Every resort has that one run you save until the last day of your holiday. This is either for fear of ruining the holiday incase you break something, or because you don’t really want to do it, but know you should. In March 2009, Le Chassoure in Verbier was this such run. Our group was staying in a shared chalet and one of the other party members enthused about the feeling of satisfaction you get from tackling this run. I am no wimp, but I must admit to feeling pretty apprehensive. We duly inspected the piste map and planned our route. On arrival, we found that it’s the kind of run that has ‘Experts only’ clearly displayed at the top and you find yourself really questioning whether you are going to enjoy the next half an hour or so.

From the top, you can see how narrow and how steep the first part is. If you are really unlucky (as I was on this occasion) it wont have snowed for a little while and you will be able to see a long mogul field stretching out ahead of you. It is worth noting that at this point you can also see the entrance to the bubble lift that takes you in comfort and safety down to the restaurant at the bottom of the run. Of course, if you are sensible (which some of our group were) you take the bubble and watch from your seat as ‘experts’ all but forget how to ski.

The problem with this kind of run is that wherever you are skiing, you think that the snow looks better on another part of the piste. So rather than concentrating on getting into a rhythm and taking each mogul in threes I find myself traversing backwards and forwards across the piste, not really making any progress and no nearer to my vin chaud at the bottom.

After some interesting skiing, (the kind that an instructor would call ‘defensive’) some bad language and a couple of near misses, our group reached the bottom in one piece.

We go to the bar, ordered a drink and sat very quietly for a few minutes. After the burning in our legs subsided and we’d sunk our vin chauds somebody piped up, ‘I think we all could have done that a little better, shall we try again?’ And I thought a catered chalet holiday in Verbier was meant to be relaxing……. Clearly not.