Gul Panag Returns to Skiing, Inspired by Her Son Nihal

Gul Panag shares how her son Nihal inspired her return to skiing

Mumbai, July 6

In her latest post on Instagram, Panag reflected on how skiing became more than just a skill she wanted to teach her son Nihal. She explained that her intention was to introduce him to the sport so it could become a useful life skill for him. The actress revealed that, however, as she returned to skiing after a long gap, the experience unexpectedly turned personal for her as well.

Sharing a series of photos and videos, Gul wrote, "With much of Europe sweltering through another heatwave, I found myself looking back at a place I'll always associate with snow. Levi. It's where I first learnt to ski, almost 15 years ago. Back then, skiing felt incredibly aspirational. I spent a few days getting the hang of things, while the husband decided snowboarding was more his thing. A friend once described the difference perfectly: "Snowboarding is hard to learn but easy to master. Skiing is easy to learn but difficult to master." Fifteen years later, I can confidently say... the journey is still very much on."

"Levi, though, stayed with me for reasons beyond skiing. I remember discovering an entirely different rhythm of life:forests, silence, frozen lakes, endless snow and people who embrace winter instead of enduring it. Fast forward to the last four years. One of the life skills I wanted Nihal to grow up with was skiing. That meant getting back on skis after many years. Somewhere along the way, what started as something I wanted for him became something I rediscovered for myself."

The 'Dor' actress added, "Today, skiing isn't just an activity we do on holiday. It has become an integral part of how we plan our family holidays. We try to discover a new ski destination every year, while also returning to places that have become special to us. Coming back to Levi felt like coming full circle."

"And then Levi decided to remind me that mountains have a sense of humour. On our third day, Nihal and I decided to tackle one of the advanced slopes. The chairlifts had been shut because of the wind, so we took the T bar lift up."

Gul Panag concluded the post by writing, "Halfway up, Nihal decided he'd had enough and got off. By the time I realised he'd disappeared, it was too late for me to get off safely. There was no exit. So I continued all the way to the top. The wind was howling, a blizzard had started rolling in, the slope seemed to go on forever, and almost everyone else had already headed down because it was close to closing time. I won't pretend I wasn't nervous. In fact, it was the most intimidated I have felt in a long time."

— IANS