Tag Archives: Ski Sunday

What’s On in Méribel for 2018/2019

Our guide to what’s across the 3 Valleys in 2018/2019.

We’ve already put together a rundown of what’s new in Méribel for 2018/19 and with the season fast approaching, anticipation and general excitement is now reaching its annual fever pitch!

The Three Valleys is more than just the largest linked ski area in the world and as always, there are lots of events taking place throughout the season that you won’t want to miss if you can help it.  

We’ve put together a few dates for your diary for the 2018 / 2019 season in Méribel and The Three Valleys.

whats on meribel

Ski Area opening day. Snow cover permitting, the Three Valleys ski area is scheduled to open from 8th December, so expect a huge buzz with lots of smiling faces and eager lift-goers jostling for space on the newly opened slopes.

The Audi FIS Ski World Cup takes place over in Courchevel over a full weekend, 21st-22nd December. Many champions take part, all keen to become the next Mikaela Shiffrin (USA), who won last year’s competition ahead of Tessa Worley (France) and Manuela Moelgg (Italy).

Also in December, catch the inaugural, Meribel stage of the Ladies Night Tour. An International women’s Alpine tour, the dual slalom event takes place at night which really ups the atmospheric stakes and is the best place to catch up with the female French skiers at the top of their game.

See in 2019 in style with the New Year celebrations, Meribel style. Expect fireworks and champagne corks and some great parties at a whole host of clubs and bars such as the Folie Douce, The Rond Point, O’Sullivans and Jacks. Be sure to check their websites beforehand as some bars and clubs are ticketed on NYE.

NYE Meribel

In January, catch The French Slopestyle Cup, held in the DC Area 43 Terrain Park. See top athletes performing simply extraordinary jumps and tricks in this spectacular competition, guaranteed ‘ohs’ and ‘ahs’ as standard.

Kicking off on the 14th and then throughout February and March, join upwards of 8,000 spectators to witness some of the most amazing firework displays you’re ever likely to see, at the International Fireworks Festival in Courchevel.

March is all about Music and sees the return of The Ronnie Loves Music Festival. Back for its seventh consecutive year, the week-long family friendly festival features top name events and a Big Air contest, all in one of the Alps’ top Apres Ski venues.

It’s also the month of Méribel’s Piste Bash Festival, featuring skiing, live music, DJs and comedy in the heart of the Three Valleys.

As April arrives and we start to think about the season’s end, there’s still time for the Three Valleys Enduro event which sees teams of pros, amateurs and families compete in some great challenges and events such as the Giant Slalom and Skicross.

Also in April is the Annual Three Valleys Charity Day, held in Meribel Village. The event is a firm favourite and has been running for more than 15 years now. The lineup this year includes hip-hop DJ Jaguar and perennial partiers, the Dub Pistols.


Unless you’re lucky enough to be spending the whole season in Méribel, chances are you’ll only be able to catch one or two of the events we’ve highlighted here. Handily, we’ve also got a Meribel Bucket List guide, which is all perfectly doable, even if you have just the one week in Meribel and The Three Valleys.


Ultimate ski photos – Pics to make your friends jealous

The best photos to take on a ski holiday

Photos aren’t for keeping in a drawer or on your google drive they are for sharing on Instagram and Facebook, often with the sole intention of making your friends envious of your holiday.

Here is our tick list of photos you have to take when you are in the mountains.

The Selfie

What self-respecting person wouldn’t post a holiday selfie. The most popular pic to take on a ski holiday is the lift selfie. Preferably with all your mates in it.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Yeah it’s another chairlift selfie #gopro #3vallées

A post shared by Dan Boer (@danboer1) on


The Luxury Item

Skiing is all about luxury and spoiling yourself. From champaign lunches to a nighttime soak in the chalet hot tub, it is your duty to document them all and share your experience with your friends.

The view from the hot tub – Chalet Serpolet, Meribel

The Cheese

No mountain holiday would be compleat with the overindulgence of cheese and this comes in many forms.  There is the fondue night, the tartiflette on the mountain, the after-dinner cheese board and not forgetting the stunning displays and tasters on offer at the local market.

Top Tip: Fondue tastes better than it looks especially when it a low-resolution camera in a  low light restaurant after a few wines! 

The Mountain View

On a clear day, it is the summits are where the Alps is at its most spectacular. With views across to other mountains, sweeping valley vistas and endless horizons. Not to mention the untouched snow full of untapped potential.

Top Tip: Never used the panorama setting on your phone? This is the moment.

 

The Action Shot 

Possibly the hardest one to get done. Let’s be honest very few of us are amazing skiers and even few of us have a camera crew follwing us about taking 1000’s of pictures allowing us to pick the best one.

So get your mate to have a go at getting a good shot of you. You will get better results if the photos are being taken closer to the ground.

And if you get a good one it will be your profile picture for many years to come.

 

The Apres Ski One

This is the one even your non-ski pals will find envious. It can be hard to get right as many apres venues can be a bit dingy. But choose one like the Folie Douce in Meribel and you’re going to get a winning photo every time.


Find out more about great holidays to Meribel. 


Why is breakfast important when skiing?

Find out why is breakfast important when you go skiing or snowboarding?

OK we admit it, we put our hands up – We are feeders. We can’t help it though, food is important, it fuels us, it can affect our mood and it also brings enormous pleasure. It is for these three reasons that we make sure we put on a seriously good breakfast.

When you head out for a day’s skiing you need to be ready for action, full of energy, in a great mood and you also need to feel like you are on holiday.

A hassle-free breakfast

Before we look into the scientific benefits of having breakfast before heading out to go skiing lets quickly consider one massive benefit that goes unnoticed. Getting ready to skiing, for some reason, is the most demanding part of a ski holiday.

Where are your gloves? Have you packed your ski pass? How many layers do you need to wear? So having breakfast ready for you is helpful, but not quite as helpful as not having to clear it up.

Leaving you to worry about what colour lenses to put in your goggles. If you have children you will need little imagination to realise how big a difference only having to eat breakfast makes.Bread, Croissant, Morning, Puff Paste

Benefits of a good breakfast are huge, especially when you are heading out for a long day of extreme sports. Food is fuel, and we need it to function. In the morning your body has slowed itself down because it hasn’t eaten for a while, so tucking into breakfast helps wake you up. It also helps you function and run better for the rest of the day.

The chances are that when you are in the Alps, you will eat a lot of bread, cheese and ham. All these will be available at breakfast time in our chalets, but we also realise that you need a balanced diet. We know that you won’t get all the energy you need from those three food items.

What we serve

That is why in the morning we offer you a selection of cereals, a cooked breakfast, lots of fruit juice and fruit. Not to mention the yogurt and endless tea and coffee.

We also understand that food can affect your mood that is why our breakfasts are full of quality produce, with enough to fill even the largest appetite. One of the worst things is heading to the slopes in a bit of a grump.

It spoils your day and the people who have to share a lift with you. So make sure you take full advantage of our selection at breakfast time. It is also proven that missing breakfast makes you grouchy for the rest of the day.

Eggs for breakfast

Another way that we can make you happy is by allowing you to be fussy. We believe that breakfast time is a very personal meal. Everyone likes it a different way, especially when it comes to eggs.

To make sure you get it how you like we let you tell us how you want them cooked. Boiled, fried, poached scrambled, we can do it however you like

What we are trying to say is that we are on hand to set you up for the fun day of skiing that you have come on holiday for. A days skiing starts around the table and that helps keep you going until lunch.


Start the day with us when you go skiing: Check out of chalets in the 3 Valleys.  


5 excuses to go skiing this Christmas

Do you always find an excuse to not ski at Christmas?

You have probably thought about going skiing at Christmas every year but something has put you off and you have always found an excuse. We have spent many Christmases in the 3 Valleys and we can confirm it is the most wonderful time of the year. You also get an extra thrill when you suddenly realise that it’s Christmas Day and you are on the slopes and having great time.

Whatever your reason for not going in the past here are a few excuses you can use this year.

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#1 You just love skiing

Maybe not an excuse and more just a fact but if you love skiing then what could be a better present to you and your family that the gift of a ski trip. It also means that you get to try out that new pair of skis that you will have been bought for Christmas.

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#2 Christmas is on offer

A week skiing during Christmas has never been so reasonably priced with all tour operators offering big savings, making the cost similar to off peak weeks. Our prices are starting at £599 pp for the festive week and there are savings of up to £350 pp on our best properties. So if you have always put off a Christmas ski trip due to price now is your chance.

#3 White Christmas

Every single year Bing Crosby sings “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas”. He is right to do so. If you look at the facts you notice that the UK hasn’t had widespread snow on the ground during Christmas since 2010 and before that it was 2004. So to combat this you could head to the 3 Valleys where they pretty much can guarantee you a White Christmas.

#4 Be looked after

The demands of Christmas day for those hosting can be huge, will Aunt Janet get too drunk, will the turkey be cooked in time, have you peeled enough potatoes? Why not avoid this and go on a catered ski chalet holiday and let them look after you? All you will need to do is go skiing and relax… unless you bring Aunt Janet with you.

La Tania 2005 - chalet dame Blanche

#5 One for the humbugs

Spending Christmas in a skiing is a great compromise as in a way it always feels a bit like Christmas in a ski resort. But at the same time it doesn’t as everything is open and everyone is either working or skiing or both. This makes it a perfect place to spend Christmas for families of mixed festive spirit.

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SEE ALL OUR CHRISTMAS DEALS 


5 Ways to get your Summer Skiing Fix

5 ways to get that summer skiing fix

It is a long wait between ski seasons in Europe. The wait is almost bearable if you’re are a resort worker. But for most of us who can only fit in a one-week holiday, it is 51 long weeks. So what can you do to get your skiing fix during the long hot summer months?

1. Indoor and Dry Slopesindoor ski

There are 100’s of these dotted around the UK, some big and some very small. You can find a full list of slopes on the Ski Club of Great Britain web site. There will be one close to you and they should have a small range of ski hire equipment too. In fact, why you are at it, you may as well take some non-skiing friends along and try and tempt them into taking it.

If you can convince them to come on your next holiday you will benefit from amazing group discount, which is time well spent.

 

2. Water Skiing and Wakeboardingwater skiing

Admittedly it isn’t the same. For a novice, it can be a bit like spending time on a slushy drag lift and it can work out costing a lot more than a week’s skiing.  You will also get wet. But if all that doesn’t put you off then it is a great way to feel that comforting leg burn that you get after a good day hooning around the slopes.

51 THINGS TO DO UNTIL YOUR NEXT SKI HOLIDAY

3. Head Down Under

You could probably fit the whole of Australia’s and New Zealand’s ski runs into the Three Valleys or even the Meribel Valley, (not an actual fact). Sadly we don’t offer catered ski holidays there and there is a long flight to consider. But that shouldn’t put you off. The skiing is actually very good in both countries.

What more could you want from a bit of summer skiing than to be carving down Kangaroo Ridge with a tinny instead of a demis.

4. Create a Ski Holiday at Home

Catered chalet breakfast

One way to make you feel like your skiing this summer without leaving the house is to take it turns to be the chalet host. To help we have prepared a guide on how to create a ski holiday at home.

5. Find a Glacier in Europe to go skiing on this Summer

There are some wonderful glaciers that are open for skiing during the summer. You could even pop over for the weekend. Our favorite is located just down the road from our spiritual home of Meribel, in Tignes. There is also a great one in Zermatt although it will take you about an hour to get to it from the resort.

 


 

Or you could just spend the summer reading ski magazines, watching snowboarding videos and deciding which chalet you will stay in this winter.


First ski holiday with children : Part 2 – Guilt and Ski School

My first ski holiday with children

In my last blog about our first family ski trip I wrote about how we manage to miss the flight despite staying overnight at an airport hotel. This blog continues the story of our holiday and picks up the trip after we landed in France ready for our transfer to Méribel. 

READ PART ONE HERE

Part 2 – Guilt and Ski School

We arrived at Grenoble airport and were warmly welcomed by Alpine Action driver Eddie who my children instantly fell in love with and obsessed about during the duration of our trip. “I can’t wait to get back to see Eddie at the chalet”, “It’s kind of Eddie to let us stay at his house”, “Who are those people cooking in Eddie’s kitchen?” and “Let’s make a card to thank Eddie for letting us stay”. How much Eddie appreciated this admiration is a question for him and how much Jack and Emily, our chalet hosts, appreciated playing Carson to Eddies Earl of Grantham we may never know.

During our trip we stayed in chalet Trios Coeurs

Ski School

Once in resort there is always some pre-ski admin to do and after the flight fiasco I wasn’t expecting a successful outcome. However, getting ski hire for a 4 year old was simple, as was getting free lift passes for the children along with booking into ski school and child care. I doubt this success was down to us and the behaviour of our children so the credit should go to the wonderful resort staff that helped us along the way. As a result of my many trips to Méribel we were also spared the usual “where is my chalet” moment that we all get in a new ski resort. However my wife was determined to engineer this by repeatedly asking if I knew where I was going.

The next thing on the agenda was introducing our children to snow. The last huge snowfall in the UK was in 2009, way before my children were born, making this their first time experiencing snow. There are many things you can do with snow such as skiing, snowball fights, snowman making or even sledging. The main priority for my children during their first encounter with snow was to eat it and they were determined to sample it from as many locations as possible. Due to my children’s partiality to consuming snow we spent very little time near the resort ponies.

Children’s mealtimes were a success thanks to “Eddies staff” and I was surprised by the ease at which the children went to sleep. I was unsurprised at the time they woke up in the morning. I think the last time I was up before the chalet hosts was when I was one.  I also suspect that in some parts of the resort some people were only just heading back to their chalet. But why wouldn’t you wake up early on a ski trip, going skiing is exciting!

Even though I had been awake since 4am, when the minibus arrived to take us to the ski school we weren’t quite ready. Quite means, one child undressed with ski boots on, one child fully dressed no shoes on running around in the snow, one parent not dressed still packing children’s day bag and one parent fiddling with his snowboard while wondering why no one else is ready.

Guilt

We arrived at the children’s ski school 10 minutes late. A quick glance around told us that we weren’t the only ones. My daughter who is 4 was going into ski school for the morning and was incredibly excited about her first time on skis. My son who isn’t old enough to ski was in the creche. Prior to our holiday we had talked about going skiing, watched it on the TV and role played the holiday, which with hindsight was a bit cruel as when we dropped him off at the nursery he soon realised that he wouldn’t be doing much skiing.

They say there are no friends on a powder day. Maybe there should be a saying that implies similar when referring to offspring on a ski holiday. Shortly after 9.30 am we found ourselves on the first chairlift of the day with the sun on our faces and the combined feelings of guilt and excitement. After few runs we nipped back to the nursery slopes and replaced the last few embers of guilt with pride as we saw our daughter skiing for the first time. We didn’t check on the other one.

Just before lunch we returned to collect the two children for an afternoon of sledging and hot chocolate drinking. One was over the moon that she had mastered skiing and loved every second of her time. The other was less impressed and greeted us with the opening remark  “Go skiing now?”.

Coming up in part 3 we relieve our guilt of spending the mornings skiing by attempting to do far to much stuff as a family in the afternoon.

Keep an eye on our Facebook page and the Alpine Action blog to find out how we got on during the rest of our ski holiday. To make sure you don’t miss the next instalment sign up to the Alpine Action Newsletter.


Weekly Snow Report and Events in the 3 Valleys

Dusting of snow down the Valley

We are very excited to report it has been snowing in the 3 Valleys! Waking up on Thursday morning was a delight, with a light dusting of snow lower down the valley and a heavy snowfall up top.

The 3 Valleys has had a well needed top up!

There are lots of exciting things happening in Meribel and La Tania over the next week with the build up to the French Ski Touring Championships held up in Meribel Mottaret and Russian Christmas this weekend. Expect lots of fireworks and celebrations.

Russian Christmas: credit to Merinet

Snow/weather forecast for the week…

Next week we have an awesome forecast with the temperatures continuing to plummet, lows of minus 9 and highs of minus 2! Don’t forget to pack some warm winter woollies if you are preparing for a Ski holiday.  Wind chill is forecast at minus 15! More snow is predicted for Sunday, Tuesday and Wednesday with sunshine in between – fingers crossed this stays and it will be the perfect week for skiing.

The Meribel Valley currently has a reading of 7cm of snow at resort level (1450m) and 72cm at Altitude (2700m).

The Courchevel Valley currently has a reading of 14cm at resort level (1800m) and 68cm at Altitude (2700m)

Avalanche risk is 1 out of 5

Credit to: Le meteo
Credit to: snowforecast.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We want to keep you up to date with weekly events and happenings in the 3 valleys so here are some of the best bits to get you in the winter holiday spirit…

What’s on this week

Saturday 7th

Meribel:
Russian Christmas
♫Live Music♫
Evolution Bar: open mic night -10pm

Sunday 8th

Meribel:
♫Live Music♫
Doron Pub: AUDIBLE 1 DJ Set – 11pm
Evolution: WINGMEN 10pm
Jacks Bar: SHAMELESS A night of Guilty Pleasures – 10:30pm
O’ Sullivans: ALEX DAVIES 1am
The Den: ROB CROSS – 10pm

English speaking Church service at Notre-Dame des Neiges” 6pm-7pm

La Tania
Welcome drink: located inc front of the Tourism office free hot chocolate and local cheeses – 4.30-5.30pm
♫Live Music♫
La Taiga: BRING YOUR SISTERS – 10pm

Monday 9th

Meribel:
♫Live Music♫
Jacks Bar: JAY TAMKIN – 5pm
Evolution: THE MARDY JOHNNY DEPPS – 10pm

La Tania
♫Live Music♫
Chrome Bar: JRBB – 5pm

Tuesday 10th

Meribel:
♫Live Music♫
Jacks Bar: DAISY B – 5pm
Doron Pub: BUBBLE & CRISP – 11pm
Evolution: HOBO CHIC – 10pm
O’ Sullivans:  BRING YOUR SISTERS
Scotts: THE SLOPES – 10pm

La Tania
YOGA: in the Performance hall. 16 € session, Registration and payment at the Tourism office – 10.30am-12pm
♫Live Music♫
La Taïga: MUSIC FREDDY FINGERS – 10pm
The Ski Lodge: THE MARIVEAU Pub – 10pm

Wednesday 11th

Meribel:
Ice hockey gala match: Meribel vs Chamonix. 8:30pm at the Olympic centre 5euros for adults, 3 euros for children.
♫Live Music♫
Jacks Bar: THE MARDY JOHNNY DEPPS 5pm
The Rond Point: BUBBLE & CRISP – 5pm
Doron Pub: WINGMEN – 11pm

La Tania
♫Live Music♫
The Ski Lodge: KILLERBEEZ – 5pm
La Taïga: AL JONES – 10pm

Thursday 12th

Meribel:
Himalaya by night: night sledging 5:30pm – 7:30pm
♫Live Music♫
Jacks Bar: HOBO CHIC – 5pm
Duo Doron Pub: BRING YOUR SISTERS – 11pm
La Taverne: BUBBLE & CRISP – 10pm
Mountain Movers: MC AKIL MC & DJ Set – DJ Danz Support 12:30am

La Tania
♫Live Music♫
The Ski Lodge: BRING YOUR SISTERS – 5pm

Last minute availability

We still have limited spaces in our Chalets across Meribel and La Tania. If you are looking for a fabulous Chalet Holiday in the heart of the 3 Valleys, don’t hesitate to check out our last minute deals on the Alpine Action website!

 

 

 


4 things that we have learned about the 3 Valleys this winter

The snow making is amazing

Way back in December 2015 there wasn’t much snow. Many resorts postponed their opening dates leaving quite a few sad skiers. However, this didn’t happen in the 3 Valleys. Of course the snowfall in Méribel wasn’t any different to anywhere else in the Alps but we did benefit from the incredible investment in snow making the Three Valleys has made. Of the other European resorts that were open most were only able to open around 50% of their runs, while Méribel was boasting 76% and the runs down to 1350m in La Tania we in perfect condition. With all the great skiing to be had, despite the lack of snow, it meant that we had very happy customers and that even included a group of travel agents that we invited out at the beginning of the season before the snow arrived in time for Christmas.

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Spring skiing is outstanding again

It was as if the 2015/16 winter was reversed as heavy snow fell throughout April meaning that there was endless powder days accompanied by warm temperatures and blue skies. Much to the disappointment of many the snow even continued to fall after the lifts had shut, which wasn’t a problem for our resort director as he loves a hike. This late snowfall is something we have noticed in recent years and makes us wonder if it the amazing spring conditions are becoming a trend. Could April be the new December?

3 offpiste

Méribel is as popular as ever

If you read any article on top ski resorts, Méribel or the Three Valleys will feature in most. This is unsurprising as, in our biased opinion, it does have everything from amazing aprés ski to the world biggest ski area all in one of Frances prettiest resorts. Did you know that you get about 2.1km of piste per €1 spent on your lift pass in Méribel for comparison you only 1.2km per € in Val d’Isere.  It isn’t just us and the ski press that love Méribel, you do too. The resort has sat in the top 10 destination for British skiers for many years and this year Méribel was a respectable 6th.

The sleeper train is no more

One of my favourite ways to arrive in Alps is by sleeper train. Alighting in Moutiers early in the morning feeling smug that I had an extra day to ski than those who chose to fly. Of course I never remember the hassle of dragging skis through central London on a Friday night, the stressful dash across Paris and the irritating kids playing  GameBoy all night as I try to sleep in a half upright position but smug is how I still felt. No longer is this option open to me as the SNCF has decided to cancel the service due to cost.

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Minority Sport

I thought the hardest thing about trying mono-skiing was going to be finding a mono-ski and then I clipped my boots in and discovered that actually skiing on one ski with my feet next to each other was actually harder.

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After having the idea of giving this minority sport a go I set about looking for some kit. I started my quest at the usual ski hire shop. My question was met with silence and then laughter, they didn’t have one. After trying my luck at a few other shops where I was met with similar reactions I was told to try a hire shop that I had never noticed in resort before. I found it in a big apartment block located between some sort of office and a restaurant. Just by looking at you knew that it had never experienced the British onslaught of boot fitting and bad ski carrying techniques only seen on a transfer day.

Inside the shop there was a good selection of skis, certainly no snowboards, cross country equipment, snowshoe kit and two mono-skis of questionable quality. I arranged with the owner a day to hire them, filled in the paperwork and left a deposit. Next I went to inform my accomplice in this adventure who seemed surprised and mildly concerned.

Monoski

It may be worth you knowing the level of our skiing. I was average at best, having learnt skiing at a young age then abandoned it for snowboarding, something I have later come to regret not least on the upcoming “mono-ski” day. My buddy was a better skier than me however, his distinct Dad style gave away the many floors in his technique which would also hinder his mono début.

The day arrived and lucky for us it was a pleasant spring day on the mountain. In a vain attempt to distract anyone from our lack of ability, we decided to dress-up as we assumed a mono skier would dress. Our outfits involved headbands and day-glow clothing, a look that seems to repeat itself on the slopes regularly as part of a decade long fashion cycle.

I went for the turquoise and pink mono-ski the other one was purple and yellow this seemed to reinforcing our choice of attire. We headed for the lifts. Rather predictably we opted for the British approach to taking on something new which is to muddle through, invent and learn in the field. Our first challenge was the chairlift. I won’t waste your time with faux suspense at the outcome. Let us just say there were people sat on a stationary lift for some time.
Freij
Finally we were clipped in, we stood up and pushed off. We weren’t expecting immediate success nor were we expecting it take 2 hours to get down a slope that would normally take us 5 minutes to ride down. There isn’t the forgivness on a mono that you get on two skis and the motion of planting poles is crucial to success leaving me endlessly muddled in my attempt and on the floor after most turns. My biggest mistake was trying to use my poles to push off to make the turns. This did aide my speed down the hill however, that was with my back lying on the ski, feet still clipped in, head pointing down, with poles and head gear liberally distributed down the slope.

My second mistake was telling people we were going to attempt this and choosing a run than pretty much had a lift running over it the whole length. Normally I am the one sat on a chairlift laughing at the misfortune of others, today I was being laughed at, commented on and on occasions applauded but with irony. My friend fared no better than me I am pleased to report. Possibly my third mistake was not giving up after the first run, through the course of the day my technique didn’t really improve and my biggest success was probably linking 10 turns before confusion ultimately got the better of me.

At the end of the day we felt a bit sore, quite demoralised and no better at mono-skiing. I can thoroughly recommend this as a minority sport that you don’t need to try.