Advice - First time ski holiday?

Dan wrote:

Hey,

My friends and I want to go on our first skiing holiday but the choice is
overwhelming so I'm asking on here for some advice. We are beginners, party
animals (good nightlife a must!) and being students, on a limited budget.
We're from the UK so english speaking resorts would be a bonus though some
of us have a basic grasp of french. Can anyone recommend a resort that suits
us?

Ideally we're looking at travelling either in the months of January or
February from a London based airport. Duration between 4 days and a week.

Also, we have no skii equipment or ski clothes. Where is the best place to
hire these? At the resprt or at a shop in England? Are there any good
websites which can tell us the basics on what we need for our first ski
holiday? Are there any other places where I can get good adivce?

Any help much appreciated.

Thankyou

Dan

Hi Dan,

I'd agree with most of what's been said already:
- Hire jacket and salopettes in the UK. Depending on how near London
you are, 47 degrees (http://www.47degrees.com) will rent you clothes. I
used them for my first ski trip and they were fine. Alternatively, as
already suggested, ALDI will do dirt cheap ski clothes to buy. I
imagine they're not the only ones now either. A friend of mine also
hired some clothes that he then picked up and returned in Gatwick
airport. Seemed like a good service, and the clothes were quality
goretex. I can't remember the name of the company, but google around
and you might find something.
- You'll need sunglasses and/or goggles. You can get these cheapish as
well if you hunt around. You can get away with wearing goggles the
whole time (boarders do) but if the weather sets in you wouldn't get
away with sunglasses all the time, if that makes sense.
- Gloves or mits - don't underestimate just how cold your hands will
get! You might be able to hire some, otherwise spend as much as you can
afford, or borrow!
- Thermal underwear - I bought some from M&S 8 years ago and it's
still great. Thermal vest and long johns - if you don't feel the cold
so much you will get away with these, plus a fleece and a goretex
jacket. If you feel the cold like my wife, pack an extra fleece and two
t-shirts!
- Hire boots, skis, boards, poles in resort - cheaper, less hassle and
they can change or fix things if and when they go wrong.

Go in January, not February - Feb is half term holidays for everyone so
prices go through the roof and the pistes are way too busy. January,
especially the week after new years, is bargain basement time. Okay, so
it can be colder, and the day's can be shorter, but you can dress for
the cold and it's your first trip, so a shorter day might suit - sounds
like you'll want to hit the bar early too!

Go for a week - it usually works out about the same price as going for
4 days one way or another.

If you go in Jan and take advantage of the prices, you might want to
consider a catered chalet seeing as it's your first time. You'll get
your breakfast, tea and dinner 6 nights out of 7, the transport and
transfers are sorted, they'll sort out your passes and lessons for you
and it's more personable than a hotel. Unlike in self-catered you'll be
able to grill the chalet staff for hints and tips. Check out the
websites for Skiworld, Crystal, Ski Total, Neilson...see what prices in
Jan are looking like - also they usually group resorts according to
'beginners/intermediate/advanced', 'Great apres ski' that sort of
thing. You could consider using a booking agent like ifyouski.com to
search around for you - you won't pay any more usually. Skiclub.org.uk
has a fair amount of info on resorts and the companies that go there as
well.

Not been to Andora or Austria so I can't comment, but I hear from
others that both are good, cheap, party-oriented options, although as
already mentioned Andora's not as cheap as it used to be. My first ski
holiday was in Les Deux Alpes in France with Skiworld. It got me
hooked, it was fairly cheap and we partied every night. Benidorm of the
Alps, somebody once called it, but it probably shouldn't put you off.

Other expenses? Ski pass, lessons and equipment hire have already been
mentioned. Insurance - make sure you've got some with winter sports
cover! I've lost count of the number of people I know who've really
needed it - getting rescued off a mountain and taken to a hospital
ain't cheap.
Also, eating in mountain restaurants for lunch ain't cheap either -
have a large breakfast and ski through, or budget 10 Euros a day for a
plate of spaghetti. Take a huge bag of mini mars bars on holiday with
you as well.

Good luck with it and, as they said in Point Break "It'll change your
life, swear to God." - okay, so they were talking about surfing, but
they could've been talking about skiing.

Matt