Get Fit

Being in shape for your first ski holiday is important for several reasons.

Having good aerobic fitness can keep you skiing for longer each day, and leave you more refreshed at the end of each day. Muscle strength is also a sure-fire way to avoid major injury, especially relating to ligaments. That being said, you don’t need to be marathon shape before hitting the slopes; tailor your own fitness based on the amount and intensity of skiing you aim to do, and what you otherwise do off the slopes.

A week in the mountains requires good stamina to keep you going the whole time and asks a lot of specific muscle groups. It is recommended that you begin to think about your mountain fitness about 6 weeks before you go, especially if you don’t do much fitness otherwise.

However, you don’t have to slave away in the gym for all this time! We’ve teamed up Chemmy Alcott, former British Olympic downhill skier and Ski Club Honourary President, to give you some exercises to do at home before you hit the hills. Good aerobic fitness can be generated from running or cycling, and sports like bouldering or rock climbing can be excellent ways to generate key core muscle strength rather than simply lifting weights.

For all our top fitness tips and tricks, head over to our Get Fit for Skiing Page

Get Dressed

It is important to dress appropriately for the mountains.

Not only can it be very, very cold, but it can rain or snow on you, whilst at the same time you can get quite warm from the exercise you’re doing in the hills. Ski gear has been specially designed to keep you warm and dry, as well as vent the heat you generate skiing or boarding. On the flip side, a spring ski trip can be bathed in sunshine and double digit temperatures!

If you’ve already got some outdoor or sports gear, this will be a good start – sports base layers to wick away sweat, or fleece to keep you warm. What’s most important are good quality jackets and trousers. These need to be waterproof, to keep the rain and snow out, as well as warm, to keep out the cold.

You’ll also need a good quality pair of skiing or boarding gloves – warm and highly water resistant – and appropriate ski socks – long enough to come nearly up to your knee, which is where the ski boot will reach to, and warm. Modern ski socks are relatively thin, and work to generate blood flow to the feet to keep them warm, rather than being big and bulky.

For all the best tips on ski clothing, head over to our “Equipment & Clothing” section for a full run through of everything you’ll knee to wear skiing or boarding. Ski Club members also receive 15% discount at Snow & Rock, our Preferred equipment and clothing partner!

Get Familiar with Skiing

Now more than ever it is possible to take your first snowsports steps before you even get to the mountains!

There are many “dry-slope” ski centres around the UK. These use a material similar to a door mat to allow skis to slide nice and easily over the surface. They provide a great introductory experience to skiing and snowboarding, and have the added benefit of being usable regardless of the weather outside!

However, Dry Slopes are not perfect, and it is possible to experience real-snow skiing right here in the UK. As well as the five alpine resorts in Scotland, there are a range of indoor real-snow ski centres dotted around the UK. These include Milton Keynes, Hemel Hempstead, Tamworth (near Birmingham), Manchester, Leeds, and Glasgow (Braehead). These offer year-round real snow lessons as well as skiing opportunities.

At the Ski Club, would highly recommend heading to one of these centres, either real snow or dry slope, and taking a couple of lessons to just get used to the equipment and some of the skills involved. Then, when you head to the mountains proper, you’ll be that little bit more familiar with skiing and boarding and in the best position to become a master at either!

You can find the closest dry slope, Scottish mountain resort, or indoor snow centre using our UK Slopes Map feature, below.

Be Safe

Skiing is mostly a safe sport; if not treated with the respect it deserves however, things can go wrong.

It is important to learn to ski properly before venturing out on your own, joining your friends on the hill, or skiing with the kids. Ski schools teach you good technique to keep you safe and reduce the risk of injury, and they also help other mountain users, too. By sharing good on-slope etiquette, such as ensuring you are stopping in the right places and knowing how to tackle changing snow conditions, everyone is safer on the mountain as a result.

Learn to read a piste map, and understand the difference between and blue and a black run – how definitions of run gradings may change from country to country.

Finally, if you are beginning your off-piste and backcountry journey, learn how the factors effecting mountain safety change away from marked and patrolled areas.

All this and more is available in our “Staying Safe” section, following the links below.

​