Not only the title of a great film, but something I was doing rather a lot of today. The ice was terrible (that wasn't the exact word I used in my daily phone call to Tony, but this is a family site after all) - tons of rubble, giant pressure ridges and a liberal sprinkling of fresh, deep snow. It was incredibly hard work, deeply depressing and my poor old sledge now answers to a different name (which again can't be repeated here)...
The biggest crash came in the early afternoon - I was attempting to negotiate a really nasty pressure ridge with my skis still on, a procedure which at the best of times requires a modicum of skill and luck. Today it seemed I had neither. Roughly halfway across, I knew I was in trouble. My skis and poles were balanced precariously on huge blocks of slippery blue ice and my sledge was jammed in a gap behind me. I couldn't move either of my hands or feet without losing my balance, so I was attempting to free the sledge with what can only be described as pelvic thrusts. Exactly what happened next is a mystery, but I ended up half lying, half dangling by my feet (still clipped into the bindings), both skis parallel but pointing in opposite directions, and the sledge resting on my legs, trapping me completely. I wasn't sure whether to laugh, cry or shout out the rudest swear word I could think of, so I did all three, before reaching up to unclip my skis, falling even further and pulling myself out of the hole I'd ended up in. Fun fun fun.
Today's dedication is to Shaun & Mel Williamson - hope to see you in the summer...
A special mention in dispatches (geddit?) to Babs, both Nikkis and Sarah H. (thanks for making me laugh out loud last night).
Dispatches: Falling down - Friday, 16th April 2004
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