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The Slippery Slope:
We seek out a skiing adventure that all the family will find thrilling.
If you think you have had some hairy moments on the slopes you haven't experienced the Reach For The Peaks Challenge in Austria.
This is an adventure that will test your nerve and give you the chance to raise money for a cause close to your heart.
The Reach For The Peaks Challenge picks up where all those sponsored walks left off. And for the first time in its ten-year history, the 24-peak marathon is open to anyone, whatever their standard - or cause.
Organiser Tina Makin, of charity challenge firm Tall Stories, sayss: "We've had lots of British interest when we've run this exclusively for UK disability charity Scope - I think it's because we are a nation of diehard skiers and boarders. It's like learning sailing in the North Sea - when you get to the Med you realise you have a great skillset learned in tough conditions. This is a special event and there's always a good atmosphere. People are raising money for a reason that's special to them and that creates a bond as everyone gets to know each other and why they are doing the challenge."
Determination is a necessity. Austria may be beautiful and offer some of Europe's best skiing on immaculate slopes, but the guides ensure that you work for your sponsors' cash.
"We want you to come away saying it was tough but enjoyable," says Tina. "We push everyone slightly out of their comfort zone - it's not supposed to be a ski holiday, you are supposed to be doing a challenge for charity that's hard enough for people to bother sponsoring you. We often incorporate the challenge into a week's holiday, as it makes your flight money go further. Most people do just one ski trip a year so this way works for the family - they just take a couple of days out to do the challenge. It also gives them a chance to get their ski legs before it starts."
So there's no stopping to read piste maps for a breather, no hot chocolate breaks when it's cold, no cool beer when it's hot. Just skiing, from 8.15am when the lifts open to 4.30pm when they close with a brief picnic for lunch. But making sure you are fit for the challenge matters more than improving your snow skills beforehand.
Tina explains: "It doesn't matter what standard you are. We assess everyone on arrival then split into groups of no more than ten with a guide for each. Everyone does the same general route and they hit the same peaks, but what's in between varies. It's not a defined route. The very good skiers might go further back down into the valley floor then all the way back up again, or they will be taken down more challenging runs at a different speed. Guides push everyone to achieve more than they thought possible and they feel better for it."
But it's after the evening bath that the event takes on its special hue.
Tina added: "Everyone is there for a good reason and at the end of every day they gather for dinner and exchange stories about what happened in their lives to bring them there, as well as how they found the skiing that day."
Skiers have to raise a minimum £1,200 to join, which includes the £685 cost of their own travel, accommodation and ski expenses.
Tina says: "A lot of people pay their own costs outright then fundraise and anything they make goes for charity. That way, you are not asking people to pay for your holiday. If people pay the full £1,200 themselves just so that they can do the challenge without raising cash for charity, they lose that bond with the group. The reasons people raise cash are personal, and it belittles their efforts.
"The biggest amount I've seen raised was £17,000 - a city tax advisor wrote letters to clients basically saying, 'You will be sending me a cheque for £500 because I will be saving you that easily on your next tax return'. At the other end there were some firemen who had washed hundreds of cars to get the £1,200 together. People do tin-rattling, coffee mornings, all sorts of stunts and it's all part of what they talk about in the evenings."
Through the day there's not so much time to chat - but plenty of opportunities to enjoy Austria's breath-taking views.
"For some, it's a big shock to the system how beautiful it is," says Tina. "It's very traditional, mountains dotted with alpine chalets - there are no disgusting concrete buildings that you see on other resorts. Residents even get a tax bonus for having flowers outside their house.
"The Austrians rely on dairy farming and want the early regrowth of the fields so they make sure it's all kept in good condition. They are not dependent on the ski season like the French so are always upgrading the land and the lifts. Everything is in fabulous condition and we stay in a village about 20 minutes from the first lift. We have access through a back portal so we miss the queues."
The challenge attracts a mixture of singles and people with pals, fathers and sons, skiers and boarders.
Tina says: "Everyone has their highs and lows, whether they are on skis, boards or monoskis. "If there are enough boarders we will put them all in a group together. The snow's usually good as it's landlocked so it doesn't get the sea wind. That said, We've had everything thrown at us in the last ten years - too much snow, not enough snow, sun, rain. But we have done it every year."
"We will take the Saalbach Hinterglemm Ski Circus by storm first and then transfer to the Zell am See area, where we will start at one end of the crescent and finish at the other, taking in 13 peaks as we go. Tradition has it that we always walk one as well - well, it is a challenge! The next day we transfer to the beautiful Hoch Konig Ski area where we ski like the wind all the way to Muhlbach before transferring to our finish resorts - Badgastein and Badhofgastein - to rack up our total of 24 peaks."
Family Traveller Tip: Check your insurance and take your your free European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) which entitles the holder to free or discounted medical treatment in hospitals in any EU country. And pray you wont need them!