Beginner Skiing Vacation Tips
Where and When to Go for Your First Ski Trip
Each ski resort has its own character, and will appeal to a different type of person. As you plan your first ski trip, you need to decide on the type of vacation you would prefer. Are you looking for the opportunity to enjoy a family vacation, or you would you prefer a resort that has an active après ski social scene? Perhaps you would like a chance to go overseas. Your preferences will help you determine which resort would be most suitable.
Other factors to be considered are trip costs, travel time issues and the ability to tolerate high altitude or sub-zero temperatures.
The Early Skier Catches the Goods
In general, the keyword for planning a successful ski trip is “early,” as in early season, early arrival, early lunch and early departure. If you plan your ski for early December, you will usually be treated to relatively decent snow, shorter lift lines, less crowded trails and possibly cheaper prices. Ski classes will have smaller groups, and there will be more space in the cafeteria. To avoid traffic jams and long lines at the ticket booth and rental area, try to arrive at the ski area before 9AM. It will also be much easier to find a parking space in the earlier hours of the day.
Between noon and 1PM, ski area cafeterias tend to be extremely crowded. As such, you should try to have lunch at between 11AM and noon. Then, when you go back to the slopes at noon, they will be relatively empty. Even seasoned skiers have a profound dislike for the chaos that takes place in the late afternoon. Quite often, the flat light makes it impossible to see where you are going. In many cases, the resort has a single trail that leads to the base area. This means that everyone is zooming down the trail at the same time, which can be terrifying for a novice skier. As such, you should plan to leave the resort by 2:30PM.
*Photo Skiers and Snowboarders Enjoy a Quiet Slope at Brighton, Utah
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