Description

This flagrantly honest book documents the ascent/descent of an ageing ski-bum from city-living executive to garage-dwelling chalet-host. It describes how the ski-bum’s escape from the rat race is affected by means of a rented chalet in the French alpine town of Morzine, where his ‘Chalet Project’ teaches him new and strange domestic skills and he learns a lot about Land Rover maintenance – it also causes him to lose his home and his wife and to stare down into an alcoholic crevasse. On arrival in chalet land he is frequently abducted by the ‘Après Aliens’ and hears voices in his head – his ‘Ski Demons’. Enter the world of ‘girlfriend skiing’ and of the ‘Ski Nazis’ and other such weird creatures and find out what ski-bums do in the summer. And feel for the author as he attempts to qualify as ski instructor and Ski Club of Great Britain Leader – only to discover that he’s not actually very good at skiing after all! This book is also a useful manual for skiers. It examines skiing philosophies and looks at common skiing phobias. Finally, rejoice as our ski-bum exorcises his demons and also his fear of avalanches and an infamous run called the Swiss Wall.