The Skiing Department Blog

There are so many countries in the world where you can ski.

In the northern hemisphere the Alpine countries of France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and Andorra are Europe’s most popular and North America has an abundance of states with major world-class ski resorts.
The southern hemisphere has less choice but both Argentina and Chile along with Australia and New Zealand provide the best options.

For the purposes of this post, I will summarise the major skiing countries of Europe and later on in the future go into more detail about those and other destinations and more ‘minor’ skiing states.

France is the largest skiing destination in Europe with a wide variety of large resorts with modern facilities and convenient ski accommodation. Access by air is easy via Geneva, Lyon or Champery airports >> Continue reading | 1 Comment

The first time you put on skis.

Once your instructor has shown you how to carry your skis they will take you to the most suitable area for your beginners skiing lesson.

All ski resorts have specially designed areas for beginners which are flat or very slightly angled with plenty of room to make mistakes. These areas are often called nursery slopes and most of the time are situated at the bottom of the mountain or even in the resort itself. >> Continue reading

Due to the nature of winter sports and especially skiing, it goes without saying that proper ski clothing is an essential part of the overall package. In my ‘Beginners Ski Tips’ section I have already approached the subject of ski clothing with some basic guidelines.

I now want to go into the subject in more depth. In the ski clothing category, I will discuss all items of ski clothing that are both required and also helpful when spending your days in a cold mountain environment.

The weather, like anywhere, can vary enormously in the mountains and during the winter months you might experience anything from above zero temperatures in glorious sunshine to snowstorms in freezing temperatures. Last winter on skis I experienced every temperature >> Continue reading | 2 Comments

There are many instances when you plan a skiing holiday where you have to take into consideration a member of the party who will not ski. There are clearly many reasons for this but it is important to cater for someone who, whilst you are occupied all day on the slopes, has enough to keep them happy. Of course relaxing and reading a book in a chalet or cosy apartment can be appealing in itself, but most people need and want more than this during a weeks holiday.

As a general rule the larger the resort. The more possibilities there are for the non-skier. Scenery and resort charm is important as just walking around and taking in the atmosphere can keep many people happy for days. >> Continue reading | 2 Comments