The Skiing Department Blog

One of the most important items of equipment to purchase before going skiing is a good set of skiing goggles.

It does not matter what level of skiing you are at, from first time beginner to professional racer, a set of goggles is essential for many reasons. There are a wide variety of models available that have a range of prices, to suit all budgets. Typically, you can spend between £30 to £120 (€35 to €150) on a set of goggles.

The differences in pricing mostly reflect the goggles lenses and the added benefits more expensive lenses would offer.

Why do we need to wear ski goggles?
There are two main reasons why we wear ski goggles: The first is protection from the wind and the cold on our eyes when we are travelling >> Continue reading

In my last blog post, on learning to ski, I got up to the point where you has learnt to ‘sidestep’ up a small slope and get used to the feeling of having skis on your feet.

It’s worth bearing in mind that my posts on beginners ski tips are not designed as a self teaching manual on learning to ski but merely a tool to use alongside a professional ski instructor. Hopefully, the information that I am providing will help beginners answer some of the questions they have before embarking on this new and exciting experience.

The next stage of learning to ski is to actually descend down a slope for the first time. The ideal slope will of course be very shallow >> Continue reading

All photos © Serge Sozonoff

I have previously written about the possible occurrences of avalanches in ski resorts and tried to answer some questions to skiers, on their first ski trip, about how these forces of nature might affect them. Other than in very rare circumstances, avalanches do not cause concern to towns and villages, beginners ski slopes or even more difficult runs. Of course, in exceptional circumstances, they might become a problem and there are some examples of this happening >> Continue reading

In previous posts, I have written a little about avalanches and the effect they have on skiers in the mountains.  A personal friend of mine wrote a short story about one of his experiences with an avalanche in Verbier, Switzerland in 1999. I wanted to publish this story as I felt it really made you feel close to understanding the situation that is presented when encountered with this force of nature.

This story is written by Scott Hammond who now lives in Norway and runs White Mountain Sports, a ski school, ski shop and luxury self catering accommodation in Kvitfjell, near Lillehammer.

The winter of 1999 was an amazing winter season in Verbier >> Continue reading