Actress Gul Panag has opened up about how teaching her son Nihal to ski unexpectedly rekindled her own passion for the sport, after a gap of several years. The actress shared the account in a detailed Instagram post, accompanied by photos and videos from their trip to Levi, Finland.

A Skill Meant for Him, Rediscovered by Her

Panag wrote that her original intention was straightforward — to equip Nihal with skiing as a life skill. But as she strapped on skis again after a long absence, the experience took on a personal dimension she had not anticipated. 'What started as something I wanted for him became something I rediscovered for myself,' she wrote.

Levi and the Memory That Stayed

The actress recalled first learning to ski in Levi nearly 15 years ago, describing the Finnish destination as a place she will always associate with snow. She reflected on the rhythm of life she discovered there — 'forests, silence, frozen lakes, endless snow and people who embrace winter instead of enduring it.' Her husband, she noted, had taken to snowboarding on that first trip, while she worked on her skiing. A friend's observation stayed with her: 'Snowboarding is hard to learn but easy to master. Skiing is easy to learn but difficult to master.' Fifteen years on, Panag wrote, 'the journey is still very much on.'

Skiing Now at the Heart of Family Holidays

Over the past four years, skiing has evolved from a holiday activity into a central pillar of how the family plans its travels. Panag wrote that they try to discover a new ski destination every year while also returning to places that have grown special to them. Returning to Levi, she said, 'felt like coming full circle.'

A Blizzard, a Missing Child, and a Solo Descent

The trip also delivered an unscripted moment of high tension. On their third day, Panag and Nihal set out to tackle one of the advanced slopes. With chairlifts shut due to wind, they took a T-bar lift up. Midway, Nihal got off — and by the time Panag realised he had disappeared, it was too late for her to dismount safely. She continued alone to the top, into worsening conditions. 'The wind was howling, a blizzard had started rolling in, the slope seemed to go on forever, and almost everyone else had already headed down because it was close to closing time,' she wrote, adding: 'I won't pretend I wasn't nervous. In fact, it was the most intimidated I have felt in a long time.'

The Bigger Picture

Panag's account is as much about the unexpected ways parenthood reshapes adult identity as it is about skiing. The 'Dor' actress, known for her outdoor pursuits, has increasingly used her platform to document active travel with her family. Her Levi post underscores how a child's learning journey can become a parent's second chapter.