The reality of learning to ski as a married couple in middle age

As a couple, we were not skiers: our shared interest in the sport ranged from feminine nonchalance to masculine skepticism.

But now, halfway through our lives, we headed to Avoriaz, 1,800 meters high in the French Alps, which has reliable snow, ski-in/ski-out apartments and a host of excellent instructors, to learn to ski with a group of others beginners - with a healthy dose of marital competition.

Sarah's return to the slopes: 'I tried to balance my wife's support with not being patronizing or complacent'

Full disclosure: I'm not a total beginner. I've skied before, in my early teens, when ...