To think I'll hate skiing?

[greybluehumpbackwhale]

Never been- DH wants to. I've no balance, not great at sports, don't like being repeatedly hurt. Will I hate it or am I being a pessimist?

Yes you will absolutely hate it. Learning to ski over the age of about 21 is so hideous, unless you're naturally sporty perhaps. Fortunately for me my parents put me in to ski school from about 7yrs of age. I've spent many a trip watching friends have a miserable time trying to learn in their 30s & 40s. Personally I wouldn't bother

I love skiing but it can be difficult if you are at different levels. I went with an ex, he was incredibly nervous and he spent all week in the lower group (it was all inclusive of lessons) our group didn't go back down the mountain at lunch so I saw Jim at breakfast and dinner essentially. The afternoon we spent together on the beginner slopes he was annoyed I was better than him.

@Jerseygirl12

I like everything about ski holidays apart from the skiing.

I could not agree more

I absolutely loved skiing but I haven't been in around 15 years since I married DH. But he isn't sporty and has bad knees and has no interest so I stopped going. I regret it and miss it and am going to try to go with friends or some kind of tour group before it's too late and I'm too old to go again. I recommend at least trying it if you can.

I’d rather stick pins in my eyes.

Get VERY WARM mittens, not shitty gloves. Cold hands will destroy it for you. That’s the one piece of kit I spent a lot of money on.

And I could not agree more with this! My down mittens make a huge difference.

The good things about skiing:

You seem to get spring sooner in the alps and Pyrenees. Leaving grey old Britain for mountain sunshine is a great feeling, and you tend to come back with a healthy glow.

Skiing is a casual type of holiday and you can have some really good laughs in resort bars. It’s like being a student again actually.

If in a catered chalet, you get to eat home baked cake every afternoon when you come off the slopes, and drink beer on the balcony. If it’s a big chalet you will probably meet some fun people.

The views. The views!

Feeling like you’ve had a lovely blast of fresh air, plus as a PP points out, skiing feels like flying when you get good at it.

The bad things about skiing:

really expensive. Even mediocre accommodation is really expensive. Most of the chalets are mediocre and the bedrooms are cramped, with little storage space.

So much stuff to drag around. So much. Early starts, especially if you are in ski school. Not relaxing. Big queues for lifts. Other skiers who cannot controler leur vitesse.

After a week of cheese, potatoes and hot chocolate you will be craving the fruit that is very difficult to find in ski resorts. If in a catered chalet it’s usually one bowl to last the week between 10 people! I take apples and oranges in my case.

Hideous early start for the homeward journey from resort to airport, because everyone wants to use the same narrow roads off the mountain.

I second the PP who suggested private lessons. Join ski school and you will end up with 10 daredevil French teenagers and a teacher who blithely skis off with them. DH and I did intermediate ski school a while back: us, plus a lovely Belgian couple, were the only group members not interested in skiing off piste down a rock face.

My brother went once, for his 60th birthday to Bulgaria. It was beginners classes and enjoyable. Wished he had used a better quality hotel. Great Experience he said.

The younger you are, the easier it is to pick it up - you're less scared of falling and probably fitter. It's marmite - you either love it or hate it.
Don't go to a dry ski slope to learn - it's much harder to ski on and hurts when you fall over. Book lessons in the resort, or get a friend to teach you - that's how I picked it up.

YY to previous posts about going to a snowdome.
You won’t know till you try.
Try both skiing and snowboard.
A friend of mine CBA with real skiing and just has the really short “fun” skis which are easy if you have ever been ice skating.

Other than that you could just go and take some good books and enjoy the holiday.
If you’re in a group with people who only ski for a week once a year, usually someone else gets injured or needs a rest for some of the days anyway, and you can enjoy cafes, chalets and apres-ski.

Secretly book some lessons at a dey ski slope and see how you get on.

You don’t need great coordination to ski. The balance comes with practice.

I've tried it once and really did hate it. I did one of those "teach you the basics in a morning" type things first, then went up to the first level (the easiest) on the ski lift thingy in the afternoon. The worst day of my life was getting back down that mountain. Never EVER again!!

I’ve been a few times as DH and DS love it. We have concluded that they are better off going without me

@altiara

Pros: The snowy mountains are pretty, it’s lovely having lunch looking at the views or a mulled wine.

Cons:
Ski boots hurt
Ski lifts are terrifying
Other people skiing are terrifying
Turning also terrifying
Steep hills terrifying

This 100%. I'd go again as long as I didn't have to ski. Enjoy the views and apres. Skiing is evil.

I have no balance, am rubbish at sports and don’t like being hurt. I didn’t expect to pick up skiing quickly and no surprise that I didn’t. I booked ski school for the mornings which was ok for a day or two but after that I found that I was being ignored so I switched to a shorter private lesson which worked much better for me. In the afternoon I practiced by myself on baby slopes. I only really saw my companion at the end of the day as they were a good skier and went off to do their own thing.

All that said, I enjoyed it. I was rubbish at it and looked rubbish at it but I still enjoyed it.

We tried at a dried ski slope and we were all shite...legs got a good work out....chalet was lovely though! I have funny footage of dp and dc falling over repeatedly.

I used to love you ve skiing.. Was quite good, but had accident and lost confidence.
Now I go but with firm boundaries.. I will not get up early as hell... I will only ski the easiest of slopes, I will stop for coffee and often then not do much more skiing.
I spend afternoons in the spa, or on terrace reading book,.. And it's a glorious holiday. I adore the mountains, the air, the views.. Very mind clearing.
I love being left alone while family piss off to conquer some horrible black run...
Its so peaceful.
This year we are heading to North America for three weeks of it... I have found a multitude of other activities.. I am going snow shoe walking, to amazing forest Spa thingy etc etc.
I always say "it's a holiday and skiing is one activity available on it"
I don't feel obliged or guilty if I don't ski.

That said we are all very fit, active, sporty family with good balance and I have good core strength so don't have issues over the physical component.

I'd really reccomend a private lesson at one of the indoor slopes before going to get used to feel of boots, walking in them on snow wtc

It’s glorious. I snowboard rather than ski, but learned as an adult. It was really hard (apparently snowboarding is harder for beginners) but so rewarding, and I’m not especially sporty.

The mountains are beautiful, and being outdoors all day in the fresh air is invigorating.

Dry slopes are not a good place to start - you have none of the benefits of the snow or mountains, it’s much harder than actual snow, and they are noisy and ugly - like an adults soft play.

There’s a camaraderie about snowsports that’s just lovely; it can be a really fun holiday with friends or family.

And honestly, you feel incredible after exercising all day in the mountain air. So good for your mental health.

But if you know you are the kind of person who likes to lie by the pool, reading, rather than kayak round the bay, maybe it’s not for you.

Oh, and biggest tip of you do go - sounds really obvious, but always look ahead by several metres. If you look down at your feet/ skis, or just a few feet in front, that’s where you’ll end up. This tiny hint transformed my riding.

I'd rather gouge my eyes out with a rusty spoon. I hate cold weather, and ski-ing is terrifying and dangerous. Give me a beach any day.

I absolutely love skiing. It's such fun. You're a beginner so ski school on nursery slopes is a must. You won't know til you try!

Whatever you do, do not try a dry ski slope. The experience is nothing like ski-ing on real snow and you’re far more likely to get injured on that horrible matting than if you fall on snow.

Yeah those mats are perfect for dislocating or breaking digits!

I love ski holidays, although I’m far less enthusiastic about the actual skiing part. However, I’m not a hot-weather beach holiday type person and, whilst not sporty, am very outdoorsy.

Pros:
If budget permits, you’ll spend your evenings in a cosy wood-clad catered chalet with roaring fire, good company and 3-course restaurant quality meals. If you’re an outdoorsy person there’s loads of walks, sledging and activities other than skiing. Even if you only ski a few hours a day and spend the afternoons sledging or waking around the resort, you’ll eat like a horse and come home thinner. Resorts like Avoriaz are great if you only want to ski for a few hours a day (center parcs style subtropical swimming dome, spa, horse-drawn carriages). When the sun is out it’s warm, breathtakingly beautiful and glorious.

Cons:
Bloody expensive. If you ski long enough you will break, dislocate, tear or otherwise injure yourself at some point. You will then spend evenings at the chalet comparing these injuries with other skiers and scaring the bejesus out of the newbies. Ski boots are really hard to get right. I have had 2 sets of boots made to fit and neither give me more than a couple of hours of pain-free skiing. My instep is just too high to evenly distribute my weight and no made to measure insole or boot has been able to fix that. Once you’ve mastered the basics on your nice flat bunny run you will be hit with the realisation that skiing is an adrenaline sport. Do you enjoy the idea of travelling downhill at speed? Turns out I really don’t, so my ski day consists of slowly picking my way down the mountain via all the nice bars! I rarely keep my ski boots on after lunch. And finally; you are at the complete mercy of the weather and subsequent snow-quality. Choosing a high altitude snow-safe resort and avoiding early/late season will help, but basically it’s 90% luck and will determine how easy you find the skiing. A blue run in icy conditions is substantially harder than a red with freshly groomed powder.

My advice - don’t plan a ski holiday, plan a winter holiday with some skiing.

I'm probably the least sporty person you could ever meet. Despite "looking" like I would be good at sports because I'm tall and was slim, I was absolutely horrendous at all sports since I was a kid and hated them all! All except skiing that is Skiing was the only sport I absolutely loved! It's brilliant!! Try it

My daughter's school is planning a ski trip to France and I'm sooo jealous!