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!

Like father, like daughter

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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