To the uninitiated, it seems a risky prospect. You take a week of precious
holiday and a small mountain of cash, and bet them on the chance that at the
end of just five or six days, you’ll have mastered the art of skiing or
snowboarding. En route, you’ll endure subzero temperatures and endless
tumbles; and if you get bitten by the bug, you’ll be saddled with a
holidaying habit that costs roughly £1,000 a pop.
Is it worth it? We asked two beginners, fresh from last winter’s school of
hard knocks.
THE SKIER
Stephen Farrow, 29, is a solicitor and lives in London. He and his fiancée,
Lizzie Swaffield, learnt to ski last January in the French resort of
Méribel, taking five two-hour classes with the British ski school New
Generation (0844 484 3663, www.ski
newgen.com; £168).
How did it go? “Skiing was something Lizzie and I had always wanted to
try, but we found it pretty scary at first. You’re sliding down a mountain
strapped to a couple of planks, and you haven’t a clue how to stop. The
thought of losing control makes you really tense, and you’re far more likely
to fall over as a result. I certainly did — repeatedly — in the first two
days.
“By the third day, I’d realised I wasn’t in danger of seriously
hurting myself. I remember one slope that was a bit steeper than the ones we
were used to, but I managed to get down it without shooting off into the
banks of snow at the side of the piste. After that, I started to relax and
everything came together.
“I can’t pretend I’d cracked it by the end of the week. I wasn’t skiing on
blacks [steep pistes for advanced skiers], but I was comfortable on gentler
pistes, even trying a few small jumps.”
Did you enjoy it? “Yes. Being out in the mountains, doing
something active like that, was just great. My only regret is that I didn’t
learn earlier.”
Will you go again? “Not this year. Lizzie and I are getting married,
and we’ll use up all our holiday time on our honeymoon. But we’ll go back in
2011.”
Any tips for other beginners? “Go to ski school — a British one, if
possible. Our instructor, Euan Wright, was very encouraging. At no point did
I feel I was ‘getting it wrong’, even if sometimes I probably was. It was almost
like skiing with a friend. I’d also recommend staying in a chalet.
Ours [run by Meriski; 01285 648518, meriski.co.uk]
was very cosy — they even laid on tea and cake in the afternoon.”
Follow in his tracks: Méribel is the capital of the British chalet
holiday, and several companies offer them. Both Purple (01885 488799, www.purpleski.com)
and Fish & Pips (0845 474 1054, fishandpipsmeribelskichalet.co.uk)
have good reputations for food; Snowline chalets (0844 557 3118, snowline.co.uk)
often have extras such as hot tubs and home cinemas. One week at Snowline’s
Mira Belum, arriving on January 17, costs £929pp, half-board, including
flights and transfers.
THE SNOWBOARDER
Jennifer Morris, 35, is a pharmacy technician in London. She learnt to
snowboard last January in Avoriaz, France, taking three two-hour classes
with Avoriaz Alpine Ski School (01237 451099, www.avoriazalpineskischool.com;
£105).
How did it go? “It was so scary! It was my first time in the mountains,
and only once I was there did I realise that I hate cable cars and
chairlifts. Maybe I’ve seen too many films where they get stuck or fall off,
because I kept thinking that something terrible was going to happen. It was
awful.
“The other thing that struck me was that nobody tells you what to expect or
what to do. My snowboard class was at the top of a chairlift, and on the first
day, I had no idea how to get off one. I only survived because my friends
grabbed hold of my jacket so that I stayed upright.
“Then I spent the whole day falling over. To begin with, it was the only
way I could stop. By the second morning, I didn’t even want to get out of
bed. I just wanted to go home.”
You hated it, then? “The funny thing was, Avoriaz was so beautiful, it
made everything okay. My friends helped me to practise between lessons, and
were really encouraging. So by the end of the week, I could get down a slope
okay, although I still couldn’t turn properly.”
Will you go back? “In spite of everything, I can’t wait for the next
trip. It was so different from what I’m used to — being out in the mountains
with a group of friends. It was lots of fun.”
Any tips for other beginners? “Lots! First of all, I’d have lessons
before the holiday on an indoor slope [such as the Sno!Zones in Milton
Keynes, Castleford and Braehead; snozone.co.uk].
That way, everything won’t be quite so new and baffling. I’d make sure at
least one other complete beginner was coming, so there’s someone to practise
with, and I’d have one-on-one tuition, rather than being in a group.”
Follow in her tracks: Jennifer stayed in the valley beneath Avoriaz,
with Cornish Snow (00 33 4 50 79 20 18, cornishsnow.co.uk).
You can also stay up in Avoriaz itself, which makes for a much quicker
commute to the slopes. At the Chalet Les Lauzes, the piste is on your
doorstep; one week, arriving on January 17, costs £674pp, half-board,
including flights, with Ski Total (01252 618333, skitotal.com).
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