What could go wrong on your skiing holiday

Various injuries, the wrong gear, losing your skiis ... there’s an array of things that could go wrong on your skiing holiday. But being informed means you can avoid the pitfalls, so here’s a few things to keep in mind, so you can have your best ski holiday ever.

 

1 You could get injured

Skiing is a relatively safe sport, with only 0.69 fatalities per million skiers and snowboarders. Nonetheless, there's quite a wide range of possible injuries on the spectrum, and most injuries occur as a result of crashing into things or other people. The best way to avoid injury is to know your limits, get lessons, and use the right gear, including a helmet.

Minimize injury by:

• Wearing a helmet. Helmets don't entirely prevent head injuries, but they can reduce the severity. They're not compulsory, but many official skiing organisations and bodies recommend that you wear one
• Preparing your body before you leave. The majority of injuries don't involve your head. Most skiers come to grief over knees, shoulders and wrists. That’s because skiing exercises lesser-used body parts. If you don’t prepare yourself, you could lose days of your holiday recovering, or, worse, cause long-term damage.
• Understanding your limits. Most injuries happen because skiers lose control on a slope that isn't suited to their ability. If you're a beginner, stick to short runs and a slope that's steep enough to be fun to slide down, but not so steep you'll lose control. Piste classifications and maps will point you in the right direction.

 

2 Trying to save money could end in misery

You may be trying your best to do it on a budget, but if it's more misery than fun, you've wasted your money. If you have small children, for example, having to walk or drive a long way to the slopes, while carrying everybody's gear, can put a real dampener on things. 

Skiing is physical so if you try and scrimp by taking early flights and long transfers, you might be too tired and frazzled to enjoy the first day or two. 

If you're travelling with children of different ages, then you might want to spend the extra dollars to make sure everyone's catered for by staying somewhere like Perisher, in Australia's Snowy Mountains. Resorts like this offer childcare for 6 months to 3 year-olds, a Discovery Kids program for the 3-4 year olds, and a full day program for 5-15 year-olds.

 

3 You could take the wrong gear

If you don't want to be cold, wet, burnt, or blistered, then you’ll need to pack properly. Consult a packing list,  and then check your bag twice. Because of the extreme weather, small things like the wrong socks or a missing glove can make skiing very uncomfortable. And remember,  ill-fitting ski boot have the potential to ruin a holiday.

 

4 You could lose your gear

Unfortunately skis and various other bits of equipment can go missing, whether it's through negligence, accident or theft. It often surprises people that a piece of equipment like skis can go missing, but it does happen. 

Using powder leashes, powder traces, and even transmitters can help reunite you with your skis if they come off somewhere in the snow. To avoid losing your skis, don't click them together to get the snow off when you're on the chair lift. It's a sure way to see them unclip and plummet somewhere down below. 

 

So this is what could go wrong, but there’s plenty that could go very right. We’ve created a comprehensive guide to having your best ski holiday ever, so you can start planning. 

Whether you’re going on a skiing holiday to Japan, New Zealand, Australia, the US, Canada, or somewhere in Europe, don’t start planning without reading this guide first!