I’m not exactly great at planning a holiday at the best of times, but the extra issues you need to consider with ski breaks really do get me flummoxed! Luckily, it’s not as daunting as it might seem if you’ve never been skiing before – take a look at some of the tips I’ve picked up that could help you.
1) Find a suitable resort for beginners
Now, this might seem like an obvious piece of advice, but you’d be surprised at how easy it is to get swept away by resorts that tell you they have “excellent” skiing and lots of awards to show for it.
While you want to ensure you choose a high-quality facility, perhaps the most important thing is whether it has enough beginner slopes for you to have a varied ski break (trust me, skiing along the same two stretches of piste for a week because you can’t go anywhere else without falling over all the time can get very dull very quickly).
The best thing to do is consult a friendly expert who has lots of skiing experience and knows what’s what. If you don’t have any acquaintances who fall into this category, it’s worth calling up a reputable ski holiday company for their advice.
2) Stay in a chalet
There will always be people who prefer the mod cons of a contemporary hotel over what they think is the rustic/twee/old-fashioned experience of staying in a ski chalet. But, I have to say, I much prefer the latter for an authentic ski holiday.
Nothing creates a magical atmosphere better than a wooden cabin filled with cosy beds and sofas, along with your very own roaring fire. Plus, most chalets do offer modern amenities like Wi-Fi and so on, so it’s not like you’re being forced to live in medieval-like conditions for the duration of your break!
Here’s another tip: find a catered chalet if you can. This is extremely convenient and a good guarantee that you will eat well throughout your holiday, as your meals will be prepared by a professional chef using local ingredients and there’s no need to worry about the washing up! High up on my ski break wishlist is a stay in a catered chalet in south-east France, because I absolutely adore the cuisine of the region, which has a few Italian influences.
3) Hire equipment at the resort
I have a friend who went on her first ski holiday not too long ago. She was super enthusiastic and went out and bought her own pair of skis, poles etc, but then realised how annoying it can be getting all that stuff through the airport and on to trains/buses!
Happily, I’ve learned from her mistake and can confidently advocate hiring all your gear at the resort. Not only will this prevent the scenario my poor friend ran into, but it will also mean that you haven’t wasted lots of money if it turns out skiing isn’t for you!
Your ski holiday company should be able to help you arrange equipment hire, so look into this during the booking process.
These are just my favourite tips for booking a skiing holiday – I’m sure there are many more! Post a comment below with your top bit of advice for novice skiers.