UK Snow 2009

Recent temperatures have been seen to plummet to record breaking depths. Twitter has often been at capacity with their floundering whale www.flickr.com reflecting the fact that most people have found themselves ‘grounded’ at home: savouring tail end bottles of ‘Southern Comfort’ from Christmas, sitting by the fire, reporting with glee, to the outside world, on their fireside cosiness, their ’flu, their snowmen, delighting in their inability to get to work and despairing at burst pipes, lack of milk and delayed trains.

Reality, for almost everyone, is held in check for a few more days and this universal January distraction is an inconvenient but welcome start to a month which is notoriously difficult to navigate – pay day a long way off and a new decade, to boot, makes it feel additionally exposed.

English snow makes everyone slip and slide and suddenly it’s acceptable to talk to strangers. Amateur photographers venture out with their knowing lenses. Couples snuggly dressed in tandem, walk by with smug athletic Nordic assurance, swinging their efficient walking poles (www.walkingpoles.com). Thirsty and devoted drinkers recklessly slither to their lonely Local’s bar stool with complete disregard for their sodden plimsoles. Timid mums adapt with old socks over their wellies in the vain hope that they will prevent some theatrical fall www.toluna.com.

Best of all English snow brings out invention and endeavour – the plumber who attempts a call out despite the lack of 4 wheel drive, blocking the turn in the road with his ever spinning wheels; the lads who steal the ‘Road Closed’ sign using it, in teams, to toboggan at break neck speed. Most elegant has to be the visiting American snowboarder who sees opportunity where others don’t www.youtube.com [Filmed by whitespace]. With stylish aplomb and experience he seizes his opportunity, whilst the less adept are sadly still poking around their sheds for something suitable to slide on, missing fresh snow. (Funny, I see no mention of Somerset in ‘Where to Ski and Snowboard 2010’ www.amazon.co.uk!).

Weather conditions look set to hold for a while. The likes of Cosmic Bongo www.cosmicbongo.com are a bit offputting for complete begineers. I fantasise about perfecting my ‘shredding’ skills and deliberate about the design of my dream snowboard – hmm? Which one?

In truth I’m more likely to be enjoying the fantastic graphics of my newly acquired snowboarding game ‘with Shaun White’ on my Wii board at home www.nintendo.co.uk and celebrate the fact that our boiler man made it to us just before Christmas. (Technology removing the anxiety of whether or not I’ll make enough boarding progress before the snow melts) Inspired by the wonderful reflected light from the snow, I’ve put the Metro Ski Snowboard Show at Olympia in my diary for later in the year and if I put enough practise in I might just be a bit more that a ‘Betty’ when I hit the glamour of foreign snow!

[Definition of a ‘Betty’ – A girl who can’t ride (a poser who is a girl). Characteristics include: a Roxy snowboard, side slipping through park, flirting, being loud and obnoxious, matching jacket, pants, hat, etc.]

Posted by Katie Barr-Sim over 2 years ago in Writing

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