Like a lot of avid travellers, you may have wanted to go skiing for a long time, but never got around to making a big trip happen. While a ski trip can be as unforgettable as any other new travel experience, it’s very different to simply heading out to a city or region and seeing the sights. To make sure yours is a blast, here are some tips for making your first ski trip one to remember.

Don’t Let Friends or Family Be Your Instructors

Like most people on their first skiing holiday, you’ll probably be going with a few people who have more experience on the slopes than you do. If this is the case, then do not let any of them become your ski instructor. It’s almost guaranteed that they’ll get bored of walking you through the basics quickly, and drag you to the top of a black run with those dreaded words: “you’ll be fine”. The best thing you can do to get yourself up to speed is to find a ski school wherever you’re off to, and book yourself in for some lessons. The pros will be experienced dealing with beginners, won’t throw you out of your depth, and will quickly get you to a point where you’ll be able to join in with your whole travel party on green and blue runs.

Get a Chalet

Skiing holidays can be remarkably cheap.  That is, they can if you skimp on accommodation and book yourself into a self-catering apartment. However, if you’re a total beginner, you’ll be much better off getting a chalet. Ski resorts can be extremely overwhelming places if you’ve never been to one before, and there are probably going to be times where you want to call it a day early, get off the slopes, put your feet up, and recharge your batteries. Accommodation like the luxury Chalet La Petite Pia will be just what the doctor ordered when the slopes take it out of you. Some resorts will have chalet deals that allow you to talk regularly with the resort manager, who will be able to guide you around the resort, showing you important places such as the ski hire centre and the nursery slopes where you’ll find your footing. Just remember that the price of chalets can vary dramatically across the year, and you should try to avoid peak times to get a better deal.

Get Fit!

 The last thing you want is to blow a small fortune on a ski trip, and then wake up way too tired on half the days to hit the slopes with the same excitement as everyone else in your party. Yes, skiing is by definition, downhill. However, it’s still extremely demanding, and can really take it out of you if you’re not keeping fit and healthy. You don’t need to be a gym-bunny in the run-up to your trip, but it’s a good idea to spend some time on the treadmill, or start taking brisk walks around the block daily as the leaving date approaches.