Ski holidays can be the perfect holiday, with the combination of sport and adventure on the slopes combined with beautiful scenery and the luxury of an après-ski drink or two.
Preparing for your first ski trip will require some preparation. I leant to ski later on in life and I really enjoyed my first ski trip but nothing could prepare me for the feeling of excitement, exhaustion and exhilaration.
After my first day on the slopes every muscle ached and I felt I earnt the apres drink!
I definitely advise you to get fit and into shape if you are not already before you hit the slopes. The last thing you want to do is to spend hundreds of pounds on a ski holiday, only to find you are too tired to get out of bed.
If you don’t go to the gym there are plenty of exercise tips and ideas that you can do at home on the internet. A useful article I have found is on the BBC Website where former British downhill skier Graham Bell has a few fitness tips, it is an old article but very relevant.
Another good article to read is Ski fitness: how to get fit for the slopes, from the Telegraph.
If you are serious about getting ski fit then the advice I have seen is to start your exercise 8 to 12 weeks before your trip.
You will also need to protect yourself against falls, a helmet is essential now and back protection can provide additional protection for falls at speed. Ski shops or ski hire can advise you on the best equipment for you.
Be protected against the sun, this includes UV protection on your sunglasses or googles, lip balm, sun cream, ski clothing, warm clothes and layering to protect you against the cold.
The weather changes in the mountains all the time, one minute you are skiing in fabulous sunshine and the next minute in a white out.
Check the local weather, that way, you’ll avoid the usual mistake of dressing for the weather you wake up to and nothing else.
The only way to cope with the changes, is to carry a rucksack. Always pack spare clothing (unless you are wearing it all), as well as something to drink. You can of course carry your lunch too, this will save you money, I however love the lunch stops in the mountains!
Practice on an indoor Ski Slope if you can before you go, the slopes can be very short, however on my first two days in a ski resort I was only let loose on the nusery slope, so all you need is a bit of space to get used to skis and ski boots, and to master the snowplough.
The more time you can get on the snow the better.
Britain’s indoor snow centres are The Snow Centre in Hemel Hempstead, The SnowDome in Tamworth , Chill Factore in Manchester , The SNO!zone centres in Milton Keynes in Buckinghamshire, Castleford in West Yorkshire and Braehead in Glasgow. Then there’s Skiplex in Reading and Basingtoke – which are indoor moving carpets.
Research the ski school options in the resort, I went with a mixed ability group so myself and another beginner booked ourselves into ski school. The luxury option is to have private classes where you can progress quicker. The cost of private lessons can, be expensive so we joined a cheaper six-day course of group lessons. We attended classes in the morning and had free time after lunch to meet up with our friends and practise.
Know your piste classification, these vary in various countries, this will help you avoid finding yourself on a slope that is more difficult than your ski ability!
And finally the most important advice, don’t forget to take out specialist ski insurance, do check the small print too.
Accidents do happen, a friend in our party broke their leg on the last day (don’t let that put you off!) he fortunately had very comprehensive insurance.
Happy skiing!
