncomfortable boots and throw myself down a mountain.

Working in the accounts department, I have never needed to know about skiing and everything that goes with it but still being eligible for a staff discount, I decided it was high time to take advantage and pack the family off on one of our ski holidays to France to find out what all the fuss was about.

We traveled out by car, driving through picturesque France and arrived late that evening at Les Arcs ski resort and checked into our two bedroom apartment on the slopes. We were told that as beginners, it is far easier to be as close to the slopes as possible and sure enough, it did take away a lot of the stress. Arc 1800 has all within easy reach and all we needed was thankfully close to our residence. With the kids safely planted in ski school, my husband and I met our ski instructor, Pascale, from the ESF (Ecole de Ski Francais) for our first lesson. As I secret had hoped, he was every bit as charming and suave as everyone had made out French ski instructors were and made the learning all the more enjoyable.

Having had visions of hurling down the mountain and off the cliff with a splat, the reality of the first time on the slopes was a lot less terrifying. With a few ‘bend ze knees’ and a couple of snow plows later, we were on the way to the top… of a blue run. I realised the skis don’t shoot out from under you as I expected and I was in much more control than I ever would be and even started linking my turns.

As the week progressed, I actually started to enjoy it and having sunny skies all week long helped keep the smile on my face. Don’t get me wrong, some long mountain lunches and a few trips to the spa were squeezed in but I feel that I am now well on the road to catching up with my peers and even admit I now understand the fuss over all this ‘white stuff’.

Category: Learning Holidays