If you’ve never been skiing before then learning can seem quite terrifying. Get over the fear however and you’re opening up a lifetime of pleasure.

You’ll be able to see stunning mountain views, feel the thrill of hurtling downhill through magnificent scenery and, of course, enjoy the vibrant après ski social scene after a hard day on the slopes. Just one word of warning though – once you’ve started skiing as a hobby it’s difficult to stop and you are likely to want to go as often as possible.

It should take only a week’s holiday to pick up enough skiing skills to be competent, though you won’t get to this point without lots of bruises, aches, pains and of course several blows to your dignity.

Beginners should choose resorts with good nursery slopes and a record of having good snow for skiing. English speaking ski schools are advised. As well as the Alps which might be your first thought when choosing a skiing trip, check out Bulgaria and Andorra, both of which offer reasonably priced ski holidays.

If you want a head start before your vacation, you might want to have some lessons or practice runs on artifical slopes at home. There are many of these around the country.

Outdoor slopes use plastic matting to replicate real snow – this can be quite painful if you fall on it. Indoor slopes are not as long as outdoor ones but you do get to ski on actual snow. Remember to wrap up warm because once you enter the indoor slope you are effectively inside a giant freezer.

You might be surprised to hear that there is actually a real outdoor ski slope in England. However it is only for very fit and very experienced skiers. The slope, near Ullswater in Cumbria, is an hour’s difficult walk from the car park and has red (advanced) and black (expert) runs only. There are many resorts suitable for all levels in Scotland and occasionally conditions are right to ski in Snowdonia in Wales.

If you’re trying out skiing for the first time, there is no need to buy the whole outfit. You can hire everything you need from Snowsport shops in the UK or shops in ski resorts.

For more information on skiing, see The Ski Club of Great Britain website at www.skiclub.co.uk. For information on skiing in Scotland see http://ski.visitscotland.com.

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