FollowSkiing is quite a tricky sport to master. We’ve been doing it regularly for 25 years and we’re still learning. This being the case, ski manufacturers are always trying to convince customers that their latest innovation will make us all ski a lot better without any additional effort or skill. Most of this is utter bunkum of course – if you really want to improve you get some good coaching.
The latest fad from the ski industry is fat skis – skis that are considerably wider than we are used to. I have always poured scorn on this idea – it can’t possibly work, and anyway who wants to ski on a couple of 5 inch wide planks?
So it was with some amusement this morning that I found myself at the top of the hill at Männlichen, clicking into a pair of silly fat skis. The reason for this is of course the demon drink. Bob and Rachel came round for dinner last night and persuaded us to borrow their fat skis for a day. Here’s Val (note the ridiculous skis) with Rachel.
I really wanted to hate them. Trouble was, everything I tried just worked like a charm. Steep, icy pitches? No problem. Fast carving and short turns? Easy. I knew they’d be good off-piste, and sure enough they were spectacular, even in the crud that was left behind after yesterday’s wind storm.
Val liked her silly skis so much she made Rachel an offer and bought them when we got back to the village. Bob’s aren’t for sale, so I need to go shopping not only for new (fat) skis, but also a large slice of humble pie.