It took Dave and I three trips to the French Alps to finally admit that skiing was not for us.
It didn’t start well when, prior to our first trip, We decided to go to the dry ski slopes in Rossendale for lessons.
Picture this scene: It’s Saturday morning and our first lesson, Dave and I plus a bunch of 8 – 10 year old children!…. It was like the ‘Only Fools and Horses’ sketch where Rodney ends up in the ‘Groovy Gang’!   We spent most of that lesson lying horizontal, with these much more competent kids expertly swerving past us.
Trip 1:- (With our French instructor)- Dave thought I had a good grasp of languages and could speak French so he left it to me to translate. -Wrong! The poor ski instructor gave up on us in the end and left us to it. We spent most of that day again, lying horizontally in the snow. Of course, we made the classic chair lift mistake– ‘Remember to exit the lift at the top!!’…..  No, not Dave and I. The lift threw us out and we both landed face down in the snow! We helped each other up, brushed ourselves off and limped off, avoiding the sympathetic stares of our fellow skiers, including the toddlers.
However, Our evenings in France, dining and drinking were superb! -This kept us persevering on the ski slopes for our 2nd and 3rd trip.
On the 3rd trip
Day 1:- I was flying down the slope, looking good! Well, maybe not so good! -It’s good to know how to stop when you need to!…. Result:- crumpled heap in the snow and knee injury! The injury wasn’t that bad. However it was enough for me to curtail and end my skiing for that trip.
The following day I informed Dave, Guy and the rest of our group that I was happy to stay at the Gite on my own, to chill out and read a good book. Dave, without hesitation, announced, ‘No, absolutely not Andy’!  ‘I’ll stay with you and we can go out and do some local sightseeing.’ This we did, visiting Villefranche-de-Conflent and Perpignan.  We had a great time, sightseeing and of course, sampling France’s finest food and beverages, deciding jointly, over a large glass of Red, ‘Skiing?….. Nahh!…… We’re having far too much fun

                              'WE DIDN'T REALISE WE WERE MAKING MEMORIES. WE JUST KNEW WE WERE HAVING FUN'