Le Haute Fife

10 days since the first snowfall, and still no sign of a thaw. The High Street has remained white since the first day, and our 'normal car' has just been left to hibernate underneath its snowy blanket. If we want to get out of the village, its 4WD only... (although the main road only 100m away is cleared every day).

So I finally decided it was time to get the skis out. I knew the hill above the village wouldn't be exactly the full alpine experience, but sometimes you have to do things just because you can.

Walked across the main road, let the dogs off and then skinned up the edge of the fields to the highest sheep-free point. Took this shot, skins off, and then it was time to see what it's like (and if I can remember how to turn my Telemarks, it being 11 months since my last attempt).

And you know what? It wasn't bad at all. The slope could be a bit steeper, but the snow was deep enough and soft enough (if a wee bit heavy). My skiing was atrocious of course, but I'll mostly blame that on having to concentrate on dodging the dogs rather than technique. I still got a good skoosh and a few decent turns in. A two minute run down in return for a 20 minute hike up... but we'll maybe try again tomorrow.

Skins back on, and then got the dogs back on the leads again before I got to the main road - this is where skiing gets tricky, two poles, two planks and two leads is a recipe for disaster. But the vet's wife led the dogs across the road while I hopped across - so I was able to schuss down the last bit of the High Street to the house, towed by the hounds.

Of course I was spotted by half the people I know , so I'll now be known as the Village Idiot along with any other sobriquets they already have for me...