Your First Ever Skiing Holiday

A snowHead

New Year 1981-82 in St Lary, French Pyrenees with my then girlfriend Kate.
Tons of snow, thigh deep in the village which is a cable car beneath the ski area.
Chosen because it was the cheapest thing in the brochure!

I vividly remember lying on the snow on day 3 slamming my ski pole into the snow and yelling "f**k this, this is f*****g stupid" etc etc
That afternoon it "clicked" and by day 6 I was hooked for life (though not to Kate!).

I didn't see snow like that for years and years...at the time I had no idea that these were not normal ski conditions!

The New Year celebrations? Dull beyond description Crying or Very sad

A snowHead

Bulgaria about 16 years ago.
Memories:
Absolutely crap food
Even worse rental equipment
Terrible instruction, on our first trip up mountain by long drag, 3 people fell off
& instructor just left them there to find their own way back to resort!
Lift system was slow & broke down every few minutes
Hotel was similar to a run down borstal without heating, full of drunk bulgarians
Sad

When I think back I am amazed that I ever went skiing again Shocked

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Crest Voland 1992 (1200-1600m)

School Trip

Great Conditions, great craic

You need to Login to know who's really who.

New year early 90s probably 93/94 or 94/95 at Les Arc with caving friends. Three of us had never skiied rest were experienced. The 3 none skiers had 2 evenings of lessons (the only downhill lessons I've ever had

) on Brassingbourne barracks dry skislope before Les Arc. I spent the first day on my own skiing the blues off the free lifts at Arc 2000 (beside the bottom of the speed skiing slope). Next day bought a lift pass and my friends took me to the top of the mountain (down a blue and up Plan D'Ours AFAIR) then it was lots of nice wide blues over in Arc 1600 and 1800. Snow was good, sky was blue almost every day and I was skiing reds by the middle of the week. New years day was amazing - blue sky and at 9am everything was beautifully pisted and I was skiing unmarked corduroy almost the first person down the pistes - now I'd prefer there to have been a foot of powder overnight and the piste machines to have been locked away in their garages Smile

.

I've not looked back since, missed only one year since that first holiday when I didn't make it abroad - but had moved here by then so still got plenty of skiing in. Am now moving over to telemarking - my new tele skis are sitting in the front room just waiting for some snow Very Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Chateaux D'Oex about 1984.
Went with a very large group of about 200 people, taking up 5 hotels. I knew about half a dozen of them from work, but didn't get on particularly well with them.
Had one hour dry slope lesson before going. Allowed myself to be talked into claiming to be intermediate on the strength of that lesson.
Beginners stayed at village level on the nursery slopes, the rest of us were taken to the top of the mountain for a skills test. After my test they 'suggested' that I return to beginners but I declined.
Lesson was a nightmare. Half way down the first run I floundered somewhat. The instructor had to help me down and have the class follow. Unfortunately the class wandered onto some ice and my last view of them that day was a string of bodies accross the piste. Shocked

Took myself down to the nursery for the rest of the day and practiced what I'd been shown on the dry slope. Next day took myself back to the run that I'd floundered and practiced there all day. Numerous falls soon became competent snowploughing.
Next day persuaded my Kiwi instructor to take me back into the class. Result was that I was now about mid class in standard. Laughing

The evenings weren't so good. I was relegated to the hotel where my workmates were, while the real life took place in another hotel. Hated it. Decided never to ski again.

Postscript:
At the very last moment went on the next trip that Tambini ran (same group as before). This time in the main hotel and now knew some of the main characters. The guys from work did not go. Had a magnificent holiday, and have been going with the same group ever since. snowHead

You'll need to Register first of course.

La Plagne - March 1999, superb introduction, dodgy esf lessons, good crowd of people in a large chalet. Never looked back.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Westendorf January 2001 with HappyMouffe.

Much warmer than I expected, some pain, no falling over, came away completely addicted Shocked

Taught by Andreas (the sheep farmer) with a group full of Irish, South Africans and Namibians!

After all it is free

My first was Ellmau Austira - in January!

GReat sunny days, a couple of snowy days (which were a good thing).

Don't like to brag but I was top of the ski class - happily my girlfriend coming second so that was nice. Got tiresome though after the first couple of days - it all got very slow because of the less abled people. Once you start getting the hang of it, all you want to do is go for it Smile

Lovely hotel - nice quiet town.

Risoul 1988 (same place as Kramer but I was 836 and he was just a babby). Blue skies and sun all week, great reps from GoSki, most fun time EVER snowHead

Here's me on snow for the first time Spot the discrete dusting of white stuff around the middle ? Laughing

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Austria - Alpbach 1985.
I'd had some dry slope lessons beforehand, and found the real stuff much better Very Happy

In the ski school race at the end of the week I was really going for it, fell on the hard icy surface, and as a result had a huge bruise on my leg for several weeks. It didn't put me off though, went back to Alpbach the next year and am totally hooked snowHead

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Schaffau, Feb 2002
Awful conditions, sheet ice on thin layer of snow, horrid instructor.
Why did I continue?? Just needed to try the 'family holiday' to Banff the following year snowHead

snow reports

Hochsolden -January 1960. School party of about 20 12 year old boys. Huge skis, leather boots with miles of laces and straps, cable bindings which were almost impossible to do up without help. Tortuous snowplough turns to arrive about 100 yards further down the slope then sidestepping back up with inummerable kick turns to do it all over again. Clothing that was neither warm, waterproof nor comfortable. And I loved every minute of it! Halfway through the second week those of us who were showing some promise were taken further up the mountain to ski for what seemed like miles through the forest right down to Solden in the valley below. I think that afternoon was a life changing moment and the rest, as they say, is history.

Roger King, From what it sounds like, quite a bit of history!

My fav (life changing as it were!) moment was my first run on my own a few days in - parallel turning. Just exploring a long cruisy run that the instructor hadn't taken us to yet. Superb

You know it makes sense.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Ellmau, Austria 1987 school ski trip

enjoyed the 20min walk from our hotel to the nursery slopes in a pair of sx31 boots and lumbering about with some Atomic Arc skis which i spent the next year copying the logo from all over my school books.......I was hooked.

Snow was patchy, sun was hot and the food was typically dodge but we had a riot

Spent the next 18months dreaming of going again and finally went to Valmenier in my last school year (no other skiers in my family...) been going ever since (and now counting the days til this season and looking fwd to my 2yr old getting on skis again - he can't wait either snowHead

A snowHead

Champéry, Switzerland in March 2004. It was warm and sunny all week but there was still plenty of snow about. Absolutely loved every minute of it Very Happy

. The following season I skiied for a week and a half and this season two weeks and a half...next season...? snowHead

A snowHead

La Plagne March 03 aged 28, with my 2 brothers, who'd been skiing for 13 and 14 years resepctively, and also met our mate Alan (who managed the Hotel Cristina) and his girlfriend over there. Only previous experience on ski's was a morning at Rossendale dry ski slope, where I managed to take out 6 people on the dragrope on the nursery slope, and was informed by my brother he wouldn't be taking me there again Wink

Had the whole of the 1st day to get acclimatized, then had a 2 hour private lesson the next day. I was absolutely goosed after it. The weather had been roasting, and I was in a T-Shirt during that lesson. Stood me in good stead tho, as I was able to snowplough turn, and stop etc by the end of it. Was then enrolled in all day skischool for the next 6 days, and was coming down blues on the 2nd morning. I do clearly remember being taken up the Gondola to the top of the Roche Di Mio at lunch on my 1st day in ski school, and wouldn't go within 10 feet of the edge!

Got absolutely hooked, and had another 4 weeks in La Plagne before I went anywhere else, and our mate started working elsewhere.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

westerndorf in the early 70s with 10 mates all first time skiers. Leather lace up boots and skis with cable bindings. The instructor was a bricklayer in the summer and was a very good teacher , he had all of us doing stem turns by the end of the week. Went back next year with the girl friend (now the wife) who did not learn to ski but loved the nightlife.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

pam w, Alright, yes I do.....

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Went to Soll in 1983 with my three little sisters(two of whom had already learnt to ski at school). Ended up in a class in which I was the only bloke

. Most of the others were middle aged women Sad

At first it seemed that they all were learning a lot faster than me then I realised it was because they came every year with their families and always went to the beginner classes. Never really got off the nursery slopes with the ski school, fortunately my sisters took me down a few blues which I loved. Don't remember much about the instructor except he was younger than I was and my littlest sister went all gooey over him and I had to be the big brother.

Been skiing just about every year since then but still don't ski as well as my sisters.

You'll need to Register first of course.

At the tender age of 46, when the youngest sprog (5) was deemed old enough and finances finally permitted, we booked a package to Pas de la Casa, Feb half term 2002. We had had 6 hours of lessons at the Norwich dry slope, and at the resort, with the supreme confidence of the totally naïve, we booked ourselves intermediate lessons. We met up with the ski school at the base where it suddenly dawned on us that we would have to use a chairlift. Halfway up I confided to the lady on my left that we were chairlift virgins and sought advice as to how to get off. “Leave it until the last minute” she helpfully replied. As the end drew nigh, we watched as the occupants of the chairs in front vacated their seats and disappeared from view. All too quickly it was our turn, and with those pearls of wisdom “leave it ‘til the last minute” running through my mind I was surprised by the unseemly haste with which our neighbours suddenly departed. With the chair about to turn to make it’s return journey, and with the lifty suddenly emerging from his hut yelling excitedly, we launched ourselves off, hit the ground with skis immediately going in wildly different directions, and with arms and poles entwined, we rolled down the steep drop off, to the accompanying roars of approval from the watching crowd. Embarassed

After sheepishly dusting ourselves down and meeting up with our group, we then had to ski down to the watching instructors in a foot of powder snow, in order to demonstrate how completely useless we were. Our ego’s were only marginally less bruised than our bodies, but having survived that experience we found ourselves in a really friendly group with a great (English) female instructor who had us doing almost parallel turns by the end of the week. Needless to say we were all hooked and have been going twice a season since, although we now book apartments privately and drive to keep the costs down.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

ennalsj, nice story. I think that we all have similar chairlift virgin experiences. Welcome to snowHeads.

After all it is free

ennalsj, welcome to snowHead

Something like that happens to me usually at least once a holiday although it manifests itself in various different ways (forgetting to turn corners, falling over standing still) Very Happy

ennalsj, welcome. Had a chairlift moment on Xmas day this year when four of us got off a lift and 3 of us (1 skier & 2 boarders) ended up in a tangled heap on the floor. At least it hads lots of people in stitches.

My first ski holiday was Xmas 2003. I'd finally persuaded partner (now ex) to go skiing after years when he refused as he might break something and then wouldn't be able to run his business (wuss). Booked last minute deal to Kitzbuhel very cheaply on teletext. Had no idea what it would be like so was very surprised when it was a lovely place. Stayed in a pension run by a lovely couple who we chatted away to over breakfast even though they spoke no English and our German was limited to what I could make understood from my phrase book - but we talked about allsorts!

Had lessons with a fab group of people - a real mixture but we all got on really well. I'll be modest now, I was probably the 2nd best in the group and my partner was crap!! Tee hee!! But one of the most memorable things was our instructor, Tony - he was fantastic!! He really did put us all to shame, he was like a spring chicken, but we had to ask how old he was. He was 78! Absolutely brilliant teacher and a local farmer (many are farmers & ski instructors in winter) so took us to great places for lunch and told us about the area. We found out from someone else that he was an ex downhill world champion. When I mentioned this to easiski she knew very well who he must have been.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Zell am See in 87, on a school ski trip. Don't remember much about the conditions, but I do remember having an absolutely gorgeous ski instructor Very Happy

. Spent most of the first 4 days falling over and being helped up by said instructor before it finally clicked and I went from worst in the class to best. Was definitely hooked from that point but for various reasons didn't get to go again for many years Sad

I now make up for it by fanaticism snowHead

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Wengen (or Actually stayed in Lauterbrunnen), Februari 2004. Sunshine from Sunday till Thursday, to finish off Friday with a few cm of fluff on almost untouched blue pistes in light snow, surely a good way to get hooked.

Went up there with a rather "Well.... i think this sking thing is just not interesting, but i want to try anyway" on early sunday morning, lifts not open yet, but we wanted to beat rush hour at Central Sport for my dads rentals. In the meanwhile sister took me to the nursery.. I climbed up some 20 meters, got in the skis, fell down, walked up all of the damn Figeler, plowed down nicely and decided: okay, that works, but i ain't gonna ski on this shitty hill. Sis and I pulled dad from the shop and trained up to the Kleine Scheidegg. Plowed down to Brandegg, getting down a tad wasted to the great enjoyment of my friends, fell a few times on the final stretch (boy did I have a good time to do the same thing again in the afternoon getting much less tired)
Monday I decided plowing is too painful, so started forcing to paralel down to Brandegg, which worked well. The afternoon went up the wide red cruiser Lauberhorn which was just fine (for me, slowly though) Tuesday was the bad day, everything sucked, especially those "Blue poles" my looooooooovely sister and friend intended to see down the middle of Lauberhorn (It was actually the final stretch of the Uncharted black starting midway between Lauberhorn and wixi top stations)

Ah well, by friday I could cruise comfortably on blues, do something careful on reds. Left with a rather unsatisfied feeling, and had to get revenge on that piece of black Twisted Evil

Which I got by returning a week later... getting down the uncharted black from top to bottom by the end of that second week.
Guess where I went for a month last season NehNeh

snow reports

ennalsj, Great first post Welcome to snowHead

's

Bormio, 2001, with 3 friends, all complete beginners. Not an ideal resort for learning, but we all had a great time. Did two hours of lessons - mostly of the follow-me variety - each morning then joined up with some more experienced skiiers staying at our hotel, who took us down some blues and reds. Towards the end of the week we got a fresh dump of snow, and I think it was while experiencing the silky smooth feeling of fresh powder under my skis for the first time that I realised this was going to become more than just an occasional pastime for me.

Not sure if I was the best in my class, but I know I was the fastest, and I still have my winning medal from the ski school race to prove it! snowHead

You know it makes sense.

Sharkymark, Ah yes - the infamous "Standing Still Fall/Injury" - I once dislocated a thumb by that very method Embarassed

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Macugnaga - can't remember when - with a group of about 15 from Uni. Most of us near complete beginners. OK we'd done a bit in Scotland but only the odd day or two.
Great holiday - super little hotel which we more or less took over. Rental boots gave us all blisters on the backs of our ankles. IIRC, 'grande cerrotti' = large elastoplast. !!!!!

But as the resort is so small, I could also enter it for places I'd never revisit. rolling eyes

A snowHead

Like Helen Beaumont, Flaine - but in Hotel Aujon in 1985. Even back then it was a bit "basic" Sad

.
Group of 6 including my wife, 4 had skied before. Somebody had advised 2 weeks was best for first holiday and to have private lessons not group, so the 2 "newbies" wen toff with Remy who was an ex national level Cross Country skier.
It was January and really cold (-20C) and it took me a while to realise that the sticky feeling form the (rather dodgey) moustache that I had then was not from the jam that I had had with my croissant for breakfast, but was due to icicles forming.
There was (I don't know if there still is) a really quite difficult drag up through the trees at the bottom of the tennis courts and Remy gave us strict orders that on no account were we to fall off...
I managed to prove that you should not tempt fate - and fell off half way up. It took about half an hour of trekking through soft snow between trees to get back to the piste - easy for him on his 2+metre skis but difficuly for me on my 1.35m "evolutif" skis. Skullie

We then had the "problem" of small children to deal with for a few years, so only skied in 88 90 and 92 before starting to ski every year as a family from 96.

A snowHead

First time was 3years ago. Went with my school to Obertauren (probably spelt wrong.)

I absolutely loved it. My boots didn't fit right, my skis where as blunt as possible, and I had new blisters at the end of every day, but I tohught it was fantastic. It wasn't just about the skiing, the whole atmosphere and culture is what got me too.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Crest Voland, France January 2000 - just me and Johnboy

Tiny village - but good craic - shared with a school form Sunderland and some blokes from Newcastle - the banter was great at meal times.

Instructor called Cindy who was an absolute witch (Change the w to a b and you get the picture)
Johnboy took me down the first run of the day - a red - I was terrified - went down most of it on my ass.

Apart from all that it didn't put me off and I've loved it ever since. snowHead

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Ahh, a 1978 school trip to la Bourboule, France, by coach. Leather boots were left in the porch overnight, so they were freezing. I was put in the middle group after a couple of days.
I have just found my id card for the school group passport, now, where are the photos... they prove I used to have long hair!
I didn't go again until I was about 24, but have been hooked ever since. Mind you, the local slope is about 10 minutes away, so I don't really do holidays anymore. Just ski when I feel like it Very Happy

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

PaulS, welcome to snowHeads!

You'll need to Register first of course.

Monte Bondone- Italy 1981 with school (aged 13). Rampant 14 year old girls on the trip. Can't remember much of the skiing but the instruction was good.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

paulm, Please expand on the above explanation. Twisted Evil

After all it is free

Mayrhofen 1971 - stayed at the Hotel Kramerwirt - travelled with Swan Tours who later merged with Inghams. Flew to Munich on a BA Tristar and we were all given smoke salmon sandwiches as I believe it was an inaugural charter.

The rental equipment included leather boots with clips and 200cms wooden skis with cable bindings. The ski school was run by a former Olympiad Rikki Spiess, but our teacher was an impatient borish peasant who almost put my wife off ski-ing. Our teaching instruction was restricted to the 2 phrases "Knee bogen" and "Rutschen". Gave up with this so called instructor after 3 days and found a Canadian instructor up on the Ahorn. This chap was brilliant and changed everything for us. During our fortnight stay it snowed every day except one.

Good night life was enjoyed by all in the Andreas Keller located beneath the Kramerwirt. Went on an evening excursion called (pardon the spelling) Krumbumblee, where whole intention was to drink lighted schapps and get completely legless followed by expressing the fruits of the evening on to the floor of the coach Uggh!!

Whilst there Trevor Philpott plus film crew arrived in resort doing a programme comparing the up-market resort of St. Moritz versus middle market Mayrhofen. Saw this on the TV later in the year.

All in all an interesting first time ski-ing and we have been ski-ing more or less every year since, and hope to carry on until I cannot walk anymore and beyond.

I think 1971 or 1972.

Aviemore.

Either self catering chalets or the Post House. Look, I was only 4 or 5 so memory somewhat unclear.

Bro and I were bought Fischer Blue Masters (he 105cm, me 110cm - now we're talking kit I have a crystal clear memory!)

First on snow experience was on that little mound as you dfrive up the ski road to Cairngorm. Boots were just our little rubber wellies. Somewhat sub-optimal. Leather lace ups acquired for subsequent endeavours.

No rampant 14 years olds, nor would I have known what to do with one had there been...

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

First skiing experience for me - Jungfraujoch Glacier one summer about 2 hours. Took me a very long time to get back to CH for a proper ski trip.

Help!!

Your First Ever Skiing Holiday

snowHeads Forum Index >>> The Piste