One of the things that Phil Thomas, my friend from the BBC, has encouraged me to use is modern software, called Ski Tracks, for monitoring skiing during the day. I’ve been fascinated when I ski with him to see the amount of information he gets out of it. All done on the phone of course. Just turn it on and carry it in your pocket. he takes great delight in sending me this page which shows max speed. He would see this and say I’m skiing like a grandma and he’d be right.

So I decided to try it today for the first time. I wanted something to monitor progress the same way I used the recumbent bike and various leg strengthening machines in the gym. Today was probably not the best day to do it. I didn’t get to sleep until around 4am. I think I am jet lagged and stressed from all the build up to that bid on the house in Manly yesterday. Bidding on a house is hard enough – trying to do it from the other side of the world over the phone is just a recipe for stress.

I felt really tired going up on the chair and my vision was blurry which it has been of late and as it was the day I hurt myself in Canada. I think it may be dehydration  but everything  looks blue. The weather was closing in and it was whited-out by the time I got up onto the top of the Lone Peak Triple chair. Headed off down Upper Morningstar which should have been easy but it was frozen solid and I couldn’t see. I felt my way down. Was not having a good time. It was like skiing on concrete and I couldn’t get an edge.

About half way down I momentarily lost concentration and realised just in time that I was heading for a small cliff off the piste. Same deal as Canada – did not see it until the last moment. Rocked back on my heels and managed to swerve past it. Gave me a terrific fright and I nearly fell over backwards. Another chipmunk ran out onto the piste while I was collecting myself and stood there regrading me with haughty disdain. They are beautiful animals up close.  I continued to the bottom at a sedate pace and called it a day. Started to snow quite heavily. The lesson in this is: I have been warned to never ski:

• If jet lagged or
• If I haven’t had a good night’s sleep.

I ticked both those boxes and went out anyway. Bit stupid as these were the two issues I had in Canada.

Called Macca. It’s Sunday morning in Australia and that means Australia All Over. Told him about the Gallatin River which is visited by heaps of Australian fly fishermen every summer. Then tried the hotel pool. Twenty laps of boiling hot water. I would have been sautéed if I stayed in there much longer. Nevertheless, I have to do something as I’m sure Barry is training the house down back in Sydney. I won’t have much time to get up to speed when I get back

Software worked well. I think I’ll have fun with this when I’m properly back on my feet and I can get some rampage going. Put some zoom back into it. I hope Phil Thomas doesn’t see these initial set of stats. I’d never hear the end of it.