And it was all going so well…

After a dream start, it's been a tough couple of days in the mountains.

On Monday, Marianne and I signed up for three days of ski school. We’re at different levels, so I joined the vaguely sensible level 4 (out of 6) group, while she joined the lunatics in the top class. It was the sort of day which can test your love of skiing – pouring rain at low altitude, visibility varying between minimal and zero – but our ski instructor sought out the best snow and a fine, if soaking, day was had by all. Mine is the most cosmopolitan group imaginable: a Brit, an American, a German, a Canadian, two Australians, a Brazilian and a Romanian. I’m sure there’s a joke in there somewhere.

Tuesday dawned drier and colder, but I had woken with a slight stomach upset which steadily worsened throughout the day. I kept at it as waves of nausea came and went, but finally had to call it a day after nearly passing out while carrying my skis halfway up an incline. Unfortunately, that happened to be at the glacier – one of the highest points on Blackcomb mountain. There was no option but to ski down, so I reluctantly left my group and made my way home. By the time I reached the apartment I was bone-frozen and near collapse; I slept, on and off, for 15 hours.

I woke up on Wednesday morning much improved: Marianne had taken good care of me. Having managed to eat breakfast – my first proper food for 24 hours – I decided to rejoin my ski school class. And I’m glad I did. It wasn’t easy – we did some tricky off-piste skiing and I was far short of my best – but I really enjoyed it. Today is Australia Day (G’Day!) , which meant that every other person was skiing or boarding in shorts and wrapped in an Australian flag.

Marianne regales me daily with stories of near-vertical mogul fields and jumping off seven-foot cliffs: she’s loving ski school so much that she’s signed up for another day; I didn’t need much persuading to follow suit. Several of my classmates finished today, so tomorrow will feature a reduced group: a Brit, a German, a Brazilian and a Romanian went up a mountain…