We had time to consider all of these things,

because the one thing that we didn’t have at our

disposal was a snow slope where we could go

for the record. In Britain the mountain slopes

where we might have found a suitable ski run

don’t really open for business until December,

if they have had sufficient snowfall. In Europe

there are several ski resorts where summer

skiing on glaciers is not only possible but

hugely popular, and there are slopes with snow

on them throughout the year. The glacier ski

runs, however, are not always ideal for speed

skiing. Any of the European speed ski runs that

are used for competitions would have been

ideal for our record attempt – these are steep,

fast slopes. All we needed now was snow.

Above: Trying out the supersled for size on

a workshop bench.

So I was left watching the weather and snow

reports, like a kid staring out through the

curtains – waiting impatiently for the first

flakes of snow to fall. When they did, I’d be

packing an extra pair of socks and my supersled

and heading for the mountains!

the supersled takes shape    247