When there are blue skies and powder I feel as if I‘m surfing down the clouds with the world at my feet. The views, crisp air and the swish of the snow produce an unparalleled serenity.

In my trip to the French Alps last week I enjoyed only a few of these moments.

Unfortunately the rest the week was hell. As the days went by the temperatures dropped and the mountain turned into a huge block of ice. As a consequence I am now covered in bruises.  Some physical, others emotional.

The highlight of the trip involved a spectacular accident. I was at 2600m, racing down a narrow blue run when I turned a corner and saw a huge red sign in the snow rapidly approaching. I thought a quick carve to the right would save me.

I thought wrong.

I crashed straight into the middle at high speed. I lay in the snow winded, completely tangled up in the sign. Once I could breath I sat up to see my husband sitting at the side laughing. To top it off he was accompanied by a crowd of 20 people laughing along with him. The humiliation! At least I was disguised in my goggles.

There were also a few embarrassing falls of t-bars and lifts. Only in France can a t-bar go around a corner on the side of a cliff.