Morning:
8°c
The day I skied Les Trois Parcs de Londres
Jonathan Prynn3 Feb 2009
IT MAY not have been Val d'Isère but the snow was great and there were certainly no lift queues.
White stuff of skiable quality and depth only falls in central London once every decade or so. It was too good to miss.
But with London in paralysis there was no chance of getting up to the higher resorts of Hampstead Heath or Parliament Hill Fields. Holland Park, on a barely perceptible gradient, would have to do.
Proper ski gear was also an issue. Pin-stripe suit, tie and Rossignol boots is not a good look for Courchevel but in the circumstances it seemed entirely appropriate.
Even in these recessionary times if there is one thing that Kensington High Street can provide it is decent ski shops.
Unfortunately none of the staff at Ellis Brigham had apparently managed to battle through the white hell. Seems odd that six inches of snow can bring a ski emporium to a grinding halt, but this is London.
They are made of sterner stuff at next door Snow & Rock, where I was kitted out with boots, skis and poles.
Then up to the top station at the Col du Parc Hollandais, a good 20 metres above sea level according to the piste map.
Despite the unconventional outfit I thought I cut a dashing figure, something of a throwback to the pioneering St Moritz days of aristocratic skiing. With the tie, perhaps even a hint of Bond.
I was certainly attracting some attention. With half the school children of Kensington congregating for a snowball fight here was an irresistible new moving target. Now to slide. Very, very slowly. The snowball chuckers of W11 couldn't miss. They didn't.
I was willing, the snow was superb, although the council should have had the piste bashers out first thing, only gravity refused to cooperate. With some vigorous pole-pushing I finally got under way. You could hardly call this London's black run. Not even green, the easiest category.
But slide I did, even picking up enough pace for the hint of a turn or two. It's always a great moment getting to the bottom of a run, looking back up and thinking, "Did I really get down that?" This was not one of those moments. But hey, I skied the park. It felt good.
Back at Snow & Rock I asked salesman Pierre Dujardin how he rated London's skiing. He was as delighted as me by the overnight fall. He was off to Hyde Park - the most demanding of Les Trois Parcs complex - to set up some jumps. Typical French. Always showing off.
Reader views (4)
Brockwell Park, SE London, near Herne Hill BR Station has great slopes for skiing and so does Greenwich Park
- Celiad, London,UK, 03/02/2009 18:45
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Back in 1991 I spent 4 days on Hampstead Heath with skis ... damn, I wish they could have installed a lift.
- Marianne, SW France, 03/02/2009 11:09
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Transport at a standstill? Really? Was getting the Central Line from Holland Park to Tottenham Court Road, and then change for the Northern line from Tottenham Court Road to Hampstead too much of an effort? Both routes were running throughout the day...
- Mark Lee, Vauxhall, 03/02/2009 10:00
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Brilliant article and a lovely dash of humour. Great to read about people enjoying the snow and making the most of it.
- S-M Hearmon, London, UK, 03/02/2009 09:21
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