Since her raunchy début, Biche, Theobald has authored a series of distinctive books featuring erotic antics in the demi-monde. Here she goes off piste, with a yet more fantastical tale.

Alpine skiing has always been dominated by Europeans. The first cracks in their hegemony appeared in 1948 when Gretchen Fraser of the United States won two medals, including slalom gold, at the Winter Olympics in St Moritz. Fraser was the star, but the American attention-grabber was the 15-year-old Andrea "Andy" Mead. Four years later, in Oslo, the newly married Andrea Mead Lawrence won Olympic gold in the giant slalom. Six days later, she fell on the slalom's first run, but picked herself up to finish in fourth place. She took the second run by two full seconds to win her second gold. As she described it, it was "one of the few times in our lives where we become the thing we're doing."

It has been called 'the last death-or-glory sport'. After a run of high-profile crashes in the build-up to next week's World Championships, Nick Harris details how top-level events have become even more dangerous – and competitive

Woman dies in collision after state PM allegedly skied wrong way up piste

Your partner loves downhill, you fancy trying cross-country. So find a location where both are possible, says Elizabeth Heathcote

Bode Miller confirmed himself as the world's best all-round skier yesterday by securing his second overall World Cup title in four years. The 30-year-old American maverick, who parted company with the US team last year to go it alone, sealed the title by finishing ahead of his closest challenger in the Super-G at the end-of-season meeting in Bormio, Italy.

Cut down by a stroke, J Bauby created a novel merely by blinking. Nicola Christie discovers how his life translated to the screen

British rowing found a new star yesterday when Alan Campbell reached the final of the World Cup single sculls.

Ascension Day will not have only Christian connotations for Sven Goran Eriksson next Thursday. The England manager has circled 25 May as the date he elevates Theo Walcott from obscurity at Highbury to the international stage and lifts the uncertainty that surrounds Michael Owen's fitness by deploying both in the 'B' team friendly with Belarus. As though to complete the trinity, it has now become the day Wayne Rooney discovers what part he has to play at this summer's World Cup.

The former world downhill champion, Hermann Maier, has been named in Austria's team for Saturday's world championship downhill. Christoph Gruber and Werner Franz will compete for the final spot in the five-man team in tomorrow's final training session.

Austrian Benjamin Raich won a trial super-combined race Friday to significantly close the gap on overall World Cup leader Bode Miller. Raich posted the fastest time in the opening slalom portion and held on to his lead after the afternoon downhill, finishing in an aggregate time of 2 minutes, 28.37 seconds and gaining 100 points over the American, who went out in the slalom leg.

HERMANN MAIER suffered his second defeat in quick succession yesterday when his fellow Austrian, Christian Mayer, beat him in to second place in a giant slalom in Saalbach.