It was great - except for David Vine

For thirty years I skied. Then, a couple of years ago, acute wheeziness caused a sudden skill migration and left me looking for the downlift. I told myself it was a hard resort (Zermatt, close to the Matterhorn) but I knew it was time to pack it in. Happily ski-ing is dominated by technology.

SKI SHAPES Shorter these days and severely pinched at the centre to resemble elongated hour-glasses. Pressed into the slope by the weight of the skier they embrace its contours and make it easier to turn. Turning is the essence of ski-ing.

BOOTS Agony until you find the right pair. Unyielding for a purpose – to lock your ankle/calf into a forward-facing angle, the basis of the optimum stance. That’s the theory. But a steep slope makes you lean backwards. With no weight on them for control the skis surge forward…

LIFTS Four main types. Gondola Pro: Travels long distances with fear factor reduced to zero. Anti: Skis have to be removed and you have to stand. Chairlift Pro: Comfortable, out in the open, transportation. Anti: Getting off is a frequently varying art. Novices can cause chaos. Poma (skier bestrides a disc attached to metal pole) Pro: Solo skier gets to commune with nature and his fears. Anti: Ruts can be a worry. Going downhill (a rarity) can be terrifying. T-bar (two bums share the inverted arms of the T). Only Switzerland clings to this anachronism. It’s all anti.

One reason why I blog

I’ve touched on technology and aesthetics before but clumsily, not getting to the heart of the matter.

Take a power drill. One can enclose the works in a multicoloured, smoothly shaped plastic shell making it prettier. But that’s simply giving a doll a new set of clothes. What I’m struggling for is something that looks good because of what it does.

My poor old metalworking vice – not used much these days as you can see – is, of course, required to hold workpieces securely. More interestingly, it must be designed so that I may get to any oddly shaped workpiece with a saw, a drill, a file and so on. To ensure this accessibility unnecessary metal is removed from the vice jaws.

As a result both jaws emerge from curving neck-like structures. The shape of these structures is functional but pleasing. The curves are there because those type of curves work best. And that premise is often a useful definition of beauty in other unassumingly attractive objects.

I'm ashamed about the condition of the vice, though.