"You're mad! Caroline the greengrocer said cheerfully when I told her I was going skiing. A reasonable reaction since not so long ago I was shopping on crutches following a hip replacement. My sister's friends were more concerned: How old are you? 80? I don't think this is a good idea. You'll fall and break something. My brother, Andrew, 86, decided it was better not to tell anyone."
"For at least two decades I'd had a half-buried wish to experience one more ski trip. A final fix of blue sky, frosty air and the exhilaration that comes with finding yourself still intact at the bottom of a snow-covered slope. I was never much good, and hadn't skied for decades, but that wasn't the point. At 83, I needed to see if I could still do it."
An 83-year-old decided to rekindle a decades-old wish to ski again, seeking the sensation of blue sky, frosty air and intact descent down a snow-covered slope. Friends and family reacted with concern about age and injury risk, and one brother chose not to tell anyone. The traveler invited sister Kate and brother Andrew, who had skied before, and a younger friend, Penny, to join. The group trained for fitness despite long gaps since last skiing. They chose Seefeld, Tirol for its family atmosphere and varied winter activities, staying at a family-run hotel and enjoying cloudless mornings and ample snow.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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