Technique conquers fear

Panic. A woman lies on a Welsh hillside,  weeping uncontrollably and shaking with fear. The instructor has walked away, abandoning that first attempt at a paraglider flight off the hill. I lean across and speak insistently: "When the canopy inflates above your head it will take your weight, you will not fall. Have faith."

At this point of my life I already had a hang-gliding 'club pilot' certificate and a similar qualification for towed paragliding. I knew how to launch a canopy, I knew it would support me in the air and I knew how to land. How sad that confidence per se isn't that transferable.

Viewing the ski slope as a relative novice, you would be insane not to be apprehensive about descending the whole thing.

The lower part of the run

You can't even see the top of this 165 metre run, curving away into the woods. But it's just technique I need to learn and internalise before Sunday Feb 23rd.

When I'm scheduled to ride that slope top to bottom as my ski course graduation.