Arnie Wilson

Ski Journalist

Apart from one school trip to Hospental (near Andermatt) when there was virtually no snow, I didn’t ski till I was 30. A friend who edited a ski magazine suggested I took my (then) wife to Verbier along with my two eldest daughters. After my one school trip, I thought I could ski, but it turned out I couldn’t. I was skiing so badly, I crashed and was put in a blood-wagon to be taken down the mountain (my only journey ever in a blood- wagon!). I decided I’d better learn to ski properly and went every year.

Then out of the blue, after the tragic death in Saas-Fee of the FT’s Leisure Editor Arthur Sandles for whom I had occasionally deputised, I was invited to become the FT’s ski correspondent. During the next 15 years, I must have written more than 200 ski features for them, and I skied every day of the year in 1994 in 240 resorts in 13 countries (the same year that Ski Solutions’ boss Craig Burton went on his first school skiing trip!).

Number of seasons

0, but 1994 was effectively two seasons back-to-back!

Skiing Wisdom

Skiing every day of 1994 was achieved under the banner of the Financial Times Round The World Skiing Expedition and got into the Guinness Book of Records. I wrote about it every Saturday of the year, even during the summer.

Start planning

Three guesses for my favourite resort – Jackson Hole. I got married there on the mountain in 2000, it has breathtaking scenery, interesting wildlife, and of course great skiing.

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