'On the slopes I'm called Daily Disaster'

Usually the fiasco of her skiing group ,Rachel Johnson finds her happy place on the pistes in the Italian Dolomites

- Rachel Johnson

MY nickname on the slopes is the Daily Disaster. Friends call me this as skiing offers unlimited opportunities for me to make life annoying for others and my problems their problem. Let me explain...

Having just come back from the Dolomites in one piece, full of fresh air and fresh food, I think I only want ever to ski in Italy from now on. Not only is the landscape as heart-stoppingly beautiful as a large grappa after a long lunch in the Comici “rifugio” but the natives are not, shall we say, unacquainted with the concept of fiasco. So it’s perfect for me.

There was the time we were heli- skiing in Italy. I was the only member of the group who had managed to forget their ski boots. Everyone (including the pilot) had to wait while I whizzed to the nearest rental, which was not exactly next door, for a spare pair.