DON'T TELL ME I CAN'T…...learn to snowboard

Jo Gifford was reluctant to wobble down a mountain, but hasn’t looked back

- KARA O NEILL

Hitting the slopes in my boots,warm coat, hat and goggles, I breathe in the fresh air, take in the views of the Alps and realise just how happy I feel. Strappingthe board to my feet, I slide through the snow. I’m not fast – a bit wobbly – but, at 40, I manage to snake down the piste, following the curve of the mountain and, when I get to the bottom, I feel utterly exhilarated.

Since my teens, I’ve suffered with chronic fatigue and endometriosis, and am often in pain. Any activities I take part in are dictated by my body’s energy levels on the day.

Until 2016, I’d never beenon an alpine break nor had any desire to learn snow sports, but then we booked a big family holiday to Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, a ski resort in France. The trip was to celebrate my mother-in-law’s 60th birthday, and while my partner Miles, then 36, and the rest of his family were all seasoned snowboarders, I’d no idea what I was doing.

In the build-up to the holiday, I’d been crippled with anxiety and had decided against booking any lessons. Because of my disability, if I paid for expensive tuition, there was a chance I wouldn’t even be able to get out of bed.