The other day I was driving along Abbey Barn Lane when I passed Wycombe Summit, or what is left of it. For a change I decided to park and take a look. What followed was a sad experience for me.

I loved skiing when I was a little child. My parents enrolled me on a course of lessons which had different levels of competence based on your skill- a bit like coloured belts in martial arts. Unfortunately I cannot remember the names of each stage though I’m sure one was called ‘Eskimo’.

I was progressing well up the stages and I was about three or four levels from the top – the black belt of skiing – when I had to stop for personal reasons. I’m not going to go into them- it wasn’t that we couldn’t afford the lessons or I had an injury or anything like that; I just had to stop which was really annoying.

That was in 2001. Sadly I find it very difficult to get back into doing something after a huge interruption like that and I never did go skiing there again. For four years I said to people “I’ll restart my skiing soon”. I left it too late however for the ski slope burnt down in November 2005.

So as I walked around the site in December 2009, four years since the fire and nine years since I was last skiing full time, I suddenly felt very emotional. I remembered where the reception buildings used to be. I saw the three slopes and remembered going down them. I remember seeing hundreds of people all enjoying themselves. I remember using the now derelict ski lift.

So what are they going to do about it? Last time I heard a company called ‘Snowdome’ wanted to buy the site and build a real snow ski slope and ice rink, the largest in the country. Unfortunately Wycombe District Council refused the plans for a reason I can’t remember. I’m not against planning permission and all that, but it seems to me that WDC just want to hinder these plans and not help them in any way. In the meantime another slope has been built in Hemel Hempstead, taking a lot of our custom.

I hope something will be done in the near future. Then, maybe I will start skiing again.

VIII © MMX