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 ??

Hello - I'm back again !!! Well - have now booked the trip - but Les Deux Alpes was full up the week we wanted so have got L'Alpe d'Huez instead !!

Now am beginning to panic - what do you wear ? For ski-ing and for not ski-ing ?? What shoes/boots will I need for tramping around ?

And - where is a good place to buy not too expensive ski outfits - for two rather rounded adults ??

Most grateful for any advise - feel like I am entering new territory with this trip !! I just have NO idea at all !!!

Thanks

bump

Last year asda had some really nice skisuits at a good price

You should have a good time, my DH went there last year and said it looked great for families.

Re clothing, for not skiing Jeans and sweaters, it will be very casual and you dont need much. You will need some weather proof boots, timberlands or similar for walking in resort and some trainers or slippers for in chalet or hotel but no heels and you wont need to be glam!

For skiing thermals, fleece layer ski suits, ski gloves and inner gloves if you feel the cold. I always put thin gloves then mittens on our boys. You will also all need thick fleecy socks. Kids will need helmets but you can hire them in resort, dont let them ski or toboggan without them. Adults need a fleece hat. Have been buying ski gear for years as we kit out our 2 growing boys each year so I have spent a lot of time investigating this one. Matalan did ski gear last year that was very reasonable, I think Gap and Primark may have also had some for kids. Also some of the big sports warehouses and factory outlets have shops that sell it. Snow and rock are good but a bit pricey.

TK MAXX have great deals in ski wear, bargain the century has to be Aldi though, childrens two piece ski suits for £9.99! Yes £9.99. Worn in Norway in January by my two with their Aldi thermal set underneath (£6.99 a set) and they were very warm (apparently)

Additions catalogue also sell the Rodeo range of ski wear that was C&A's

Also Tchibo are good for reasonably priced ski gear for both adults and kids, but it's not available all the time, so you need to watch out for it.

What sort of sizes are you looking for Scatterbrain? I might be able to find you something - we have plenty of surplus gear around here, and we're involved in running a local ski club there's a lot more there which kids (and sometimes adults!) grow out of.

Your best bet for instruction in Alpe d'Huez is probably with Masterclass

We took ds ski-ing for the first time to Norway - as they have other things on apart from ski-ing, we could choose from Dog-sledding, Reindeer rides, toboganning, cross-country ski-ing, I'll try and find the holiday paperwork as there were some others

The holiday was the best one we have ever had - we had skied before but ds hadn't. Norway was fantastic, the Norwegians were lovely, fantastic ski school and ds was on Reds by the end of the week, due to great instruction I think.

Lovely quiet runs too, perfect for learning, we went with Neilson

Not sure where you are thinking of going but if you want to go before Christmas head to a high altitude resort or with access to a glacier as pre Christmas snow has been very sparse in recent years lower down. Also many resorts don't open properly until close to Christmas Eve so although there may be snow there may not be many lifts open. It could also be very cold as the days are short and sun very low. Do make some effort to get fit beforehand as you will discover muscles you didn't know you had !!

Decathlon also sell in expensive gear but you will probably have to wait until end of October for skiwear to appear. The Snow and Rock website sometimes have last year's stuff reduced.

It's quite easy to hire adult ski gear. Probably a better idea than investing in your own - if you hate it you won't have wasted any money and if you love it you might want to invest in some decent kit for next year.
Off the slopes wear is very casual, and bear in mind that although you will need jumpers/fleeces most of the chalets, hotels, bars etc are very well heated so bring layers rather than think hot stuff - you might only need a t-shirt inside.
On the off chance that you might want to take the kids swimming bear in mind that french public pools insist that men wear speedo type swimmies, not shorts!

You might be surprised how many people will loan you their stuff too. For our first holiday, all I needed was the trousers as we'd borrowed the rest off mates - it really didn't matter that some things were a bit long - the ski boots we hired on holiday meant I gained a couple of inches in height anyway!

We went with Neilsen to Sweden - fantastic all round - can't recommend it highly enough. We didn't have children at the time, but now we do, we'll definitely be going back with them to Vemdalen.