How do people go skiing?

[Skinnysaluki]

My teens have asked if I can take them skiing next winter- I don’t know where to start! very much not from a skiing family or background!
We would need lessons/beginner slopes/ ski hire, a place to stay that is cosy and with guaranteed snow maybe ice skating options as well.
also! I’m skint so it would need to be as cheap as possible. And they are ages 20 and 16 so it will probably be a 3 adult cost and maybe that will just be too much.
how/ where do we even begin?

use one of those packages thingies from crystal ski/sunweb
also go look which resorts are good for beginners because there's no point in going to val d'isere or whatever if you can't make use of the many harder slopes in a resort

There's an almost identical thread running here > Page 2 | How to organise a family ski trip on a budget as a working class girl living in the home counties | Mumsnet

Packages are good if you’ve not done any of it before - they’ll give you your ski passes on the transfer and set you up with equipment for first thing the following morning which are all nice to haves but more importantly they’ll take responsibility for and cover any issues with flight delays etc.

last year our transfer didn’t get us to the airport in time due to an accident on the mountain pass. The company we booked through got us on the next flight at no additional cost. The previous year we were diverted due to strong winds and the transfer was reorganised whilst we were still in the air.

Definitely do dry slope lessons here first. That will make sure they like it and have the basics before you go. Consider cheaper destinations eg Bulgaria but check snow forecasts first!

Does it definitely include lessons, lift passes and ski hire? When you search on Crystal it looks like it does but they're not included in the initial prices you see. Ski passes alone X3 could be an extra €750(+). Ski lessons about the same. We've booked for 4 of us to go to the Alps at half term, 2 kids in lessons and literally the cheapest in resort accomodation we could find (proper bargain basement, doubt many would find it acceptable!) and it's over £6k.

@Jappledyes I added on the packs for each person, it’s a good deal

Tbh if you’re skint then you can’t afford it. Get them some lessons at an indoor slope.

Even the cheap places - Borovets and Bankso add up when it’s for 3 beginners who need lessons, ski passes and kit and accommodation etc. It will cost thousands.

There’s a reason skiing is stereotypically middle/upper class… because it’s expensive as fuck.

Try arinsal andorra its perfect though no ice skating rink. Crystal ski does great beginners packages and ebay/vinted for clothing often worn once.take them out of school for a week and the cost will be less than half price and the slopes much quieter. Its a one off before they go away with partners.
i really regret not taking mine out to go to egypt to see pyramids etc as was too hot on school holidays and now i dont feel its safe snd they are adults. They love history and would have gained so much.
also used to pick the week with the 1 day staff development to minimise to ski but was still extortionate but couldnt afford every year. They had the best time and dont regret it at all. Have to be honest if i was younger in this cost of living crisis im pretty sure we wouldn’t be affording any holidays. I literally dont know how young families are coping and we earn ok but in south east.
also bulgaria is cheap but heard skiing not as good.

We do it independently but a package is a good way to start. There’s a lot to remember to book! We don’t get much change from 10k all in for adults and three teens including car hire and a couple of refresher lessons. If you’re going to France avoid Feb as it’s their half term

Choose a beginner package with lessons. Don’t go to France, Austria or Switzerland - all expensive. Italy can be a good option, as is Andorra (Spain) or Bulgaria.

you do not need ski clothing as such but you should have warm, waterproof clothing including hats and gloves. Helmets are a must imho. You might get a lot of it on Vinted this spring after the winter season.

Oh just seen your a teacher. You wont be allowed to go outside school holidays. Though ive met teachers who have covered whole faces with sunblock and gone sick but thats far from professional.
easter if early is cheaper but make sure you really research the weather and location as no snow or skiing on ice will ruin it for you all.

Oak Hall do good value ski holidays, if you really want to keep the costs down you can travel by coach. It's a Christian holiday company and they do a talk in the evening but you don't have to go to that.

Cheap flight to krakow hire a car with snow chains drive to Zakopane - cheaper than France/Italy.

if you have your eyes set on the alps there are cheap air b n bs mountain villages in Piedmont region of Italy - trains run right up to Bardonecchia, cheap and daily. Can drive to the villages from Milan airport in 2 hours.

personally I’d find the resort you liked - find a cheap way to stay a little outside it and do 2 or 3 days skiing and the rest relaxing. full week of ski will be too much and too expensive for first time, all resorts have the gear to hire

best of luck

@Skinnysaluki you start going to a ski slope in UK for lessons like chill factor in Manchester.

Per person !
OP never mentioned half term - just school holidays . She could look at maybe 5 days in January .
I just think saying 2 k per person is way over .
Someone mentioned Canada as a budget option ?? Really ?? We spend a fortune on our ski holiday every year but have never been able to contemplate Canada ?
Have checked it out and lift passes , accommodation and eating out seem to be extremely expensive ??
And that’s before flights !

Just wanted to say that if your DC wants to try skiing, if they go to university they could try through there. I went with DH, we were both beginners. We took a coach and ferry with other students to France. It was a few hundred pounds, shared accommodation was nice, included ski hire, lift passes and lessons. The journey was long, snow was icy, and I hated skiing itself and would never do it again. But as an experience it was pretty cheap.

People are being very negative about the cost but don’t be put off by that OP. It’s great that your DC want to go and it really is a fantastic family activity. It will be fun for you to learn together and you will be giving them a skill they can enjoy for decades to come.

If the prices are looking high then 5 days instead of 7 would be a good option. Ski clothes from Vinted - there will be loads for sale after February half term. Ski lessons for next year’s Christmas presents and a stocking of hand warmers and ski socks - win win as your Christmas shopping is sorted.

make sure to budget really for food as well, as it's super expensive in the resorts as they know you have no option to go anywhere else.

Skiiing really isn’t ever going to come cheap.. we’ve been going for a few years but this will likely be our last time as a family for a while as the prices have sky rocketed. A week pass 4 years ago was £290 and it’s £400 this year! Then add on everything else. I guess my advice would be go somewhere cheaper than the Alps.. maybe Bulgaria?
I really can’t see how anyone is doing a week for £1500pp.. flights and hotel alone will easily be that; add on a pass, lessons, hire you’re talking another £900pp on top of that at least.

@EllaPaellaI have literally linked to a holiday in a decent Alps resort for £1200 per person all in, during school holidays. It is never going to be a cheap holiday but it is more than doable for less than £1500 per person!

We don’t ski as a family but my kids can ski as we live very near a real snow facility and they had lessons there. My daughter got to go to Canada with her school and the fact she’d had lessons meant she got the most out of the experience. If you do this, I suggest get them to do their Snowdome lessons in the summer - you can get really great deals on the lessons. If you have lessons at these places in the winter it’s hugely busy and much more demand.

You can do it very expensively or quite expensive, never cheap.

cheapest option for a taster especially if you are midlands or north is a couple of days at Cairngorm mountain. Book accommodation in aviemore, there’s a public bus up the mountain. You can buy snow sports passes and also lesson and ski rental by the day, we wore clothes we already had - water proof jackets with fleeces layered underneath, water proof trousers over jogging bottoms. Snow is variable so I wouldn’t book ahead, just see what the conditions are like a few days before the school holidays. (Currently there isn’t much snow). There’s other tourist attractions in the area too. It’s not like a European ski trip but unlike Europe it can be done on more modest budgets because you don’t need transport beyond a car (petrol) and you can book shorter stays

Ok that makes more sense. Although January is not a cheap option at all. Quite the contrary. The cheapest time is super early in December when you risk no snow or at Easter when you risk no snow.

Such useful and helpful advice all, lots of food for thought and great places to start. Thank you so much! We only live once and I’m sure I can find a way thanks to all these pointers

Just make sure you really like skiing first by having some lessons in the Uk. Skiing is a miserable holiday if you don’t love it. You’re off in different classes so not with your family you’re tired and achey and you’re pissed off with carrying skis.