Alpine Skiing at Its Best

Alpine Skiing Information

Watching downhill skiers on TV gives the impression that it's easy. It looks so natural, unless they take a fall of course. Cross Country was the first skiing sport until the invention of tow lifts which brought Alpine Skiing. The Swiss, Austrians and Italians have dominated the sport. As soon as they can walk, some young children in the Alps region can ski and ski to school everyday.

Most people ski as a leisure pursuit and leave the Olympic ambitions to the daredevils. Snowboarding, particularly popular with the young, has joined Alpine Skiing. It seems a crazy thing to do racing down slopes on planks of wood. I have tried it and I know how exhilarating it is. When I was in Scotland I skied in the fog and over sheer ice. One day I hit a sheet of ice and couldn't prevent myself from crashing into a tree. There was this cabin at the top of the hill where they sold coffee, hot chocolate and snacks. The local herd of reindeer would come up to the cabin and feed from your hand. Yes Alpine Skiing is something else!

My other experience of skiing was in Austria. The weather and snow conditions were almost perfect there. There is nothing to beat Alpine Skiing when the sun shines and the snow glitters in the sunlight. I love Apres Ski too and I remember drinking a lot of good wine. I stayed in a picture postcard village in a real Alpine lodge. The village contained the most amazing church and was adorned with frescoes and gold. One night, my friends and I went to a local bar and I had rather too much schnapps. I suffered the next day and my Alpine Skiing had to be put on hold.

I would like to go skiing again and try to improve. They just open a very big dry slope near my place, which would be a good way to get back into it again. I may even try out snowboarding lessons; I don't see why the young should have all the fun. When I was in Austria, we had a trip to Innsbruck and we  walked around the old Winter Olympics site there. I stood at the top of what was the ski jump slope, and the incline is incredible.  of what ski jumping is like from television. Sometimes, Alpine Skiing and its various events, must feel like flying. The only time that I ever flew was by pure accident!