Ski newbie - I have lots of daft questions 😬

[NoAprilFool]

First ski holiday in half term. Just me and the kids (10 and 12)
Ive got us all base layers, fleeces and ski jackets, salopettes, socks, goggles and gloves.
do you wear trousers as well as base and salopettes? What kind? What do people wear in the hotel? I live in dresses/skirts and jumpers and don’t have any trousers beyond exercise leggings.
How do you carry all your gubbins for the day?
do I need sunglasses for us all in addition to goggles?
is there anything I’ve not thought of that you wish you’d known before your first ski holiday?

thank you 😬😀

These are very reasonable from Amazon

Agree, goggles fit over the helmet and are better in low visibility, flat light or falling snow/sleet or windy conditions. Look for tinted , anti glare lenses. Likes of trespass and mountain warehouse sell inexpensive ones.

It's very bright so you either need very high quality sunglasses or goggles otherwise you risk damaging your eyes. Don't google snow blindness, it's not pleasant ;) Goggles are better because they stop the light going round the sides. They're also vital in bad weather because they stop snow and wind going in your eyes.

"is there anything I’ve not thought of that you wish you’d known before your first ski holiday?"

Ski school is essential - and you'll be in a separate class to your kids, so give them some money so they can buy a drink and food if necessary, and a card or note with your phone number on it (also give this info to their instructor).

Many places on the mountains still only accept cash - you can't pay with a CC, ApplePay, fancy watch that goes "ping" or anything similar. Make sure you have some cash (also for taxis).

The lift-pass pocket is on your LEFT arm, not the right as pp^ - put the lift pass in there, zip it closed and do not open it again - UNLESS little Johnny/Jenny changes jackets, in which case the lift pass has to be put into the pocket of the new jacket before^ everyone gets to the lifts. Check this pocket every morning to make sure that the kids and adults have not taken the lift pass out "just to look at it" and forgotten to put it back in the pocket.

You can eat your own body weight in chocolate, strudel and cake on a skiing holiday, and you'll still come home weighing less than when you left. The same applies to the kids and Haribos, pizza etc.

I got a cross body bag from Uniqlo, so much easier to carry cdn.images.express.co.uk/img/dynamic/12/590x/1832073_1

Take a couple of cheap spares of gloves, goggles and/or sunglasses. My kids lost gloves and goggles and it costs a lot more to replace in the resort.

Take a couple of cheap spares of gloves, goggles and/or sunglasses. My kids lost gloves and goggles and it costs a lot more to replace in the resort.
This. I'd also take spare sunglasses and SPF lipbalm.
Never been skiing but went to a tropical country and 2 of my friends lost their sunglasses and another had no SPF lipbalm and the regular type meant fried lips. Needless to say, I had spares.

When you get into resort, you will find emergency numbers for the rescue folk on the ski map, Or app potentially. Put the number into your speed dial for the week. If any issues, you can then call them quickly or get your kids to.
Proof of insurance is also very important. They may ask for it before they take you off the mountain. Take a picture of your policy number and the numbers to call for clearance from your insurer would be my recommendation.
For minor issues, you can often get a bit of help at the top of a chair lift. It's worth knowing that you can go down in them as well as up. They will slow down the chair, park you all on it safely and radio down to a colleague so you are expected. It's a useful way to sort things out if you find you've completely misjudged a run or it's become too icy for your taste for that final trip down into the village at the end of day.
Always worth stopping before everyone is shattered. That's when accidents happen and the last runs into the village can get very crowded and scary if you are a beginner. Villages often put on some sort of kids entertainment from 4pm onwards too so you can head down, pick up some hot choc and a pastry and have a wander about with a sledge or see what's going on before heading home for some food and a shower.

@TreadSoftlyOnMyDreams Your well-meaning advice needs a bit of qualification and is probably not going to be relevent for the OP on her first trip.

Putting the rescue number on speed dial is good advice, but just as important is knowing what to do in the event of an accident, and knowing where you are on the mountain. It also assumes that you and/or your children can speak the language of the person on the other end of the emergency number.

The best action to take is to stop the first adults who come by (many will stop anyway) or even better, stop any ski instructor or piste patrol worker. Instructors all carry basic first aid kits and are trained in first aid, have direct dial numbers to the rescue team, and often also have radios and can contact colleagues nearby. Someone (i.e. an adult) should also be told to ski to the nearest lift to report the accident - you might not be able to get a mobile phone signal. That person should also then take the lift back up and ski down to you so that you know a) that the accident has been reported and b) what is happening next and when.

Always carry a piste map so you know where you are - pistes are also marked by numbered "lollipop" markers and in many resorts the emergency number is on the reverse side of these markers.

Nobody will be left on the mountain just because they don't have proof of insurance (what would happen if the skier is unconscious?) but having the details and contact card etc. on you is excellent advice and will speed things up throughout the process (rescue/transport/clinic/hospital) as well as making it clear who is going to pay.

Modern chair lifts do not usually transport skiers down the mountain, and should not be relied upon as a method of getting down should you have "misjudged a run." You might be able to get a ride down on a rescue snowmobile if you are very lucky and are willing to pay a rescue fee (min. €150 where I ski) but really don't go anywhere that you're not sure of being able to get down. The rescue service is for evacuating injured skiers and emergency cases - it is not a rescue service for people who over-estimate their abilities.

The final advice is perfect - do not ski if you're feeling tired and err on the side of caution if the run back to the village is crowded and/or icy at the end of the day. If there is a cable car or gondola available then take it and save your knees (and confidence) for the next day. Currently conditions in the Alps are very warm and the pistes are slushy from midday onwards - after lunch sit on a terrace in the sun, have a hot chocolate and ride down if at all possible.

Tbf I actually have sat in a chairlift on the way down once because my snowboard binding fell off and it was unlikely i would be able to snowboard down. Did not pay a fee. Found the binding part at the bottom of the lift.

Would also add that sunglasses can be a pain in the backside- they call fall off when you fall, fog up and don’t offer same protection ( physically or from the sun ) when skiing. They’re easier to lose in my experience too because they’re smaller.

goggles can be attached to helmet so more secure. All round just more comfortable.

**
For minor issues, you can often get a bit of help at the top of a chair lift. It's worth knowing that you can go down in them as well as up. They will slow down the chair, park you all on it safely and radio down to a colleague so you are expected. It's a useful way to sort things out if you find you've completely misjudged a run or it's become too icy for your taste for that final trip down into the village at the end of day.

Yes usually but I remember going up in a chairlift at St Anton, looking at the thick fog and declaring I was going down in the chair. When I got out at the top, I saw a notice saying “No descents by lift”. Terrified, I was promptly violently sick. No option but to ski down very warily escorted by DH. DS got lost in the fog but we were eventually all reunited at the bottom.

Skiing is lovely but sometimes…

While some older, slower chair lifts used to be capable of carrying people down, the modern high-speed chair lifts do not usually transport skiers down the mountain, and should not be relied upon as a method of getting down.

@Havanananana - some where we are do still operate in summer and they carry guests up and down, in areas with no Gondolas. They might slow them down a bit though for summer season

@Caspianberg My point is not that chair lifts cannot carry guests down - in theory they all can, and they are used to carry stretchers down in emergency situations - but that people keep posting the (false) information that "It's worth knowing that you can go down in them as well as up. They will slow down the chair, park you all on it safely and radio down to a colleague so you are expected. It's a useful way to sort things out if you find you've completely misjudged a run or it's become too icy for your taste for that final trip down into the village at the end of day."

I work on the mountain and where I am, and anywhere else where I've skied recently that has modern high-speed lifts, this is not going to happen during the winter, and people should not be relying on this when deciding which pistes to attempt.

@Havanananana - sure. They aren’t wanting guests to go down on them, but they do let skiers on them down rather than risk an accident of someone who’s ended up in the wrong area.
We skied with Ds a few weeks ago when this happened, at the top of a lift some lady was having a panic attack as she thought it was a blue run, but it was red only down. We had just got off but apparently she had been there for about 45mins. We helped as she didn’t speak German and they did put a lift guy on chair with her to get her down safely, rather than panic attack halfway down and mountain Rescue I assume.
Not ideal, but it happens.
(this was at Katschberg)

I’ve been in this situation in a different resort (thankfully many years ago) and was told quite clearly tough luck, I had skis on my feet and that was the only way I was getting down!

Side-slipping is a valuable skill to learn as a beginner - it will get you down pretty much anything if you don't want to ski

My motto is always quit while your ahead when you are skiing and never go up unless you are totally able to go down. I never go for the last run if I'm even slightly too tired. I love the mountains yes my time there is precious but still best to be safe.

To me someone who can't ski on reds should stay on the nursery/low slopes and not venture around as you can get caught out. But I've skied a long time and just class it all as piste or off piste nowadays. Surely being able to ski a red is basic skiing skills?

@NoKnit depends on conditions (snow, visibility, temperature, is it chopped up and mogulled etc). Also grading varies between resorts and even within resorts can also be political when it comes to linking runs - no point labelling a key run black as it will put many potential tourists off. Some reds are easier than some blues and some are harder than other blacks when conditions are factored in…. So, particularly to many people who learn as adults, it’s not as simple as looking at the grading and off you go.

Can I hop on and ask whether normal leggings and long sleeve tops will be ok for kids in France in Easter? Am assuming it’s going to be quite warm and I’ve got 2 sets of thermals per kid but would rather not buy more if they’re going to end up being too hot!
Also, any sunscreen recommendations?
Thanks, these have all been really helpful

Definitely, if they need anything underneath.

Personally, I've never worn leggings at Easter. Long sleeved thermal tops fine but equally I've skied with just a t-shirt under my jacket, especially in the afternoon. Depends whether your kids are beginners and will be standing around for periods of time. Take them anyway so you have options, but probably will be ok with just the long sleeve tops and no leggings. Keep an eye on the weather forecast daily and adjust accordingly.

For sunscreen, factor 50, but something that's designed for skiing, like Piz Buin Mountain - tube with a lip balm at the end this . Or you can buy something in France at all the ski hire shops called Soleil Noir, which is very good. Get a tube for each person to keep in their pocket. Don't just get sunscreen which you'd use on a summer holiday - it needs to be suitable for high altitude.

Googles attached to the ski helmet. Sun glasses for everyone including the kids in a soft/silky pouch and in their pockets of their jackets - it is a must for any drinks/lunches if sunny as you’ll take off your helmet. I see so many adults with sunglasses and not kids. Very bad as the snow is reflective.

lip balm!! Normal one or spf one. It can get windy. Apply to you and kids before you go - and at every point you stop!! My kids have one in their pocket.

don’t take a rucksack if it’s your first time. Changes your balance and is a pain on the lifts. We’ve never used one. Just sun glasses, lip balm and Phones (with Apple Pay).

maybe take some painkillers so if someone gets a headache or earache or something you don’t have to go home (I don’t take the whole box, I take out one small blister pack and put in my pocket, can get liquid calpol for kids and chewable burden for over 12s - again I just take one or two doses out of the packet in my pocket,

We ski all season in Europe and I have NEVER heard of cash only. Where do you ski. I ski in France, Italy, Switzerland - always use Apple Pay.