1. Always compare the brochure rating for resorts and ask advice from your friendly Independent Travel agent. Zermatt in Switzerland for Instance WOULD NOT be a Ski resort to send beginners to (and from personal experience the Ski Instructors couldn’t care less for beginners) wheras St.Anton in Austria caters for all levels of skiiers ( and from personal experience the Ski Instuctors were absolutely fantastic)

Resorts such as Sunday River in the States offer fantastic Ski and Instruction for Beginners and the slopes are not crowded.

2. Always look into the wording for the Accommodation you might like the sound of, especially when it mentions great Apres Ski, Good for Groups, as it usually means that it will be noisy until the early hours of the morning.

3. Try to book a Hotel that is Ski in or Ski Out, or at least very close to main Chair lifts or Gondolas or at least very close to the nearest Bus stop. Ski Boots are the most uncomfortable thing ever invented, and if you have to walk 15 minutes to the nearest bus stop to take you to the lifts, your feet will soon Know about it.

4. A Few visits to your nearest Snowdome and perhaps a few beginners lessons will help before you go on holiday.

5 Ask if the Hotel has it’s own Ski Boot Room or Lockers. After a Hard days Skiing, lt’s great to take your boots off and to leave them to dry in a good heated area.

6. Take Lip Balm and Suntan lotion ( Yes you can get sunburnt on the slopes)

7.Buy a Good pair of Ski Sunglasses.

8.Thermal Undies or Longjohns might not be the latest fashion for men, but are a god send on the slopes, as can be a Balaclava.

9.Look for a Tour Operator that offers a complete Beginners Package and Group Tuition where all your lessons,Ski Packs, Hotel and Flights etc are included in one price.
These packages are normally good fun, a good way to meet other beginners and make friends for life.

10. Always obey the Ski Code and have respect and awareness of others around you.

11. If the thought of Downhill scares the pants off you Darren, then there is always Crosscountry Skiing. Try Yllas in Finland ( Not during Santa Season as Way too expensive) but in January or February. With Cross Country the Skis and Bindings are totally different (and a lot more comfortable) and you can go at your own pace.

Could Go on and on, but will leave some space for others to voice their tips.

I’m a die hard convert to XC skiing. It’s a fraction of the price and a fraction of the aggravation. But if you insist on downhill, I would advise - and repeat some of the above:

Know your limits.
Don’t just skip drinking at lunch. Save it until you are off the slopes for the day.
Wear sunscreen and drink plenty of water or nonalcoholic stuff.
It’s hard work skiing and drinking lots of fluids will help you recover faster.
Buy the best, well fitting snow wear you can afford You’ll ski better if you’re comfortable.
Take a few lessons. It makes a HUGE difference in your skill and confidence.

Good luck!

Good for you Darren!

Once you get over the initial fear of downhill, it’s a blast.
My suggestion: pick up some Hot Hands.

If the lines are long at your ski resort, these puppies will keep your hands toasty while you wait.
Reiterating previous advice: Take lessons. It will make your first couple of skiing experiences more expensive, but definitely worth it in the long run.

If skiing doesn’t work for you, try snowboarding - easier to pick up as an adult beginner.
Remember that the whole idea it to have fun and be outside (instead of inside looking out at miserable grey, wet, rain - you know what I mean).

I live 30 minutes from Aspen, Colorado. Our children started lessons at age 4. We don’t go on vacation to ski, but instead go for the day, but I do offer a couple of tips for saving money on ski vacations:

1. Look at renting a condominium, as opposed to a standard hotel room. You’ll save money being able to buy groceries and eat breakfast/store snacks in your kitchen. Many (at least in U.S.) come w/ cozy fireplaces. And, yes, ski-in/ski-out are most convenient, but you’ll pay more.

2. Buy multiple lift tickets in advance. The more days you buy, typically, the more you save on per-day cost. Be sure to read fine print - can you get refund for days not used?

3. For nights out on the ski-resort town, consider bar menus. Can find food deals sitting at the bar, rather than table service.

And if you’re a beginner:

1. Most skiing accidents occur at the end of the day when light is flat (harder to see as sun is setting) and when legs are tired. At first sign of fatigue after lunchtime, call it a day.

2. Don’t think that wearing a helmet is goofy. Even if you’re going 2 miles and hour down the bunny slope, you must learn to think defensively. That snowboarder going 30 mph is still able to plow you down (accidentally of course), so why not wear a helmet to protect yourself. For kids, it’s a non-option to go without.

Great tips so far!

I especially agree with what Lee wrote about choosing a hotel close to the lift (very convenient) and taking beginner lesson. Makes a great difference to get help from a professional rather than trying to learn on your own. Also ski sunglasses are important, particularly if it’s really sunny. People who don’t wear them might risk getting snow blindness.

And, as Kara said, wearing a helmet isn’t goofy at all. Both kids and adults wear them these days.

Some good advice here. A couple of additional thoughts:

1. Invest in a good pair of goggles. Being able to see in bad weather will make the experience safer and more enjoyable.

2. If the altitude is getting to you be sure and drink plenty of water. Also, any alcohol consumption can hurt your ability to acclimatize, so if you’re coming from sea level you might want to be a teetotaler for the weekend.

3. If you have the time try and make it to the gym a bit before your trip. You can google some good ski workouts, but leg strength is key to enjoying a full ski day.

4. Have fun! There are few things in the world that I enjoy as much as skiing. It’s truly a great sport!

Darren, if you have the opportunity you should definitely try skiing! Most things have been covered above.
I would suggest that you either borrow or hire all the gear as you need to find out if you like it first. I would also visit Xscape just to get the feel of ski boots and to get used to getting in and out of skis. Do choose your resort carefully as suggested above and be patient for the first couple of days, it does get easier. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll never look back!

love the tip “Don’t think that wearing a helmet is goofy.” It makes me mad to think that someone can (and people have) loose their life over such a basic thing. its not cool to be unsafe. I’ve even seen helmets that get a few giggles. the kind with horns or ones in the shape of Ernie from sesame street. those are great.

Hi Darren,

Go in January or March - fewer people on the runs. Choose self-catered accommodation to enjoy freedom and avoid poor cuisine.

Always buy the most expensive ski pass - they always design ski areas the way you need it at least once during your stay. Price difference between the full option and partial option is usually smaller than a surcharge you need to pay this one day.

And if you’d really like to go, pick accommodation from my site and get in touch for discount

Darren

Am just wondering:

The friend (of UK ancestry) of my daughter no. 2 (”DanceGirl”) came with us in January, 2008 as a total newbe…..He’s coming with us next year as a total afficionado…. just after a couple of indoor ski slope lessons and three days of lessons by a private ski instructor (ahem a good looking female ski instructor that was :-)). Granted he has no fear at all, hence his nickname NoFear.

You should consider private lessons: much more expensive, but much more worthwhile the investment because with three days of private lessons he was able to ski with us avid skiers 4 days out of seven

My advice to him was and my advice to you : First and for all go see at an indoor ski slope whether you like the feeling at all before trying to start as a newbe in a ski resort with much expenses.

I take it there are indoor ski slopes in the UK. That’s where you should be heading before everything else..There are several in NL. There is even one in Dubai:-) The Dutch ones have nice pubs anyway:-)

As someone who only started skiing (well, snowboarding) two years ago, so far I’ve learnt the following:

1. Research your resort (something I didn’t do!)
I’ve been to Chamonix, Meribel and Courchevel. Chamonix and Meribel are pretty poor for beginners. Courchevel was my favourite by far, as I could ski down into the resort, the slopes are nice and wide and there are plenty of different green runs to keep you busy for a week.

2. Avoid a dry slope before going
Horrendous, awful things which are nothing like the real thing. Snow is easier and softer to land on.

3. Don’t let anyone you’re with pressure you
Ignore them, go with what you’re comfortable with, but do keep trying no matter how often you fall over.

4. Safety equipment
I had an amzaing fall right on to my head, at which point I wasn’t wearing a helmet. I will never go without one from now on. I also have gloves with wrist guards in to protect my wrists from the hammering they get when I fall over!

5. Insurance
VERY important. Make sure your insurance covers you for winter sport activites. If snowboarding get them to confirm that it is covered in their “winter” option. Most do include it now, but one or two may not still!

Best piece of advice, because pressure is ultimately what caused me to land on my head!

Book into the group lessons each morning for a week. You get to meet people, enjoy the skiing and you should be pretty good by the end!

i agree. then you are with people at your own level. and you can share the experience with people that are going through the same issues skiing as you do.

My tip is to try snowboarding instead :). I grew up in Colorado in the US and was a skier from youth, but a friend borrowed mine and ran into a tree. Thankfully she was okay…but my skis were broken. So I took up snowboarding and found it to be far easier than skiing and I felt I had more control. Either way though, pay for a lesson or two, it will really be worth it…