Is skiing safe for beginners????

[Shootin]

My 20 year old daughter has just told me she is going skiing with her friends later this month.
she has never skied before.
will she be safe??
my parents friends grandson got killed on a skiing holiday (school trip holiday) about 30 years ago.
Can anyone put my mind at rest please???

No I don’t know what resort she’s going to yet.
I shall let you know.
Thank you for your answer. 👍

Find out where shes going and what type of runs there are. It might be more for experienced skiers. Also accidents do happen, kids flying about etc and can take you out. Make sure she has the right insurance.

Also, 100% get some lessons so she knows the basics.

What level are her friends? They must be basic if not better skiers if they want to go on a skiing holiday..

Minor injuries and breaks are common, even amongst beginners (who are prone to fall over!). If you see an otherwise fit looking person on crutches between Jan-Apr chances are they have been skiing. The only broken bone I have ever had in my life was sustained on a nursery slope.

HOWEVER…tragedies like the one you are aware of are certainly not common, and are more likely amongst people taking more risks (e.g. off piste skiing). Wearing helmets is the norm these days which must have saved lives.

Chances are she will come back with a few bumps and bruises but having had a great time.

(and while getting pissed on the pistes isn’t to be be recommended i personally think I am a much better skier after a vin chaud!)

Yes but she should take lessons, and needs to no follow experienced friends onto hard run's until she has learned the basics.

My dd is skiing currently, she booked lessons!

Rules for beginners:

Go to ski school - no matter how good skiers "friends" are, they are not trained in how to instruct, and many good skiers find skiing so easy that they can't explain to beginners exactly what they should be doing. Get professional instruction. Instructors know how to teach. They know the safest places to go to and they know how to keep their students safe. In France, try to find an English-speaking ski school (NewGen, Oxygene) rather than ESF, whose teaching methods can be a bit of a culture shock for some Brits.

No skiing with friends after a liquid lunch or apres session, or after lunch if the morning lessons have been tiring. Friends are generally not good at assessing which pistes a beginner can manage (they possibly won't have seen them ski anyway if they have been in ski school) and everyone's judgement can be impaired after a beer or vin chaud (or three).

Get fit before going - or at least do some stretches, lunges and squats, and some sessions on a static bike or treadmill ... see the current thread here on MN about getting fit.

Rent the correct, modern equipment from the ski hire shop. Don't make do with friends' old skis and boots - there's a reason why these have been consigned to the back of the locker, either they are worn out or unsafe, or both.

Wear the right clothes - beg or borrow a ski jacket and trousers if finances don't stretch to "new", but buy ski underwear, proper ski socks, fleece, gloves, buff and helmet. Decathlon or Trespass do perfectly good stuff at reasonable prices and nobody can see that you're wearing £15 Decathlon long johns rather than the £195 hand-spun mongolian virgin yak-wool thermals with a fancy brand name.

Most important - look good and have fun.

As for risks - the part of the holiday with the greatest risk is probably the journey from the house to the UK airport.

Everyone was a beginner at some point. I learnt age 40. On my first trip, I fell down and hurt my knee quite badly. The medical insurance kicked in and they brought me back home.

I persevered and years later, I was an ok skier

Just make sure she's insured

And make sure she has insurance with winter sports included, plus a ghic card

I went skiing for the first (and only time) aged 20. I was totally fine and I did drink and ski! Terrible looking back. I went on a night ski with a meal and drinks up the top and then skied down again 😬. Even I was fine and I was clearly an idiot. Your sensible dd will be fine

Yes, but she needs to spend the week in ski school. I see way too many people that have done a couple of hours in the snow dome and seem to be under the impression they can ski. It's not safe and doesn't look enjoyable either tbh.

What is dangerous, as others have said, is just rocking up and thinking you can ski without having done any lessons. Make sure any beginners are booked I to ski school every morning of the trip an then they will show them the basics so they can practice themselves on the Green and Blues in the afternoon. And make sure they stick to the nursery slopes and beginner areas for the first few afternoons.

It's only particularly dangerous (outside of being crashed into which can happen anywhere so you do have to keep an eye out) if people put themselves in areas where they are not yet good enough to skii that terrain or conditions. If she's sensible and has daily lessons, she'll be fine and have a great time!

Only time I've ever had hairy experiences is skiing off piste, in blizzards, at night, down from a bar after a few drinks etc. Normal beginner skiing is pretty safe I'd say.

PS: even I had 3 days of ski school at the start of my trip! She definitely needs lessons - some experienced skiers seem to think they'll be able to teach their mates but it doesn't work

I’ll join the chorus saying professional lessons are a must - skiing isn’t particularly instinctive, lots of elements of technique isn’t what you think you should be doing. It’s much much more enjoyable when you can control your speed and direction properly.

I went skiing with a woman who had a couple of lessons and thought she could ski the entire mountain - she was a danger to herself and others because she had no control.

Thank you for this!!
It is really really helpful!!💐

DD has just texted- she says that they will be training sessions there🤔
Will she still need to book for some before she goes??

Thanks for this. I shall tell her. 💐⛷️

Current in the french Alps skiing with my 3 and 5 year old.

She will be fine, she'll get lessons out there from one of the many ski instructor companies and will have a blast.

Training sessions?! What does she mean by that? But yes she needs to book lessons before she goes! Usually it would be a block of 5-6 mornings, hence why it’s called ski school. My DD was skiing at 18 months old- yours will be fine so long as she takes lessons, doesn’t drink and ski and doesn’t follow her friends onto advanced terrain. In France I’d go for any ski school that isn’t ESF- they have very large groups and just suck all the fun out of it with their strict methods!

Depends when they are going. If February the skischool will be busy so best book in advance,

School holidays, need to book in advance. Otherwise could prob book in resort but can be tricky to organise for day 1 if you arrive late the day before and that increases temptation to try skiing on your own on morning one which is not a good idea. If it's a uni trip or she's going on a package, the lessons might already be included?

If not on a package, I find it's best to resent equipment before you get there too so ready for first morning and often it's cheaper online. Ski pass you can normally get in the resort when you need it. Some have beginner/day one areas that don't need a lift pass.

No! I have a deep routed hatred for skiing and will do for the rest of my time on this planet. My good friend Bert and I went to Afghanistan for a skiing holiday back in 2007 as we were both looking to learn.

During our first session, Bert attempted to go over a ramp and landed right on top of me, forcing me to fall directly into a very deep glacier. After surviving down there on a diet of water and ice for what seemed like days, I finally escaped. Never, ever again. Horrendous hobby which I wouldn't recommend to my worst enemy.

She needs to clarify what "training" involves. Usually lessons are referred to as ... lessons! If she is going in February, or within the next week or so, it's a good idea to book now (and essential for half-term week).

She can either have group lessons or private one-to-one lessons. Group lessons are fun if the group gels - everyone will be in the same situation with the same fears and making the same mistakes at first, but there is something about all being in it together that can make it a good social experience as well as a learning experience. Of course, group lessons will be less expensive than private lessons.

The advantage of private lessons is that the student gets the instructor's full attention and things move at the student's pace. Getting the right instructor can result in a very quick progression that at the same time is fun and challenging. Getting an instructor with whom you don't get on can be a nightmare - so try to get recommendations beforehand (ask on the Snowheads website) and don't be afraid to ask for a different instructor if things are not going well. At around €150-€200 a session, make sure you're getting value for money.

Just tell her if in doubt or she can't stop to lean back and fall on her bum

Ideally she should join a ski school there

You can pick up skiing in less than a couple of days but if she's particularly uncoordinated it might take 3 or 4 days to get used to skiing down a mountain side

Thank you for your reply.
DD is going to stay at her friends house in France. So I presume the ski resort will be near there. I don’t think she knows yet. They are at different universities.
DD texted earlier to say that there are plenty training sessions there. But will tell me more later when she finds out.
When I get more information I shall let you know.
Thanks again. 💐⛷️

@Anxhor "Just tell her if in doubt or she can't stop to lean back and fall on her bum"

FFS. Under no circumstances should she do this. 🙄

At least this post confirms that beginners should not listen to anyone except a qualified instructor.

Thank you for your advice.
Going to look on the website. 💐