Well by the time we have got all our gear on one thing I know is I won’t be cold. I might be crap but I’ll look warm doing it. We set off about 8.30 and pick up a Japanese fella along the way; there are loads of skint travellers here all hitching a lift to the ski field and we’re hoping to get a few tips. As he hardly spoke any English it didn’t work out that way but he was friendly and grateful for the lift.

We arrive and make our way to the reception area where we pay for our passes, hire of ski’s and boots and lessons. Ali decides he wants to snowboard instead so we sort that out and head to the hire area. The ski boots are so tight I don’t think they will go on but I know they are meant to be really tight and don’t argue when the girl tells me they’re fine. We collect our ski and poles and gingerly pick our way to ski school. Maisie goes off with an instructor called Paul and a 12 year boy Kieran for 1 -2 lessons and Ali gets one on one boarding instruction as he’s the only kid boarding for the first time.

Our instructor is called Bridget and we join a group of 5 first time skiers. We learn how to put the skis on, take them off, tramp sideways and do the wedge. Our lesson is for 2 hours and after an hour we are gliding around on the flat and ready to go up the beginners slope. This is where everything starts to go wrong for me, despite being told not to sit on the pommer lift I must have put some weight on it and ended up falling off and being dragged up the slope. I felt like a right twat and it was all going so well.

I manage to make it up there and we slowly ski to the bottom using the wedge to slow us down. It’s easy, a matter of balance and once we get the hang of turning we seem to do quite well, we go up again and again and by the end of our lesson we feel quite confident. Simon seems to be doing well too, he did fall over more than me but I think this was luck on my part more than any natural ability.

We meet up with the kids at lunchtime; Ali loves it despite spending most of his time on his bum. Snow boarding does look hard and I think skiing is perhaps easier. Maisie looks great, whizzing down the slope like she’s been skiing for years- very brave, I’m impressed! We’ve been surrounded by amazing little kids all morning, racing down and completely putting the adult learners to shame.

At 2pm we have another lesson and it starts to get a bit harder as we get tired. We learn to jump on the skis and ski backwards. (Neither of which I want to do at all!) I fall over for the first time which doesn’t hurt and find getting back up again is really hard. After struggling for a few minutes the instructor has to help me up but as I don’t think I’m any better or worse than anyone else in the group I’m not too worried. He says we can go on the chairlift and up onto one of the slopes but I bottle it mainly because of the height thing on the chairlift. With your legs dangling down it looks horrible and I have watched it stop a few times leaving the skiers suspended in midair. I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this and listening to a lovely girl called Kelly from Liverpool who is also shitting herself about going on the chairlift doesn’t really help!

Its 8.30pm now and I’m in bed having had a steak for dinner, 2 glasses of mulled wine and a paracetamol to ease the pain. Although I only fell over twice today I’ve got a few bruises from falling off the lift and I’m feeling knackered. Although it’s easier than I expected, it’s more tiring, guess that bootcamp gym training is the answer after all!
The kids and Simon have also had a good day. Maisie got really tired and when she failed to stop at the end of the slope kind of fell off the end, (A few tears there) Ali is now boarding down the beginners slope looking cool and loving it.

I’m going to sleep now – need to conserve my energy. They say the second day is the hardest – bring it on dude.