 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Everyone,
So after my original post for “total newbies I’m afraid” I’m very happy to say we’ve booked!
March 9th, Flaine, flying into Geneva. Staying at Alhena right next to the magic carpets on the beginner slopes!
Booked with Heidi which was easy and had great flight options, private transfers, equipment hire.
We’ve now book ski school for us all for the week with ESF- Hopefully a good choice.
Is there a go to company for insurance or is it just any travel insurance with winter sports added?
Should we get goggles? I’m guessing they are quite important for glare on bright days, also protection on not so nice days from wind/snow etc.
Any tips for must take things welcomed! Obviously we’ve sorted Ski Coats, trousers, gloves, base layers……
So far we’ve had one 90 min lesson at Snozone and hope to fit in another before we go so that we’re not completely blind!
Thank you for all of your input so far!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Should we get goggles? I’m guessing they are quite important for glare on bright days, also protection on not so nice days from wind/snow etc.
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Yes, at a push sunglasses will do but goggles give much better protection. Without UV eye protection the sun will burn the retina and you may suffer snow blindness. Similarly remember sun screen. It's vital unless you want to have serious sunburn. As for insurance - yes you will need a winter sports addition.
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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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Lipsalve!
Ski Socks (and not the tubes)
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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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Cat 1 goggles like amber/persimmon 40-60% and Cat 3 sunglasses from decathlon is probably the cheapest option to cover all conditions.
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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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A couple of packs of foot and hand warmers incase you get a cold snap and they start getting cold.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Take a short 4 way socket strip for your chargers etc, in case there aren't enough sockets in the room. (We take a 4 plug-2 usb block)
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& take carre-niege option with the lift pass. Dont want to get stranded on the magic carpet if you come a croper
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Definitely get another lesson booked in before you go. We were total newbies as well, did half a day and could manage to plough turn fine. That put us into the "intermediate beginners" which had us on more slopes than we would have done with no experience.
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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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Another definite yes for goggles. I've found Nevica from Sports Direct to be inexpensive and perfectly decent. Go Outdoors could be worth a look too.
I'd also suggest a balaclava or face mask (not the covid type  ) - you could be glad of something to cover the exposed bits of your face (below your goggles) in snowy or very cold weather.
I'd agree that another Snozone session could see you improve immensely before your trip, with you getting a lot more out of the hol as a result.
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Do you have Travel Insurance with your bank account?
We have a Nationwide Flexplus which includes annual worldwide travel insurance for everyone in the family, including any kids at uni which includes skiing, also mobile phone cover and breakdown insurance including Europe - the ski
cover is better than most standalone policies as it will cover your hire gear - was a real eye opener when I had to insure son for the first time this year now he’s finished uni a. how expensive the winter sports cover add ons are and b. how little they actually cover. NW are also very cheap for my pre-existing conditions - including my diabetes and (crucially for skiing) two false hips - £55/yr
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hopefully in March it won’t be too cold so probably won’t need any face covering but we prefer neck warmers to balaclavas and masks - the ones we have are part fleece, part cotton - you can pull them up like a mask if it’s cold
My other tip is to take some thin long socks as well as ski socks as sometimes the boots fit better and before I had my own boots I used to take insoles because the insoles in the hire boots can be pretty rank
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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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| mountainaddict wrote: |
Another definite yes for goggles. I've found Nevica from Sports Direct to be inexpensive and perfectly decent. Go Outdoors could be worth a look too.
I'd also suggest a balaclava or face mask (not the covid type ) - you could be glad of something to cover the exposed bits of your face (below your goggles) in snowy or very cold weather.
I'd agree that another Snozone session could see you improve immensely before your trip, with you getting a lot more out of the hol as a result. |
Make sure that any goggles you buy have double-layer lenses (i.e., anything but the cheapest). If the conditions are snowy or foggy, single layered ones are inevitably going to mist up almost instantly, which would probably result in you abandoning your ski lesson and spending €75 on a better pair. On that note, keep fingerprints off the inner surface because they damage the anti-fog coating on any not-totally-budget goggles.
Fit is important: the combination of face, goggles and helmet can be tricky. Ideally, you want a minimal gap between goggles and helmet. If you are hiring helmets, there's not much you can do beforehand but your helmet may push your goggles down your nose, so check you have a bit of leeway there.
If you do go for sunglasses, wraparound is best: an awful lot of reflected light can get in the sides of ordinary sunglasses on a bright day.
You might find goggles with interchangeable lenses are the best budget option: I got these Odoland OTG* Ski Goggles Set with Detachable Lens, Frameless Interchangeable Magnetic Lens for £40 for my youngest who had grown out of his kids' gear (he's bigger than me now) after failing to find any combination from the family helmet and goggle collection that fitted on his still somewhat cute nose. I was really impressed with the quality at that price, although he didn't need to use the Cat 0 Yellow lens (allegedly for night use, but in reality for fog). His older brother got these OutdoorMaster Heron Ski Goggles with 2 Lens, Frameless, Magnetic Interchangeable HD Toric Lens, OTG Snowboard Goggles, also very impressive albeit 50% more.
*OTG = Over the Glasses (not necessarily your glasses, but someone's).
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FAQ
