The Skiing Department Blog

The ski season in Europe normally starts in early December and runs through to the end of April depending on snow conditions. The beginning of the winter can bring a mixture of conditions and good snow is sometimes hard to come by, before Christmas.

The benefits of skiing before Christmas though are clear.
Much quieter slopes and cheaper accommodation in resort.
The downsides can include unsettled weather, less sunlight than later in the winter, poor snow conditions, limited amount of lifts operating and lack of après ski atmosphere.
Still, if it has snowed heavily then the benefits of having the mountain virtually to yourself, at knock down prices, out way the negatives.

In previous posts, I have discussed how to carry your skis when walking and how to put your skis on. As I have explained before, this information is useful for first time skiers to have an understanding of what will happen, but is not designed as a manual and should be in conjunction with ski lessons from a qualified instructor.

You have now put on your skis. The first sensation that you experience is the feeling of being clamped into the ski bindings and unable to get out. This is normal, and it’s crucial at this stage to become familiar with this new sensation before attempting to descend downhill.

The debate regarding the question over ski helmets and skiing has been going on for many years. Recently, the news headlines have brought this subject to the public’s attention with the sad death of the actress Natasha Richardson.

There is debate and conflicting opinions regarding the effectiveness of helmets when skiing. Would Natasha Richardson still be alive if she was wearing a helmet? I cannot answer that question, but clearly a helmet can protect certain head collisions from causing more injury than if a helmet was not being worn.

The vast majority of skiers do not wear helmets and certainly throughout the history of skiing this has been the case. Downhill skiers have worn helmets for many years, although racers in other disciplines, such as slalom, giant slalom and freestyle have only >> Continue reading