To be absolutely terrified to go on a skiing holiday tomorrow

[snowpatroller]

I am just overweight. Do zero exercise. I'm fairly young enough to be able to chug through being all of the above but dh has booked the ski holiday now and I was apparently required to up the numbers of the ski school beginners group otherwise he'd have had to pay for private lessons so am now part of the group apparently.

At first I thought ok I can do this. But now that it's happening I'm terrified. Lessons start Monday. I went out and got all the gear I think I need today. I don't know why I'm so scared. Maybe I never try new things and am pretty happily set in my ways! Can anyone reassure me? Or maybe tell me I have a justified reason for being scared.
Don't want to tell dh and ruin the holiday. My dc will also be coming and I'm glad they'll get the experience I suppose.

@simonjt - I hate to think what kind of boots you have worn that have no padding! Never seen a ski boot without padding.

@Doubleraspberry I hadn't really seen about snowshoeing until recently. This definitely sounds way more up my street. Upright on flat and safe.

I think I am possibly also the least coordinated person I know as well. I'm one of those people you watch and think oh dear they're going over in any form of sport requiring coordination. At least I'll provide some entertainment on the slopes I suppose. Going out quickly to grab a better coloured ski jacket. Realised last night I'm pretty much all black from head to toe and wasn't a great look. Maybe I should go for all white and blend into the snow.

They'll never see me then, stealthily lying down avoiding actual exercise...

I have very boney shins! 😂

Good luck OP, just let go and go with it!

Skiing is like riding - it is counter intuitive. What you 'think' will make you safe
(leaning forward on a horse instead of sitting up,
hugging into the mountain and leaning backwards instead of leaning down the mountain, leaning forward)

makes you less safe! So for me these two sports are 'throw your heart over and the ... will follow).

Being a terrible coward, I do find these two sports terrifying and will never be good at them. Even though I have a horse and stick to the green slopes every holiday!

Find your fun! There’s loads out there. And snowshoeing can be done on slopes too - my favourite bit is racing down sleep but snowy surfaces. Falling over does happen (dignity is not involved once you start doing this sort of thing) but the snow is soft enough that it doesn’t matter at all and you’re travelling at far less speed than skiing.

PS

wash your feet and hands and spray them with deodorant before you put on your ski socks and gloves.
Wash your ski socks every night and put them on the radiator to dry.

You won't believe how much you sweat and the pong gets really bad by the end of the week!

I'm going against the grain here but I went on a ski vacation with the same worries you had and I absolutely despised it. I let myself get pushed into lessons over and over again when all I wanted to do was read my book by the fire, and I hated every second of them.

If they had just let me, and I had stood up of myself, I would be more than happy to tag along to ski vacations regularly and just enjoy the gorgeous nature and cozy atmosphere with a good book. I might have even had the courage to try skiing lessons again. But instead, I have a complete aversion now to go anywhere near it, and I really regret not speaking out.

So if I were you I would go with an open mind and with the determination that if you don't enjoy it after a few lessons, you can stand up for yourself and stop. Maybe knowing that you are not forced to do it will give you the courage and peace of mind I didn't have.

Remember too, you are zigzagging across and round, not going straight DOWN the hill

fascinated it was the fact that I was sobbing in terror going straight down the same nursery slope my toddler was flying down in glee that gave me the clue that skiing was not for me. Straight down for two whole metres!

I learnt to ski as an adult and absolutely love it now. I would say just be prepared that you will fall, probably quite a few times in the first few days. This is okay! It can be demoralising but you can just get it out of the way and get right up again. I think most people in my beginners class got the hang of it by about day 3... I took until midway through my second week but am very comfortable on skis now.

My family go skiing every year. I HATE it. I have a perfectly lovely holiday in the snow while they ski. I swim at the hotel, hit the gym and then read by the fire. It's a holiday for them and one for me too!!

@Nixee2231 I'm with you!

I would also say that it took me more than 1 week to be happy and confident skiing. Signing up for the second ski holiday was the big leap of faith and I wouldn’t have done it if DH hadn’t wanted to so badly.

But I am so, so glad I did.

Skiing (like bfing) is front loaded. You have to invest a lot of effort (and potentially pain) early on to reap benefits later.

All I can say is that I’m delighted that I stuck it out. I hope you have a great holiday.

Just go and enjoy it

I went skiing for the first time 3 years ago, I was scared and a bit like Bambi on ice (long legs, skis kept crossing, no coordination ) but after the lesson I would just go down the baby hill over and over again until I was really comfortable doing that.

Have been twice since, and it has been fun but I just stick to Blue slopes (my comfort zone)

Can't really afford to go again now,

I have had snowboarding lessons and loves it! It is intimidating seeing all the people who look so natural after doing it for years but you start on the small slopes. I fell off the button lift as they are designed for skis and ended up walking the rest of the way up but everyone was lovely offering me tips and checking I was ok. it didn't hurt falling as the slopes were only small ones. They split the group so the more advanced went on the main slope whilst others who needed practice didn't. Give it a few goes before deciding if you like it as it takes a while to get used to the equipment

All of these people saying stick with it for at least a week....bit difficult if you end up with multiple fractures on day 2!!

bit difficult if you end up with multiple fractures on day 2!!

But that’s extremely unlikely.

It happened to me.

Not trying to be a party pooper but I was not suited to skiing and so wish I hadn't let myself be talked into it. I will never fully recover.

One important thing to remember when you are learning to ski, if you feel you are going too fast and want to slow down, lean forward not back else it will have the opposite effect!

It happened to me

Well that’s very unfortunate and you have my sympathy. But thousands and thousands of people start skiing every year without incident.

@smemorata were you in lessons when that happened? I'm going to stick to lessons unless I feel absolutely confident. Also pretty much will be learning next to my 6 year old on a baby slope. Otherwise no chance

Yes I was but to be fair I was hardly moving. I was just spectacularly bad at skiing and fell awkwardly!

You are better off learning skiing first rather than snowboarding. I have a friend who went on her first ski trip with a new boyfriend. She broke both wrists on day 1 by slamming her hands down on a fall (snowboard).
Needless to say, they became very well acquainted during the week...she needed help with the toilet and everything!

I was terrified before I first went - I'm the world's biggest wuss. Don't like any kind of speed, or being out of control. I agreed to go on a ski trip with friends because of 'FOMO'. I was terrible at it on that trip, but - very surprisingly - better than DH, which gave me the motivation to persevere. I just LOVED being outside all day, in the beautiful mountains in the sun.
DH and I went back the following year, to FInland, where the slopes were gentle and we could build our confidence. Now we go every year, and I just love everything about it. I'm still not very good, but I can get around, and I get so much enjoyment from it.

One of my friends on that first trip was another total beginner. She didn't get on with it at all, and bailed out of group lessons after 2 days, but had private lessons instead. By the end of the week she could ski a blue. We went again as a group 3 yrs later and she had another go, but decided after 2 days that it wasn't for her.

We skiied together as a big group last year, and will do so again next year. We choose resorts where there is plenty for non-skiers (not just swimming and spas). She goes walking and snow-shoeing mainly (the latter isn't that easy, BTW) with groups/guides organised by the tourist office. She is happy, her DH is happy (on 2 fronts - because she is doing something she likes, and because he can ski) and we're all happy too.

Go with an open mind - you may surprise yourself. And I echo what a pp said - it's hard work trudging around in ski boots and carrying skis etc. You'll be knackered before your first lesson even starts. But once the skis are on your feet, and not over your shoulder, and you're going downhill rather than up, things get easier. Good luck!