Confessions of a thrills skier

The ski run from Alparbat to Tangmarg (on the road from Gulmarg to Srinagar), is probably one of the longest in the world from 14,000 ft to 4,000 ft. Experts have categorised it as potentially the best ski run on the planet. Rahul Singh reports Which is the fastest growing sport worldwide since the 1960s? Its not football, tennis or golf, and certainly not cricket which is seriously played by less than a dozen countries. The answer wont stump westerners, but Indians are bound to be taken aback, because few of them know anything about this particular sport, and fewer still, indulge in it. Im talking about skiing — not water-skiing but skiing on snow. In the US currently there are 14 million active skiers, with another 13 million termed  potentials. In Alpine countries like Switzerland and Austria, children are weaned on skis from an early age and skiing holidays are rites of passage for most European youngsters. The late J.R.D. Tata was an aficionado, and would visit the Alps every winter to ski, up until his seventies. Theres been a phenomenal growth in ski resorts in recent years, especially in Europe and North America, as also in Japan, Australia, New Zealand and north Africa. In Beirut, Lebanon, you can swim in the ocean in the morning, drive up the nearby mountains and ski the same afternoon. Skiing facilities are available in the most unlikely places these days — at a price, of course. In the desert city state of Dubai, you can ski on an artificial surface replicating snow. I donned my first pair of skies in the mid-50s, when my father was working with Unesco in Paris. I was then 14 years old and the resort we chose was Wengen, in the Swiss Alps. It still is one of Europes principal ski resorts (others include Davos, Chamonix, St. Moritz, Zermatt, Zurs, Innsbruck and Kitzbuhel), with slopes for beginners, intermediate skiers, and experts. Ski-lifts, chair cars and gondolas, transport skiers to varying heights, depending on their skill and capability. For a beginner, the first couple of days are the most challenging, and dangerous. You have to be prepared to take some tumbles from the moment you put on your skis and start moving forward. Thats when most beginners lose their balance and fall. Worse, if your ski tips get crossed, youll be propelled forward and fall flat on your face with your upturned skis jutting skyward. For spectators, its a comical sight, but its humiliating and painful for skiers. You could wrench your ankle or even break a leg. Its common to see people in resorts hobbling about on crutches, with their legs or ankles in plaster. Luckily I didnt suffer any serious injury in my first attempts on the slopes of Wengen. But in case of an unlucky injury, theres always the joy of the apres ski (French for after skiing) option. This is the lively night life of ski resorts teeming with bars, restaurants and discotheques, where romance  blossoms easily. In fact, there are many people who visit these resorts only to…