Tips for winter sports newbies

JodalahiiiiittiiiiHELP!

You've been invited on a cool ski trip. The only obstacle? You can't ski at all. Or at least, that's what you think, because you haven't gone further than a few hours at SnowWorld in Landgraaf on a blue Monday.

But the thing is: you've hooked up with a new lover named Günter (my advice: run with that name), his family goes to Tirol every winter and HELP you have to go now. Or you're busy with a mega marathon of Keeping Up With The Kardashians, you're now at the family ski trip episode and thinking: gosh, I feel a little tingle too. Or you feel absolutely nothing for skiing and therefore don't feel at all addressed by this intro, on the contrary: you want to click away quickly. For you, my friend, I have some sunny options in store. Just take a look here. Still not clicked away? Nice. Then you're into a Crash Course Skiing for Dummies.

1. Avoid vacations.

Especially the school holidays are a complete HELL for beginner skiers. Do you have some flexibility? Plan around it. There's a good chance it will be much less crowded on the slopes, allowing you to perform triple somersaults without tackling fellow passengers. Or them tackling you, of course. Just kidding.

2. Take a trial lesson.

Suppose that winter sports trip is booked. Then you can of course wait for the moment itself, but to avoid completely messing up, a few hours in the ski hall is really not a luxury. Oh and, bundle up! I was once smart enough not to bring gloves...

3. Don't buy clothes right away

If there's one place where profits are made, it's those damn ugly, sexless ski ensembles you wear on the slopes. Don't ask me why, maybe because skiing is often seen as 'extra vacation' for the rich folks, I don't know. The fact remains:

ski clothing is expensive. And maybe you think winter sports are really lame, you don't know that yet. So for that first snow vacation, especially borrow something from friends. You can better rent skis on-site, so they can be adjusted to your height and weight. 4. Take ski lessons.

Once you arrive at the ski spot then. On my last winter sports trip, I took a few private lessons and that is really mega chill to improve your technique. Or to learn any technique at all.

5. The blue slope is your very best new friend.

If necessary, practice first on the baby slope, who cares. In any case, not yet red. I repeat: NO red (let alone the death ride on black!). I thought during my very first time skiing 'hoppa' to do it (red then) and I can tell you: sweating down the slope. Holy hell, took three hours.

6. Don't forget: sunscreen!.

Despite the fact that you're not lying on a sunbed (being in the sun with a cup of steaming hot chocolate during lunch break is also perfectly fine, you know), you can still get burned if you don't apply it. So: don't forget! Also not to flirt with your ski instructor (that's part of it) and above all: viel Spass im Schnee!

You've been invited on a cool ski trip. The only obstacle? You can't ski at all. Or at least, that's what you think, because you haven't gone further than a few hours at SnowWorld...