Aibu to think skiing is not an essential skill!

[Clickoclock]

My brother & his wife hate skiing but bring the kids once sometimes twice a year as they think it's an essential skill for their children to learn.. aibu to think this is ridiculous & it will never, ever come in useful in adult life!

If you go to a less ritzy resort and buy second hand clothes etc, you could do a family of 4 at Feb half term when it's most expensive for say £5000, less if you are all prepared to share a room. So it's comparable to a beach holiday during summer holidays.

However as with all things the actual skiing costs are a small part of it. One year we went on a trip to Austria with DS who was 14 at the time. Meanwhile his mates were at Courcheval sending him pictures of the 100 euro wagyu steaks they were enjoying does show that money cannot buy class . I looked at going there, but basic accommodation was at least £3k for that week.

We went because I love it as a holiday and DS enjoys skiing. Sadly DH has decided it's not for him so now DS will go on the uni ski trip and me on my Ladies one. It's not a social cachet thing for me, I am not even particularly good at skiing, I just enjoy the ambience, scenery and not being able to think about anything else when I concentrate on skiing.

If you go to a less ritzy resort and buy second hand clothes etc, you could do a family of 4 at Feb half term when it's most expensive for say £5000, less if you are all prepared to share a room. So it's comparable to a beach holiday during summer holidays.

I was going to say something similar, for us as a family of 5 it‘s about 1k/person since we self-drive, self-cater, don’t need lessons, and have a lot of our own gear. For New Year week it’s been about 5k for cozy but unfussy ski-in-ski-out accommodation and lift passes in a good resort. 1k/person seems pretty average to me for a family holiday.

Obviously if you choose glitzy ski-in-ski-out accommodation in a see-and-be-seen resort, fly to get there, rent all of your gear, put the kids in ski lessons all week, and eat every meal out on the slopes or in resort restaurants, then yeah it could easily be 5-6 times that amount.

But you're comparing a no frills self catering skiing holiday to a nice all inclusive sun holiday..

If you drive yourself to a self catering cabin in Europe on the beach, it's a lot less than 5k.

We usually fly and do self catering in a nice European city and even in school holidays, we don't spend 5k

It's only important if you want to do skiing holidays with other good skiers.

So a family who have never skied before could realistically spend the same as they would on a luxurious beach holiday?
Of course they will not. You have to include ski lessons in that pricing and that pushes up the price considerably.

Of course it's not essential - but I'm with your DBro and I think it's really useful for children to learn whilst young. If they do it whilst young it's easier to go back to and it can be useful if going with friends. I have also worked places where there was an annual ski holiday so it can be also good for networking.

Yanbu it's not essential.

We go and all 5 if us enjoy it. I'm happy to pay to go and for them to learn the skill so that all 3 have same ability and can holiday without us in future. My grown up nieces and nephews can holiday together as siblings if no friends can go / or know they have a similar ability partner to ski with

Definitely a luxury not a life skill

Many of my uni friends are massive poshos and not one of them has ever noticed or cared that I've never been skiing.

People on here have very strange ideas about what posh people are like.

I agree with you it's definitely a luxury not an essential life skill.
But if it's something the children enjoy then it's as good a holiday as any. Growing up in my experience it was only the wealthy who went ,always the same families, now it's more mixed.

We stayed here a couple of times. They are self catered apartments.

That price includes fights from Gatwick and transfers from the French airport to the resort.

I think you're probably looking at another £500 p/p for lift passes, ski hire and cheap ski gear from TK Max, Decathlon, Sports Direct or Vinted.

It's not really any more expensive than a summer package holiday - although I am comparing non-school holiday skiing with peak summer holidays.

Personally, I'd be willing to take the kids out of school for a week because it's an activity/sport as opposed to sitting on the beach.

As you say yourself - you're comparing two very different things

Self catering term time skiing Vs AI summer holiday ..

A fairer comparison would be self catering term time skiing Vs self catering term time beach holiday

Yes, exactly. I suppose it’s hardly surprising, though — so many Mners struggle with friendships and see ‘cliques’ and exclusions around every corner that it would follow that they imagine that friendships with people from the higher echelons of the class system would involve proles desperately trying to conceal their low origins, laughing nervously along as gangs of braying aristos bore on about powder and keeping the wolf from the portico.

The average uk income is £35k. An average couple working full-time would have an income of £70k.

£4-5k for a ski trip would be affordable for the average UK family. They may have to cut back on their summer holiday, or something else, to pay for it, but it's hardly the exclusive preserve of a wealthy elite.

Termtime maybe. But not everyone approves of termtime holidays

But your comparison was still not comparing like to like

Im always surprised when i meet adults who cant cycle, but i guess that's also not an essential skill if you don't need to do it

I hope not as I have never learned!! My one attempt at X-country skiing ended in whiplash so not going to try again. I can sail though :)

Maybe if you live in Finland! But not if you live in the UK.

Swimming of course very much is!

@ThisOldThang

"The average uk income is £35k. An average couple working full-time would have an income of £70k.

£4-5k for a ski trip would be affordable for the average UK family."

You forgot to factor in that they would be taxed on this income so their take home is closer to £28k each or £56k total.

Average energy bill is £1250
Average food and groceries bill per person per year £3000 (£250 per month).
Average total cost of vehicle ownership per year £4k.
Average mortgage payment is £1440 per month (£17,280). Source: www.unbiased.co.uk/discover/mortgages-property/buying-a-home/what-is-the-average-monthly-mortgage-payment-in-the-uk
Average clothing budget per person is £1400 or £5.6k for a family of four.

So adding that up is £56k minus £1.25k + (£3k x4) + £4k +£17k + 5.6 = £16,150.

And that is just covering the basic essentials.

Add in council tax and insurance you can take off another £4.5k a year.
And savings or pension contributions.
That leaves 11k for holidays, savings, pensions and unexpected costs ( repairs, replacements - a new heating boiler can cost 2k)

Considering the forecast this weekend, a set of skis might come in handy. And there might be some miserable skiers if their flights are cancelled.

This thread is fascinating, great insights into MN’s hive mind and so many interesting cultural differences.

I learned to ski when I was three because my parents were skiers and really enjoyed the so-called “friluftsliv” which is not unusual in Scandinavia. I consider myself an average skier. My children have also learned skiing about the age of 3 because this is the youngest age accepted at ski schools and we wanted to have some time to go together with DH who also learned as a toddler. I can also cross-country ski and I’m good at it, tried ski touring as well and I can manage but it’s not my favourite activity. I switched to snowboarding at some point as an adult and I haven’t skied since. I have always prioritised winter holidays and used to go to various places, including ones considered expensive like Zermatt or the three valleys on a very tight budget - we would save and go in larger groups of friends and colleagues, do self-catering and avoid expensive restaurants which used to be full of new Russians anyway.

Things like Vasa Loppet are on the to-do list for many people in Scandinavia and it doesn’t have much to do with class or cultural capital. It’s usually about the challenge, being fit, the love of nature and having active hobbies.

I think it's probably more of an 'essential' skill if you live in the Alps/Scandinavia etc. where everyone skiis/it's on the PE curriculum etc.

We live in the UK, but my DC are half Italian (from the Alps bit) so I'm going to make sure they at least learn the basics so they are not left out when all their cousins go skiing.

I'm a terrible skier myself but I can ski enough to go skiing with friends (then hang out on the baby slope and meet up again at lunch time).

So many things to say about that comment.

But I think it's been said.

So what you're saying is that the average couple, earning the average amount, with two kids, can afford to spend £5k on a ski holiday and they'd still have over £11k (£900 p/m) leftover for other non-essential spending.

I'm glad we've cleared that up.

What do you think the average couple with 2 kids earns as a household?

Do you know the range of disposable income families have?

Average disposable income in the UK per month | Moneyfarm

This is the average household disposable income - £35,500

Money used for everything - after tax.

Do you think £5000 is affordable for a holiday for the average family?

you can find cheaper ski holidays than £5k a week!

And average or not, try to book something with little notice, everything gets fully booked quickly! The Brits have money, not everyone does, but most people do or holidays wouldn't sell so fast - and that's before looking at other countries.