Skiing holidays are one of the fastest growing winter holidays taken by people in Britain. The Apes are not too far away, 1-2 by plane and 10-12 hours by car. The Alps have thousands of ski resorts in France, Austria, Germany, Italy, and Switzerland. They cater for everyone beginners and experts. It is a great way to have an active holiday and surprising good for catching some sun as well.
When looking at a resort, check out the piste map to see if the resort has suitable runs for everyone in your party. If you go onto the resort home page, you should be able to find a resort map.
If you want to go skiing when the slopes are not crowded, January is the quietest and cheapest month of the season. Additionally check out when the school half term is for the country you’re heading to that tends to be a busy and expense time to go.
When looking at a resort also check to see what the Après Ski (after skiing drinking) is like in the resort. It is often what turns a good skiing experience into a great experience.
If traveling as a group it can often be cheaper to drive to the resort instead of flying. Also if the snow is poor then you can drive to a resort that is higher. On the way back to England, you can stock up on cheap alcohol as well.
Going skiing in December and the end of March- April time is risky because the snow can be poor. I have gone the week before Christmas for the last 3 years and it has been fantastic snow though.
When looking for an apartment look to see if you are able to ski from the front door. It makes life a lot easier if you don’t have to walk or drive to get to the ski lifts. It also means that at the end of the day you can ski straight to your front door.
When packing don’t pack a huge amount of clothes for the trip. You don’t tend to wear a lot when skiing. Ski wear is so good these days that if you wear too many layers, you end up striping off most of the layers when you start to ski. If you take a bag with you skiing, you can pack an extra layer, just in case it gets cold on the mountain. Also in the evening you tend to dress down after a hard day skiing and après skiing.
When I go skiing I always take a drink, 2 snacks (chocolate bars), and a phone with me onto the mountain. Skiing is tiring and it cuts down costs if you don’t have to stop all the time to get a snack or drink. To make it even cheaper, you can take rolls or sandwiches with you as well. In most resorts you will be able to find picnic area or just stop on the side of the slope. Or if in a hurry eat them on a long chair ride. Don’t drop anything. If you do this, it’s nearly impossible to find again. A bag comes in handy.
Get to the bottom of the lift system early on week days, Ski schools tend to meet at the bottom, and this often means that it can take forever to get to the top of the mountain, nothing worse than starting the day freezing because you queued up forever before you have done any skiing. If you are like me and not into early morning starts, then it is best to wait at least 1 hour after the lifts open, to give the queues a chance to die down.
When you are skiing always keep an eye on what is behind you and what is in front of you. You are just as likely to be hit as you are to hit someone else. So always keep your wits about you. It really hurts when you fall like this.
The last and most important advice I can give you is to never go out of your comfort zone on the mountain. If you feel that the slope is going to be too difficult then choose a different slope or go down the same way as you went up. When you are out of your comfort zone, this is when you are most likely going to injury yourself because you are not in control of what is happening around you.
When renting you skies ask the agency you are renting your apartment from what company they use. Sometimes the rental store give a small discount if they know you have come from certain chalets or from an agency.
