Wanks on Planks

For a long time I have been more than mildly confuzzled by the strange habit of some: to strap themselves to wooden planks and slide down a mountain. You know, those funny little things that tend to throw avalanches, storms and rockfall in our general direction...

However, despite my initial dubiositiness (which was probably similar to yours upon reading that word), I have indulged in this form of madness in the past with varying degrees of terror and adrenalin-filled bemusement. Last year's efforts proved particularly disastrous, with my movements frequently resembling Bambi on speed. Why people can't stick to normal sports like ice-climbing is beyond me.

Nevertheless, it's a good giggle, so this year is going to be my year of improvement. I had intended to await the New Year with free lessons from the alpine club, but when Beth's teacher offered us her parents' chalet for the weekend, we thought it would be rude to decline. All in all, it was quite a success with no deaths or fatal injuries. I only fell over 3 times the first day, each time when I was standing completely still and having a natter. The second day was a tad on the blowy side and I remembered mountains are scary places, so slowed my speed down to perhaps 1km/day. Hardcore.





Next plan: to try cross-country skiing on a proper circuit (rather than at the snowboarding championships in Grenoble). It sounds much less scary, but a little too much like hard work...On verra.