do you have to do ski school on a ski holiday

derek bilko

just wondering me and 3 lads are thinking of going on a ski holiday just wondering do you have to do the ski school even though we havnt skied before we just want to go and have abit of crack without it being to expensive we can get flights transfers and accom for €500 WE dont want to spend another €250 on ski school just do abit of skiing and have abit of banter at a reasonable cost

jameshayes

derek bilko wrote: »

just wondering me and 3 lads are thinking of going on a ski holiday just wondering do you have to do the ski school even though we havnt skied before we just want to go and have abit of crack without it being to expensive we can get flights transfers and accom for €500 WE dont want to spend another €250 on ski school just do abit of skiing and have abit of banter at a reasonable cost

You wont get far without the basics at least, and if your seen not to be able to ski and getting trouble they'll kick you off the mountain and take your lift pass because you'll be a danger to others.

If you didn't want to shell out the full weeks worth of ski school, you could get some private lessons as a group - 1 day of lessons might get you to a level that you wont kill yourself, it normally works out about 20 an hour per person for a group

Russman

derek bilko wrote: »

just do abit of skiing

That's a lot harder than you might think, if you've never skied before.
I was total beginner two years ago when I went first, and honestly, wouldn't have had a chance if I didn't do the lessons, and probably wouldn't have enjoyed the holiday. The lessons themselves were great craic, I was the only beginner in the group I travelled with, but I was put into a beginners class of 9 people and we had a great week, hardly saw my mates at all for the week !

Seriously though, first time skiing, without lessons, is madness IMHO.

Sleepy

Of the 4 ski holidays I've been on, I've booked ski school for 3 of them and tbh I'm still only an intermediate skier. The one time I didn't book was because we were only over in Sierra Nevada for 4 nights and I'd been skiing the previous two years with ski-school so was well capable of getting down anything I might come across on-piste.

Even disregarding what you'll learn in a week of ski-school, it seriously adds to the experience of a ski holiday. Having to make ski-school in the mornings will get you out of your bed when you're hung-over from the previous day's after-ski and the after-ski will be a lot more fun when you know a few people in the bar from your ski-class.

Fattes

derek bilko: Have a look at doing a one day course at the Ski Club of Ireland before you go or 4 lessons at the Ski Centre in Sandyford.

It will work out about 120 euro’s a head for the two options above and will give you enough ski ability to get from A – B on a blue run & some mild reds depending on the resort while on your ski holiday. Jameshayes advice abot is also pretty spot on and excellent advice,a morning private lesson is nearly as valuable as 2-3 days group lessons.

Now with the serious head on; you won’t get far, you will probably end up hurt at worst and miserable at best. You will be putting yourself and others at risk and may invalidate any travel insurance you have if you have just gone out skiing without any lessons or guidance. Even figuring out how to get up, put the skis back on if the binding has released at the heal etc will be a challenge and a waste of holiday time without lessons.

I am a ski instructor and teach about 100 -150 hours a year in various places, I have seen every standard of beginner and every possible scenario you could imagine with those new to the sport, there is a technique to it, and I know it seems like a big outlay but it is worth it.

Let us know if you need anythign else or have any questions we can help with here.

fobster

I highly recommend checking out www.action-outdoors.co.uk.

I got the following package in Les Deux Alpes for €700. Flights are 150-200 with Ryanair.

Lift pass for 6.5 days, ski rental for 6.5 days, 5 half-day ski lessons, accommodation in a 4-bed dorm, all your meals, transfers to/from Grenoble.

If the 4 of ye book a place in a 4-bed dorm under the one group they'll put you together.

mahoney_j

Going on my fourth ski holiday in jan and its the first year in not getting lessons,I may get a 1 day lesson as with skiing your always learning.
If this is your first ski holiday then you do need a full weeks lessons.its usually 2 hours am and 2 pm and then you have some time on your own.withoutvtfem you will struggle to even put in skis or ski to any sort of level that will lead you to enjoy the holiday.also you will proably end up injured or put someone else in danger.a good instructor will give good guidance and also show u best runs for your level .you will also meet up with different nationalities who will turn into après buddies and make the holiday a whole lot more injoyable.

Budawanny

OP is probably thinking sure its a bit of sliding , how hard can it be..
Alot harder than you imagine, especially when you fall on compacted Ice/snow or crash backwards out of control into a tree.
and all on the kiddie slope. get lessons. You would be crazy not too.

if there are T-bar lifts it could be a real night mare..

derek bilko

cheers for the replies guys i know its fairly mad not to do the ski school... we dont want to spent the whole week in the ski school we just want to know the basics really maybe if just booked two or three private lessons it would suit us.... where thinking of going to soll in austria does anyone if the private lessons are cheap there????

Fattes

derek bilko: Soll, is probably the cheapest big european resort so that should help, there are plenty on here that have contacts their etc.

As for Lessons you get could most of it out of the way here before you go and only do one morning private when you get there and you will be all set for the week .

Budawanny

Fattes wrote: »

derek bilko: Soll, is probably the cheapest big european resort so that should help, there are plenty on here that have contacts their etc.

As for Lessons you get could most of it out of the way here before you go and only do one morning private when you get there and you will be all set for the week .

Good idea Fattes.

derek bilko

cheers for the advice hopefully wil find someting that will get us sorted going to book the flights, transfers, accom, etc anyway and see what happns maybe some on here with the contacts might show us in the right direction surely we will find some lessons over there for cheap to get us started hopefully.... is the equipment cheap to rent for the week does anyone know i know people thing im trying to be a cheap ***ker but just trying to keep the cost low only working part time

Fattes

Rental equipment Skis and Boots in the SkiWelt (Area Soll is in) will range from €80-120 for a week for the basic stuff, I may have a skiset discount code that I can dig out for you. Again those more familiar with the area may know better shops. Somewhere close to a gondola and lift with lockers included is ideal. As it is about 1km from Soll to the slopes and you don’t want to have to carry your kit every day.

Lift passes will be a set price but some accommodation will offer them as part of the package especially in off peak weeks, this is a saving of anywhere from 180-220 depending on the week you are there and is the only way to save on Lift passes. Lessons tend to be standard rates but a few people that post here have contacts in Soll that might do you a deal.

Beg steal and borrow clothing from anyone you know, Football socks will do as skis socks.

derek bilko

where on about going the 11th of jan think thats a quiet time not to sure.... cheers that would be cool if you could no worries if you cant dont worry about it. ah im sure we will dig out the cheapest places to go to for equipment haha

CardinalJ

If you did one private lesson as a group you might manage for the week, but you won't enjoy it as much or progress. Especially if it your first time.

I had a friend two years ago who didn't want lessons so asked a few of its to teach him for a morning. We we're able to get him to a level where he could get down a blue no problem, but he wanted more 'lessons' from us to get better, in the end we told him to go to ski school because we were getting too bored.

Lessons as a group will be good fun and you'll progress way faster, in lots of resorts you can book lessons for three days which might suit what you want better. Trying to learn to ski on your own is kind of like trying to learn to drive on the start line of an F1 track. You'll have people flying passed you, won't know what to do and will probably injure yourself or someone else.

EDIT: If you really don't want lessons, go for it, but stick to the nursery slope and have a look at some beginner lessons on youtube. You'll probably find the nursery slope boring after day 1 or 2 though.

hawkwind23

think you have sound advice on a few lessons beforehand in Ireland and maybe a refresher on arrival.

PLEASE PLEASE heed whats been said.

last year i seen a few lads with the boots not even on right and leaning back on the skis flying down a blue with my daughter not too far from them and completely clueless as to the danger they were putting the kids in!

few lessons and learn that basics and remember to throw yourself over rather than flying down out of control , loads of little kids on the blue slopes and you wouldnt want to be tumbling into one!

you'll pick up the skills faster with small group lessons and enjoy the skiing better , plus it gets you up after the nights drinking when you've spent a good few euro on a lessons, hangover be gone in an hour

sorry to be a bore over it but you need to know how to stop and control your speed , get a few lessons and for gods sake think of the children!

fannymagee

Hi Derek Bilko, ya madzer!! I'd love to see you all try to hit the slopes with no lessons (I'll be behind you with a video camera) but unfortunately my conscience wouldn't let me, lol. Stupid conscience.

You're way over-estimating the cost of ski school for Soll, it's only €165 for the week full time (4 hrs per day), and as others have said it's well worth it! Esp if you've no experience on snow. The alternative is to do 2 hour half day lessons, that's €109 for the week, or if you really want to do private lessons & there are 6 of you, you get a good deal- €165 for a 2 hour private lesson for min 3 max 6, you pay for the first 3, but then get up to 3 free. Now God only knows how that will turn out if you've never put skis on before, so you could take Fattes up on that option of going to a dry slope before you head off. I honestly think your're being very ambitious though if you reckon you'll get there & ski from day 1, when none of you have a clue what you're at! Is there a sensible one among you?! Lol

Equipment rental will be around €80, and your lift pass will be just over €200. As Sleepy said, ski school is a REALLY good idea, if only to motivate you to get out of bed in the mornings, but if you think you'll be skipping days willy nilly you could renew your pass on a daily basis, it's around €40 per day, but gets cheaper as the day goes on. It's a very reasonable resort, so you'll do ok money wise. Skiing is not a cheap holiday, so stop trying to skrimp on EVERYTHING though or you won't enjoy it. And get on that mountain EVERY DAY or it'll be pointless! It's a good idea to buy a lift pass & ski school for that reason alone. ... There's also great night skiing, but if you can't ski for sh1t you'll stand out like a sore thumb so maybe avoid that lol. You'll LOVE the toboggan run, definitely do that ;-)

Sounds like this is gonna be ridiculous. I'll be there on Jan 11th, gimme a shout and tell me when the comedy is due to commence. Lookin forward to watching the pantomime unfold lol! :-)

trashcan

Fattes wrote: »

derek bilko: Have a look at doing a one day course at the Ski Club of Ireland before you go or 4 lessons at the Ski Centre in Sandyford.

It will work out about 120 euro’s a head for the two options above and will give you enough ski ability to get from A – B on a blue run & some mild reds depending on the resort while on your ski holiday. Jameshayes advice abot is also pretty spot on and excellent advice,a morning private lesson is nearly as valuable as 2-3 days group lessons.

I did the day course in Kilteirnan before my first ski holiday, and honestly, even after that, no way would I have had a clue without going to ski school. (In fact Kiltieran almost put me off the whole idea, if the holiday hadn't already been booked by then, the falls out there really hurt!) Maybe I'm just exceptionally bad, I dunno Even after 5 holidays I'll still book the school next year, and I certainly think for a first timer it's essential.

Fattes

the falls out there really hurt!)

If youa re falilng that much your instructor was doing something wrong! I assume by the timeline above it was on the old dendix slopes you took the one day?

Now courses are run on nice spongy snowflex, even landing on your head whild doing a flat 5 from an 8 foot kicker is not that bad now! Trust me I have done it.

fannymagee

derek bilko wrote: »

where on about going the 11th of jan think thats a quiet time not to sure.... cheers that would be cool if you could no worries if you cant dont worry about it. ah im sure we will dig out the cheapest places to go to for equipment haha

Yes 11 jan will be a quiet enough time- good choice. Go in & speak with Statis the big Greek guy in Snow & Fun next door to the Salvenstadtl (main pub which will be your second home for the week), you might be able to bargain a discount on your equipment rental- if you play your cards right

loobylou

You may not need a liftpass for the nursery slopes near the village. I'm not 100% but think there are 2 short free draglifts for beginners.
Failing that it may well be worth your while buying a pointspass. Each time you use a lift it deducts points from the total you have purchased. As beginners you will only be using the shorter "cheaper" lifts.
Whilst not advocating you skipping ski school, one of our group went from complete beginner to skiing black slopes (under control) in less than a week without ever taking a lesson.

fannymagee

Yes the nursery slopes in Soll need a liftpass- at least a points pass, but if you want to skip that and you're feeling all brave and energetic you could just keep skiing down and hiking back up hahaha!! You'll be wrecked after the second try but at least you'll have used up all that puppydog energy- then maybe you'll take the lessons lol ;-)

I think your main issue is that you're a group of absolute beginners, so you've no-one to show you the complete basics- putting your boots on properly, how to use the drag lifts, button lifts, gondola, chairlifts, getting in & out of your bindings, how to stand, stop , get up from a fall etc. You might find the most basic tasks really frustrating and waste a lot of time on them. Get some kind of lessons if even only for your first day, so you'll have a clue what's what. And as other people have said, try not to go crazy & make a liability of yourself on the slopes- they'll confiscate your liftpass. It all looks nice and laid back but they keep a close eye on safety so don't take the piss. And don't go up chancing your arm on blacks until you can control yourself!!

If you have a liftpass you can take a second gondola up to the top & have lunch there, take a few pics at the "Warning: only for experienced skiers" signs, and then take the gondola back down without skiing it. I've seen some horrific injuries coming off those blacks and it's just not worth it- bear in mind that a fall at speed will remove your clothes as well as your skin. Remember that if you're tempted to chance it!! ;-)

olaola

Going from skiing on Kilteirnan to Skiing on snow is a totally different experience. Especially for a beginner! Snow is VERY BLOODY SLIPPY!

I would heed the advice here, ski holidays are about as much fun as you're gonna have with your clothes on, but it's always great to come home in one piece. Ski School is always great craic, you get to meet other people, whom you'll see around town during apres & later on, and you'll get a real sense of accomplishment after making significant progress with your classmates.
You'll also be brought to ski huts/runs/restaurants/bars with your class during the day that you might not have found yourself.

Fattes

one of our group went from complete beginner to skiing black slopes (under control)

There are so many variables in that sentence that I am not sure where to start!! Control is subjective Black slope, gradings are not standard, the individual themselves levels of fitness co-ordination etc.

The simple advice here is you need lessons of some sort anyone advising other wise needs their head checked.

You will have a much better and more enjoyable holiday with a few lessons and a much better experience.

whupdedo

No you dont, lessons are for wimps

fannymagee

Whupdedo, are you one of his mates??! ;-)

Fattes

whupdedo: There is plenty of research and stats that say wimps end up in Hospital beds and with big insurance claims! Sometimes taking others with them.

I have seen it enough to know.

whupdedo

Fattes wrote: »

whupdedo: There is plenty of research and stats that say wimps end up in Hospital beds and with big insurance claims! Sometimes taking others with them.

I have seen it enough to know.

Go to bed, your getting tired and cranky

fannymagee

Prob should've included hospital details as well for this crew...! It's only 20 mins in a taxi, great craic altogether ;-)

Fattes

Go to bed, your getting tired and cranky

No I have seen to many adult idiot males with a macho complex wipe out Kids and leave them hurt or seriously injured. Even had a student have both her legs broken by a guy skiing out of control into a lift line.

fannymagee

Derek Bilko here's your first ski lesson- for FREEEEE!! ;-)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=apNKEhdokKM

derek bilko

well a lad going with us has been on a skiing holiday before alrite... so that might help us hes a friend of another lad going dont know him really.... ah im sure we will sort something out with getting lessons or something we just want to have abit of craic not become professionals prob might go on another one (well pending on how well this one goes haha) cheers for the replys great advice being given and tips on where to go......whats da drink suitation like in soll price wise and wat kind etc coz where heavy drinkers and up for abit of banter.....

fannymagee

Bar for the drinkers: Salven Stadtl, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Salven-Stadl/128273983894587?ref=ts&fref=ts

This is where the main apres ski kicks off, great crowd, live music, indoor & outdoor sections- outdoor section serves Landbeer, a really nice local beer with a cork lid, try that one! You might as well stay on the local beers they're really nice- 111 is the cheapest, around €3 think (but I'm not much f a drinker so somebody else might give you better advie on the drink side of things!) You'll prob live on Jager & beer for the week though. They also sell a really nice barbeque steak sandwich outside, and pizza all night is you can't bring yourself to leave for proper food ;-)

There's aslo Dave's Underground bar, Dave is a guy you'll see around the slopes in a bright yellow jacket,he fims all the beginners falling around on the slopes during the day and then plays them on a big screen in the bar later on ;-) https://www.facebook.com/pages/Underground-Bar-S%C3%B6ll-Austria/172983219388976?fref=ts

Then there's the Wiskey Muhle, nightclub till all hours.https://www.facebook.com/Whiskymuehle

There's more, but by the sounds of it these are the places you'll be most likely to hang out :-)

Teyla Emmagan

derek bilko wrote: »

well a lad going with us has been on a skiing holiday before alrite... so that might help us hes a friend of another lad going dont know him really.... ah im sure we will sort something out with getting lessons or something we just want to have abit of craic not become professionals prob might go on another one (well pending on how well this one goes haha) cheers for the replys great advice being given and tips on where to go......whats da drink suitation like in soll price wise and wat kind etc coz where heavy drinkers and up for abit of banter.....

You won't be able to stand on your skis without being shown how. You will literally be a danger to yourselves and others without lessons. Most importantly you won't meet anyone without ski school! That's where all the fun is and how you get to know the place and meet people. The only people who don't go to ski school are already expert skiers and even they get a bit lonely just going up and down by themselves. If you don't get into school on the first day you could lose half the week before you realise you need it and then you will go home still having met no one and not learnt to ski. It's a work hard play hard thing. If you are just going for the drink you're not going to have much to talk to anyone else about!

Fattes

derek bilko: The important thing to remember is, its your holiday your way, its meant to be fun.

That said it will be hard to have fun with no clue as to what you are doing.

Be Safe, relax and enjoy it.

trashcan

Fattes wrote: »

If youa re falilng that much your instructor was doing something wrong! I assume by the timeline above it was on the old dendix slopes you took the one day?

Now courses are run on nice spongy snowflex, even landing on your head whild doing a flat 5 from an 8 foot kicker is not that bad now! Trust me I have done it.

Ah, in fairness I couldn't really blame the instructor. It was my first time on Skis and I was fairly rubbish. It's taken me five years to get to the stage where at last I feel reasonably competent now. Maybe it's cos I started late (was over 40) Still haven't done a black though, and not sure I have any ambitions to do so - talk of people doing black runs by the end of the first week has me amazed, particularly the guy who said he done it with no lessons.

It must have been the old surface alright, was 2009. Glad to hear the new one is a bit more forgiving, though I'd hope not to be falling as much if I go there again. Never can tell though - probably the worst fall I've had was on the nursery slope on the very last run this year, where I was completely confident in my ability.

Fattes

I couldn't really blame the instructor. It was my first time on Skis and I was fairly rubbish.

& The instructor should adapt to you so that you are not falling!!! Easier terrain, exercises and diffrent instruction.

Honestly in an enviroment like Kilternan, as a beginner if you fall more than 2/3 times in an few hours the instructior needs to take a diffrent approach,

Unless you are naturally like Bambi and have no co-ordiantion!!

trashcan

[QUOTE=Fattes;87407357
Unless you are naturally like Bambi and have no co-ordiantion!! [/QUOTE]


Ha ha. You've clearly seen me ski then

Honestly though, it did take me a while. I'm still not great by any means, (won't be troubling the winter olympics any time soon:)) but the last two years have seen a big improvement.

(Fell way more than 2-3 times - on the day in Kiltiernan btw - as did most people in the class as I recall - if only I'd known it was the instructors fault )

Fattes

if only I'd known it was the instructors fault

Seriously, the choice of terrain should not have newbies falling ! Yes there will be the odd tumble but in controlled environments like KT it is much easier to ensure your students are not on their rear ends every 5 minutes.