A strange comment from my partner at the weekend.

"Every Swiss person I know, doesn't ski and every expat who I know does".

My question therefore is what percentage of the Swiss nationals ski?

Living in a very "Swiss" village (ie not many people speak anything else but French) and with my kids in the local school, I can suggest that your partner is correct. I don't know what the percentages are but the expats can go because they can afford it and many of the locals don't go because it is very expensive.

I know a lot of Swiss who ski and I know a lot who don't like it because they were forced to do it as kids. Saying that, SWMBO hates it and hadn't done it in something like 7 years came with me when I first went boarding. I taunted her and said that she had probably forgotten. I thought she was scared to have to re-learn the skill.

She clipped on her skis and went whizzing down the piste, leaving me to howl about 'mon cul' to the ski patrol. But she never went back.

But then I know many Swiss who love it, they get into hardcore things like cross country etc. Not all expats like it, some i know do, and a lot I know can't be bothered.

I love it so much, I can't wait for the season to come along.

I have horrible memories from the school ski camps as a kid... so, yes, I am a Swiss person who doesn't enjoy skiing.

We'd love to go more, but for us, a family of five, it costs an arm and a leg to go only for one day, nevermind a whole week of skiing holidays it's beyond our budget.

I am happy that in the region where I live the annual skicamps organised by the school ( Skilager) are still offered, like that my kids can go once a year on a skiing holiday and learn to ski more or less good

Despite always having been in the beginners class at the camp, I have fond memories of those camps, and when I went to work in a mountain resort I took it up properly ( but only because the boss offered all the employees a seasonal card)
I think skiing is like learning to ride a bike, once you were able to 'do' it you'll never forget

I don't know many who can't sky in my circle of local friends and accointances in Geneva...

I've never heard of cross-country skiing being called "hardcore" before. Maybe you are talking about ski-touring (going into mountainous terrian over high passes, etc) and not cross-country skiing (staying in the flatter areas at the bases of valleys, etc.)? A lot of people think that cross-country is only something that old people do, certainly not hardcore.

Regarding the cost, I think a lot more people should give cross-country skiing a go - the equipment is half the price of downhill stuff, and trail passes cost about 7 CHF per day or 70 CHF for a season. And it's a great way to get a n outdoor workout during the winter months.

Careful you don't confuse can't ski with don't ski. Had the same thing in Finland, a lot of my Finnish friends could ski very well, but had been put off it completely whilst in school.

And I agree with ChrisW, Cross country skiing is hardly hard core and is great fun, It'll certainly keep you fit

I somehow got the impression that they went for miles and miles on flat terrain, heaving and sweating. I like snowboarding, downhill and even though it takes it out of me, severely, cross country skiing seemed to me to be even more demanding, hence my calling it hardcore. But if it's for the old yins, I might just give it a try

Unless you are doing your skiing on a frozen lake then I think you would struggle in Switzerland to find miles and miles of flat terrain and the ones who you see heaving and sweating are either the ones who also compete, or more likely they have crap technique
I did a two day course last year and after even though I am a very unfit fat git was able to do 15-20 Kms without too much trouble

I went to ski once in 12 years since I left Switz

I'm looking forward to try the new skislope outside the Trafford Centre in Manchester, one of those enclosed numbers with "real" snow. And I'm still hoping to dash off to Scotland on the few occasions there is skiable snow.

Then it sounds like something I might be interested in. To be honest, I'm talking about the nutters who do it for the Olympics and fall down every five minutes to shoot something.

Behold the power of the Idiot Box.

Gooner, I think you'd enjoy the recreational version of cross-country skiing, you should give it a go next winter. There are some good places in the Jura mountains for it, plus a few places in the Alps (we had a good time in the Goms region of Wallis/Valais last winter, between Brig and the Furka pass).

I think I will try it, thanks for the tips. I've been looking for some new recreational activity, and I do love the mountains and winter.