I’ve just agreed to go on my first skiing holiday, to learn cross country skiing in Norway at Christmas. I want to make the most of my time, keep up and not get injured. What can I do now to make life easier?

By: angel_32168

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When it comes to skiing and winter sports, Europe has more than its fair share of amazing resorts.  From the greatly priced, to the more than reasonable, Europe has it all, and has so much to offer any skier.  If you’ve never been to Europe on a skiing holiday, or if you’re looking to expand your experience, you’ll find something that catches your eye without too much research, and you might just end up joining the legions of skiing fans that wouldn’t go anywhere else in the world for their vacation.

On mainland Europe, you have such a varied selection.  From the world famous French skiing resorts to Austria, Switzerland and the tiny principality of Andorra, you’ve got such a wide range of skiing to choose from.  France is known the world over as the true home of skiing, and the French really know how to do a quality vacation.  With naturally amazing resources, and scenery that can take your breath away, France is an ideal location for a skiing trip.  Why not try the Courchevel resort, which has four different ski resorts within one, providing the perfect blend of quality and affordability in a skiing trip.  From the grossly overpriced 1850 resort, the playground of Europe’s film stars and playboys, to the seemingly remote 1350 at the bottom of the hill, you have so much to choose from in Europe’s finest skiing country.  With the kids or with your friends, France is truly a destination that will make for a memorable skiing vacation.

Or how about some of the Italian resorts?  Italy, famous for being the cheaper way to ski, also benefits from a diverse range of resorts, like the tiny Alba resort, as well as some larger, more sizeable areas to ski.  Famous for passion and a depth of culture, Italy is the ideal place to take a skiing break in Europe, and the weather’s good too!  Or how about Italy’s neighbor, Croatia?  A rising European nation, you’ll find a Croatian holiday outrageously good value for money, not to mention top quality.  From the international standard ski resorts to their world class restaurants, Croatia is certainly a country on the up, and its skiing facilities can only improve as more and more tourists flock to their slopes each year.  Additionally, Bulgaria is an excellent skiing destination to take the kids.  With open arms, you will be welcomed by the Bulgarian people, who are more than eager to tell you about their rich and deep past, and welcome you as part of their future.  In these expanding and developing European nations, you will come to appreciate the value of tourism, and the quality of treatment and service they are prepared to offer for your investment.

How about Austria for your skiing trip?  When we think of skiing, we often imagine the Alpine ideal, with breathtaking scenery and fresh, clean air.  Well, it simply doesn’t come much better than Austria, and if you’re looking for a skiing destination that has it all, why not try Austria for that touch of class with your skiing.  Or why not pop over to Switzerland for their Alps experience?  Skiing the alps in the home of chocolate and cuckoo clocks, you will be amazed at how picturesque this modern nation has managed to be, whilst still becoming a world leader in financial industry.

Skiing in Europe is the ideal way to spend your vacation.  If you love skiing, you are guaranteed to find a great resort somewhere, within your budget that meets your needs, and caters for your ability.  With most resorts also boasting strong training academies, you can also work to improve your skills while you are there, ensuring that your skiing trip is both useful and memorable.  Whatever you are looking for, choose Europe as your number one skiing destination, for that perfect blend of quality, tradition and culture, and for a holiday that is truly breathtaking.

By: Jasmine Stone

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If you are new to skiing, the whole idea of going on a ski holiday can be quite daunting. On a number of occasions I have seen people who have never skied before worry about things which just aren’t true. So, here I expose the top 10 ski myths:

1. A skiing holiday has to be expensive

Things have changed in the world of skiing – no longer is it an elite sport for the rich. It is quite possible to take a family of beginners skiing and for it not to break the bank. How?

- Go self catered. Self catered ski accommodation is often excellent and doesn’t cost very much per head. You can also choose to squeeze more people in on sofa beds to bring the price down even more. Don’t book via large tour operators – go directly to local estate agents or independent property suppliers.

- Drive. With four people in a car, and if travelling to areas in the Northern Alps, driving is a very cost effective way of getting to a ski resort. – Try and avoid the main school holidays (Christmas, New Year, Half Term) if at all possible.

- Keep an eye on when budget airlines release their flights and book early!

- You don’t need to go to the world’s biggest ski area if you are beginners. Go to a smaller resort where you will find everything in resort (lift pass, ski hire etc) to be a lot cheaper.

2. Skiing is dangerous

Although skiing does involve travelling downhill on planks of wood without any breaks, the vast majority of skiers who learn to ski with instructors and ski within their limits will have a happy lifetime of incident free skiing. Yes accidents do sometimes happen, but more often than not ski related accidents are less to do with the actual skiing and more to do with amounts of alcohol consumed and not taking care on icy surfaces etc. If you learn to ski properly, you will also learn to ski safely.

3. The weather is cold and horrible when skiing

Well, yes, the weather is usually cold. And sometimes it can be snowing. That is a fact about holidaying in the mountains in winter. However, when the sun comes out in the mountains there is nothing like it. Alpine sunshine, clear blue skies and temperatures of -5 degrees can certainly feel a lot warmer than a UK winter day when the temperature might be 10 degrees. That is why people come back from ski holidays with sun tans!

4. I won’t understand what the ski instructor tells me

Gone are the days when your only choice of ski instructor would be a moustachioed instructor who’s only English was “Bend ze Knees”. Now there are many progressive English speaking ski schools and independent instructors, indeed there are many excellent British instructors working out in the Alps.

5. If I don’t enjoy the skiing, my holiday will be rubbish

If for any reason you don’t get on with the skiing side of a skiing holiday, wintering in the Alps is still an excellent experience. Most resorts have plenty of non skiing activities on offer such as dog sledding, snow shoeing, thermal springs, ice diving, para gliding. Plus many alpine resorts are very picturesque and so sightseeing and shopping aren’t out of the question.

6. Because of global warming, there won’t be much snow

It is true that global warming was blamed for the bad winter of 06/07 in the European Alps. However, this was down mostly to lazy journalists not researching their facts properly. The bad winter that year was down to the weather, and not the climate. Plus, the skiing wasn’t actually bad – it just wasn’t as good as it could have been.

The last few years have seen some of the best winters for skiing on record. Global warming MAY start to affect European skiing over the next 50 years, but at the moment there is no real evidence that it has started.

7. It is a lot of hassle on a ski holiday

It doesn’t have to be any hassle. You can opt for a catered chalet holiday where all you need to do is get yourself to the airport. The rest is taken care of by the chalet hosts. You are picked up at the airport and taken to your chalet, they arrange your lift passes and ski hire, they cook for you, they clean for you and they take you to the slopes every day. Where is the hassle in that?

8. My kids will have problems in French speaking creche/ski schools

Like the point about ski instruction, things have changed a lot in the world of Alpine childcare. Creches and kids’ ski school usually have English speaking staff, and it is not unusual to find a number of British kids in classes during the school holidays. Teaching your kids to ski at a young age is one of the greatest gifts you can give them!

9. I don’t like mountain food

Nowadays, eating out in ski resorts isn’t all about cheese and ham (although there is plenty of that on offer for those who look forward to their annual fondue or raclette). Most resorts now sport a wide variety of restaurants – some with real cosmopolitan ambiance and menus. And if you don’t want to eat out every night, a trip to the local supermarket will reveal that the gap between French and British food shopping has narrowed considerably over the last few years.

10. I can’t take a baby skiing

Nearly all ski resorts have excellent creche/nanny facilities. And for those people who worry about the cold/altitude etc, don’t forget that babies are born in the mountains every year and they do OK!

Hopefully the above will help to dispel the main worries of a nervous first time skier. And if you never try it, you might never know what you are missing!

By: Edward Ockelton

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