Going down hill fast? There’s a Ski app for that

Pocket instructors: the ski app offers video guides

It’s that time of year that millions of us swap chilblains and gout for panda eyes and penury as we slide down hills over and over again.

Skiing is mad, but the better you are the better it is, which is why instruction is such a crucial investment.

How does £2.99 sound? That’s the cost of a new app for iPhones that promises to help you perfect your parallel turns, master the bumps, or improve your carving. How to Ski includes a dozen short clips in which two nice chaps who know a bit about skiing offer simple advice.

These pocket instructors, the founders of The Development Centre based in Val d’Isère, can be watched “at home, on the slopes, in the restaurant, on the lift”.

I had a go at my desk. Can an app teach you to ski? No, but the videos are well put together, if limited in number perhaps for the price, and offer sound advice for anyone seeking to recap or recall actual lessons (because whether you’re Bode Miller or Alan Partridge, there is no substitute for a good teacher).