I, Rag Doll

God, do I ache. My legs hurt; my elbows are sore; my fingers are tired; my neck muscles are strained; my ribs feel like they've taken yet another pounding; and my arse is numb.

Yes, I have been snowboarding. My first time, actually, spent during a beautiful day on top of Mt Seymour, one of Vancouver's local slopes. For the past week, the city has been covered in a blanket of freezing fog, making the mountains the best places to be. Yesterday was no exception with temperatures of around 17 degrees and a clear blue sky. Bliss.

Ever since I left Blighty, I planned to snowboard. It's the only one sport I had to try, and the only health issue that played on my mind was that I wanted to be fit enough to do it. Turns out I am; whether I will be after a few runs like yesterday's is another question. I have no problem bombing it down a slope - that's the least of my worries. But stopping, turning, and a little thing called control are far beyong my capabilities. Whilst other members of the class steadily mastered the subtle arts of turning 180 degrees and steadying their rate of descent, I managed to rotate just so that my nose end was facing downard, and then I turned no further . This is a very precarious position as it causes the rider to pick up speed, and the only way for a beginner to stop themselves is to fall with as much control as gravity, momentum and the Good Lord will allow. I managed to do this with some success, right up until I fell backwards down the slope clonking my head on the ground. Ouch. I am, however, not peturbed and plan to return to the mountain on Thursday, this time donning a helmet to preserve my future intellect.

Such that it will be.

Yet, careering down slippery slopes is just the tip of my activity pyramid. From what I've heard, people in Vancouver tend to be more outdoorsy and the city has certainly had an effect one me. On Sunday, I went snowshoeing and no I didn't have tennis rquets strapped to my feet. I played basketball the other day, although my skill level was such that I became the man marker for any girl on the opposite team (note for feminists: I didn't say that was a bad thing, but my teammates implied it). And last, but by no means least, I've continued to practice yoga. Hot yoga to be precise, which is tortuous in both the stretches you have to pull and the heat of the room. It's like being back in Delhi. In fact, I wonder why I didn't start yoga in India. Oh I remember, I was learning Chinese instead. Makes total sense.

Tony is considering mummifying himself in bubble wrap before his next snowboarding lesson.