Ski Sunday with attitude is totally sick, dude!

The exhilarating new double act of Ski Sunday and High Altitude leaves Antonia Quirke utterly exhausted

LAST UPDATED 12:00 AM, JANUARY 30, 2009

Hello, I'm Graham Bell, downhill racer, and I'm Ed Leigh, professional snowboarder. Welcome to the BBC's new-look Ski Sunday, which is all about going higher, faster and harder than ever before.

Have you any idea how terrifying the mountains can be? The mountains are awesome, the risks we take are huge. In the Ski Sunday café Ed and Graham sit around listening to the Arctic Monkeys. Graham is a compact, ferrety kind of guy and Eddie is a raver.

Today it's the men's downhill race in Kitzbuhel, Austria. Who will be able to tame the terrible beast this year? Cut to a shot of the mountain. "That is hideous!" yells Eddie. "Now I know why all downhillers are as mad as meat axes!!"

Ed Leigh (left) and Graham Bell

Cut to the supermodel Jodie Kidd jumping up and down croaking, "It's terrifying!" Graham turns to camera and says, "This is no place for chickens. Only the strongest of the brave will survive." Seven men in highly coloured lycra hurtle past in time for Songs of Praise.

Four hours later over on BBC2 it's the debut of the programme High Altitude in which Graham and Eddie get to prove they too are unashamed thrill seekers on a constant search for the next perilous adventure.

Graham has a confession: it's been his life-long ambition to ski off the top of Mont Blanc. The camera's jaw drops. Budgets are running thin - how to deal with this maverick! Just how mental is this guy? Right in front of us he's hatching a plan to push his mind and body to the limit by climbing from Italy wearing ski boots in an outrageous attempt on the summit.

Graham treks purposefully out of shot, giving us time to let it all sink in. Later he confesses he's taking two guides, and 10-times British ski champion Noel Baxter with him, in case. Cut to Noel who is magically there already, confirming from behind glare-resistant shades that he's up for it and totally ready to get mental. The