Funniest sport ever

I've discovered the funniest sport ever invented: cross-country skiing.

 

In some ways I have a fairly sophisticated sense of humour. I enjoy the verbal jousting matches on Radio Four's "I'm Sorry, I Haven't A Clue" for example. If I'm honest with myself though, the sophistication level of the humour I most enjoy is round about the " You've Been Framed" level, ie. People Falling Over. Yes, yes, it's inane, it's stupid, and it's childish, but there's nothing funnier to me than watching another human being fall into a bush, or perhaps out of a moving car. Providing no-one gets hurt (much) I will laugh like a drain at any kind of slapstick, pratfall or accidental banana slip.

 

And yes, "Jackass: The Movie" is the funniest film I've ever seen.

 

Now obviously skiing is a fine sport to watch for anyone who enjoys a bit of schadenfreude. But cross-country skiing just has to take the crown, purely because it has the added bonus of watching people fall over at hilariously low speeds. The fact that you're not going very fast just seems to intensify the comedy when someone does actually slide off into a bush. It's like watching a work colleague lowering themselves really slowly into a chair which you've removed without them knowing.

 

Because the truth, as we discovered on Sunday, is that cross-country skiing is a damn sight harder than it looks. It may resemble walking on skis, but when you're faced with a corner, downhill slope or, God forbid, a downhill corner, suddenly the lights go up and it's welcome to Slapstick City. The trouble is that the narrowness of the course makes it quite tricky to manoeuvre, and the slow speeds actually make turning more difficult - a bit like trying to go round a corner on a barely-moving bicycle.

 

In fact, at one point Flick and I spent over fifteen minutes trying to get round one corner - the result of us both being doubled up in laughter at each other's outrageous pratfalls.

 

So there you go, try cross-country skiing - not only does it keep you fit, it provides ample opportunity to laugh at other people's misfortune. In a nice way, of course.