How can I make a skiing trip enjoyable for beginners in my group?

H

hskip

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I am going on a group ski holiday this winter and there is a family who hasn't been skiing before. I know this can be quite intimidating for beginners so any advice on making sure they come away wanting more and not hating it would be great! :)
 
treat the whole thing as an experience in the mtns, they almost certainly aren't going purely to maximize their skiing laps. they're likely to equally enjoy the views, the accommodations, the apre, the people watching...just being Out There

bring all the good gear you have and offer it up, i've saved many a casual skier's day by lending them a nice warm dry pair of gloves, goggles, jacket whatever

bring snacks/beers/whatever might enable a morale boost when needed

keep a look out for your people and make sure theyre comfy with their equipment, aren't feeling left behind etc
 
If they're getting rentals (either from the mountain, or a shop nearby) pick them up the day before you actually go skiing. Having to deal with trying on/picking up rentals is enough hassle that it can ruin a day before you even start skiing. Plus it feels good to have your shit and just hit the mountain at the same time as everyone else.
 
Unless you know how to teach them, my experience is that they’ll be much better off getting a group lesson from a real instructor. Don’t take them straight up ‘the big hill’
 
Some resorts offer cheap initiation rates. It includes rentals, helmet, day pass and one hour private lesson. Sometimes ya gotta look hard and ask around.
 
topic:hskip said:
I am going on a group ski holiday this winter and there is a family who hasn't been skiing before. I know this can be quite intimidating for beginners so any advice on making sure they come away wanting more and not hating it would be great! :)
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Best idea is to go somewhere that is all easy skiing around the base of the station/car parks so they do not have to either take lift back to town at the end of the day, or get scared trying to ski it when they're not ready - and this is a very common misjudgment of folks thinking a blue run (European scale) will be fine for a total beginner. If you are a very good skier yourself and capable to teaching them a bit that is fine, but it is time consuming and slow as a process, so some professional lessons can be a good way to go. And either group lessons or solo lessons can be the way to go depending on the character of the person in question. I've seen some women I know throw their rattles out of the pram completely with frustration, crying and all sorts, total hysteria on one or two occasions.

Another good idea is to go try it out on anything local including dry slopes just to get the feel of having skis and boots on the feet, before the holiday proper. I trained up my wife from complete novice, and the first thing I did was get boots and skis on feet in the house and have her walk around and side step, turn 180 degrees etc. It can also be a bit of fun doing this in the house cause there's no social embarrassment going on by constantly fucking up in public. Some adults don't get on well with being a complete novice again as stated above... rattles on standby.
 
Bring them to a smaller, more lowkey kinda hill during the week so its not at all crowded. Also its up to u to keep the good vibes goin, so laugh and smile alot. This has to be stress free the entire time for them to love it.
 
topic:hskip said:
I am going on a group ski holiday this winter and there is a family who hasn't been skiing before. I know this can be quite intimidating for beginners so any advice on making sure they come away wanting more and not hating it would be great! :)
Click to expand...

Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. Plan regular rest breaks in restaurants preferably, this will keep folk warm and at appropriate energy levels. Skiing is very hard work for people that have never done it before, unless they are very fit in the first place. Another good idea would be doing some exercise with the people in question, things like calf raises, squats planking, press ups sit ups etc will all help get some muscle tone. A common problem is severe stiffness cause people have zero muscle memory or tone before starting and the fun factor and adrenaline can keep people going til they are going to suffer badly the next day.... Also, much shorter skis to begin with will help make things easier. As an example, my wife's first pair were ex-hire kit which were only 145cm length, and when she was able to ski around most of a decent sized resort with me the right size plank for her was 170cm. Shorter is easier til the people get the idea.

Another thing to do if possible is go ice skating, the motion and balance are actually pretty similar. Not the same, but close. It's not often someone starts skiing in their 20s and gets exceptional at it, particularly things like high level park skiing. The only guy I met that was that late starting and was shit hot, was an ex ice-hockey player from Switzerland.
 
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