You should be getting excited for your first day of skiing, or snowboarding. These tips will help you prepare for the nuances of your first day.
1. Getting the gear ready.
A necessary step in getting ready for the trip is collecting and renting the gear for skiing or snowboarding. For clothing and other essentials, ensure you have:
- a ski jacket,
Check out these Ski Jackets - pants,
Check out these Ski Pants - base layers,
Check out these Ski Base layers - ski socks,
Check out these ski socks - helmet,
Check out this ski helmet - goggles or
Check out these Oakley goggles - sunglasses,
Check out these sunglasses - gloves, or mittens; Check out these Ski Gloves
- depending on temperatures, you may want a fleece layer
- hand warmers
For your skis or snowboard, if you have decided to buy your gear, make sure you have the gear fit and tested appropriately by taking it to a ski or snowboard tune shop at least one or two days before. If you rent your gear, I recommend picking the skis or snowboard up the night before; that way, you do not have to wait in line for your rentals when it is busier in the morning. Ski boots should always be kept inside; keep them somewhere warm inside.
2. Tickets
Hopefully, you have already paid for your lift tickets. If not, get them paid for now. Most resorts have dynamic pricing; the cost increases the closer you get to the date or offers a significantly lower price if booked more than a week in advance.
Try to pick up your lift tickets the night before your first day of skiing. That way, you do not have to worry about it in the morning. Most resorts have QR code scanner boxes to print out tickets quickly.
3. Waivers
Every Resort will have waivers to fill out if you take a lesson. For children, there will be waivers and emergency release forms to have completed before classes can start. Make sure you have them all filled out, and any emergency release form needs to be printed and placed in your child’s pocket
4. What to expect for your lesson?
If it’s your first day on the slopes, expect to get warm learning how to move around on your skis and the basics, everyone learns differently, but this is an essential part of the lesson. Make sure you have an open mind and no preconceived notions about skiing. Stay calm if you feel like you are not getting it. Breathe, look around, and enjoy the beauty of the mountains; remember, skiing is supposed to be fun.
5. Morning of your lesson.
Remember to eat breakfast and ensure your kids eat a hearty breakfast so they have the energy to last all morning.
Bring all of the gear to the resort and double check you have all the things you need.
Get your ski or snowboard boots on; the most challenging part of your day can be getting them onto your feet; make sure they are warmed up before getting on. If you are having a hard time, make sure you are sitting down, have a ski sock on, and pull the tongue out as far as possible.
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