Travel tips for the perfect ski holiday

When choosing a destination it is important to choose somewhere that will accommodate your parties needs and make you feel at home. If you are going on a family ski holiday somewhere that has English speaking ski instructors will be beneficial as well are off-piste activities to keep them entertained such as husky rides.

What you do in the evening after a day on the slopes in almost as important to the holiday as the skiing itself. Somewhere with a lively après-ski is more likely to attract younger skiers than somewhere with just a couple of pubs to head, ski holidays in Austria are renown for providing great après-ski. For those who’d prefer a quiet night in after a day of the slopes should treat themselves to a luxury ski holiday where they can curl up in from of the fire and drink cocoa or sit in the hot tub drinking champagne.

Skiing and snowboarding are physically demanding activities and therefore you need to prepare your body to minimise the risk of injury on the slopes. You need to strengthen your leg muscles and build up your endurance – squats and cycling can help with both of these.

It is important you have all the right skiing gear before you set off, unless you have opted to hire clothing and equipment which is usually cheaper if you are just starting out as a skier. If you are going to buy your ski boots make sure you get a pair that fit really and get used to them before you go skiing.

The safety of skiers on and off-piste is paramount and the International Ski Federation has produced a code to help ensure minimal risk. It is good to familiarise yourself with the code before heading to the slopes. Its main points are: respect for others, control of speed and skiing, choice of route, overtaking, entering and starting, stopping on the piste, climbing and descending on foot, respect for signals and markings, assistance and identification following an accident.