Alan, Vicki and I embarked on our first skiing holiday together in 1973. Alan decided we didn’t need lessons we could teach ourselves - after all what could possibly go wrong? On our first day he persuaded some unsuspecting fellow skier to show us the slopes. Vicki wisely decided to remain at the bottom of the run and judge for herself how we got on before venturing up the mountain. Probably the first indication this poor chap realised what he had taken on was when Alan and I alighted from the chairlift in a heap on the snow bringing the lift to a standstill. Once we’d put ourselves back together off we set. It’s probably worth mentioning at this point that the only manoeuvre we knew was the snowplough and as any good skier will tell you this isn’t very effective when you’re hurtling out of control at speed! Alan was slightly more proficient at this than me but as soon as he fell my only option of stopping was to fall on top of him. After 40 minutes our so call guide abandoned us never to be seen again leaving us to make our own way down. Meanwhile Vicki had seen the same skiers multiple times coming down the run and was hugely relieved when we eventually appeared still in one piece. An 8 minute run at most had taken us over an hour and we happily headed to the nursery slope. 
That evening we went to the local bar where Alan experienced his second new experience in the form of Jaegamaster. Joining a group playing drinking games Vicki made her second wise decision of the day and passed her quotas over to Alan. A few hours later we found him laying on his back in the snow laughing uncontrollably.That trip was the start of annual skiing holidays with more friends and family joining us each year. Alan became an excellent skier without a single lesson preferring to follow good skiers and adopting their techniques until he perfected his own. He’d happily wait for us all at the bottom of each slope offering assistance to anyone needing help. 
My family and I spent many wonderful holidays with Alan and Vicki and their children skiing, America, La Manga and even a castle in Scotland. All great adventures leaving us with unforgettable memories of a truly wonderful friend who will be forever missed.