I am heading to Corvara tomorrow, a lovely village in the Dolomites, for a week’s holiday in the snow and where I plan to try my hand (or rather, feet) at snowboarding. My initial bravado (‘I’m a good skier, how hard can it be?‘ didn’t last long so I sensibly took myself to Snow & Rock in Covent Garden this lunch time to look into getting some protective gear, given that, realistically, I foresee spending most of the time on my derrière. Ten minutes later, I’m trying on ‘netted’ shorts (really attractive…) with various hard and soft padding placed in various strategic places – literally mapping out all the areas I’m going to bruise should I decide not to wear this. At £74 I felt it was a bit of a hefty purchase for a beginner, seeing as I plan to stay on the blue slopes and won’t be attempting any 360 turns and half-pipe tricks à la Shaun White. (Check out the Olympic Gold Medallist’s winning stunts below.)

So I left the store empty-handed but on my way back to the office stumbled across Thai Square Spa (massages and great Thai food, what’s not to love?) and did pick up a brochure which was advertising 20% off their treatments all this month. So, in the end not an altogether pointless lunchtime shopping spree – I’m sure I’ll be needing some of that TLC when I get back.

Chiara Priorelli, Publicity & Online Marketing Manager