How to stay safe on your skiing holiday

Once again we’re approaching that time of year when many of us start to pack our bags and head off on a skiing holiday.

Ski holidays are great fun for solo trips, group adventures or a family holiday, providing everyone comes back in one piece!

Read our helpful tips to ensure everyone has fun and stays safe on the slopes this season.

Stick to your own ability

It might be an obvious point, but a good place to start is to make sure you are skiing within your limits.

Trying a slope or any new tricks or techniques that you’re not really capable of, and doing so without proper supervision, could lead to serious accidents.

Of course you need to challenge yourself in order to improve, but make sure you’ve mastered the basics before you move onto anything new.

If you want to push yourself but you know it might be a bit of a stretch, joining a ski school or hiring a qualified ski instructor for some private tuition is definitely worth your while.

Learn the colour code

The key way of making sure you’re not doing anything too dangerous for your ability is to follow the colour code.

This is how ski slopes are categorised, and the code runs internationally, so there’s no confusion if you ski in different countries from one season to the next.

The easiest slopes are rated green, and are a great place to learn and practise the basics. When you’re ready to get going, you can head onto a blue slope, which are generally still very easy, but usually have a little more incline than a green.

Red slopes are for intermediate to advanced skiers, and should only be tried once you’ve gained a lot of confidence and full control on your skis. Once you’ve mastered many red slopes with ease, challenge yourself with the thrill of a black, being sure that you’re well prepared to do so.

Be considerate

Making sure you’re in control of yourself is one thing, but with many others whizzing down the slopes, you need to pay attention to what they’re doing too.

Cutting in front of someone too quickly could cause a nasty collision, and equally stopping in the middle of a slope and blocking the piste could cause problems for others trying to get past. Be careful to make sure you’re sharing the slope well!

Take regular breaks

Like any other sport, skiing is tiring and will wear you out fairly quickly. You wouldn’t play any other sport all day long without pausing to recharge, and skiing should be no different.

Most ski resorts have plenty of cafés and restaurants dotted throughout the mountains, so take the time to enjoy some local cuisine, appreciate the alpine views and refuel so that you’re alert and on the ball for your next leg of skiing.

For more information on how to stay safe on your skiing holiday, read the safe skiing guide by SnowTrex.

SnowTrex is an international winter sports tour operator, offering ski holidays in up to 1.500 accommodations and 500 resorts around the Alps and other areas