This post was sent to us by Fran Welch.
Where do I fit in the unwritten rule? Who should I ski with?
When I first went skiing, little did I realise how many categories of skiers there were. Which did I fit into? What is an intermediate skier? How do you qualify for this status?
Obviously when I on my first ski holiday I was a beginner, so I thought when I went into the hire shop at the beginning of my second ski holiday and was asked what level I was, I answered “intermediate”, only to be interrupted by my husband who claimed I was still a beginner!
There seem to be a multitude of other categories that exist to fox me and when choosing a group of skiers to holiday with, it appears vital that a) you know what category you fit into and b) know what category the other members of the group are in.
I made the mistake of not doing my research on my last trip and found myself skiing with 4 ex-seasonaires. Not wanting to by shown up on the first day, I, of course, set off expecting to be able to keep up with them all. How wrong I was! I spent the day mainly ‘off piste’ having never entered this zone before, it was a little hard on the legs to say the least. Whilst they spent the lunch time reliving the amazing powder on the last run, I used the time to try and cram as many calories into me to get through the next few hours! I fixed the vision in my head of the Jacuzzi back at our Alpine Action Chalet and the thought of the delicious meal that would be awaiting us on our return. I soon realised that as well as wearing ‘beginner level skis’ I certainly did not fit into the ‘seasonaire’ or ‘ex seansonaire’ category either.
Finding the perfect ski partner or group is a tricky business. Whilst you need to be pushed to improve, you also don’t want to be pushed so far that you ski the first day of your holiday and need to lie down for the rest! Skiing with a less confident skier can also be the most frustrating thing in the world. If you find a solution to this problem, I would love to hear from you, but until then I will just continue to ski with my husband, who can put up with me on my ‘beginner skis.’
