From skiing on his dad’s back, to king of the piste
OUR SON SIMON
SIMON was never any trouble as a little boy, because from the moment he could walk, he lived for sport. He rode a pony from the age of four and ran, swam, and played football and, as a teenager, spent all his spare time out with the local cycling club. But his favourite sport was skiing. From the age of two, he was bobbing about in a papoose on his Dad’s back, and by the age of seven was haring down mountains himself. When he was eight, he decided he wanted to be a ski instructor.
And, although he gained four excellent Alevels and did a four-year stint in a printing firm, he never gave up on his dream. He trained as a dry slope instructor on the weekends.
At 23, he moved to La Rosiere, a small ski resort in France, which was to become his home. In the winter, he worked as a ski guide and in summer, he re-varnished chalets, was a presenter for the local Radio Rosiere and studied to become an ESF (Ecole du Ski Français) ski instructor. It is difficult to become an ESF ski instructor — and almost unheard of if you’re English. But he trained for four years to perfect his skiing and his French, and passed his diploma in 1995.
Meanwhile, he had met his partner, Colette, who worked in a ski shop, and became a father to their two sons, Dylan, now 18 and Erwan, 14. They came to us every summer and we visited them every winter and all skied together.
Just as Simon embraced La Rosiere, so the community welcomed him. He had a great sense of humour, loved a glass of wine and got on with everyone. He organised vintage car rallies and was the co-founder and developer of a nine-hole golf course.
In 2011, he became the first ever English director of the ESF and ambassador for the Savoie region.
In his 40s, Simon revisited his teenage passion for cycling and in 2015 qualified for the World Gran Fondo (world cycling tour) in Italy, finishing 21st in the road race.
It was the following spring that he started waking in the night with terrible sweats and pain down one side of his body. He was diagnosed with a very rare type of cancer which had attacked his pelvic bone. It was a terrible blow, but he took the treatment in his stride, and carried on working, cycling and skiing.
Sadly, a year ago the pain returned, the cancer was back. He went home from hospital for his birthday last year and was doubled up, but never complained. He was phenomenal.
Simon died in hospital in Chambery just before Christmas. At his funeral service in France, attended by more than 300 people, it was recognised that he was instrumental in securing Stage 18 of the Tour de France 2018 to finish in La Rosiere — a huge boost for the resort. Sadly, he won’t be there to celebrate the occasion.
If he sounds like the perfect son and brother it’s because, to us, he was.
SIMON MARK ATKINSON, born october 13, 1966, died December 6, 2017, aged 51.