So the idea of skiing is exciting but once you start to consider all the things you need to go skiing, as a first timer things start to get a little daunting. Lift passes, ski hire, clothing – it can all seem a bit much (or at least it did for us).
So after our first time in the snow we thought we would put together some of our top tips for the first time skier.
1 – Don’t over book your lift pass.
So you are going on a skiing vacation and it can be awfully tempting to book your lift pass to ski for the full duration of your vacation. You are travelling all that way so why wouldn’t you plan to ski everyday. Lift passes can usually be purchased to ski a certain number of days inside a defined window such as a 5 day lift pass allowing you to ski 5 days out of 7 for example. Just remember skiing is hard work and if you have never done it before chances are your going to find some muscles you didn’t even know you had. Remember you need some down time. Skiing for a day or two and then taking a break is a good idea to let the muscles recover. We booked a 6 day ski pass to use over 8 days. This of course included Christmas and one day where it was just too cold to ski (going outside in minus 30 degree Celsius just isn’t a good idea). We actually only skied for 3 days so wasted 3 days of our lift pass. In hindsight for our first time, we probably should have booked a maximum of 4 days. Oh well you live and learn.
2 – No matter how good you think you will be lessons are a must.
We hit the slopes on day one and Steve had big ambitions to ski the highest peak we could see by the end of the week. I mean, we have watered skied, have reasonable co-ordination, we can roller blade, ride a bike…. how hard can skiing really be – right? Well let us tell you its not as easy as you may think, you are literally sliding over ice with nothing but your skis and legs to slow you down. We decided before we hit the slops that lessons were in order and booked a full day, by the end of the day we had learned some very valuable lessons. “Snow Plow” – thats right how to stop! Then there is steering that was a whole other experience and one that really begs the question – are your hips are really supposed to flex that much? But by the end of the day we did jump on a chair lift on a basic run and put our days lesson into good use. Im not sure we were quite ready but hey nothing like giving it a go. Needless to say we got to the top of the slop and looked down to where we were going, terrified knowing the only way down was on the skis or at the very least rolling. Our first run was mixed with some success and many failures. We did manage to ski most of the way down helped out by some forward momentum of the rolling kind!
3 – Neck Gaiter, Balaclava, Beanie – accessories to stay warm.
You need to remember when we were in Banff it was unusually cold, in fact one day it was colder in Banff than the North Pole at some -30 degrees Celsius. So our recommendations on clothing will be influenced by this. We took some ski gloves we bought back home in Australia, and a neck gaiter we picked up at Kathmandu, goggles from Anaconda and some wool socks! After our first day in the snow we quickly realised that our gloves just weren’t warm enough. Now, there are these amazing things called hand and feet heaters. They are disposable bags of some heavy grainy stuff (I think they have iron in them) and they heat up when exposed to air. These things are amazing!!!! but don’t work so well in fingered gloves as you can’t get them down each of the fingers of the glove. We picked up a pair of mittens where all four of your fingers are in the one chamber. You can then easily put the hand heaters down on your fingers and keep them warm almost all day. Likewise feet heaters in your socks ensure that you toes stay toasty warm. The only downside to these heaters are that they make your hands and feet sweat, and wet hands and feet in the snow means they start to freeze. Its a good idea to dry your hands and feet off occasionally through out the day. The heaters in the toilets are great for drying out your gloves and socks. Before we left we also picked up a Neck Gaiter as someone said that these were handy to keep your neck and face warm instead of a scarf. These things are terrific as you can pull them up over your face and nose, except as you breath they too tend to get a little wet and freeze up so the same hand dryer trick works a treat. While we were in Banff it was so cold we bought a balaclava to go over our neck gaiter for extra warmth. Of course the trusted beanie is so important as much of your body warmth escapes through your head so a wooly beanie is an absolute must under your helmet plus it keeps your ears warm!
4 – Clothing & Ski equipment
So much of your ski gear can be hired. I mean, if your a first time skier there is no point buying all your stuff until you at least know you enjoy it. We hired our ski jacket, ski pants, skis, boots and poles and of course our helmet. Everything else was ours. So under our ski pants we both had thermals on both the ski pants and thermals kept us reasonably warm. Under our ski jackets we had a layer of fleece, then under that we had thermals again. Wool socks are a must to keep your toes warm. Kathmandu has an amazing range of thermals which are designed to wick water (yeah sweat) away from your body so you stay dry as its amazing how much you sweat when skiing even though its so cold. In fact the adrenaline coming down a mountain sh#&ing you pants is enough to thaw you out! In Banff we hired our ski gear through Adventure Hub in the centre of Banff. If you want to hire a snowboard rather than skis make sure you order ahead as they didn’t have any snowboards left when we went to pick up our gear.
5 – Getting to the slopes
If you are planning to do nothing but ski its a good idea to stay on the slopes if possible. In Banff Sunshine Village ski resort has rooms right on the slopes. If you plan on mixing it up with some skiing and some other activities then staying on the slopes probably won’t work for you as the ski resorts (in Banff at least) aren’t close to town. If you are not staying on the slopes make sure that your lift pass includes transfers to and from your hotel to the ski resort. Next time we visit Banff we are going to stay on the slopes for 3 or 4 days for skiing and then transfer back into town as getting yourself (with 50 layers of clothing) and your skis onto a bus everyday requires a lot of effort.
6 – Lift Passes – which resorts?
Choosing which resorts to ski at if you have never been before is a challenge. Knowing which runs to do as a first time is even more daunting. Obviously we can’t speak for all ski towns, but Banff at least has some great options. First of all you can get a Ski Big3 pass that allows you to ski at either Sunshine Village, Lake Louise and Mt Norquay. We only skied at Sunshine Village which has a range of great slopes for beginners. Some are so flat that you really have to work at moving forward, but at least your not tumbling down a mountain either. We did go to Lake Louise Ski Resort and it looked to be even more suited to the beginner with at least one big wide run that was straight! The lift pass is a plastic tag that has a barcode on it and a hole in the top to put a zip tie through. We quickly learned by seeing everyone around us that you zip tie your lift pass to your jacket or pants.
7 – iPhones don’t like the cold
While it is tempting to cart your iPhone around in your pocket, remember that they do have a minimum operating temperature. I read that apple recommends that iPhones don’t operate under 0 degrees Celsius and are ok switched off in minus 4 degrees Celsius. We didn’t realise this until our phones shut off completely. I guess there is something built in when they get so cold and they just shut off. But needless to say I don’t think it does them much good. We carried our phones around in our pockets and actually had some troubles with the battery draining quickly afterwards. Not to mention there is a real risk of breaking the screen if you fall.!
8 – Check the weather forecast before heading out.
If you are staying at a hotel they usually have the daily weather forecast published at the concierge desk. Its a great idea to check this and also check in with the concierge to find out what the weather is doing for the day. There was one day in Banff (Boxing Day) where we planned to head out and if it wasn’t for the very concerned concierge telling us we were crazy we would have went out in minus 30 degrees Celsius. When he said “Ive lived here all my life and there is no way I would go out today” we certainly paid attention.
These are our top 7 tips for the first time skier! Of course these are based on our experiences in Banff, but hopefully they might help you if your heading to the snow for the first time.