First time snowboarder/skier

djheath

I am off snowboarding in France in January. I have never skied or snowboarded before and have no idea what to expect or what I will need, i.e clothers, useful equipment etc!!

Could someone help with what I should be looking to buy and where is the best place to get these things from at the lowest cost!

Thanks!

Little_Otter

Hi,
welcome to the wonderful world of snow holidays!!!! I went on my first Feb this year it was amazing, going again in January... cant wait.
Well, you will need
Thermals, tops and bottoms (even if the forecast is warm, just incase)
Skii/snowboard goggles (they look silly but you wont be able to see in a blizzard or if its really sunny/bright)
skis/snowboard unless you are hiring them (i'm hiring mine, didnt think there is any point buying them for my first couple of holidays) same with ski boots
Ski coat
waterproof pants (definately as you will prob be on your bum most of the time if its your first time, i was)
ski gloves (waterproof)
ski socks (you will need long ones to cover your calves where the boots may rub)
fleece
hat
night times/apres ski is quite relaxed and informed (in Austria it is not sure about France) wso nothing too fancy, just jeans and a top, and a warm coat, or you can just use your ski coat
evening boots (snow boots) oneil do a good selection, I have long cat boots. you will need something waterproof to keep your feet dry if there is snow in the resort centre.
I go to Go Outdoors or TK Maxx for all of this stuff, im not bothered what makes I wear so I just buy what I like, eg I got some white ski goggles with pink head strap TK maxx on Monday £19.99, my oh bought some posh named ones he wanted for £130ish last week (eeeek!!)
Your bag will be very full because of all the layers you will be taking but i would rather take them just incase than be cold.
hth x
(if i think of any more ill add to it ) x

Horace

Nip into your local Lidl store as they often have ski gear, nice sporty sunglasses and goggles that are fairly cheap. Decathlon sports shops also sell reasonably priced ski gear.

If you are going to France - don't make the mistake that I did and not have a few lessons before you go, their ski schools are fab if you are not English and if you are an absolute beginner. When I went I got booted out after 2 lessons and I had paid for a full week - after much argument I managed to get some private lessons but still felt that my holiday was ruined.:mad: Try and find a dry slope or if you are close to Milton Keynes or Tamworth, go to their snowdomes for some pre-ski trip lessons.

Apres ski in France is much the same as in Austria (although I think that the Austrian apres has more variety and a better atmosphere).

jeffy22

tk max has lots of cheap ski clothes and goggles
marks and spencers do good quality thermals
make sure you have goggles and not sunglasses so u dont look like a complete clueless tourist and also sunglasses fly off and get lost and broken

rent boards and boots as you may not enjoy it and never want to go again, there will be loads of rental shops in resort or ask ur rep for the best deals

bclark

Can I suggest that you try and learn in this country before going too. I took two Snowboarding lessons in the Snowdome at Tamworth before going and whilst I wasn't expert it meant that I was good enough to get straight into it. I found that it was cheaper than the Ski Schools in resort and didn't mean that I wasted any holiday.

djheath

Brilliant! Thanks everyone, that's just the kind of info I needed.

I live near a dry ski slope and plan to have a few lessons before I go. I wil also be hiring all the hardware so no worries there.
I will delve into tk max now I think and see what stuff they have!

Thanks again!

maslerdanch

I got all my stuff for my ski trp in TKMAXX but don't wait for there to be a sale in January as they don't have sales and by jan 1st last year they had very limited stock. Make sure you search through their stuff and take your time - I got a gore-tex jacket and some matching gore-tex salopettes for £90 - my girlfriend got some good salopettes for a tenner (they were probably better than my gor-tex!)

I would reccommend skiing/boarding lessons and getting as fit as you can... you will have a much better time - see the BBC guide

Hire the hardware - boots skis/board - in resort it's cheaper than buying and any airlines extortionate fees for transporting ski gear.

If you don't have a preference to ski or board - do skiing as it's quicker to pick up than boarding (you'l spend most of the week on your bum).
If you are going to board get some wrist protectors (like those for skating/blading) as this is the most common injury for boarders and will ruin your week.