How To Prepare For A Family Ski Holiday As A Non-skier

**Collaborative post**

For non-skiers, booking a family ski holiday can seem like a monumental task. It’s not only a holiday in itself, with all of the complications that could arise from it, but you also have to take into account the logistics of it, including whether to buy ski gear, where to book lessons, what age group they cater for and whether you need travel insurance or not. In this post we’ll be breaking down a few of the things you need to do to book a ski holiday, and how best to go about getting them done.

Table of Contents

So, where do I book the holiday?

There are a lot of websites where you can book a family ski holiday, and it can sometimes be a little bit overwhelming when you’ve never booked a ski holiday before. Providers like Ski Famille offer luxury family ski holidays, that also provide in-chalet childcare for those youngsters who are too young to ski or for parents to take advantage of so that they can have an evening for themselves. This ensures that families can have a stress-free and relaxing holiday, giving more time to make memories.

There are also a number of online articles by newspapers like the Telegraph and the Guardian that break down a number of different ski holiday providers, giving you a wide choice in who you could potentially book with. These will give you a breakdown of the services provided, and give an idea of where prices start for each resort or ski chalet.

What practice do I need?

The practice isn’t exactly necessary, as, at most ski resorts, you’ll be able to book ski lessons for yourself and your kids. These often begin at the novice level and will get you moving up from a practice slope through to some of the intermediate slopes. This is great for easing you into this new experience, giving you the time and tutelage necessary to become a pro skier (or something close to it).

But, if you think that some pre-holiday practice would make you feel more comfortable with your plunge into the skiing world, then you can have a go on dry ski slopes. The Ski Club of Great Britain provides a map of dry/real snow slopes around the UK that you could practise on before your ski trip. This will hopefully give you a much-needed confidence boost before you go on holiday.

Do I need to buy ski gear?

Unless you think that skiing will become a frequent, if not at least annual, holiday, then it’s probably best that you rent ski gear in the short term. Often, ski holiday providers will partner with a company who will provide ski gear to rent, including ski’s, shoes, and other necessary equipment.

But it may be necessary for you to at least buy a thick waterproof coat and trousers. You can pick these up for relatively cheap from places like TK-Maxx or Primark, and they will pay for themselves in the long term, especially if you venture out of the ski resort and it’s at a cold time of year. And choose some whacky colours while you’re at it, you want people to see you as you’re barreling down on them (especially if you haven’t learnt to stop!).

What about travel insurance?

We’ve all heard ski holiday horror stories, and we’ve all winced at them. There is an inherent risk with any sport, especially when trying it for the first time, and so it’s probably best to get some travel insurance. You can purchase your travel insurance as a family package, and some places, for example, Royal Mail, will cover children under 18 for free.

Also, it needn’t be an expensive addition to your holiday bill; you can also use services like Money Supermarket to compare different companies and find the best, and often cheapest, quote. At the end of the day, it will give you peace of mind as you’re rocketing down snow-covered hills in a breathtaking part of Europe!

Most importantly, have fun!

Don’t let all of the details take away from the fun you’ll have on your family ski holiday. It’ll be an exhilarating experience that you and your family will remember for a long time to come. So once you’ve sorted everything out, dropped your suitcases on the floor and got the lay of the land, go and hit the slopes and have a great time.