Hi all,
I'm going on my first ski holiday in February to Bardonecchia. What should I bring and should I get lessons before I go. i booked a learn to ski pack with Crystal. Would appreciate any tips :lol: :P
First Time to ski
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As SkiGirl said - chances are you'll be bitten by the bug. So long as your attitude is to have fun, then you will! Learning is hard work, there's no doubt, but the rewards are immense. No longer will you dread the winter, instead you'll start obsessing with snow forecasts and longing for those frosty days when you just know it's going to be snowing in the mountains...
The bad news is that this bug is pretty much incurable, and will quite likely dominate your thoughts of winter for the rest of your life!
As for lessons, if you have a snow-dome near you I think they'd be worthwhile; you can get over the initial shock of wearing ski boots and clambering about on snow with 4 feet of fibre glass attached to each foot. Personally I'd steer clear of dry-slopes as a beginner - falling can be painful and the experience is just not the same.
Once in the mountains, learning in a group of similar abilities can be fun but, especially if you are reasonably fit, you may well find yourself being held back to the slowest pace in the group. If your fitness is at a good level (you've got a couple of months to work on that) then you will progress much faster with private lessons.
You will learn more in a 2 hour private lesson than you will in a full day in a group (IMO) and can then practice at your own pace for the rest of the day. If there are two or three of you at similar stage who can go together, private lessons can be quite economical too.
Don't spend too much on gear just yet - TK Maxx is a great place to buy quality ski clothing at bargain prices - but do make sure you are going to be completely warm and dry. Good quality ski pants or salopettes are a must; you are going to spend some time sitting in the snow and a cold, wet bum will not yield your optimum skiing enjoyment.
As soon as you are sure you want to continue with it, you should think about buying your own boots. Your ski boots are the number one most important piece of equipment, so read all you can now and keep them at #1 on your list of priorities.
Enjoy!
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Started by Naunie in Ski Chatter 06-Nov-2006 - 4 Replies
Naunie posted Nov-2006
SkiGirl
reply to 'First Time to ski' posted Nov-2006
Hi there
My husband and I skiied for the first time in Austria Jan 06. Personally I'm glad we didn't book lessons before we went because the instructors will ask who has skiied before/had lessons and even though you say you are a complete beginner they always spot people who aren't. I think you get more enjoyment out of your lessons if you are in the same boat as everyone else because you might be a bit bored the first couple of days while the rest of your class catches up. Most important of all - you should be able to laugh at yourself (and everyone else)!! Lessons are brilliant fun. Don't take too much stuff like we did. Base layer/thermals, ski socks, scarf, gloves, hat, goggles, sunglasses, sun block and a couple of long sleeved t-shirts for skiing. For the evening jeans, long & short sleeved T-shirts (the hotels are quite warm), walking/hiking style boots, thermal socks and a couple of jumpers. There is no need for dressy clothes at all and some people will even come down to dinner in their salopettes. You will have a fantastic time and be totally bitten by the ski bug. When we came home from our first ski hol we were totally depressed for about three weeks afterwards and I booked our next ski hol the day after we got home. Enjoy!! 8)
My husband and I skiied for the first time in Austria Jan 06. Personally I'm glad we didn't book lessons before we went because the instructors will ask who has skiied before/had lessons and even though you say you are a complete beginner they always spot people who aren't. I think you get more enjoyment out of your lessons if you are in the same boat as everyone else because you might be a bit bored the first couple of days while the rest of your class catches up. Most important of all - you should be able to laugh at yourself (and everyone else)!! Lessons are brilliant fun. Don't take too much stuff like we did. Base layer/thermals, ski socks, scarf, gloves, hat, goggles, sunglasses, sun block and a couple of long sleeved t-shirts for skiing. For the evening jeans, long & short sleeved T-shirts (the hotels are quite warm), walking/hiking style boots, thermal socks and a couple of jumpers. There is no need for dressy clothes at all and some people will even come down to dinner in their salopettes. You will have a fantastic time and be totally bitten by the ski bug. When we came home from our first ski hol we were totally depressed for about three weeks afterwards and I booked our next ski hol the day after we got home. Enjoy!! 8)
Powderhound
reply to 'First Time to ski' posted Nov-2006
Naunie wrote:Would appreciate any tips
As SkiGirl said - chances are you'll be bitten by the bug. So long as your attitude is to have fun, then you will! Learning is hard work, there's no doubt, but the rewards are immense. No longer will you dread the winter, instead you'll start obsessing with snow forecasts and longing for those frosty days when you just know it's going to be snowing in the mountains...
The bad news is that this bug is pretty much incurable, and will quite likely dominate your thoughts of winter for the rest of your life!
As for lessons, if you have a snow-dome near you I think they'd be worthwhile; you can get over the initial shock of wearing ski boots and clambering about on snow with 4 feet of fibre glass attached to each foot. Personally I'd steer clear of dry-slopes as a beginner - falling can be painful and the experience is just not the same.
Once in the mountains, learning in a group of similar abilities can be fun but, especially if you are reasonably fit, you may well find yourself being held back to the slowest pace in the group. If your fitness is at a good level (you've got a couple of months to work on that) then you will progress much faster with private lessons.
You will learn more in a 2 hour private lesson than you will in a full day in a group (IMO) and can then practice at your own pace for the rest of the day. If there are two or three of you at similar stage who can go together, private lessons can be quite economical too.
Don't spend too much on gear just yet - TK Maxx is a great place to buy quality ski clothing at bargain prices - but do make sure you are going to be completely warm and dry. Good quality ski pants or salopettes are a must; you are going to spend some time sitting in the snow and a cold, wet bum will not yield your optimum skiing enjoyment.
As soon as you are sure you want to continue with it, you should think about buying your own boots. Your ski boots are the number one most important piece of equipment, so read all you can now and keep them at #1 on your list of priorities.
Enjoy!
SkiGirl
reply to 'First Time to ski' posted Nov-2006
I agree with powderhound re TK Maxx - I got a Trespass jacket there for about £25 (it's a kids size though) and I think I got my salopettes from Mountain Warehouse for about £30. My other half got his gear in Mountain warehouse also - about £60 for the jacket and about £40 for his salopettes. They do good base layers as well. Indoor snow slopes are good - we've gone to Xscape in Breahead three times over the summer to "keep our hand in". For ski fitness, we found that running and exercises to strengthen the upper body and legs helped (this is for when you continually fall on your bum and need the strength to lift your bodyweight up through the laughing :lol: ). Another good tip that was given to us by the hire shop in the resort - if you find the hire boots hurt and bruise your shins put a sanitary towel (I know) over your shin. :)
Bansko Babe
reply to 'First Time to ski' posted Nov-2006
I would recommend some lessons before you go to get the basics as you will then get more out of the lessons at resort.
Have been to Bardonecchia and its OK. When you go up the mountain don't leave it too late to come down as part of it is narrow and prone to get a bit icy.
There is also a nearby resort covered by your lift pass which you can get a bus to. Its called Melozet (probably not spelt that right). Watch this area if there hasn't been any snow recently. There are no cannons and I had a horrendous fall on an icy red run.
BB
Have been to Bardonecchia and its OK. When you go up the mountain don't leave it too late to come down as part of it is narrow and prone to get a bit icy.
There is also a nearby resort covered by your lift pass which you can get a bus to. Its called Melozet (probably not spelt that right). Watch this area if there hasn't been any snow recently. There are no cannons and I had a horrendous fall on an icy red run.
BB
Topic last updated on 12-November-2006 at 15:11