So fed up of stories like this every single year. Stupid bloody Skiing.

[ExcessiveNumberOfNinjas]

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14427223/British-schoolboy-14-killed-skiing-accident-northern-Italy.html

This poor lad, only 14 years old, crashes headlong into a tree at speed and dies of chest injuries right in front of his parents.

What's so fucking great about skiing? Every year without fail there are stories like this and I'm sick of them. I know someone who became permanently disabled and slightly brain damaged after a skiing accident in his 20s.

As parents we don't encourage our kids to get into cars and drive them at speed round a race track with very little training every half term in February do we? We don't stick them on the backs of race horses and slap their arses and watch them go over hurdles. We don't encourage them to dive off high cliffs into the sea below and hope that they manage to miss the rocks as they land. So why do we continually let them hurl down mountainsides at god knows how many miles an hour, hoping that they manage not to collide with a tree or hit their heads on a rock?

I don't get it. I never will. However 'fun' it might be it can't possibly be worth the stupid level of risk.

@goodkidsmaadhouse

We mostly ski in Glencoe. It's mainly hardcore ski fans prepared to tramp through mud for a few turns. 😂😂

I used to ski at the Lecht years ago (on the rare occasion that there was snow AND the Tomintoul road was actually open) - I spent most of my time trying to avoid all the ice, rocks and mud and trying to see more than 2 feet in front of me through all the sleet whilst cursing. So I was far too distracted with that to even try to and find Tarquin and Jocasta never mind try to keep up with them.

I was told you can often spot children who learnt on Scottish ski slopes as they never whinge. Ice in the morning followed by slush in the afternoon. Europe seems like paradise.

Totally agree!

The last time I skied in Scotland was nearly 30 years ago, it was miserable. The sleet was horizontal, the visibility was a few feet. The was more ice, mud and rocks than actual snow. I threw my skis down in a huff and vowed never to ski again. 10 years later, I'd moved to London and booked a trip to Meribel. Everyone was talking about what a terrible season it was so I was so worried I'd spent loads of money and wouldn't get to ski. When I got there, however, I had never seen so much snow. It was amazing!

Scotland is a brilliant place to learn because even a bad day in the Alps is better than a good day in Scotland!

Yes, tough little blighters! Some of my nephews were 'trained' like this. Unlike my soft southern offspring who expected sunshine. TBF, so do I. And lots of mountain cafes with sunny terraces.

Oh I don't know, there is something special about Scottish skiing though. One of my favourite photos is of my son and one of his friends skiing at the Lecht in the sunset (so probably about 2pm) - they had spent the whole day whooping with joy about how much powder there was off piste, which was actually a light dusting of snow on the heather and possibly 0.5cm in the gullies. Makes for the Best Day Ever for a couple of 7 year olds.

Puts it into perspective when I obsessively check the 3V snow reports and start worrying when it goes below 90/150.

Is it my memory or was Scottish snow more reliable in the late 80s?

I have great memories of Glenshee the schools preferred option. Then one day they took us to Glencoe. My hair became a frozen sheet of ice on my back.

Not long after DH and I met we decided to try boarding in Glencoe, £50, board hire, couple of hours lesson and all day pass. Seemed a good deal.
It was THE most glorious day in Glencoe. Sun was shining the glen just looked amazing, thank goodness because I couldn't get going on the daft snowboard and we spent most of the afternoon on our backsides admiring the view.😍

Decided to stick with skis ⛷️ but I'll never forget how glorious Glencoe was with snow and sun 🌞

My DH would say you're right... He remembers childhood winters all being like the amazing winter of lockdown. Not sure if those are rose tinted spectacles though.

And you know what... I don't think there's anywhere as beautiful as Scotland in the sun.

I always remember snow in Scotland. There was some serious sledging going on every year. It seems to come later now though Feb/ Mar.

Honestly, people go on about how marvellous it is, because if you enjoy it, it really is marvellous. Some of my best holidays have been skiing. You go knowing the risks, that's just how it is. You mitigate against it, i.e. wearing helmets, doing runs you can do, and overall it is still incredibly safe. Trampolines cause more injuries than skiing. Bike riding, horse riding, christ even getting in a car is dangerous - You can't live a life completely without risks, and for some, the risk of skiing is worth it.

This was me! Learned at Hillend and spent many a school trip skiing over rocks, grass and sheets of ice up north. The first time I skied on proper snow in Austria I bought believe how easy it was!!

Totally! I spent many a miserable day as a child soaked to my pants as our ski gear wasn't up to the Scottish skiing weather. Then there was the memorable, in a bad way, sodden afternoon sat sharing a mars bar as we'd forgotten to bring cash for our lunch.

Your tarquins and Jocastas never had to endure that I bet!

The first time I went abroad I kept falling over as I was used to sheet ice and not real snow. 😂😂