need a bit of advice please

My boyfriend and i have booked to go to aviemore on thur for a few days. I have never been skiing before but he has done a little snowboarding. Need a bit of advice on what to hire, where to hire them and maybe this sounds stupid but how do you go about getting started. We cant really afford lessons so need recommendations. Thanks

Hire your equipment from one of the local shops ..... But here's the but you really must have lessons by investing a bit of cash may be cutting down on the Apres raise the extra cash for lessons, lessons will enhance your enjoyment and move you along a lot quicker. Remember Lessons.

You should really take lessons - this is how you get started in skiing. Chwck if there are any group lessons as they are cheaper. The disadvatage of group lessons is that they may take place Monday to Friday, so if you are going for a weekend/long weekend they may not be an option for you.
In the shop explain that you are beginners as equipment differs quite a lot. Don't get boots that are too big, they should be about a size smaller than your street shoes. They will measure your feet to determine your mondo size (this is the length of your feet in centimeters), but keep trying smaller sizes.

The bad news is that the Grampian weather does not look good. Wednesday to Friday:
"Wintry showers then another area of rain sweeping across the Country during Wednesday, with hill snow. Colder and showers again by Thursday, the showers dying out overnight then rain Friday."
Saturday to Monday:
Largely unsettled weather is expected to persist across many regions until at least the middle of January, conditions changeable and often quite windy with showers or longer spells of rain. Some heavy rain likely at times to the northwest where occasional gales are also possible. Some hill snow is likely at times over Scotland whilst showers over other northern areas may turn wintry at times. Southern parts of the UK are likely to become a little more settled than of late next week with some longer dry interludes on the cards but then also an increased risk of overnight and morning fog patches. Despite daytime temperatures often being near or above average, there will still be a risk of overnight frost during more settled interludes.

In these conditions, Cairngorm is likely to be horrible.

But don't let me put you off! Thats where I started, with borrowed skis, no money, no lessons! The very opposite of what we say to new skiers!

nmwilson wrote:My boyfriend and i have booked to go to aviemore on thur for a few days. I have never been skiing before but he has done a little snowboarding. Need a bit of advice on what to hire, where to hire them and maybe this sounds stupid but how do you go about getting started. We cant really afford lessons so need recommendations. Thanks

Dont skip lessons, you will waste your time not having any and probably not enjoy a minute of it.
Learning from scratch it tough, but go through week 1 and it all becomes a lot easier.
As Ian says, cut down on something else in order to pay for lessons.

Ian is right on!

Yes get local skis,,,but also get good lessons!

There are some major differences to using a board so do not transfer some of the skills learned on board to skiing !

Look at bases and edges for quality.
Look at binding for range ( men = DIN range of 5-10 women DIN range 2-7 )
Look at length ( to chin for rank beginner,,to nose of intermediate cruiser )

Do Not forget poles NOT too long. Learn how you should choose them! 90% of skiers to "hire" poles get too long poles!
Pavel