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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to go on holiday with skiers when I don't ski?

47 replies

letsjusttryit · 21/09/2013 09:42

Been invited to go on a skiing holiday with friends - location not decided yet but will be xmas/new year time. They ski, but I don't and have no interest in doing so, but would like to go away with them.

Is there actually anything for a non skier to do? They're thinking or Austria or France. Are some locations better than others?

OP posts:

catgirl1976 · 21/09/2013 09:47

Well there might be a pool in your hotel, a little bit of a village with shops to look at and some bars. Other than that I would suggest you take a good book.

Some resorts you an go up in the cable cars as a non-skier and enjoy the mountain top restaurants and bars but others you can't

You might love skiing though if you give it a chance :)

froken · 21/09/2013 09:52

Skiing is really fun! I am very clumsy but I have learnt toski in the last couple of years and it really is a fantastic activity :)

We go skiing in Sweden and there isn't much to do if you don't want to ski/snowboard. We usually book a cabin with a sauna so I tend to spend a couple of afternoons relaxing in the sauna and reading. I don't think I'd want to do it for an entire week.

LIZS · 21/09/2013 09:54

There are usually activities like cleared winter walking paths , sled runs, mountain cafes , ice grottoes, indoor/outdoor pools, spa, museums etc in various permutations depending on size and location of resort. However if they are the sort of skiers who ski from first lift to lift close then head for an on piste après ski bar you may feel a bit excluded and lonely.

grovel · 21/09/2013 09:58

I'm with LIZS. I did it once and frankly got bored and felt a bit spare.

Tuppenceinred · 21/09/2013 10:02

You'll be bored to tears. I've done it, and even though there were two of us non-skiers, it was not great. Even if you go to ski school you won't spend much time with your friends because they will be off being hair-raising on the mountain for most of the day.

I'll also mention that, if you're not a skier, the accommodation can be a bit grim to be around. We were in a chalet - think a constant whiff of damp clothes because of all the wet ski gear hanging around... this was quite a naice chalet as well.

itsaruddygame · 21/09/2013 10:04

Sledding, walking, snow shoeing and even curling (more fun than than you would think!) are some of the activities in the resort we go to. Having said that it could get a bit lonely if your friends ski all day and you are on your own a lot. Have a chat with them about how their day usually works.

itsaruddygame · 21/09/2013 10:05

I love the mountains so would probably go anyway especially if the accommodation is decent.

livinginwonderland · 21/09/2013 10:05

I think you'd get very bored, very quickly in a ski resort on your own.

maddy68 · 21/09/2013 10:06

I would try skiing tbh. I thought I would hate it but it's fab!
It depends what you like to do. My oh us nt a skier but he is a reader so he comes up in the ski lifts and plonks himself in the bar drinking hot mulled wine in beautiful surroundings reading his book. Or he goes walking /snowshoeing while we are skiing

LIZS · 21/09/2013 10:09

Cross country skiing might be an option . Are these hardened downhillers or might they be open to doing something different with you for the odd afternoon ? If you aren't likely to get much out of the location it is a very pricey break.

Bowlersarm · 21/09/2013 10:11

Very boring, and lonely.

I felt that not only were they out all day leaving my alone like a spare part, when they got back late afternoon they understandably talked about their day, experiences etc and I felt they were an exclusive club I had no part in.

I wouldn't do it again.

Wearytiger · 21/09/2013 10:14

I went on a skiing holiday and realised two days in that I was petrified of heights. And also skiing. Bit of a problem. I had a whole week of lessons planned as well! I would say two days on a ski resort would be lovely but from experience you'll be bored the rest of the time.

StuckOnARollercoaster · 21/09/2013 10:20

It is doable but the choice of resort is VERY important. Somewhere that is a town first, and a ski destination second rather than a purpose built ski resort.
Also depends on what will make you happy in the day when everyone else is off skiing - are you the type that is happy curling up with a good book or do you need entertainment like good shopping/activities?
You can buy pedestrian tickets for some gondolas so you can meet for lunch at the top of the mountain.
Depending on the skill/fitness levels of your friends they may be shattered in the evenings. When I started in my 20s I was definitely the play hard then party all night but now as I head towards 40 I can only do that for a couple of nights - the others I prefer to have long bath, slow dinner in chalet, a bit of chat after and then into bed early so I can get up early for the boarding next day so I may not be great company for someone that's been bored all day and wants to come alive with friends in the evening.

Original poster

letsjusttryit · 21/09/2013 10:33

I'm quite independent and self sufficient so spending a day on my own, or with strangers , wouldn't bother me. But would probably like to do something or go somewhere rather than just sit an d read.

Where is a good place to be based for excertions to wherever, in France or Austria, thats also good for skiing?

OP posts:

elcranko · 21/09/2013 10:41

I probably won't go unless I was going to give the skiing a go tbh. As a pp mentioned, your friends will be off skiing all day and then talking about skiing all evening. I could imagine that it would be quite a boring and lonely holiday for a non-skier.

carabos · 21/09/2013 10:55

Agree with others who have said the destination is crucial. You need a proper town, not a purpose built resort. In France, you can't beat Chamonix. Fantastic skiing and real town with everything from cinema, museum, spa, shops and sports other than skiing. Also day trips to Annecy (beautiful place with canals) and Geneva - always best to hire a car for Cham whether you ski or not.

livinginwonderland · 21/09/2013 11:01

I think you're over-estimating what there is to do in ski resorts in the middle of winter. The answer is "not much". If you don't ski, you will be bored. Most places have a few restaurants, a token tourist shop and a lot of ski shops. Believe me, there isn't much to do if you're not a skiier or a boarder, especially if you're not happy to sit and read for the majority of the time.

I also think you'll feel very left out. They'll be out skiing from 8.30am-5pm ish, possibly staying on the slopes later to go to an apres-ski bar that yiu can't get to as a non-skiier, and in the evening they'll be sore and tired and won't be up to doing a huge amount. Unless you're willing to give skiing a go, I would advise not bothering to go.

Nancy66 · 21/09/2013 11:01

Most skiers will ski pretty much all day not just for a couple of hours.

Other than read a book and wander into town for a hot chocolate there won't be a lot for you to do. Seems a bit of a waste of money to me.

Would you go on a diving holiday if you couldn't dive?

clam · 21/09/2013 11:06

There are lots of resorts (in both France and Austria) where there are plenty of other things to do than ski.
It also depends on the make-up of the group - I've been away in large groups a number of times where inevitably one or two of us have taken the morning/afternoon/whole day off or gone out late/come in early. If the accommodation is ski-in/ski-out and people come back for lunch, that breaks up the day or, as people have said, you can meet them at a mountain café for drinks.
Choose a pretty resort too, and it's nice even to just sit on the balcony with a book and absorb the views and clear air and watch people zooming past. I did this in February as I'd broken my leg prior to going, yet fancied a change of scene, having been confined to the hospital/house for five weeks already. Also, I couldn't manage home alone for a week. It was fine.

Lovecat · 21/09/2013 11:07

I did this a few years ago - fully intended to go skiing, had lessons booked while my experienced friends were whizzing along the red runs, turned out I was utterly shite and hated it. Fortunately we were in a lovely village, Morzine (French/Swiss border) and there were lots of things to do. Having already paid I swapped my week of group lessons for 3 private ones, then developed a routine of early morning lesson, nice cup of hot chocolate on a cafe terrace overlooking the runs with a book, wander around town, meet up with my friends for lunch, do something in the afternoon (there were walks and horse riding and other stuff to do), have a leisurely bath etc before the others returned and then meet up again for drinking/eating in the evening - it was one of the most relaxing holidays I've ever had - and by the end of the week I'd made it solo down a green run, which for me was an enormous achievement

marriedinwhiteisback · 21/09/2013 11:16

I did this once with a ski-ing boyfriend and his pals. I had been once when I was small and really not enjoyed it; I was pressured to go again and couldn't conquer my fear of heights; jumping on a moving ski lift, etc. I flew home before the end of the holiday.

GrendelsMum · 21/09/2013 11:23

If you go to the right place, you can go walking or similar while others ski. I've done that with friends, and the place that DH and I go skiing has walkers as well as skiers.

On the other hand, you might not want to spend a week walking on your own!

PoppyWearer · 21/09/2013 11:38

I'm a non-skier and have always resisted the pressure to go on such holidays. It's a huge amount of money for something you wouldn't necessarily enjoy, IMO.

I don't rule out going with my family once my DCs are older and want to ski, so can experience it then.

PasswordProtected · 21/09/2013 11:54

Austria is lovely, even if you don't ski. Get them to find a brilliant hotel with pool, sauna, beauty treatments, massages etc. preferably in a location where there is normal life going on and have some fun!
I do ski and totally love it, but also like to explore the area I am in.
It might help, too, if you are mobile. Is hiring a car an option?

Nancy66 · 21/09/2013 12:29

If your friends are passionate skiers they are going to go where the best snow is - not where the best shopping is.

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