THE HONORARY PRESIDENT
MRS PRESIDENT SAYS…
I am a SKIER. My heart is, and will always be, in the mountains.
At first, I didn’t know if it was because the Tiger King was the first full series I'd watched in about a decade that it really got to me. This image of the caged tiger. The brutality of that tiger not being able to live in the wild, in its natural habitat. Being taken out of its environment and confined to those four walls.
And then I realised why it was affecting me so much…. Because in a really selfish way, right now I feel caged too.
And yet I am in my home. With my loved ones. Enjoying most of every day whilst the world suffers in this pandemic. So why can’t I fully stay and live in the present?
Because I am a SKIER. My heart is, and will always be, in the mountains.
Normally when I am home, it is my choice. Right now, the freedom to visit those beloved mountains, capped in unmarked snow, has (understandably) been taken away. And that is what makes it hurt…
I feel an immense guilt for even writing that - admitting to my bitterness - but I know that you readers share my passion, my virtual obsession for skiing and snowboarding, so I am pretty sure I am vocalising what all of you are trying to bury deep inside.
I know this because one of the last days I spent in the mountains before lockdown ended with a fantastic dinner with a great bunch of Ski Club members in Flaine. Despite the challenging conditions, the energy of the group was electric. They were buzzing with the self-satisfaction and achievement of pushing themselves out of their comfort zone that day. A few were hurting - not with pain but with muscle ache. I fed hungrily off their stories, oh and the huge feast served up by the chef!
It is moments like these, when a group of strangers come together in a shared experience where they all grow mentally and physically as individuals, that make me feel so lucky to have had so many opportunities in the mountains.
And those mountains will still be there when this is all over. They will humble us with their magnitude. Excite us with their undulating terrain and varied conditions. They will push us to our limits. They will make us laugh with happiness and friendship. They may make us cry with cold and injury.
They will define us in every way.
During lockdown I have:
Done over 1,000 slalom turns (some on inline skates as my daily exercise in my local park)
Worked my race lycra catsuits over 5 times (a mix of fancy dress Zoom evenings and nostalgia!)
Buckled up my boots and clicked into my skis once (during an attempt to ski down my toddler's plastic ski slide so I could add it into my weekly assault course!)