9 Things We Wish We Knew As First Time Skiers
Winter season doesn’t have to be boring. It can actually be so much fun, if you know what you’re doing. We will share our first time skier tips and what you need to know for your first ski experience.
While planning our Norway trip, we spoke about learning to ski & laughed with our 5 year old nephew who said he would teach us. Well, let’s just say they are SO good at skiing as they go very often during the winter season. The conditions while we were there were absolutely on point, with fresh dusty snow and sunshine – which was amazing! Made us so happy.
Being sporty our whole lives, we really thought that we would be good at it! Let’s just say, it is a lot harder than it looks.
We really underestimated things we wish we knew as first time skiers. I mean, our Norwegian family was meant to give us all the in’s and out’s.
In this blog post we talk about things that we wish we knew as first time skiers and hope this helps with your next vacay planning.
Where To Start As First Time Skiers
Here are pointers that will make your first skiing experience a fun one.
1.) What to take with
- Some places allow you to bring your own food. You will need to refuel and get some hot coco to keep you warm
- Sunblock
- Change of clothing and fresh socks
- Sled to pack all your items in while you ski (dual purpose for carting the goods and sledding down the hills)
2. What to wear from top to bottom
- Sunglasses or goggles
- A buff
- Wool top
- Warmer top
- Waterproof or insulated jacket
- Wool pants
- Waterproof pants
- Wool socks
3. What to hire
- Helmet
- Ski boots
- Skis
- Ski poles
4. What to expect
- Experience of a lifetime! If you follow our 9 things to remember for first time skiers.
- Buy a ski pass if you are visiting for a longer period of time. You can save bucks and not be limited to a set time on the slopes, allowing you to practice during your whole vacation.
First Time Skier Terminology For Beginners
Pizza.
Just know the word pizza and know how to do it. This is what a ski instructor will teach you when you are learning to ski for the first time.
Julia talking about pizza while in Norway and me thinking she was talking about food all the time…. 👀
It’s all good taking the lift to the top of the slopes, but you need to know how to slow down safely. The pizza move involves pointing both your skis towards each other, making a “V” shape. If you want to pick up speed again, return your skis to a parallel shape. I learnt this the hard way…
Julia showing me the correct pizza move in the picture below.
Everything Ski Boots For First Time Skiers
Are ski boots comfortable? No.
And yes.
If you have never put on a pair of ski boots before, you will feel very awkward putting them on, walking in them and everything in between. The only pleasant time is when your ski boots are on and you are on your skis, ready to go down the slopes.
They might feel very heavy, especially when you are walking in them for the first time. We both had to help each other when walking from the ski hire centre to the smaller slope area. A huge lesson is to put your skis on right away when your boots are tied up. Walking in the snow in snow boots can be uncomfortable, as you are not walking in your normal posture. Get those skis on, and start manoeuvring to the slopes.
How To Know What Size Ski Boots To Wear
Go according to your everyday shoe size and size up one or two sizes.
Since we were on holiday and not planning on purchasing our own skis, we decided to rent equipment from the ski resort. This of course has pro’s and con’s. Wearing your own skis will get more comfortable in the long run than hiring ski boots that everyone else has worn before.
Ski boots are a solid hard boot and you want to be comfortable in your ski boots, as you might be in them for longer periods of time, depending on how long you plan to stay at the ski resort for.
Ski Boot Fitting
Don’t be afraid to try the ski boot on and if it doesn’t fit, tell the ski instructor or person at the hire shop.
We are usually a size 37 and asked for a size 37… well our feet were so cramped up in there and made walking in the boots a little uncomfortable. So, we would really suggest going one or two sizes bigger to have more room for movement. Also remember that your socks are a huge factor too. If you are wearing thicker socks, you want to factor that in too.
It is important to know that you don’t want the ski boots too big, otherwise you will be slipping and sliding. Your toes will be sore from trying to get grip inside the ski boots and can also impact your balance on the slopes. Being outside in minus degrees, you don’t want ski boots too big or too small. Getting feet and toe cramps is not fun.
How To Know What Clothing To Wear
Ask locals! They know best.
Perfect ski conditions, but don’t have the correct clothing to wear? That can make your first ever ski experience a very unpleasant one.
Layer up. Add layers so that you can take your clothing off accordingly. Skiing is a workout and you will work up a sweat.
1.) Waterproof gloves or mittens
Your hands will get wet, so make sure they are waterproof and keep the warmth in.
2.) Wool top and pants
We wore woolen tops and pants under our waterproof jackets and pants and this was sufficient.
3.) Waterproof jacket and pants
Jeans won’t cut it.
4.) Buff
This helps big time covering up your neck and face from the elements.
5.) Ski goggles or glasses
You will be surprised at how you can get sunburnt from the sun’s reflection off the snow.
If you don’t have these items, as many first time skiers won’t. Borrow from family or friends. They will always have extras.
There are second hand shops where you can buy cheaper ski gear / winter clothing. While walking around town after a day of skiing, we found a second hand store, Omatte, who are all for promoting a sustainable future by reusing items. You can tell we love them, by us going back twice during our trip and the clothing that came home with us 😊 The owner is a young local Norwegian, who opened up the shop with her mom and we definitely plan on going shopping there on our next Norway trip.
Get to know off two wander
Read about where we have traveled to so far and what we have got up to in other blogs.
Where To Get Waterproof Snow Gear
Borrow or buy.
Borrow from friends or family if you are visiting for a few weeks. If you are planning on moving to a snowy country, consider buying for the long run. You will be using it more often than you think.
Our favourite shop in Norway is the Sports Outlet. They had everything that we needed and maybe bought a little too much from there. What we highly recommend is going shopping that week between Christmas and New Years. Many of the shops have huge sales where you can buy some decent items for up to half price!
It is best to purchase items from the country that you are visiting, as you can get the best quality and gear that is suitable to the climate. We took plenty of items from South Africa that we didn’t end up wearing because it wasn’t suitable for Norway’s snowy conditions. We even bought some items in Sweden and the climate is so different between the two countries. We weren’t able to wear some of the Swedish items in Norway.
The locals are also able to give better insight on what clothing items will be suitable for your activities that you have while in the country.
The Best Wool Clothing For Skiing
We bought our wool clothing from the Sports Outlet of course.
Karla thermo wool pants and top are the items that kept us super warm during our first winter holiday and during our first ever skiing experience. These items are a combination of wool and polyester, keeping us warm and comfortable even when layering up.
Many people thought that we were crazy to leave South African summer to have a cold snowy Christmas, but it was so pleasant having the right woollen clothing. We were able to spend lots of time outdoors, walking around with snow up to our knees, and playing in the snow with our nephews, without getting wet, best! We will always say, having the correct clothing for a winter vacation is key, and this applies to going on any vacation (@lauren for always overpacking).
First Time Skier Tips: Hire a Ski Instructor
**Highly recommended**
They have been skiing for many years and are the experts in teaching beginners how to ski.
Ski instructors know the layout of the ski resort, therefore creating a safe space, as well as show you everything that you need to know as a first time skier. Give you a little confidence too! 🙂
We didn’t think of hiring an instructor when we arrived at the ski resort. Watching the younger local kids own their skiing time, made us feel like we could also just own it! As mentioned, we have participated in most sports while growing up, just not skiing. In fact, I had never seen snow before our Norway / Sweden Christmas trip. So the hype was real!
First Time Skier Tips: What Not To Do
Don’t be like us. Or don’t be like me. Here’s a little story time.
We let our brother and nephews do their thing and enjoy the morning skiing, while we enjoyed being surrounded by lots and lots of thick snow. A quick lunch break for the kids and off they went again. That’s when we decided that it was our time to get onto the slopes.
Let’s go with the kids. This is like second nature to them, but yes, let’s do it!
One, two, three we are taking the lift to get higher up the slopes. Lack of thinking or just somewhat taken aback by the excitement of skiing for the first time ever and being surrounded by such beauty, I went right up to level 5 with the kids and found myself freaking out about how to “get down”. Let’s just say, I flew out of the resort into 2024, without falling and breaking any bones. Not quite sure how I didn’t fall and injure myself..
Julia’s turn to ski:
Julia was of course filming this very first ski experience and went running to save me from landing up in thick snow below the slope. I was so traumatised and told Julia exactly what NOT to do…
Once Julia was ready to tackle the slopes, she took to the slopes at a slow pace and started at level one and worked her way up to level three, slowly. How it was meant to be done. There is no way to describe the freshness in the air, the adrenaline pumping, the snow filled mountain views together with the sun shining, but to actually experience it yourself.
I guess we will have to go back, and hire an instructor and do this all the “proper way”. It will take a lot of convincing to build my confidence up and get back onto the slopes. Either way, Julia had the best time!
Things To Remember Once You Are Done Skiing
Don’t take your boots off until you are 100% sure you are finished skiing for the day.
Walking in your ski boots can be uncomfortable, but putting your ski’s back on after walking in thick snow, is not fun. You have to clear the snow from your ski boots so that they can fit snug into the ski again. We had to help each other do this, as it is not so easy for first time skiers.
We also didn’t know what a mission it would be to clear the snow from the ski boots and that this was the reason why we couldn’t get out of the skis properly.
Learning to ski can be a daunting experience, especially if you are going with seasonal skiers.
It is loads of fun and if you follow these 9 tips that we have mentioned in this blog post, we think that you will make amazing memories on your winter vacation in the snow.
Layer up, wear appropriate snow gear, hire the instructor and head to the slopes!