Is skiing romantic? Ask Pick Me Up

Is skiing romantic? 

It’s a great question - I think there are two camps when it comes to skiing. There are those who can think of nothing worse than a ski holiday, never mind a ski romance. All that freezing air, heights, danger and oh did I mention that skiing is a sport? On the other hand, and I think most of my readers could be persuaded to sit in this camp, skiing can be romantic. 

There are so many cozy things in a ski resort.
Firstly, all the furs that any decent bar will provide to disguise the pallets hastily nailed together to provide outdoor seating. The level at which the heating has to sit at to keep the freezing outside at bay is sometimes almost too hot and I have a moment where Sophie has to rip off her outer layers to avoid overheating after coming in from her day of skiing.
Looking out of a well-heated room onto a blanketed mountain scene is one of my favourite things in the whole world, especially because the sunrises and sunsets (in the French Alps at least) are so much more dramatic than seeing orange sky over a small hill or between buildings as we might get in the UK. Hot chocolate (chocolate chaud, chocolate Viennois etc.) is incredible on a ski slope - that sweet liquid gold is nothing short of heavenly after breathing in nothing but ice all day and if you haven’t given it a go, I’d recommend it. Basically, I’m suggesting that you go skiing for the vibes, not for the actual sport. 

In all seriousness though, I’ve now skied with friends, family and the family I’ve claimed squatters rights to. Each of these experiences was subtly different but each were fabulous. I love sharing the mountain with the people I love the most and although I’m almost always the worst in any group and am most likely to have a few tears in my eyes behind my ski mask, skiing down a mountain surrounded by my nearest and usually dearest is the most romantic thing I’ve ever done. 

I think it’s a mix of things: 

- The exploration: I’ve skied in places with friends where not one of us has known where we need to go to get to our destination. It can be frustrating but the exercise in figuring out the way seems to bring people together. 

- Helping each other: Inevitably, someone goes over. Often, I’ll be honest, it’s me! I almost always stop to help anyone who’s gone down regardless of whether or not I know them because we’ve all been there (me, not so long ago) and there’s such a feeling of community on a mountain, you know that if you’re lying on the floor anywhere on a slope, someone will come and check on you. The first time I tried a rope lift, I face planted (I actually fell face first) the floor and a nice French man (I don’t know if he was as hot as Nick but this wasn’t the time as I was on holiday with my boyfriend) helped me up and held the rope to ensure that I wasn’t stuck the wrong side of it. 

- Learning a new skill: For a lot of us, I think we assume that learning something new is behind us, no matter how far into our adulthood we are. With skiing or snowboarding, there is no limit to how much you can learn or how good you can be, making sure that every holiday is a learning curve! Ski romance yourself, why not! 

I think three is enough for now but please - if you have a spare week between December and April this year as well as the budget - go and try it out! You could try Pick Me Up before or after your holiday or you could even take it on your trip with you and soak up the snowy atmosphere on and off the slopes. 

Either way I hope you enjoy.

Cecelia x