club med les arcs panorama france

[Firsttimeinsnow]

Hello we are first time skiiers/snowboarders so to try to make things as easy as possible we booked with Club Med. Having been on non snow holidays with them before. We- DH and myself have hired everything they recommend equipment wise.

Could any wise MNetters give me some tips/advice. Eg do we need our own goggles, trousers, gloves and jackets. I am assuming so. Sunscreen was something I hadn't even thought of, but a colleague advised me about yesterday. He also said good thermals.

We have booked English speaking lessons and are going for a week. Nervous and excited at the same time. It is a big birthday for DH and he has always wanted to snowboard so is very excited. Any advice very much appreciated TIA.

You will need suitable socks, trousers, gloves and jackets. Try snow and rock, North Face or Ellis Bingham. The staff there will help you. You can get thermals from uniqlo they do a heat tech range of leggings, long sleeve tops etc.

do we need our own goggles, trousers, gloves and jackets

And ski socks. Take min 2 pairs.
Sunscrern. Lip balm spf.
Small backpack to carry water tissues phone etc. Or jacket with big enough pockets.

Yes. Tk maxx. Decathlon. Buying there will be super expensive.

How exciting!!

You typically wear and will therefore need to buy: base layer compromising of thermal top and bottom, ski socks, mid layer of a jumper or fleece, ski trousers or salopettes, ski jacket, under gloves, ski gloves or mittens, neck warmer and goggles.
You hire skis, ski boots, poles and helmet.

I’d also add that you need ‘pub gloves’ (warm but not heavy ski gloves for when you go out), a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, lip balm and ibuprofen for the aches and pains.

Brilliant thank you so much @Littleredbrickmammy @cestlavielife I was not expecting replies so quickly. Superhelpful. Hadn't even thought of socks.

You hire skis, ski boots, poles and helmet.
Or snowboard, snowboard boots and helmet! Sorry miss that you said snowboarding. The rest is the same though!

Ibuprofen pills and gel and arnica as he will spend the first 2 days on his backside.

If you are skiing, then always useful to have a couple of bits of foam to stick down front of boots as they can rub/push and cause bruising. The only good thing about snowboarding are the boots - so comfy.

Depending on when you go, you may get extremely hot so make sure you have some t-shirts that can be worn under jackets so you can strip off if really sunny and warm when you stop for a drink.

Also rent helmets when you're there as you'd be mad to board/ski without them.

We’re here at the moment and it’s super! Definitely bring all your clothing - you’ll only get boots/skis/helmet supplied. Bring sunscreen and good lip balm. My only negative would be the ski lessons aren’t great - more of a guided tour around the slopes than actual instruction although it might be different for a beginner. You might benefit from throwing money at a few private lessons.

Thank you @BotterMon @FlounderingFruitcake @pico1

Hadn't thought of the Ibuprofen/Arnica or Tshirts either all super useful tips.

Will definitely consider a couple of private lessons as I think they would definitely boost my confidence. DH is much more laid back than me, and was a mad skateboarder in his younger years, so he is the one snowboarding as well as skiing to keep me company bless him.

I am glad you are having a great time @pico1 I was looking at the online cameras today and it looks amazing!

Learning to snowboard is hard work you get along easier if you are physically fit and in good shape so send him down the gym. It's a steeper learning curve than skiing so tell him to persevere.

I'd also recommend knee pads and wrist protectors to learn to snowboard with. In fact I still wear knee pads now 17 years and at least 30 snowboarding trips later. 🙃

I’d recommend two pairs of gloves/mittens. Beginners can spend a lot of time getting up
off the snow and gloves/mittens can get wet/cold. If you have 2 pairs you can swap them over at lunchtime.

@pico1 are there any shops near by or is it completely remote? I'm going to be there in 4 weeks @Firsttimeinsnow . I'm 21 weeks pregnant and i will not be snow boarding this time! We are also taking a 2 year old, who I'm really hoping will go in the crèche. Just wondering if theres a shop if I need to get emergency snacks or nappies? We normally go to morzine or mayrhofen where you are in a town so this will be a new experience!

You can catch the Med bus to local towns for free for the items mentioned. I am not sure about in the resort itself as just DH and I went. There were shops selling the Club Med ski attire. Really enjoyed it, was a fantastic experience. We had private lessons which would recommend to first timers like us. The Giles the GO was not great, our flight times organised by Club Med were insane, so we had to pay out to get them changed. We had a death in the family just before going so were not on the ball double checking that.

The other guests were mainly French, all very friendly. You eat in the main restaraunt or there is a more chilled one which you do need to book for evenings, worth doing as the food was different, views fantastic.

Kids Club looked full and fun.

Enjoy.

Thank you @Firsttimeinsnow ! Sounds great and I'm excited! What's an OG? Are the paths cleared of snow or icey? My dad is paranoid about me going a over t walking around outside! X

Take grippy snow boots same as you use if snow and ice in uk

Or decathlon amazon search snow boots

Not sure what your budget is but getting all your gear from Snow and Rock or Ellis Brigham, good as it is, will not be cheap. Someone else has suggested Decathalon who have a very decent inhouse range of ski wear.

Personally I would include:

Sunglasses
Goggles
Silk gloves
Mitts
Assume you have rented a helmet?
Wool hat

Long sleeve 'wicking' base layer x3
Leggings x2
Salopettes or ski trousers
Ski jacket (wind and waterproof), ideally get a jacket that has a zip pocket in the left sleeve or on the left breast for your ski pass, makes getting through lift gates a lot easier
Gillet
Ski socks that come up to the knee, do not use rugby/football socks as the stitching will destroy your feet

Lightweight walking boots/shoes. Tempting though it is to take some nice shoes from home you will be spending most of the time walking in snow/wet and you need something both warm and grippy when about town. Everyone else will be.

Optional extra: feet warmers, not the electric ones but the chemical air activated pads that heat up. You can place them on your feet before putting your ski boots on. I was skiing in Sweden last month in about minus 20 and they were a life saver.

Obviously the conditions will determine how many layers you need but as a rule of thumb it is better to be warm then cold on the slopes so on your first day use extra layers and figure what works for you then.

P20 suncream (SPF50+)
SPF Lip Balm

have fun!!!

I've got sorel boots as we go boarding every year! It won't stop my dad being a paranoid Pete though! X

You can get the free bus to 1850. There was a mini supermarket there with all the essentials (including many snacks!). There were also snack-type things like cereal bars and wrapped madeleines on the breakfast buffet that you could stash for later on.

Great, thank you! X