To not understand the snobbery around skiing?

[Cappuccinowithonesugarplease]

An actual conversation I overheard:

"Virtually anyone can afford to go skiing these days"

Do people really still think like this in 2024? It just seems so classist....

Austria, at Christmas. No ski school needed (kids now 11&13), own equipment (except the kids ski boots) but ski passes for whole valley. Self catering apartment.

Does that include:

• flights
• other travel if not flying- ferries, petrol & tolls to drive there
• Food? If you are self catered thats a lot of meals to sort when out skiing all day

Is it for a full week & is it within the state school holiday period?

DH went skiing in his late teens/early 20s. I think thry used to go by coach to keep costs down.

He's been comparatively cheaply in recent years because he goes with BIL and mates outside school holidays. BIL friend has an apartment that they use for mates rates. They make most of their own food in the apartment, and they can all ski so no lessons needed. DH has most of the clothes he needs, but hires skis. When we've looked to go as a family of 4 (where 3 of us have never skiied) it is more expensive than our usual holiday budget

My DH grew up in a council tower block after his back to back was pulled down.
He learned to ski as an adult.
I learned to ski as a child because my parents met in a country where it's the norm, and my DM grew up in an area where it's also the norm.
My dad however is from "that background" and his family had been skiing for about 100 years. My DF is in his 80s and still does cross country.

If we go skiing it costs more than our "main" holiday which is £2000 for self catering.
A friend just booked AI for £8000 for a week.
It's definitely a cultural thing but not exclusively middle class.

I’ve noticed a shift from ‘do you ski?’ To ‘where do you ski?’

Plus the office conversation will move to discuss a tricky bit of the black run at wherever is perceived to be the current in place.

Snobs will always find a way to judge.

Flights for people, 2 people driving (a 7 seater car) with equipment. And yes, in the school holidays!

Its not a resort popular with Brits so is quiet at Christmas... but lots of snow as its glacier.

I learned as an adult but married someone from a country where you could ski relatively easily on a day trip. It's only in this country that it's seen as an elitist holiday. Big French and Swiss resorts will be full of British posh people but go to smaller resorts in France or Italy, Andorra etc and it's full of pretty normal people who just love an active holiday. That being said we spend around 4.5-5 k all in so it's not exactly within everyone's reach but not more than a week's AI in August.

Sorry but this is BS. My DH and his BFFs from school all go skiing. They took it up in their 20s when they were single income lads and working because they were bored of going on boys’ piss up holidays. They went cheap - stayed in hostels, hired the cheapest boots saved their money for beer and ski passes. One was a chef and on shit pay. They all went to the standard (rubbish) local comp, had never been introduced to it via family (in fact most grew up on interrail and caravan holidays). They went because they wanted a holiday where they DO something other than leer at bikini clad girls on shite beaches all day and start drinking at lunchtime because there is nothing else to do.

30 years later by DH and his mates take my/their kids every year (I have a fear of high open spaces after a childhood accident), and yes it is expensive when taking kids, trying to rent an apartment that essentially 3 adults can use (2 hotel rooms costs even more). The cheap, but fun, ski train that used to run before lock down to enable cheap/short ski weekends has only just started up again and packed/infrequent, so the biggest cost is flights/transfers and the rip off accommodation costs. The kids’ first encounter was a school trip (around £700 I think, offered as part birthday gift). All the men in this group are very successful in their fifties, so they no longer need to go to hostels, can afford decent hotels/apartments, and pull the stops out on which resorts and slope passes they buy the kids so yes, they are pretty loaded now… but they weren’t for the first decade of doing it.

So yes, there is a huge amount of inverted snobbery - the assumption that people who ski have their own family ski chalet with chalet maids etc is the stuff of crap films and Jilly Cooper. Rather as believing all private schools are Eton.

Frankly, I’ve never moved in circles (investment banking before kids, but again no generational wealth here, I started life in a council flat with a single mother on benefits) where anyone was thought less of for not having skiied since they were 3. Most of them just love the sport, the scenery, the air, the apre ski beers/parties.

It depends. Ski to and from door with a lovely chalet and a chalet maid? Still exclusive. Getting a coach each morning up to the mountain? Much more affordable.

Exactly. I used to live in a country (Canada) with a lot of snow, and everyone could ski (mostly cross country) and/or ice skate. There were free cross country tracks in the park, and free outdoor rinks everywhere. Good second hand market for equipment - my ice skates cost $20. People did ice skating at school in PE. All kids already own snow pants etc for playing outside.

It’s a marker of being MC here because it costs a fortune to go to the alps in Feb half term, but that isn’t the case if you eg live in Germany and can drive to a non-glamorous slope in Bavaria on a normal weekend, or live in Finland and can go to a local slope.

You can go skiing somewhere that is probably within 400 miles of where you live. The water is same to drink, they speak the same language and the natives are usually friendly. Scotland-shire.
Glencoe, Aviemore, The Lecht, Glenshee - all good skies areas, handy for us former schemies fae Dundee and Embra, ken.

I've got 2 (totally unconnected) friends who go on skiing holidays as adults, neither of whom went skiing as children and both from very working class backgrounds. Obviously they have more disposable income as adults than their parents ever had.

Actually the alps isn't what it was. Canada or Japan are the real cream of the crop.

From what I’ve read this far, this post has changed somewhat in tone - at first it seemed like OP couldn’t believe the person she overheard assumed everyone could afford to go skiing, like they were out of touch with reality and the current cost of living crisis, now it seems like she’a tripping over herself to let everyone know she’s very much a skiing family and they go on ‘a few short breaks’ a year. Presumably not to stay in a city where they have a snowdome in the uk! 😂

Humble bragging at its finest

Skiiing used to be very expensive. It still is, but not in the same way. When I was young, there weren't the sort of package skiiing trips-generally you only went if you could afford the eye watering expensive hotels, or knew eye wateringly rich people who had their own chalets. All pretty exclusive. And there were many fewer runs. And the gear was incredibly expensive.

Exactly, Im speechless at the idea of 1500 quid for one child, for a school trip!!!

That is also my budget for a holiday, give or take, for a week.

An all inclusive holiday would be around £5k for us, not including any spending money. That means it's a once every two or three years event. Skiing is something that wouldn't even cross our mind - we want somewhere hot, with a pool and a nice beach so the kids can play and we can all relax

I went once with school as did my 2 siblings. Mum and dad said they could pay half, I got a paper round to pay the rest and we hired the clothing from a company that school recommended. I loved it and it was the first holiday that I booked when I started working. My 2 siblings have never been again.

Since having kids we have taken them regularly, often (as is the case this year) in lieu of a summer holiday as we all enjoy it. When they were in (state) primary school we would go in the cheapest week in January, since being in (state) comprehensive we have gone in school holidays. Next February half term we have booked a half board hotel with flights, transfers and lift passes for just under £5k. Most of last years kit still fits which is handy and they don’t need lessons any more. Lunch won’t cost a lot as we’ll have a good breakfast, then cakes provided when we get back to the hotel.

We were looking at an AI for October half term but that was nearly £6k (nearly doubled in price over the last 2 years) so we’re not going. We live a nice life without money worries but could not do skiing and the AI in the same year.

There is a lot of snobbery around the sport and skiing as a holiday. It used to be very exclusive but there is much more choice now, and the internet has made it far easier to shop around to keep things within budget.

Agree with many points above-it's not a so much class issue as much as money issue. I'm a poor skier(so opt out now)Husband learnt as an adult so is competent and enjoys it.
Kidsareexcellent(skiing&snowboarding)
having done it since 5yrs old. It's by far the single most expensive wk of holiday we take each yr, admittedly over Feb half-term. I've concluded Skiing is a bit like foreign languages, the younger you start the better you'll be, it's more natural less forced and finances permitting, you can participate in school trips/long weekends.

Exactly this,

Given most can only only budget for one holiday a year, the thought of spending it in the winter months in a cold climate becomes less appealing to many

Of course it's typically expensive for Brits. And when you've only got 5 weeks holiday a year, a week is expensive in time too.

The only time I've tried skiing was when I lived in the US, we went for a couple of weekends - cheap in money and time. It was as a place with the wonderful name Blue Knob.

Not humble bragging all!
I live in Europe, most people of all backgrounds here go skiing so I wasn't sure why it's considered upper class in the uk.
I've never been skiing.
A few short breaks can mean anything from wild camping in the woods to a weekend at the sea.
Somehow people seek to think I am bragging!

The trick is to pick lesser known resorts, book flights and accommodation individually rather than a package. Use public transport to get to your accommodation. Austria is generally cheaper. Pick small family-run hotels with just a handful of simple rooms. Go for a short break of 4-5 days rather than a full week. Buy gear at home rather than at resort so you only rent skis whilst there. Pick a day or two of activities that do not require a ski pass (cross country skiing, walking, sledges) to bring down costs. It is still an expensive type of holiday but can definitely be done at much below 10k!

How on earth did you deduct all this Sherlock?

You are hilarious 😂

I live in Europe, most people of all backgrounds here go skiing so I wasn't sure why it's considered upper class in the uk.

Surely it's obvious the logistics and expense are different if you're in the U.K.?

An analogy might be sailing/watersports. If you're in the U.K. it can be posh/expensive, or it can be quite cheap and accessible. We have water, not snow!

What exactly are you referring to as riff raff?