To be fair, hurtling down the sides of steep mountains, wearing very tight clothes at eye watering speeds is not everyone’s cup of tea. We are, of course, talking about skiing, the adrenalin charged, fast paced sport of most snowy places.
Learning to ski to an acceptable level does not actually take that much time, and you don’t really need to be that fit or athletic. You do, of course, have to have a certain physical ability, but once you are on the slope it is pretty much is all downhill.
Image credit: Skistar Trysil, license Attribution 2.0 Generic (CC BY 2.0)
That said, like any extreme sport, the further you take it, the more demanding it becomes until you eventually achieve higher levels of skill, fitness and acquire the much sought after steely nerve.
However, before you go out and book a ticket to France or Austria, here are a few tips you could definitely learn from.
- Take the first steps.
Whatever you do, don’t go on a skiing holiday with friends or family if they offer to teach you whilst you are there. The friend or family member generally makes a terrible skiing coach who will bore quickly and eventually say the magic words ‘you’ll be fine’. This, of course, means that you won’t, and you may well find yourself slamming into the side of tree or just not having the best time of it. Learn before you go, at least to a basic level.
- Don’t invest yet on a kit when you can borrow.
Once you have learned how to stay on your skis, you are pretty much ready for your first real skiing holiday. To save money, don’t invest in a kit before you leave if you can borrow one from a mate or a member of your family. Even if what you have borrowed is dated and looks a bit daft, it’s better to try the sport with borrowed kit to see if it gives you the bug. If it doesn’t, you don’t have to spend the next six months on eBay waiting for someone to reach your minimum bidding price.
- Go on a fitness training to physically prepare yourself.
Even though most of it is downhill, you will still need to have a certain level of fitness to enjoy a skiing holiday. If you are out of shape before you leave, you will be struggling to get out of bed in the morning. It’s best to start your fitness training at least six weeks before you leave to get the most out of your skiing holiday.
- Be smart in choosing where to stay.
If you are heading out on your first skiing holiday, book your accommodation with specialists in catered ski chalets. Self-catering apartments are fine, once you know the ropes, but for holidaymakers skiing the slopes for the first time, a chalet resort offering advice, bookings and plenty of hot meals is a much better option.
- Take a daypack.
Don’t forget your daypack when you are heading out to the slopes. In the mountains weather can very change quickly, so you will need to be able to carry extra clothing, as well as having room to store it if you start to get hot and remove layers.
- Learn how to fall.
If you feel that you are a little out of control on the slope and are heading for another skier or perhaps a tree, don’t try to swerve as you may worsen the situation. Try to fall to your side, possible uphill, so that the fall is reduced. Once you have mastered the fall, you can then move onto the swerve.
Skiing is fantastic, fun and doesn’t actually cost a small fortune to enjoy. There are many good ski holiday providers available that even offer budget skiing holidays with all included options.
