A unique opportunity has arisen in a perfect storm kind of way.

Who needs Chamonix or Val D'Isere - last weekend, while Fiona and the boys were sledging I snowboarded on the Braid Hills Golf course (a hilly part of Edinburgh close to where we live - and recently covered in loads of snow - as is most of the UK). Furthermore, on my way home I even managed a couple of runs down the Braid Hills Approach Road back to our house.   OK - so the last bit is only a 227m long run, and you have to hike yourself back up (where is a chair-lift when you need one). ....  but this gave me quite a unique idea.

A half-marathon is 13.1miles - or 20.96km. A hike up the Braid Hills Approach road and a snowboard down is 454m (227m up and 227m down). If I did this 46 times - I will have completed the same distance as a half marathon (half hiking and half snowboarding) give or take a metre. Moreover - the climb is approximately 30m bottom to top. If you climb this 46 times this would be 1380m - which is higher than Ben Nevis (1344m, the highest peak in the UK).

So... 46 lots of climbing up and snowboarding down the Braid Hills Approach road would mean I cover
a 10.5km hike and a 10.5km snowboard (which combined is 21km, or a half marathon) and would also mean I effectively climb up the equivalent of Ben Nevis (and also snowboard down Ben Nevis too).

And then I thought why not do this for charity (Alzheimers) - particularly as this is my 40th year (who would have believed it) and what better way to start a year where "life begins".

The serious bit: While there are many good charities, Alzheimers is relevent for me as my Mum died in 2002 after battling with this disease for some time. Given the short notice of my fund-raising opportunity I aim to make at least £100 for the Alzheimer's Society which would be put to good use in researching the disease and hopefully improving early diagnosis, as well as supporting care for victims.

The fun bit: The snow may only be here for me to do this for the next week - and assuming no gritter is going to take it all away in the next day or so - I plan to give this a go on Saturday 9 January 2010 starting 08:00 hours. The challenge will probably take me a good few hours - I will after all be in snowbaord boots and not running shoes, and while the slide down is quick, the climb up could be tough - particularly for the 46th time. However, hopefully I can complete the whole thing before lunch.

What do you need to do?

Firstly donate - all contributions, no matter how small are welcome.

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. So it’s the most efficient way to donate - I raise more, whilst saving time and cutting costs for the charity.

Secondly - if you are in the locale, I will be the goon hiking up and snowboarding down a semi-surburban road near the Braid Hills - so come along and say hello. You might also want to make a morning of it so feel free to go up on to the hill to have a sledge, or bring your board or skis and have a run or two with me. Either way bring your flasks of hot chocolate and energy snacks.