The Best Times to Visit Ski Resort
Every year the number of people who are fond of winter sports is increasing. Recreation at a ski resort is a popular destination, which is preferred by fans of active winter recreation. Beginners, seeking to master the skills of skiing, during the holidays get tremendous pleasure, and experienced skiers, seeking to spend the vacations in a fantastic atmosphere, enjoy a longtime favorite kind of recreation. Let’s find out together when it’s best to go on vacation and what it takes!
The Benefits of Vacationing in A Ski Resort
Every year, a large number of people choose ski resorts, which are located in all sorts of corners of the world. So, it should be noted that there are several reasons why people choose a ski vacation:
- Each ski resort has the opportunity to use the services of a professional instructor. During the holidays, he teaches the necessary techniques and helps to get used to it. It is very important if a person does not know how to ski to order such services of an instructor.
- Ski slopes are always divided according to complexity. This division allows beginners feel free to learn the techniques of skiing, and skiers with higher levels of skiing can easily travel on a specially designated trail.
- Ski holidays – it is not only an opportunity to engage in winter sports, but also a great chance to relax from the bustle of the city, to enjoy the fresh mountain air, as well as from the peaks to appreciate the beauty of the local landscape.
- Today, tourists are increasingly opting for several-day, or even several-week ski tours. In this regard, most of the ski slopes are located in the vicinity of hotels, cottages, houses and other accommodation options. This makes for a more comfortable ski vacation.
- In addition to providing conditions for skiing, including rental of sports equipment, ski resorts give the opportunity to rest comfortably in nice restaurants, cafes, nightclubs, as well as use the services of baths and saunas.
In any case, this kind of recreation is very popular and will never lose its trend.
What Do You Need for Snowboarding or Skiing: Deciding on The Equipment!
Among those who dream to learn snowboarding / skiing or just started skiing there are often activists who immediately run to buy their own equipment. But the rush is not worth it! The first time you will easily get along with the resort equipment that is available for rent. For those who are just starting out, the advantages of rental equipment are obvious: there is no guarantee that the chosen sport will suit you. Even if you’ve dreamed all your life of “taming” skis, it doesn’t mean you’ll enjoy skiing.
When you’re more or less confident stood on the skis or snowboard and definitely decided to do it further, with the purchase of equipment still do not rush. Rental equipment allows you to test the different characteristics of the options and then make the best choice for you. Once you decide on the ideal type of equipment, it is better not to delay with the purchase and for the new season to be “fully armed”, since the rental equipment is still not cheap. Absolutely everyone will benefit from protective shorts. It is the back part of your body (below the waist) that suffers from all the skiers, without exception! Protection can be either special shorts, or simply anatomically shaped foam inserts. By the way, they not only soften your fall, but also allow you to keep warm, sitting on the snow.
What to Ski/Snowboard In: Packing Clothes
To the choice of clothes should be approached as responsibly as possible, so as not to suffer from discomfort and cold. Simple gym pants, a warm jacket and an everyday jacket will not do, on the mountains to climb in a special outfit. In any specialized store you can find a comfortable and high-quality suit (pants and jacket) for skiing. Under the jacket you should wear a warm fleece hoodie.
It is better to additionally purchase a special underwear, which is worn under the ski suit. Such underwear may be made of cotton or synthetic materials – microfiber, fleece, etc. Do not spare money on specialized underwear, because it not only provides warmth, but also removes moisture from your body. There will be a lot of sweating on the mountain, the regular underwear will get wet very quickly, and as a result you will feel cold and the risk of returning from the resort with a cold multiplies. It will be nice to “splurge” on special socks that, like thermal underwear, provide warmth and dryness. But besides this, these socks have another advantage – they prevent chafing from ski boots.
Continuing to “pack a suitcase”, the next item must be gloves – waterproof and windproof. Under the helmet buy a special balaclava, it is especially important for those who are going to ski in severe frosts, or plan to conquer the high mountains.
New Year and Skiing: Prepare the Sledge in Summer
Christmas and New Year’s Eve are the peak of the ski season, which is best booked 9 months in advance. Many ski resorts in Austria and France book a year in advance. In Russia it is customary to make mass reservations for the New Year in early September, while the prudent Germans, Austrians and Britons prepare their ski tour for the New Year as early as May.
In many alpine resorts the week after New Year celebrations for a long time was considered “half-dead”: prices for accommodation during the period from 3 to 10 January were reduced significantly due to falling demand in Western Europe. This was the case before the arrival of tourists from Russia and the CIS countries. Since Orthodox Christmas is celebrated on January 7, the influx of Russians, as well as tourists from Ukraine and Belarus in the first week of January usually keeps Christmas prices at the same level. Among the most popular resorts, where bookings by tourists from the CIS countries are especially active, are Zakopane (Poland), Mayrhofen (Austria) and Bormio (Italy).
Ski Season January-February
From country to country the ski season has ups and downs throughout January and February. For example, for ski resorts in France, the lull after the New Year’s holidays is replaced by two weeks of excitement in February, when the country begins a two-week school vacation. In addition, the ski season is tightly bound to the schedule of international competitions. The Ski Slalom World Cup can raise prices not only on the day of the tournament, but for the rest of the season as well.
Ski Spring
The period from March to April – this part of the ski season is designed for family tourists. Slumping interest and withering demand for ski tours, resorts in Europe are spurred on by various promotions that offer free lodging for children, as well as discounted ski conditions for young skiers. Family promotions are especially popular in Italy, in the Dolomites region.
Bottom Line
Many lovers of outdoor activities in winter prefer to spend their vacations at ski resorts, which give their guests the beauty of snowy peaks, a lot of positive emotions and extreme. European countries offer a huge variety of winter slopes for those wishing to look into the eyes of the elements and test their strength. Of course, the ski resorts differ in the level of slopes, prices, and each of them is popular with its category of tourists. As a rule, any resort includes ski slopes for athletes of varying skill levels, ski schools, fashionable hotels, lots of entertainment and services. So be sure to go to the resort to go skiing!
