Following up from
last weeks blog, we catch up with the author of Monty Goes Skiing, Richard
Liddle...
What gave you
the idea of combining photography with illustration in your images?
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I really enjoy taking landscape photographs
especially at scenic places, and there is a lot of beautiful scenery when
you’re up and skiing on the mountain. My main focus was to capture the ‘drama’
of the mountains, and to give these photos a ‘wow’ factor to put in the book
for kids. I also used illustration in my images, because from what I’ve seen,
the combination hasn’t really been used very much before which helped make my
book original and stand out from the rest.
You’re a BASI
ski instructor yourself, from your point of view, who’s more enjoyable to teach
skiing to? Children or adults?
Both the same, to be honest – but for different
reasons! When teaching adults, there is more chance of having a better, more
flowing conversation with them, which makes it more fun in that instance,
because I feel as if I can relate to them a lot more. Whereas with children,
they just do not care about how they look on the slopes or falling over, no
matter how many times they fall or get it wrong. This makes it enjoyable to teach because they are willing to
get up and try again.
What are the
main things you wanted children to learn from this book?
I thought it would be important to introduce a lot of
the things that children should expect to find when going on a skiing holiday.
Firstly, I thought it was important for children to learn about what the Marmot
is. This is the animal you would generally hear about most when visiting ski
resorts, as they live in the mountains. 
Keeping warm is one of the most important tips for
enjoying a ski holiday. It’s not very enjoyable if you’re cold, and that’s why you
need a whole lot of extra layers!
If children want to start skiing, it’s best to
introduce to them the ski equipment to get them started; for example, skis,
snowboards, ski helmet, skiing and snowboarding boots.
If I was to sum up what I wanted children to learn
from the book is that snow is fun. By including the helpful ski tips at the
back, that’s what would make skiing more enjoyable when you know to get about
on skis. But really, snow is fun. You can have snowball fights or build snowmen,
or maybe even build an igloo!
What would you
say is the best age to get your children up on skis?
If you’re not thinking about skiing lessons right
away for your child, it’s best to start them off at the age of 3 so they can
get used to being on skis, which prepares them more for when they do start
skiing lessons.
This is really depending on what ski school you
choose. A lot of them are very different from each other in their teaching
methods, as some ski schools start really full on.
Is there any
ski school that you would not suggest for beginner children skiers?
Well, Snowzone is currently setting up an academy
with a 13-week ski program for beginners. From what I’ve heard it’s very full
on with their methods and not best for children who are only just starting off.
What is your
favourite resort/country for skiing?
The home of Mont Blanc, Chamonix is my favourite
resort. It is a great place for skiing with its fantastically deep, soft snow,
and it also has the most stunning scenery! Although, Austria has to be my
favourite country for skiing. With ski resorts like Kitzbuhel and St Anton and with it's breathtaking views, I decided to use some of the landscape images I took
there and put them in this children’s book.
Are you
planning on starting any competitions?
I am considering that, yes. I hope to make this
competition very unique because what I would like to do is get people to send
in their name and addresses and a photo of them or their kids skiing and then
put a cartoon sketch of Monty popping out from a corner or just an empty space
in the photograph, and then send it back to them.
May Johnson, September 2013
Feel free to enter our most recent
Little Skiers competition! You have the opportunity to win a Monty the Marmot beautified
full resolution PSD image of a personal skiing photo of your choosing, with an
original sketch of Monty in the background. This is all to be done by the
author of the children’s book, Monty goes Skiing, Richard Liddle, by simply
liking our facebook page: http://on.fb.me/182q2X3. You now are able to access and click on the ‘Win Monty’ button at the
top of our page and then the only thing left to do is to enter your name and
email address that will then be put into random selection. Just click to win
Monty, then there’s nothing more to it than that.
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