après-ski

So I went for my first ski weekend ever and despite all the scariness it was fabulous.

Skiing is something I didn't grow up around what with being in the warm climes of India but was something totally  glamorous! Snow ( which itself had been a big deal), mountains, the goggles and zipping down on two parallel lines with two poles but still in control- always exciting.

Well- my exposure to skiing was from ….. what else- movies!!

One of the first movies I saw with skiing was actually a mystery with skiing as a very small part of it- called Spellbound by Alfred Hitchcock with a super cute Gregory Peck in it.

It had a scene that was imprinted in my 12 year old brain. At dinner a woman is flirting with a man and she draws something on the table cloth with her fork and the sight of those lines causes the guy to break down!

Of course- the skiing finale of the movie was fabulously dangerous, though at times one felt they had shot some of it in a studio!

I would rate this movie a 7.5/10 but only if you like classics.

So Gregory Peck was an amazing actor but more on him later- too many of his movies are too good not to rave about.

Another phenomenal classic with glamour and skiing was How to Marry a Millionaire.

This is a movie that I must have watched at least 5 times! A very young Marilyn also graces it. It's about 3 models who want to not only get by but marry millionaires using their looks and strategy. Now being obviously materialistic is very in now-a-days but it wasn't when this movie was made.

I would rate it a 7/10- again if you like classics.

And lastly I would like to talk about Bollywood and skiing. Surprisingly there was a time when there were many many movies with skiing in it- normally supposedly in Kashmir. What was funny was the actual skiers were so obviously stunt doubles.

One of the most memorable ones was in Namakhalal This is one of the best movies of the Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan. The story is typical of that time- a rich family with loyal retainers and lots of sacrifice and misunderstandings but very very funny!!!

One of the protagonist ( a very young and very good looking Shashi Kapoor) who is supposed to be a debonair playboy- is introduced with an attempt on his life while skiing !

This movie has fabulous songs but what sets it apart is the comedy. It was is and probably will always be extremely funny- the roll on the floor types

I would rate this movie a 8/10. Most Indians of my generation who watch/watched Hindi movies can quote at least a few line from this movie- most have watched it a few times.

Coming back to skiing- it is something I had tried vaguely a couple of times and all one heard of was how badly you can get injured (and I have family who did get injured) especially if you start as an adult but it was exhilarating!

I love it when people try things as adults - shows adventure has not died. I of course keep trying anything new that comes my way!

In my skiing trip- there were 7 of us taking the beginners class and all of us loved it!

So here's to enjoying the ride on life's slippery slopes!