Your First Skiing Vacation

Lots of people enjoy skiing, however if you have never been skiing before it can be quite scary the first time you decide you are going to give it a go. One of the best ways to learn to ski is by booking skiing lessons and having professional training. You can even do this on you vacation so you can still go skiing even if you cannot ski. A good way to see if you like skiing prior to spending a fortune on your vacation and skiing equipment is to go to your nearest ski slope, these can be both indoor and outdoor slopes, and some of the indoor slopes even have snow instead of the dry ski slope option. Once you have decided that skiing is for you, you will need to make sure you have the right clothing for your ski trip.

There is some basic skiing clothing which you will need to buy to make sure you are going to be comfortable enough to ski. The clothing needs to both protect you from the cold temperatures and also be fairly waterproof as snow is wet. The clothing also needs to let your body breath as you will get hot skiing. The best methods are to wear lots of layers instead of one big thick layer, this way if you get hot you can take a layer off, once you cool down you can then put it back on again. The standard clothing you will need is a ski jacket and pants, fleece tops, sweater, thermal underwear, ski socks, ski gloves, hat, goggles and sunglasses. You should be able to rent the skis, poles, boots and helmet from a ski shop or at the resort.

As mentioned layers are the key to keeping warm enough when skiing and the recommendation is the three layer system. This consists of a protective outer layer which is both windproof and waterproof but also made from a breathable material. A insulating layer which could be a sweater or a fleece and finally a base layer which will be a fleece which will be both warm and lightweight enough to dry quickly or thermal vest. The skiing trousers will be the same as the ski jacket and underneath you should wear thermal leggings or underwear. Make sure that you only wear one pair of socks as wearing multiple layers of socks will reduce the blood circulation and make you feet feel colder. The best socks are thick thermal socks which will keep your feet warm. You ski gloves should be thick enough to keep your fingers and hands warm but not too thick that you cannot grip your ski poles, a hat is also recommended to keep your head warm and I would also wear a ski helmet as there are lots of needless injuries to the head caused by people not wearing a helmet.

Another item you would think you would not need but do is a pair of sunglasses they need to provide UV protection and should be shatter proof and they should not come off too easily when you are skiing so a pair of wrap around or glasses with a cord would be the best option. You can wear sunglasses under your goggles if you decide you want skiing goggles as well. You should also take some sun tan cream for your face as this gets the most exposure to the sun when skiing. Once you have your basic kit you are ready to decide where to take your first skiing vacation, make sure you can hire the other kit you will need such as skis and poles plus boots at the resort you are going to, booking these in advance may be a wise option if you are going in peak season.