Should we go ski-ing ??

[Scatterbrain]

Just not sure about this !

DH went once in the 6th form (almost 20 yrs ago !) and loved it - I have never been nor been tempted really - but we have kind of decided to give it a go just before Xmas ! DH thinks DD (will be 5 then) will love it and she is very keen as several of her friends have been and talk about it all the time !

So - we are both overweight and unfit - I guess we could lose a couple of stone by then - but I just don't know!

Is ski-ing very physical ? Is it as good as people say ? Will I break my leg on day 1 ??

What do you reckon ??

Yeah but it will hurt and I am a big WUSS !

we went earlier this year. It was my 2nd time but 1st time for dh and dd (4)

Dd absolutly loved every minuite of it - she was miles better than me or dh even though we both had private tuition and she had no lessons at all!!!!!

Dh was very keen and would like to do it again. I thought it was OK but......

1. It uses muscles you have never used before so you spend the first few days in agony - if you can break through the pain barrier it's OK

2. I got fed up of every day being focused around the same activity - I was usually bored by lunch time

3. I'd only ever go towards the end of the season. I hate the cold and it was nice to be able to ski in a t-shirt and sunshine. You don't get guarenteed snow this way but it was -12 the day before we left and it was way too cold for me.

Personally, I'd rather lounge in the sunshine on the beach or round a pool. We enjoyed it enough to go again but probably only for a long weekend - not a whole week.

HTH

what about trying to see if you like it first like in MILTON KEYNES on the snow slope

with real snow

I think it is in MK

here it is and there are others around the county

Thanks RTKM - hadn't thought of that ! Mind you the thought of going to MK doesn't enthuse me - but perhaps I will see WWW there !!

Will have a look at site now !!

oke doke there are others round the country

Have just had a quick look at their website - www.xscape.co.uk and it looks fab ! They even do a parent and toddler lesson for £25 so I will be hotfooting it up the M1 sometime soon !

Thanks for the tip - I had no idea those real snow places existed ! Tried an old fashioned ski slope once years ago and it was just plain painful !!

hi scatterbrain, dh and I 1st went skiing (off the cuff last minute decision) around 10 yrs ago....we absolutely loved it, i do remeber it killing my knees, but take some knee supports in your case in preparation as they are what helped me through the days to follow! A good hot bath (take radox muscle soak!!) used to sort me out!!! Ever since our 1st time we have been 3 times a yr ever since and we love every minute of it. Completely stress free hol, even laying on a beach we found we couldnt unwind as we were still thinking about work etc, when you are skiing the ONLY thing you think about is skiing, 100% focus on what your doing. Its a perfect age for DD, the only thing I would say is that dh and I learned with a little boy who was 5, and because they pick it up so much quicker than adults, you have to realise that when you have your ski's on (and when your on the mountain all together) if the 3 of you are skiing together and DD zooms off - which they tend to do, as you and dh may not be as competent it may be hard to keep up with her or help her if she falls over. I would go to a dry slope (MK even better) at least learn your snough plough to a fine art so you can always get to DD if need be But remember, the scenary of MK is now where near the scenery of the Alps etc!! HTH

btw - my parents learned to ski (under my nagging) 5 yrs ago, they were 47 when they started to learn, they have come with us ever since and they love it too. Once person at the hotel we stayed at was 62 and learning to ski! Never to late to try

Definitely give it a go. It is quite serious exercise and your muscles will hurt but alcohol numbs the pain - it's so beautiful, the fresh air is amazing and it's so satisfying when you make it down something for the first time.
You learn quite quickly - you will be able to ski by the end of the week - not brilliantly but you'll be able to do it. By the end of day 3 you should be able to get down something gentle without falling over.
I used to be someone who thought holiday = beach and couldn't understand why anyone would want a cold holiday with exercise byuilt in but now if I had to choose I would ski rather than have a summer holiday.
fra321 is right - it te best relaxation because your mind is focused on your skiing so you have to leave al your other worries behind.
5 is a great age for your dd to start. Mine went for the firt time when she was almost 4 and she did like it but was much better this year.
A few words of advice though - have lessons and put dd into ski school. You won't be able to learn properly by yourselves and you won't be competent to look after dd. Try yo go to a resort where they have english speaking ski schools (there are quite a few) and aim for one that guarantees smaller class sizes. Avoid using the ESF they're not much good, especially for kids and they will have one instructor to up to 15 or 16 kids which is impossible to control let alone teach.
Rent your ski clothes. Several ski shops do this. The kit is quite expensive and it's important that you have the proper gear as you don't want to be cold and wet. Some shops also rent kids' gear although you can buy some very cheap stuff - some friends kitted out their kids with ski trousers and jacket for about £30 in TK Maxx.
By all means try the artificial slopes just to get afeel for standing in the boots and skis, basic snow plough etc, but be aware that the experience is nothing like actually being in the Alps because the scenery etc is half the pleasure, and even though it's "real" snow it's artificially created and harder to ski on than a proper piste.
Have fun!

It will help if you are at least a bit fit by the time you go, otherwise you will feel like having a rest every few metres and you are more likely to damage your knees (IMO if your knees hurt while skiing you are doing something wrong and it could lead to serious injury, so better to take a class ans pay special attention to it) ).

In terms of the experience... I personally find skiing very boring and fiddly, it's wet, it takes for ever to get to the top of the slope/get a coffee/ go to the toilet and you certainly freeze while going up. I believe the nicest time is when you are a beginner because it's a good laugh but once you get a bit advanced it becomes a bit of a lonely business.

Having said that if the resort is full of shops, galleries, etc, then I love the experience

love it though i havent done it for years its def. physical and a chandra says the fitter you are the better you will be/enjoy it
its strenous on the leg muscles and there are specific exercises to strenghthen these

i love the fresh air in the mountains the views the open space the food its totally invigorating and for me probably prefarable to lyong on a beach baking for a holiday

deffo recommended

Hi scatterbrain

my dh and dd(6 months at the time) went in March with loads of family, it was the most exhausting holiday ever, so my advice is to def put the kids into ski school, and go for lessons yourself while there. Make sure you have some time after your lesson to go and practice wat you've learnt everyday, and take advantage of all childcare facilities, so you can recover after the skiing! Have fun

lunachic - actually it's the other way around - the better you are, the less fit you have to be, as you actually become much more efficient at it and start using gravity to help you and not wasting energy on unnecessary movements.

I'd definately recommend a few artificial slope lessons first to get the hang of the basics, and then you'll be able to get on the move around the mountain, and start taking advantage of the scenery etc, much quicker once you get there. (I am sort of obliged to say that as I teach skiing on an artificial slope(grin) - but it's true anyway!)

For the first time you go I'd try to choose a resort with other activities on offer too, just in case you don't take to it and/or want a break at some point. In general the Austrian and Swiss resorts are old villages/towns, and therefore more visually attractive, than the French ones which tend to be higher and purpose built - but the downside of that is that you often can't ski back to where you're staying. Andorra is good for English language instruction as an awful lot of British instructors work there.

they are begginers i would imagine they would find it easier with leg muscles that didnt wobble -though by the end of a good weeks skiing theyll have tham anyway !!

Hmmmm - thanks for all the answers - it sounds like it's going to hurt !! I don't like hurting !

Definitely going to try a lesson somewhere in UK first I think - trouble is will I miss getting the booking if I procrastinate ??

Where are you scatterbrain? I can probably pick out the nearest places to you to try it out first. It's a good time to learn at the moment actually - you'll probably only get one or two in a class, whereas in the Autumn it might be 12, so you'll get much better value for your money.

Oh Thank you - that would be fab !

I'm between Reading & Basingstoke.

Where are you thinking of going Scatterbrain?

Les Deux Alpes with Mark Warner. Really because several people have recommended Mark Warner - and the hotel has a pool and salon/spa - as well as the baby-listening !!

Scatterbrain - probably either Aldershot or Bracknell depending upon where exactly you are. Funnily enough a friend of mine has just moved to Aldershot, and will probably be teaching there this Autumn!

Scatterbrain - I know people in L2A too - try here or here for better instruction than you'd get from the ESF, which is probably where your tour operator would send you.

Excellent LunarSea - Thanks for all the links !