need advice - Ski trips in January 2008 for husbands b/day

jamminjamaica

hi there

my hhusband turns 30 in January and i would love to surprise him with a birthday trip away skiing. only thing is i know nothing about skiing, where to go, what you need to buy, etc.

i would like advice on best places to go skiing and what you need to get for a ski trip. ie passes, gear etc.

monkeyspanner

Have a look at this thread which gives some basic info http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=361067&highlight=ski+trip
If you do a search you should find more threads.

Your best bet is a package. You will be able to bolt on lessons and ski/boot hire as the operators will be keen to sell you extras and these are generally ok value.

The following are the main operators and the brochures have been out for some time you should be OK for January though as this is not peak season.
Crystal ski
Thomson Ski
Inghams
Neilson
Airtours
First Choice
Panorama
Virgin (Mainly USA resorts)

Its also worth looking at https://www.iglu.com which has built up a large section of the ski business.

As for clothes go for layers. Essentials will be Jacket, Trousers(salopettes), thermal layers, good quality gloves, socks, hat. Don't go mad and buy ski boots or skis its better to hire until you know what style and manufacturers products you like. Good value sources for all these are Aldi, Lidl, Tk Maxx, Trespass outlet shops, Asda also do a range I think. These are all seasonal ranges so you will need to watch out for them as they hit the shops in Autumn/early winter. Look for breathable items so you don't build up a lot of moisture in your gear as this will make you cold.

If you want to try skiing prior to going look for a dry ski slope near you they will normally run autumn starter lessons. Or preferably try one on the indoor snow slopes e.g. Tamworth or Milton Keynes as dry slope skiing is nothing like the real thing other than getting a feel for the gear.

Remember to get insurance ski injuries can be expensive! Try https://www.insureandgo.com you can get reasonably priced single trip or bolt on ski cover to and anual insurance.

theradfords

We went skiing for the first time last year. We went to Ruka in Northern Finland ( Lapland), it was fantastic as there other winter things to do there, Husky rides, reindeer safaris, Northern Lights. There is never a shortage of snow either, which there can be in central Europe. Additionally I loved it, it was a winter wonderland, so much snow and so beautiful with the snow covered trees etc, which again you may not get in central Europe.
Inghams is the best holiday brochure for this, and if you avoid school holidays you can get a good deal.

lynzpower

A quick note of caution for you jammin, having skiied a few times in my life, I wonder how you would buy the right clothing for him,. Its imperitive that everything fits well, and indeed if possible to have fittings of salopettes - just in case.

the other thing tio note ( which I plainly ignored last time, and paid for it with a ski-iers knee injury :wall: ) is that you are supposed to do specific excercises to knees and ankles to prevent the killer skiiers knee and otherwise

just did a QUICK GOOGLE and came up with this http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/skiers-injuries.html but there are plenty of others. they are not HARD to do these excesizes even me with poor fitness can do them - I was just lazy and didnt bother, and the common injury of skiiers knee I believe is when the thigh bone slices through the cartlidge behind your knee cap and crushes the bone which is effectively your shin. ( thbats certainly what happened to me) This would simply NOT have happened if Id have done the excercises- every physio I saw for 6 months told me so.

I dont want to be the voice of doom, in fact maybe you & OH are already quite fit unlike moi! but I think trying to keep this one a secret- good luck to you!

croninsn

go for a package holiday ,We have had half board as you will be too tired to cook,great holiday but make sure you are not unfit.