SKIING

If you’re thinking of joining friends or family who are already experienced skiers, do yourself a favour and arrive early if at all possible. This will give the opportunity to get comfortable, sort your equipment, and most importantly, have a few lessons. It’s great fun being in the mountains with your friends or close family, but it makes a real difference if you’re able to safely enjoy those same slopes. Trying to keep up or tackle slopes that are too severe can end badly. On the above note, many new skiers have a tendency to push themselves too hard, too fast. While there is no need to be overly cautious, you don’t want to overextend yourself. At best, this could lower your confidence and slow your overall progress, but it could also result in serious injury. Going too quickly also prevents you from concentrating on proper technique, which is worth learning if you do want to go on and learn how to do things properly. It is wise to take it slow and easy the first few days, which will allow you to get a feel for your skills and how to operate in the mountain environment. If you’re excited to start a new sport, it can be tempting to buy the latest shiny equipment. Please resist this. No matter what anyone tells you, you should always rent equipment for your first ski holiday. It is very possible that you could end up buying inappropriate or poorly sized equipment. The benefit of renting equipment is three-fold. First off, it gives you a chance to try skiing before committing to spending a lot of additional money. Second, you can gain a feel for what you do and don’t like about certain equipment – though that can take time. Third, most rental shops have new equipment each season. This means that you won’t get stuck with outdated, obsolete skis. Also, as you improve, you can rent higher performance skis and boots. You don’t learn to drive in a Ferrari. Likewise, you shouldn’t learn to ski on super stiff, high performance skis