the snow

We walked very, very slowly with our skis to the extent that what should have taken an hour, took us four and a half hours to get to the flat area and safety. Later we found out that we were actually on the road, but heavy snow had obliterated the road, and it had all become one steep face of the mountain,” he adds.

Perhaps it’s the risk that’s the rush, and with the more enterprising younger generation of Indians eager for a taste of adventure, surely a lot has changed since from the days when one hardly saw an Indian face on the ski slopes. Avi’s three daughters, their husbands and his grandchildren are all avid skiers. “It’s a fantastic feeling when us three generations ski together,” he concludes with a smile.

An affair of a lifetime

Neil Gordon, a passionate skiier, was planning a family snow trip in two weeks when we spoke to him. He first got into the sport 25 years ago when living in London, and he has skiied at various European locations. Neil continues to ski every year, and got his family into it as well. Wife Maina skied until very recently, but gave up for health reasons. But their teenage daughters Divya and Tali are keen skiers.

The Gordon family goes to the snow at least twice a year, picking a venue from Thredbo, Perisher, Falls Creek and Mt Hotham in the Snowy Mountains. New Zealand is another favourite destination.

“We are all advanced skiers, the kids having started early,” Neil says. “They took to it from the very first go, just like I had done! Now it is a great bonding thing in our family. We ski all day and then cook a hearty dinner together at the end of the day!”

How much can they ski? “Every day out in the snow, we could do about 20 runs a day. In Australia the runs are only about 1.5 km each, so it’s easy. It takes 4-5 minutes to come down the slope, and about 25 minutes to go back up,” says Neil.

Nearly every skiier has some story to tell about a fall, or several. For Neil, his worst fall was in New Zealand. On another occasion, he recounts being forced to crouch under a rock for two hours to wait out a blizzard.

But such incidents are mere tailnotes in what’s been an affair of a lifetime, peppered with beautiful memories, such as when the family, skiing together, stopped to take a picture of a rainbow that burst into view!

For Baljit Chugh and daughter Baneesha Narang, it all started with a simple trip to the snow in their early days in Australia in 1985.

“The kids Baneesha and Kanish were fascinated with the skiing we saw at Perisher. Baneesha was only about five, and insisted we buy her the gear. She kitted up in her boots and all, and I had to carry her up the slope,” Baljit recalls.

Now the family hits the slopes every year; a friend owns a chalet in Perisher, and that helps!

“I think everybody who can, should try skiing. Yes it’s expensive, with accommodation and equipment hire, but it’s all worth it,” adds Baljit, who, over the years has made quite a few heads turn on the slopes – as much for his skills as for his headgear, the pagdi.

His daughter’s early enthusiasm should have given him a hint of the future, as Baneesha ended up as part of the ski team at her school, MLC Burwood.

“I got into competitive skiing as a 13-year-old in Year 8,” she says.

“I kept going till Year 12. We would train at the ice-rink, doing plenty of skating and all the related exercises. The competitions were held at Perisher, or Blue Cow as it was known then. Schools from all over NSW participated.”

Now Baneesha enjoys skiing for leisure, and goes out every snow season. “Last year I couldn’t go, because I was having my first baby! Now she is 14 months old, and yes she’s going with us this time. I’ll try and get her onto skis!” she says enthusiastically.

Baneesha thanks her parents for introducing her to skiing, a sport she is clearly passionate about. She fondly recalls many memorable moments spent on the icy slopes. “Once when I was out there with my school team, I got coerced into snow-boarding. The snow-boarding team was one member short, so they forced me to fill in. I had never snowboarded before, and the whole thing became the most embarrassing incident of my life as I was on my bum the whole way down!” she says with a laugh.

However, such incidents have only added to her love for the sport. “But the best experience has to be when you get on top of that highest peak and feel that freshness – it’s like you’ve never breathed before,” she adds.

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Continued from page 13

At 24, Roshan Sidhu already has about 16 years of skiing experience under his belt, so manoeuvring curves and navigating his way down blue and black runs is a cakewalk. “I was lucky that my parents were active with us when we were younger, and encouraged a balance between studies and our hobbies. We were always doing something in the school holidays, and skiing was one of those activities,” he says.

A hobby gradually turning into an obsession is not unheard of, and Roshan has experienced this first-hand. “At one stage, going to the mountains was all I cared for once the weather started getting cold. Often, at my persistence, our family would take a winter holiday during our summer holidays, and we would go skiing in Europe,” he recounts.

Brothers Rishi and Hritik Chaubal are at a stage of life where talent and motivation can be harnessed to achieve bigger, more spectacular things. Although their mum Manisha is not much of a skier herself, she does understand the passion her children have for the sport, especially Rishi. “I find the whole thing very cumbersome, however my kids Rishi and Hritik love it,” she says candidly.

The brothers plan to attend 4 full-day lessons this winter. Rishi, the older brother is already a very proficient skier and is getting better by the day. He plans to ski in New Zealand, Switzerland and Canada. And, when he is ready to compete, in Japan. Manisha recalls the first time Rishi went to ski saying, “He sounded homesick on the phone, so I packed my bags to be with him. By the second trip he had come into his own.”

Like all skiers, the boys have seen some falls and blizzards, but their spirits have not been dampened a bit. “Once Rishi was caught in a blizzard and he was happily

“The general safety standards across the ski ranges, particularly for children, are very good, which means parents need not overtly worry about their children in the snow”

Manisha Chaubal

singing away on the phone. At this age, you have little fear. And he came out safe and sound, albeit without his phone!” recounts Manisha.

The general safety standards across the ski ranges, particularly for children, are very good, Manisha adds, which means parents need not overtly worry about their children in the snow.

The affable Rishi has been a strong motivation for his younger brother Hritik, who’s beginning to show a keen interest in the sport. “I am only too happy to accompany them to Mt. Bulla, their favourite ski playground,” says Manisha.

Payal Sharma, a 26-year old snowboarder can’t stop raving about her “seasonal hobby” despite having initial reservations about the sport. “The first time I tried it was with my friends. They had all been skiing or boarding since they were in high school. I had never done anything to do with winter sports before, never done anything so thrilling,” she says with palpable enthusiasm. “We go all the way to Perisher just to ski. The weather is beautiful, the skiing is fantastic; it’s paradise, just unbelievable!” she adds.

Like most other novice snowboarders, she “jumped into the sport” thinking it would be an easy learn. It took the first half day on a green run and a bruised body before she decided to heed to the advice of friends and get a private lesson for a “better sense of balance.”

Like many first generation migrants from the subcontinent, it was in Australia that Kalpesh Gandhi saw snow for the first time, and there was no looking back from there. It didn’t take him long to get into skiing, initially relying upon the advice of friends, but gradually picking up the nuances of the sport by himself.

Kalpesh and his family have been regular visitors to Thredbo. “The first time our kids went there, they had a mountain of an experience!” he says.

Kalpesh stresses the importance of formal training. “It’s easier for children to adapt and learn, and they can improvise better than us. But still, some basic training is very important and these lessons help correct your ways. Things such as control and spin only come after a lot of practice,” he adds.

He points out that Indians tend to come and play in the snow and go back home, but not too many hang around to try skiing. “I understand those used to temperate climate may have some reservations about the sport, but the ski suit keeps you warm and there is no reason why one should not give skiing a shot,” says Kalpesh.

The family enjoy skiing in a group. “We fall, giggle and laugh at one another all the time,” he says. “You tend to lose confidence if you keep falling again and again, perhaps the only flip side of ski falls which otherwise make for great dinnertime stories!”

Over the years Kalpesh and his family have had great moments on the snow. He recalls one such incident: “My wife, gliding down on the snow followed by her guide, tried to make a V-shaped snowplough to stop, but lost control and slammed straight into another skiier on the slope, triggering a comedy of errors in the form of a chain collision.”

Badal Bhatt saw snow for the first time when he went to New Zealand three years ago. He returned to Australia to visit the winter wonderland called Lake Mountain, and fell for the toboggan slopes. Now Badal is a regular skiier at Mt Hotham and Falls Creek.

“The costs are low at the beginning of the season, so we try to take advantage of this as skiing can be expensive, especially the sporting gear you hire and the accommodation,” he says.

One can manage by not staying on the resort, but somewhere in the valley. Badal is a beginner, but a resolute one – something that’s made him return to the sport despite spraining his ankle in his first season. However, he’s quick to point out that for someone like him, who skies for pleasure, not taking too many risks is probably the safer option.

Indulging in winter sports brings with it a myriad of issues like how to get to the snow, hire or buying the gear, the lessons and of course, the cost of the entire experience. However, if planned well and with enough forethought, it can be an incredibly rewarding experience. This is a beautiful way of imparting life skills which expand knowledge and create stronger, more resilient children.

Ask any regular snow enthusiast and you will find that a fortnight on the slopes is more than enough for anyone regardless of competency and motor skills, to become reasonably good at gliding down the mountain. And, most importantly, it’s not only about advanced skiers lured in by the challenge of confronting an atypical terrain and threatening chasms, many come here simply for the slow smooth glides. So next year, hit the straps as soon as you adjust your clock for the onset of winter. Go, smell the snow!