 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello.
My daughter has rung me earlier to tell me she is going to France skiing in February.
She’s never skied before.
Although she says there will be plenty of training sessions there! Will she need lessons here (UK) as well??
Just worrying about safety aspects.
Any advice please.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Just to add she’s going with 2 of her friends.
One is an experienced skier.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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If she can get some lessons before heading out she'll find that she has a lot more confidence with learning on piste. Getting to grips with the basics on a mountain side can be intimidating.
Plus, if she goes with a few skills under her belt, she'll also have a bit more variety on holiday - rather than spending a lot of time on a green drag lift, the lesson group will likely be heading out on the pistes and her new skills will make afternoons a little less challenging.
You could probably get at least 6-8 hours of lessons in before departure if the funds/time allow.
Last edited by Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see? on Tue 23-01-24 9:56; edited 3 times in total
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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She'll be fine on the slopes with an instructor.
I'd be more concerned about the apres...
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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If she has access to a Snowdome - it would be a good idea to get lessons here.
There will also be a strong temptation to follow the experienced skier friend, down pistes she is not ready for....you can warn her to stay on pistes she has done with the instructor - but in the moment, whether she listens to this advice is another matter.
Last edited by Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do. on Mon 22-01-24 22:02; edited 1 time in total
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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My son went on his first snowboarding holiday with his girlfriend (experienced skier) last winter. He had a few lessons at Chillfactor and a week of lessons when in La Plagne. He had a great time and she is still his girlfriend  She'll be fine.
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She’ll be fine and come back either hating it or hooked for life.
A few Snowdome lessons will make a big difference. If she’s done, say, three lessons in a snowdome she’ll be up the mountain day one instead of learning how to attach her skis and falling over on the flat.
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@Beriberi999, er, how old is she?
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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She certainly doesn't need lessons in the UK before she goes. Lots of people learn for the first time at the resort.
Having lessons beforehand may enable her to enjoy her holiday more though.
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Thank you all for your replies. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
Just worrying about safety aspects.
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What aspects are you worried about? Is it the action of skiing and having an accident (very small), the action of drinking (perhaps hgher), the action of enjoying it and wanting you to go (higher still) the action of enjoying it and getting adicted and hence encounting costs for the rest of her life (very high).
No doubt she will enroll in beginner lessons, be well looked after and really enjoy herself.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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| T Bar wrote: |
She certainly doesn't need lessons in the UK before she goes. Lots of people learn for the first time at the resort.
Having lessons beforehand may enable her to enjoy her holiday more though. |
Yes, completely agree with this. Get the absolute basics done in the U.K. so she can enjoy the mountain more.
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@Beriberi999, whether there’s good reason to worry about her safety would depend on how old she is, how sensible she and her group of friends are, which resort they’re going to, and what is meant by “plenty of training sessions” (i.e. will there be formal lessons with a qualified instructor).
A lesson or two here should improve her rate of progress on holiday and mean she gets more out of the holiday, and if that reduces your anxiety so much the better. But it’s not essential, assuming she’ll be getting proper lessons out there in a beginners group.
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You know it makes sense.
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Beriberi999, if your daughter's "experienced skier" friend is kind and caring and your daughter has lessons every day, then all should be well on the slopes.
Too often the experienced skier gets bored with slow sking the green and easy blue runs, and takes their friend onto a more exciting piste. "You'll be fine" they say. But the learner is not fine. We have rescued a few.
What happens off the slopes after skiing is another matter . . .
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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| ster wrote: |
| @Beriberi999, er, how old is she? |
She’s 32 years old with two young children. OP is mainly concerned that the husband doesn’t know how to change nappies.
Or they could give us a bit more background and we can be more useful.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Beriberi999 wrote: |
Hello.
My daughter has rung me earlier to tell me she is going to France skiing in February.
She’s never skied before.
Although she says there will be plenty of training sessions there! Will she need lessons here (UK) as well??
Just worrying about safety aspects.
Any advice please. |
Yes, take a deep breath and relax. Yes, there is a slightly elevated risk of injury on the slopes but since more than 50% of accidents happen in the resort (can’t find the reference so feel free to doubt this) the risk is probably more in the partying and therefore about the same as that to which most twenty-somethings expose themselves normally.
Being slightly more serious, I would, like everyone else here, suggest that whilst not essential she’ll enjoy herself a lot more if she learns to ski on an artificial slope before she goes. Getting to the point where she can ski most of the pistes opens up the resort whereas being stuck on the Greens/Blues can be a bit restricting (depends on the resort of course).
PS. Suggest that she rents everything rather than make a lot of expensive purchases before she knows if she likes it
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@Beriberi999, Where is your daughter based? We can give you some advice on where to go for lessons in the UK based on where she lives
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| Orange200 wrote: |
| ster wrote: |
| @Beriberi999, er, how old is she? |
She’s 32 years old with two young children. OP is mainly concerned that the husband doesn’t know how to change nappies.
Or they could give us a bit more background and we can be more useful. |
I really don't see that their age makes any material difference to the advice that anyone on here can offer
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Just to echo what others have said regarding instruction. If she can get some lessons in the UK before going then great. If not, when out there definitely get lessons for the whole week, for complete beginners I think 6x group lessons of say 9 - 12 is the best way to go.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Make sure she has got insurance cover for winter sports and god forbid getting her off the mountain to hospital and treatment .
Make sure she has the modern version of an eHICS card so she can get treatment,
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ray Zorro wrote: |
| Orange200 wrote: |
| ster wrote: |
| @Beriberi999, er, how old is she? |
She’s 32 years old with two young children. OP is mainly concerned that the husband doesn’t know how to change nappies.
Or they could give us a bit more background and we can be more useful. |
I really don't see that their age makes any material difference to the advice that anyone on here can offer |
a parent's concerns would surely be different if the daughter was 17 than if she was 27
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For sure. Once she's 27 she's probably got more sensible with alcohol. 
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| holidayloverxx wrote: |
...
a parent's concerns would surely be different if the daughter was 17 than if she was 27 |
I don't want to derail a helpful thread, but I would suggest that the ski related advice being given here to the mother - equally applies whether her daughter is 17 or 27 years old.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Ray Zorro, yes and no. I think the understanding and understanding of risk changes so I expect the emphasis of advice given might change.
How did you get that its a mother asking anyway?
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| Ray Zorro wrote: |
| holidayloverxx wrote: |
...
a parent's concerns would surely be different if the daughter was 17 than if she was 27 |
I don't want to derail a helpful thread, but I would suggest that the ski related advice being given here to the mother - equally applies whether her daughter is 17 or 27 years old. |
For under 18's probably additional advice around giving permissionn in writting for necessary medical treatment etc
Given undertone is concern over daughter being hurt, this would be appropriate.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
| No doubt she will enroll in beginner lessons, be well looked after and really enjoy herself |
Hopefully but by no means certain. See below...
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| I really don't see that their age makes any material difference to the advice that anyone on here can offer |
I do. I knew a girl in her early 20s who had been on x2 university ski trips and who (on money saving grounds) decided she'd teach her beginner friend to ski. The friend was only too eager to go along with this. What could possibly go wrong?
So off they they went to Tignes. As they were staying in Le Lac, it was straight up Palafour Chair - with the beginner immediately hurtling out of control and busting her ACL on her first run 
I'm fairly sure there's more chance of this happening with people aged early 20s than early 30s...
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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But - people in their early 20s are independent adults. It's not really for their dads to have to organise their behaviour and keep them safe, is it? When I was 21 I flew for the first time, to Johannesburg, for a two month study trip which involved me (not by any means an experienced driver) driving round the Republic, Lesotho and Swaziland on my own. If my parents were worried about this, they were wise enough not to express their worries.
Of course, if Dad is paying for the trip, that's entirely different.... 
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@Beriberi999,
Where in France? And when in February?
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You know it makes sense.
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| mountainaddict wrote: |
| Quote: |
| I really don't see that their age makes any material difference to the advice that anyone on here can offer |
I do. I knew a girl in her early 20s who had been on x2 university ski trips and who (on money saving grounds) decided she'd teach her beginner friend to ski. The friend was only too eager to go along with this. What could possibly go wrong?
So off they they went to Tignes. As they were staying in Le Lac, it was straight up Palafour Chair - with the beginner immediately hurtling out of control and busting her ACL on her first run
I'm fairly sure there's more chance of this happening with people aged early 20s than early 30s... |
Your little anecdote is completely irrelevant to the point I was making.
The advice on here has consistently been that she should get lessons from an instructor.
That advice doesn't change with the age of the daughter.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Don't overthink it.
Just book and go.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| swskier wrote: |
| @Beriberi999, Where is your daughter based? We can give you some advice on where to go for lessons in the UK based on where she lives |
l
She’s in Leeds. - been recommended ESCAPE to have some lessons.
Thank you.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Beriberi999, Xscape
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Yes her friend is going. 
The ski resort is Chamonix.
Do you know this resort. ??
Thanks
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| Beriberi999 wrote: |
Yes her friend is going.
The ski resort is Chamonix.
Do you know this resort. ??
Thanks |
Only been once, a looong time ago so not really familiar at all. There are others on here who are regulars and even residents.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Chamonix is an amazing place but wouldn't be my first choice for beginners. The two areas near the town centre aren't really that beginner friendly with the two at either end of the valley (a bus ride away depending on where they stay) being much better in this regard. That said, if they have lessons in Brévent I'm sure the instructor will know what to do and where to take them.
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Thank you. I will let my daughter know.
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