Anushka's blog: To ski or not to ski, that is the question…

It’s that time of year when we book our group family ski holiday.  I skied once aged 8 on a school trip,  hated it, vowed never to do it again.  As an adult in my late 20s, I went twice.  I enjoyed myself the first time as it was glorious weather and I surprised myself that I somehow hadn’t forgotten how to ski.  The second time, the weather was bitingly cold and I was miserable. 

Thereafter, since our youngest child was 2, we have pretty much been going every year with a group of families who all send their kids to ski school and, although my skiing has pretty much stagnated, I’ve enjoyed the group family holiday aspect.  This year, we went skiing for two weeks in Canada.  We didn’t put kids in ski school but skied with them all day for long days.  My kids, aged 11 and 12, are now better skiers than me.  I am getting slower and have been forced to weigh up whether I hang up the salopettes for good.  The pros and cons might help any of you who are also on the fence about the whole skiing thing.

The positives:

• It’s a great family holiday as the kids are entertained therefore adults are happy
• It’s a holiday you can do with a group of friends and is enhanced by going with other families so everyone has company
• It is exercise and it is developing a skill, which are two positives
• As an ethnic minority Sri-Lankan, I feel like I should fly the flag for more diversity on the slopes!
• It’s an organised holiday where everything is taken care of and, in my case, all the organising is done by my husband who loves skiing!

If I get to a point where I dislike something so much, it often inspires me to write, which is what I actually enjoy doing, but struggle to justify the time for.

The negatives:

• It is very expensive
• It is very cold, freezing in fact
• Journey to resort from airport often involves long road travel around winding roads
• It is exhausting, painful and scary at times
• I am doing it ‘because everyone else does’ and not because I wish to or find relaxing myself  (this irks me more as I age and realise time is precious and opportunities to do what you want are rare)
• You run the very real risk of injury and feel grateful to come back each year without any broken bones (a low bar for a ‘holiday’)

Conclusion: I will ski but on my terms, with kids in ski school and for as little as I like with permission to opt-out and do as I please some of the days and not feel obliged because I have spent money on a lift pass and ski hire.  I’ll think of it as babysitting for my whole family, whilst I have time alone to write!

Anushka works full time for a professional services firm, is married with two kids aged 11 and 12.

Tags:
• Families