Booking your first Ski Holiday

A ski holiday is one of the most exciting but craziest holidays to book and can be a bit overwhelming at first with the amount you have to plan before even buying your ski suit.  Hopefully this post will give you an understanding of all of the top tips and some suggestions of my favourite resorts to visit across Europe…

First and foremost, we have always booked our ski holidays through package ski companies, specifically ‘Crystal Ski’.  By doing this you have your flights, transfers, ski passes, hotel and ski hire all in one place to make your holiday just that little bit easier.  They also have Crystal reps dotted around the resort and hotels for if you have any concerns or questions about the slopes or hotel.  They’ve always been massively helpful for us and I would highly recommend.  

If you’d rather book everything separately, it’s important you do your research and check reviews, especially for things like ski hire and the area you are looking at.  For example, you wouldn’t want to book a hotel miles away from the mountain that requires a long walk/bus ride (holding skis, in ski gear is not fun) so check the location and try to book your ski hire for the closest shop you can.  A commonly used one is ‘Intersport’, which we have never had any problems with and is usually a quick process.

Ski Passes are essential as they give you access to the mountain and onto all the chair lifts/gondola’s.  Booking these separately is easy, by just typing in your chosen location into google + Ski pass the direct website to book should come up immediately.  E.G. ‘Zell Am See Ski Pass’.  Ski Passes are then usually collected at a local shop, or given to you by your Ski Rep if booked as a package, and then put in your arm/side pocket of your jacket ready for the week ahead!

Now onto my personal favourite resorts in Europe.  Every resort offers something different and again it’s best to research not only the area but the slopes to see if they fit your ability.  For beginners, you’ll be looking out for resorts with lots of Green and Blue slopes with some Red if your up for a challenge.  Then for the more confident and advanced skiers, be looking out for more Red and Blacks to keep you busy.  

Climates are constantly changing as we know so as is the ski season, currently the more common time to ski is between January to March.  Skiing between these months won’t guarantee heaps of snow because that’s never guaranteed, but it will at least give you the best shot at some nice weather mixed with a good dusting of snow. 

Head to my Skiing Packing Essentials for an in depth list of what you do and don’t need on a ski holiday!