Ski-ing for 1st time - advice please
 

I have booked a surprise winter holiday for my family in Seefeld at Christmas this year staying at Alpenpark. I have also booked a week's snowboarding package for my two sons (18 and 25), neither of whom have ever been on a snowboard (or skis come to that!) I'm a bit like Bambi on skis and so thought some cross country lessons might be a good idea for hubby and myself. I need some ideas pleae. As we are new to this, we have no ski-ing clothes. Are there shops to hire ski jackets, etc. in Seefeld (I know there are plenty of ski hire shops but need to check on the clothing). Also (stupid question maybe), what do people wear when they're off-piste? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Some cross-country lessons seem very very sound. That is the premium way to get into the skiing basics, especially the balance and how to move your legs on the slippy snow.
Dressing: For your purpose I definetly would choose a thin two-part microfiber ski suit, and also thin underwear. The latter is in Norway called "super-underwear". It is synthetic and has very good breathing and swet transportation capabilities. The underwear also come in two parts, which I prefer, and it also comes in versions with wool and fibers, which I do not prefer. For me, the super underwear, a thin woolen sweather and then the ski-suit is perfect for all temperatures down to 20-25 celsiuses below freezing point.
Swix is the name for one of the world's leading ski equipment companis. Norwegian based and supporting most Scandinavian cross-country skiers, wether novises or in the Olympic class.
http:www.swixsport.com will give you good info on products. But beware that the pages tend to focus a little more on competition equipments than ordinary traing or leisure skiing. Especially Take a loo at the undewears and the jackets, and I'm sure you'll get good ideas on clothing.
One more thing: Whatever you wear, never (NEVER) use any cotton when skiing. Cotton never gets rid of the moisture and will turn you cold and stiff and unhappy. Combinations of synthetic and wool is the one and only solution, and multiple thin (THIN) layers works much much better than a few thick. Hence the thick sweathers also should be banned, if swetting and boiling is not what you want.
Have a nice ski holiday all of you!
Bjorn, Oslo

Wrist injuries are very common in snowboarding. The teenage son of a friend of ours got one on his first lesson. In the local Truckee Hospital, they have a banner that is signed by every person with a wrist injury, or so I have been told. Make sure your sons wear wrist guards.

Going out on a limb here, But I am guessing that Glynis does not know where Truckee is - - or specifically that it is in the Sierra Nevadas on the California-Nevada border near Reno.

Certain little hints cause me to speculate that Glynis is from the UK. I rather hope so, actually - - because I have to wonder if a trip all the way to Austria would even be a great idea (financially, at least) for first-time skiers.

But from the UK (be still, my envy) - - with fares next to nothing on ryanair (to Graz or Salzburg) - - no doubt it's attractive an intro to skiing as one can get.

I don't know skiing "forum" websites on the internet - - but if there were a place as friendly as this, oriented to helping newbie skiers - - I bet you would get a ton of info more useful than you would find here.

Best wishes,

Rex Bickers
Floyds Knobs, Indiana

Falling seems to be much more a part of learning to snowboard than learning to ski. We took a friend, who was a first-time boarder (we're skiers) along with us to Meribel last year. After the first two days his body was pretty banged up in a few areas and he opted for some boarding pants (and I think also a jacket) that have foam padding in the key places - he says they saved his vacation, if not his life, so you may want to look into those for your sons.

Glynis (and Rex) - The Ski Club of Great Britain has a wonderful web site with more information than you can imagine on skiing and boarding all over the world. Most of the site is free, but there is additional information and a chat room available for members, and membership is not expensive. www.skiclub.co.uk

Thank you all for your replies so far. Rex - I'm curious to know what it was about my message that made me stand out as from the UK - I actually live in Jersey in the Channel Islands. Many thanks for all the tips about the snowboarding - I'll make sure the boys are well equipped. G

GlynisW,

I don't think you will find any shops in Seefeld that rent apparel apart from skiing boots or shoes respectively for cross-country skiing.

Bjorn's advice on cross-country skiing apparel is spot on, I believe and should be as Norway is certainly one of the cross-country skiing capitals in the world (if they haven't even invented it).

Dressing in layers is crucial, as cross-country skiing can be quite strenuous - more than downhill.

For snowboarding there are boarders pants available in good sport shops. I only ski downhill, but my observation is that those boarders spend considerable time sitting in the snow. So make sure those pants are strengthened on the back (and the knees) and moisture proof. Gore Tex will be the luxury material for all of your clothing.

Depending on the season you go, I have actually found that wearing Jeans (and under them some longjohns) under some golf or sailing rainsuit will do just fine for downhill skiing, so it might be sufficient for snowboarding, too, unless you plan on going some time in January or December.

With regards to off-piste clothes, I would say that anything that keeps you warm enough is adequate. Even Seefeld being a bit of an upscale ski resort is pretty casual. Even Jeans will do fine unless you plan on dining out in an especially nice restaurant.
People that would look crossly at you wearing anything other than formal, will disqualify themselves for being snobs and not real skiiers anyway :-) !

Happy "SCHIFOAHN" (Phonetic Austrian expression for skiing and pronounced like "Sheefawn")
hsv

I noticed three things which indicate you are from the UK:
1. "ski-ing" vs. "skiing"
2. "hire" vs. "rent"
3. A holiday in Austria for first time skiers and snowboarders.

Enjoy your holiday. I'm sure it won't be your last time.

One word of caution: as well as wrist injuries, concussions are quite common in snowboarding. Make sure your sons hire helmets with their boards.

Laverendrye pointed out three, Here are four more:

1. your name, Glynis
2. your use of the word "holiday" at all, instead of "vacation"
3. your use of the word "booked" instead of "reserved"
4. your use of the expression "off-piste" instead of "off the slopes" or "apres-ski" (now outdated)

It's the aggregate, since Americans might say any <i>one</i> of thee things - - and particularly the choice of Austria for first-time skiers that made me suspect you are not from the US (as a very large number of visitors are, who come here).

Couple of tips: Cross-country skiing is very enjoyable, but it is tiring and strenuous. We tried it for the first time last winter, and found it more tiring than downhill skiing. So make sure you are in reasonable shape, especially your leg muscles.

Take a supply of Arnica tablets (available from Boots and homeopathic stores) for aches and pains. An excellent, tried and tested (by me!) remedy for sore muscles.

Also, you may not want (or you may be too tired) to ski all day every day at first, so factor in a bit of alternative entertainment as well.

Off-piste does not really mean &quot;off the slopes&quot; or &quot;apres-ski&quot;. It means skiing away from the marked pistes (or runs, as North Americans would say). A general term for this in N.A. is &quot;back-country&quot; skiing.

Glynis: We love Jersey!... and Guernsey!... and Alderney! (Next visit must include Sark.) Americans don't know enough about your beautiful islands.

Have a great time on your holiday!

Please don't even think about off-piste if you're a first-timer! * )

Clothes for evenings: warm, comfy, clingy (if you've got a figure to show off). Lots of layers; bars are hot. Nothing like enjoying a few drinks in the evening &amp; crunching back to the chalet through the snow . . . Seefeld isn't as chic as other AT resorts so no need to break out the Chanel.

You'll have a great trip; perhaps get some time in on an indoor ski slope next time you're all on the mainland -- useful for getting one's ski legs.
HTH

Glynis:

Your younger son will sort himself out, and will spur the elder to do likewise.

The issue is you and your husband.

1. Unless you're interested in posing in clubs (and my view is that at our age, there are more interesting things to do, most of which involve hearing what other people have to say) before and after skiing wear whatever keeps you warm. After-ski footwear (warm, waterproof, slip-proof boots) is essential. Virtually everything else (but see below) is pretty much what you'd wear to walk round Britain in the winter, but heavier - or another layer.
Most of the apres ski stuff happens indoors - and indoors at ski resports is VERY well heated.
But if one of you doesn't take to skiing, you need to be able to walk round.
2. I find thermal underwear essential on the pistes
3. I don't know the resort. But downhill and cross-country pistes (the British term for what Americans and Aussies call trails) are rarely close. If the boys can skiboard, it's unlikely there'll be convenient cross-country pistes. The techniques are different, and there are few - if any - cross-country lessons outside resorts. And it's just as potentially demoralising to learn cross country as downhill.
Your resort will have lots of real downhill beginner lessons. For pre-preparation, there are several dry ski places in Britain that do beginner classes, though I imagine they're rarer in northern France.
Slightly different subject: you might find pre-ski classes at your local gym. They don't get you used to skis, but they shape up the muscles you'll find you've never used before. This is especially important for mature beginners. The basic survival technique - an inelegant posture called the snowplough - puts strains on your leg muscles.
4. Buying/borrowing. You should hire boots and skis locally. You need to bring with you for skiing, bought or borrowed, a skijacket, snow-resistant trousers, warm socks, ski gloves and thermal underwear. And a hat
Traditionally, THE best value place for all this is C+A, though bigger Carrefours, Mammouths etc have them in France from late November. Since C+A pulled out of the UK, this is mostly easier to get cheap in France, though M+S do the gloves and socks.
One new, amazing value, operator in all this is Tchibo, the extraordinary German coffee shop + phenomenal bargains chain. Follow their website (www.tchibo.co.uk) as the season draws near, for terrific value on ski jackets and trousers.
Don't dismiss borrowing. Underwear aside, everyone I know borrowed the first time.

Good luck

PS:

For the avoidance of doubt, a quick point about Skinglish.

- Off-piste is where you absolutely do not dream of going till you're a lot more confident.

- Off the pistes is where you will spend a lot of time: getting to and from them, doing real-life things and so on. There is, BTW, no law that says a beginner (or anyone else) has to spend every daylight hour on the pistes. Gentle meandering around Alpine paths in ordinary warm, dry clothes can be blissful. Especially if you're:
-Piste off. A common frame of mind among mature learners, especially when they see children mastering in a nanosecond what they can't do after a week. The reason why warm, dry, comfortable clothing and footwear that works off the pistes is essential.