So You Want to Go Skiing? How to Make Your First Ski Trip Amazing.
- Henry
- 2 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 11 hours ago
Skiing Unlocked breaks down the answers to your worries and questions about booking your first ski trip.
I’ve spoken to a few people over the past few weeks who haven’t been skiing before, but really want to go. I confess, dealing with the very first steps on someone’s skiing journey isn’t something I’m really good at. Yes, I was once a beginner, but I got through it without thinking I’d ever need to take notes to refer back to twenty years later when starting a ski blog ... alas, isn't hindsight wonderful?
But, faced with friends asking these same questions, I’ve sat down to think and come up with my top tips for beginners who are looking at taking their first ski trip. And here it is; the Skiing Unlocked guide to biting the bullet and planning your first ski trip.
This won't dive into where to go and how to book - those are questions without a wrong answer, in my opinion, but for a different piece. Instead, this article will break down three psychological barriers that many people perceive about skiing, and how to overcome them; don't make it all about the skiing, try before you buy, and, most importantly, just do it. This is how to make your first ski trip amazing.
Way2Snow
As if by magic, a brand new initiative has just been launched by a range of partners in the UK, led by Snowsports England.
Throughout Summer 2025, the Way2Snow gives you the chance to try out skiing at three of the UK's indoor real-snow centres. For £299 for adults, you get:
12 hours of on-snow access and tuition from fully qualified instructors at The Snow Centre, Hemel Hempstead; Snowdome, Tamworth; and Chill Factore, Manchester.
Full kit rental - turn up in t-shirt and shorts (and sock) and the centres will take care of the rest!
Free three-month membership with the Ski Club of Great Britain.
A range of discounts with industry partners, including Ellis Brigham to get kitted up and Inghams for your first holiday!
For full details and to take part, check out the Way2Snow programme at Snowsports England now!
Just Do It.
No, I am not promoting a particular athletic brand here. Much of the problems facing beginner skiers are more mental than anything else.
It is really easy to see the barriers stopping you going skiing, including cost, equipment, the fact that it is cold, and that you don’t have a clue how to ski.
But all of these factors can be overcome easily if you know what you are doing. Booking at the right time of year can be key in solving both the weather and cost issue. See, the bookends of the season are often much, much quieter than in the middle, mostly because snow is never guaranteed at these times. Therefore you will often find some really, really cheap deals as hotels look to fill rooms and resorts slash lift pass prices to lure visitors in.
Resorts have also been really good at creating artificial snow in the past few years. As a beginner, you don’t need all 300km of the Tignes-Val d’Isere ski area – just the core nursery, green and blue runs that you’ll be skiing on as part of your journey. And, spoiler alert, these are the runs that resorts will focusing their snow making on.
So, ski late in the year – late March or in April – and you will get cheap deals, enough snow to ski on, and plenty of sunshine to stay warm and really work on your google tans! Booking with the right tour operator is key, too. Sunweb are renowned for offering high quality low cost all-inclusive packages, so are well worth considering if you don’t want to splash out on your first trip.
Equipment can be solved easily, too. Again, rental shops will offer great deals outside the peak season. And, when it comes to the other gear, it is easier than ever to get the right stuff for your skiing.
Borrow from friends, hire high-quality stuff from somewhere like EcoSki, buy second-hand from Facebook marketplace or WhoSki, repurpose gear from other sports such as your running base layers, and, when you have exhausted all other options, spend the money to fill in the gaps. Things like goggles, gloves and even ski jackets and trousers can be found at really good prices from some places.
What about the fact you have no idea what you are doing? Read on, dear reader, read on …
Don’t Make it All About the Skiing
The biggest worry some people have when planning their first trip is “what if I hate skiing?”
What if I hate skiing, but I’ve paid all this money to be here and do it? Really good question, especially if you have never done it before.
The answer? Don’t make it all about the skiing. Ski lessons can be done all day, or just in the morning or afternoon. Therefore, book lessons for the morning only; spend the afternoon in the spa, getting a massage and steaming out yesterday’s après ski; spend the afternoon ice skating, out for a walk in the woods, reading a good book with a hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire, enjoying a glass (or two, or three) in the sun at après ski; or treat yourself to a really, really nice long lunch on the mountain or in resort sampling a cuisine that is difficult to find outside of the mountains.
The point is, there is so much more to do in the mountains. Often just being in the mountains is a really special and inspiring thing. So, don’t make your ski trip all about the skiing. Take a day off to rest and recover, miss a few afternoons or mornings to do other things. There’s more to the mountains than skiing – it’s only nutters like me and my friends that want to spend the whole week skiing!
Try Before You Buy
It is now easier than ever to learn to ski before you head to the mountains. This is a UK-based ski blog, and us Brits are so mad about skiing that we can’t wait to get to the mountains each winter.
You can find tonnes of dry ski slopes up and down the UK and Ireland that give you the chance to learn to ski before you commit to booking your first trip.
Even better are the five real snow indoor ski centres at Hemel Hempstead, Milton Keynes, Manchester, Tamworth and Castleford. These are truly brilliant facilities, places I’ve had the pleasure of skiing time and again – great for staying in shape in the off season or learning to ski, on snow, before you go.
Not only do these places help you commit to your ski trip before you go, they help you get ahead of your skiing. Instead of spending your first few days tied to the bunny slopes, getting the confidence behind you means you can strike out for the “proper” slopes even sooner when you get to the hills.
Final Thoughts
I really hope this has been useful for those of you really hoping to get into skiing and book their first trip. It can be daunting, but by remember these tips hopefully it can help you bite the bullet and just do it!
And don't forget to check out Way2Snow now!
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