I once caught Stephen Fry commenting that skiing was the world’s most pointless activity and that he would rather catch a chairlift to the highest peak, sit in a café and drink hot chocolate with rum all day long. I contemplated his thoughts the other day as I rode a gondola up to the top of Cime de Caron, towering 3200m above sea level. What was I doing here? I looked down at the scar on my right wrist from the year before, a reminder of what the over eager side of me can result in – 2 operations and 6 weeks in a cast.

I stepped out into the cold wind and snow that whipped over the ridge, clipped in and followed the group down the steepest slopes I have ever attempted. Is this another case of me biting off more than I can chew? We descended into the hurling wind and into what I first thought was fog but infact was more snow. “Screw it” I muttered and pushed with all my strength into the infinite white and yeehawed my way down, exactly as I did a year ago when I snapped my arm. I was determined not to make this another case of history repeating itself.

Sometimes the best way to face your fear is head first at full speed.

I had my first visitors from England come to stay with me in my new home here in Amsterdam. I wish I could say their sole purpose was to see me, but bigger things were on the agenda, the trance agenda!

Trance Energy is one of Holland’s biggest trance music festivals and boasts some of the biggest names in the trance music scene. I generally don’t listen to trance day to day but I set out to Utrecht with my buddies safe in the knowledge that our client ID&T was behind the festival and believe me, they do festivals in spectacular style. Check out Mysteryland.

The festival was spread across 3 rooms in what I can only liken to an airport that had been gutted of all its chairs, shops and annoying kids and replaced with stomping bass! Each room had its own unique light experience set up which constantly changed throughout the night and blew my mind each time I decided to have a wander into a different room. Check out a little sample of the ‘Play’ room’s light show. The festival attracted people of all ages out to have a good time and dance into the early hours of the morning. It was like nothing I’ve ever experienced before and getting home at 9 in the morning never felt so good.