Skiing Novice: what do I need?

[GonePenguin]

Greetings and salutations.

I’m going skiing this winter (France) with my boyfriend who is a skiing enthusiast. Short of a school ski trip when I was 13 (20 years ago), I haven’t snow-ploughed before/to any meaningful degree. Naturally I will have a bit of ski school time once we get there, but my main concerns are:

• what ski clothes do I need/quantity?
• what does the average day on a ski holiday look like?
• any other nuggets so I don’t wholly embarrass myself?

I’m otherwise fit and exercise a lot so no concerns about physicality of the holiday.

a bit of ski school time once we get there

I would sign up for weekly classes at your local dry ski slope/snow dome and sign up for half a day of ski school every day for the whole holiday. If he's an expert skier and you are a beginner, there is no way you will be able to keep up with him. Either he will be bored stiff spending days on the nursery slopes and green/blue runs with you or you'll be out of your depth terrified trying to keep up on the harder runs and hate every minute or, worse, get injured.

You need good thermal underwear (tops and long johns), mid layers, salopettes/ski trousers, ski socks, ski gloves (possibly with inner gloves if it is very cold), ski jacket, ski goggles, a hat for when you are not wearing a helmet (it might not be cool but neither are had injuries). You need socks and thermal underwear for every day, one pair of ski trousers/jacket, you can probably get away with one pair of gloves. Layers depends on how cold it is and how sweaty wet from falling in the snow you get. Lidl and Aldi do good ski wear/equipment events. Primark has cheap thermals, although Uniqlo Heat tech is better and wearable as outer layers when you are back home. T K Maxx often have cheap ski wear.

Most people (without DC) ski all day with a break for lunch on the mountain or in the resort, then back for afternoon tea. Then out for dinner/drinks/activities in the evening. I would look up spas and other activities in the ski resort, in case you hate it or need a break!

Good insurance!

Oh im so jealous.

Id advise decent base layers and thick socks. An average days skiing depends very much on how enthusiatic you are about the apres ski in my experience....! You can hire skis/boots/poles and the shop will tell you what you need, but its usually done on height/weight/experience.

Have fun! I miss skiing.

Definitely but good gloves and very thin inner gloves. I like a snood/ neck warmer that you can pull up over your nose and will stay there. Clean ski socks for every day - ideally the ones that are contoured with extra padding around the bony parts of your ankles.

I would usually wear a sweat wicking underwater, then a thin polo neck with a zip and my jacket . Layers are the key...

Get more than a few lessons at a local snowdome to get you over the basics of putting skis on / off, button lifts and very basic ski skills.

It's unlikely to work well having your boyfriend take you out on the slopes to learn - he will have forgotten how hard it is at first and it'll be frustrating for both of you. Book into half day ski school every day - then he can hammer the harder runs while you're at school, and then you can potter round easy blue/greens together in the afternoon without him feeling constrained.

Go to a resort where there is a plan B if you hate it (e.g. spa, ice rink, nearby city) .

How many/what type of clothes you need will depend on where you are going, e.g. how cold will it be, are there drying facilities in your room (Finland sometimes has in room heated drying cabinets, which are ACE!)?

What you need at a minimum

• helmet
• ski trousers
• ski jacket
• ski gloves
• ski socks

Then it's layers! Thermals, mid layers etc. The amount of these you need will depend if you can get things dry easily, nothing worse than soggy thermals.

My cheap ski stuff has come from Aldi /Lidl / Dare2B. TKMaxx sometimes has some nice stylish ski wear in.

I wasn't being facetious by the way. I needed 6 months of physiotherapy after my first ski trip and my insurance didn't cover it! I hope you won't need it but it's best to be prepared anyway.

You can usually hire a helmet with skis and boots. A good jacket, ski trousers and gloves(waterproof and windproof) , plus layers of fleece, base layer (top and bottom), high neck cotton top, long ski socks. How many layers deoends on the time of season and your tolerance. A neck warmer and hat/ear band ate good for keeping windchill down.

A beginner will typically spend a lot of time standing around and falling which can be surprisingly tiring. Don't succumb to just one last run or skiing until the lifts close as that will be exhausting and risk accidents. You will need some tuition too.

I wear base layers of leggings or thermals, ski socks, base layer t shirts (two if very cold. Then over the top, salapettes, and a ski jacket with a snow skirt and a removable fleece lining. Good gloves. Take two pairs if you can. Plus a ski helmet.
Book yourself into ski school for the mornings, meet your dp for lunch, play/practice together in the afternoon.
Full ski insurance to get you home if necessary.
If your dp tries to take you down a run that is beyond your experience, say no. Getting injured because of gung-ho boyfriend is the fastest way to end a promising relationship
Have a lovely time.

Forgot goggles and sunglasses!

I like a snood/ neck warmer that you can pull up over your nose and will stay there

I forgot a snood/neck warmer. You can't wear a scarf as they can get caught in the ski lift.

Thank you for all your replies!

Do most people wear a helmet? #vain

Oh, fully agree on ski school away from him when we’re there…flashbacks to my dad teaching me to drive are enough to put that boundary firmly in place

Since Michael Schumacher’s accident everyone wears a helmet!

@GonePenguin

Thank you for all your replies!

Do most people wear a helmet? #vain

Oh, fully agree on ski school away from him when we’re there…flashbacks to my dad teaching me to drive are enough to put that boundary firmly in place

They do these days. When I first started skiing as an adult some 15 years ago very few people wore helmets. It was woolly hats then, but these days you rather stand out if you are not wearing a helmet to be honest. It's a bit like if you see a horse rider without a helmet, or a cyclist without one - it looks stranger than you actually wearing one. You can get some really nice ones these days rather than the ugly black jobbies they have in the hire places.

Helmet
First aid qualification in case
Jacket
Gloves
Money
Patience
Insurance policy
Hat
Glasses
Food
Drink
A smile

Have a lesson then practice.

Everyone's covered the basics already.
Personally I prefer and ear warmer band to a hat (but if you're wearing a helmet you can't wear a hat anyway(
I prefer ski mittens to gloves, and merino wool glove liners are amazing at keeping your hands toasty.
You'll have a great time!

Salopettes, ski jacket, ski goggles and gloves, everything else you rent or don't need. Decathlon can sort you out with decent gear at a sensible price.

Travel insurance including winter sports cover is a must and I highly recommend plenty of lessons and being very firm with your partner about what you will and won't try. Skiing can be testing on relationships.

Cheap (incase you fall on them) sunglasses in your pocket while out skiing for lunch/drinks. Nothing worse than being blinded while trying to enjoy a drink or looking like an idiot wearing your goggles in desperation!

I only change ski socks every 2/3 days, better to spend on quality thinner socks so your feet don’t move about too much in your boots. Don’t be afraid to go back to the ski rental shop to change boots/adjust skis if needs be.

Lots of sun scream and lip balm in your pocket! Also lots of water, alcohol will also seem to hit you harder at altitude.

Decent quality gloves, I tend to get hot hands so depending on what time of year you’re going would depend on how thick. Around Easter can be very hot in resort so lots of thin layers is best.

As a learner if the weather is warm you might get very hot on the lower slopes but if it’s cold there’s a lot of standing around so dress accordingly.

Also have look up the basic rules of the mountain- pull over to the side if you want to stop and the person in front always has the right of way.

Have fun! It can be daunting at first because everyone looks like experts but you will pick it up quickly if you throw yourself into it. I learnt as an adult and moved out to the Alps for the winter seasons, I loved it so much!

Yes everyone wears helmet. When I first started skiing about 15 years ago nobody did but they do now. I know someone who didnt wear a helmet and has suffered a life changing brain injury from a skiing accident.

Everyone wears a helmet these days. Massive difference between mid 00s and now.

Lots of lessons before you go.

Choose somewhere likely to be sunny with nice bars.

As for a typical day this depends on your needs but for you I could see this working:

7.30am breakfast
8am get gear and skis to your lesson meet point (May take a while at first but you'll get more efficient!)
9am - 12am ski lesson for you. BF skis the fast runs.
1pm - meet BF for al fresco lunch
3pm - BF accompanies you on easy slopes for practice. Or you shop / skate / huski sledding etc.
5pm - swimming/ chill
7pm - dinner and drinks
11pm - bed you'll be knackered

The above assumes it's just the two of you. If you're a group it will be easier to find someone to match your ability level and probably more flexible with timing.

The muscles you use for skiing are very different to the muscles you use normally - if you've not skiied for 20 years, be prepared to be very sore!

My clothing advice would be lots of layers - things like merino are good, plus several pairs of socks. As a learner you'll probably do a fair bit of standing around and sitting on t-bars/button lifts and it gets cold. You'll also need a helmet - in fact, many ski schools require it nowadays.

When I last skiied we were on the slopes from 8.30-9am until 3-4pm to make the most of it, but as a beginner you may struggle with such a long day. That included lunch plus a couple of hot drink stops.

My main concern would be = if your boyfriend is an expert skiier and you're a real beginner, he won't want to ski with you and he won't want to only ski for half a day either.

So if you're only doing ski-school in the morning, what are your plans for the afternoons? Are you confident enough to ski on your own or will you be going back to the hotel/apartment?

I also agree with the advice to get lessons in a ski centre/snowdome now if possible so you're not going out as a complete novice, though I appreciate that will add to what is already going to be a very expensive holiday.

It will be wonderful!
Key things are:
Dress in layers. You can get surpsingly hot as you're working hard.

Don't let your boyfriend take you down anything you haven't yet done with your instructor. Or at least ask your instructor before you do. As a good skier it is very hard to judge what beginners are capable of.

Ski school can be SO fun. I went away a few years ago with a boyfriend who was also an expert skier and I was a complete beginner. I loved the school lessons and the people I met there; we went out every evening for drinks and had lunches together etc and it was brilliant. The time with my boyfriend on the slopes was not nearly as fun especially as he took me on progressively harder slopes once ski school ended; I completely wiped out on a black and remember crying etc it was terrifying at the time. Make sure as PPs have said that you have a plan for when he's skiing and you're not and you'll have a great time :)

Try to have a discussion with your BF on expectations before you go. I speak from experience!

I learned to ski when I was 19 and have skied ever since (20 years). I now live in a Swiss ski resort. I’m a competent skier but not at the level of my French DH who learned age 3 and has also skied ever since and is an expert off-piste skier.

He used to like to be the first on the piste in the morning, stop for 15 mins next to the slope to eat our foil-wrapped jambon beurre baguettes at lunch and then continue until it was dark.

I like to stop every now and again for a vin chaud or chocolat chaud, stop properly for a hot lunch and then continue until about 4pm. Needless to say we had loads or arguments over this that spoiled various trips! We’re now more or less on the same page and had had to modify our approach anyway now we have little kids (although he got the youngest in lessons last season age 2!).

Essential equipment; salopettes & ski gloves at a minimum but also a ski jacket and goggles too if you want to be comfortable. Hat, scarf, socks, fleece need not be specialised for skiing.

Have fun! 🎿

Oh and a helmet! Although you can hire one too.

@FloconDeNeige

Try to have a discussion with your BF on expectations before you go. I speak from experience!

I learned to ski when I was 19 and have skied ever since (20 years). I now live in a Swiss ski resort. I’m a competent skier but not at the level of my French DH who learned age 3 and has also skied ever since and is an expert off-piste skier.

He used to like to be the first on the piste in the morning, stop for 15 mins next to the slope to eat our foil-wrapped jambon beurre baguettes at lunch and then continue until it was dark.

I like to stop every now and again for a vin chaud or chocolat chaud, stop properly for a hot lunch and then continue until about 4pm. Needless to say we had loads or arguments over this that spoiled various trips! We’re now more or less on the same page and had had to modify our approach anyway now we have little kids (although he got the youngest in lessons last season age 2!).

Essential equipment; salopettes & ski gloves at a minimum but also a ski jacket and goggles too if you want to be comfortable. Hat, scarf, socks, fleece need not be specialised for skiing.

Have fun! 🎿

Your husband sounds like mine! Squashed pocket sandwich while on a lift for lunch, he has had to adjust to a leisurely lunch with me!