Skiing Scared! Taking A Skiing Vacation With No Prior Experience

Image

It sounds like a wonderful life, right? Taking leisurely skiing excursions around the Alps, before swishing your way down the mountain to your log cabin, where mulled wine, warm rum, or your beverage of choice is there waiting for you, before an afternoon in the Jacuzzi, enjoying that snow-laden beauty that makes you think this is the pinnacle of life. However, ski vacations are very much the opposite of this, especially if you haven't got a clue on how to ski! It can be a very big worry, especially if you've been roped into a skiing vacation and you're the only one who has no idea how to stand up, let alone on skis! But here are a few pointers to taking a skiing vacation without any experience, whether you want to ski or not!

Don't Let Your Friends Teach You!

You might feel that you are in safe hands if you've got a friend teaching you the basics. The problem with this is if your friend is a very seasoned skier, they will very likely get bored of teaching you the basics, and try to talk you into going up a dangerous mountain, echoing the famous last words “you’ll be fine.” This is not the greatest of ideas. You can easily be blindsided by the talk, telling you how cool their Armada skis are, but no matter how they try to impress upon you that you will be fine, just cos you've got "some safety equipment on you", if you don't feel comfortable going somewhere, then don't! If you get injured, not only will it ruin your vacation, but it will destroy the idea of ever going on a skiing vacation again! Instead, get yourself some lessons, or some practice time. There are many practice slopes around, so make the most of them!

Get Fit!

If you find yourself to be the type of person that doesn't go on physical excursions much, then you don't want to find yourself so tired after the first day of skiing that you are unable to get out of bed, it will severely impact your vacation. You don't need to deadlift 500 lbs., but improving your cardiovascular health will be beneficial to your enjoyment of the vacation overall! So instead of taking public transport, maybe cycle to work, go running, and practice a couple of the basic maneuvers that will help you. The snowplough maneuver, which is associated with beginner skiers, isn't very difficult by itself, but in practicing the basics, you've got a decent base knowledge in which to navigate the slopes.

Avoid Snowboarders!

After a while, you encounter people who take great pleasure in putting down skiing. But, just ignore them. Yes, they may think that they are so cool, snowboarding around the mountains, but some snowboarders are particularly difficult people get along with! Listening to these people, and their semi bullying tactics could seriously put a dampener on your vacation.

The great thing about skiing is that you can go at your own pace. So if you are expressing concerns about going on your first skiing vacation, and think you would be far better off staying in the chalet playing games online, you can build up your strength and experience gradually, but still have a great time, whatever your level.