Four Tips To Remember Before Your Ski Getaway

1 Research the Rentals

Whatever activities you have planned, rented equipment will probably feature. Snow focused equipment, including skis, boards, boots and toboggans, is often cumbersome or subject to hefty carriage charges, so renting is a must. But there's a lot of variety in quality and price of rented equipment, so shop around local retailers online first, and avoid renting from the hotel. If you find a good deal you can arrange a fitting and pickup in advance, and avoid lengthy waiting times and equipment shortages on the day.

2 Buy the Essentials

Hats, gloves, coats and thermal underwear are completely necessary, but never wait until you arrive to pick them up. Unexpected blizzards could leave you stranded at the taxi rank, and protective clothing is sometimes most expensive in places where everyone needs it. Fortunately it's easy to find top quality clothing right at home. There's a wide variety of sensible and quirky styles to fit your budget and fashion, ranging from slim-fit thermal coats to beanie hats with attached beards.

3 Use Public Transport

Many people enjoy the freedom of renting a car abroad, but unless you want to spend a lot of time off the beaten track it may be wiser to rely on public transport. Local trains, buses and taxis have experience adapting to deep snow, and handling a car on unexpected ice can be more stress than it's worth. But if you're dead set on exploring many hotels and taxi companies will hire out personal drivers at competitive prices, which can still turn out cheaper than hiring a car.

4 Practice Makes Perfect

Whether travelling with family or friends there's always likely to be some first-timers, or maybe someone is just out of practice. You might already have some sessions booked on the mountain itself, but if you have the opportunity it can be worth visiting one of the indoor snow-slopes or dry runs littered around the UK for a taster session. The basics are easy to learn but can be time consuming to teach, and the first two hours of lessons can be frustratingly dull when there's a whole mountain to explore. With a little prior experience people can get to a similar level faster, and have a better time overall.

With these extra pieces of advice in mind you can guarantee a much easier time abroad this winter, allowing you to get away from the stressful details, and back to the holiday you deserve.

Hans Oreiller is a UK writer who has travelled a lot. He has written about many topics on his travels, from funny hats to colossal squid, and he writes using real life experience to boost his articles.

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Skiing Holidays for Beginners

kiing holidays for beginners: acquire the basics right

Ok, so it's your first skiing holiday and you are inquire yourself; what do I need to get, what should I pack, where should I go that isn't going to be full of airborne snowboarders?

The first thing you need to do is to get your gear organised. If you are planning to make skiing holidays a regular affair then you'll want to invest in some gear. What will you need? Well, the most important element is clothing, layering will keep you warm as it traps air between the layers which your body heat then warms keeping you nice and snug on the snowy slopes. The base layer should consist of some form of thermal underwear, I know images of cowboys in long johns prevail, but really you'll be glad of the investment when you repeatedly wipe-out.

Ski jackets and waterproof trousers are available in all outdoor stores and there is a wide selection to choose from. These can be expensive so buying during sales is a great way to save literally hundreds of pounds. If you are unsure of whether you will return to the slopes after you initial trip then try to borrow some gear from a friend of comparable size or there is the option at most resorts to rent gear. You'll also want some goggles, sunglasses, very thick socks and sun-cream, yes sun-cream, the white of the snow reflects UV rays rather than absorbs them which results in sun burn after a day of exposed skiing.

Choosing skiing holidays for beginners

Take time in selecting your resort. You don't want to rush in and choose a resort where there is very little on offer for beginners. Make sure where ever you book offers skiing holidays for beginners or you may find yourself standing on the sidelines watching the aces spin through the air with your mouth open in awe. So, the best place to start is by identifying a number of resorts that cater specifically for beginners. If you are going as a family then make sure the resort has something for everyone, from the little ones all the way up to overly confident teenagers. Does the resort have beginner's slopes and first time skiing lessons at the base of the mountain? Can you book accommodation close to the beginner's slopes?

Consider the additional costs

Many new skiers are shocked by the expense of a skiing holiday. Even if you manage to book a last-minute flight at discount rates, you will need to source reasonable accommodation (remember the closer to the resort your stay the more expensive it will be). There are also the costs involved in renting equipment, skis, entrance to the slopes, ski lifts and of course the high cost of that all important pint. If this is your first time, and you are not accompanied by a more experienced skier, then you will no doubt also want to book skiing lessons. These are costly and with all the other cost, your holiday can quickly escalate.
Packaged ski holidays for beginners which include flights, accommodation transfers, lessons and equipment can be a cheaper option for beginners. If you enjoy your trip, then you can start buying your own gear and sourcing regular, cheaper accommodation as your knowledge of resorts grows.

There are hundreds of resorts you could visit as a beginner. Travel and accommodation in France is very competitive and easily accessible for most European countries. La Plagne in the Paradiski mountain range of France is just one area renowned for its picturesque slopes. Snow Chateaux offers luxury La Plagne chalets close to the slopes that are full of modern features such as Wi-Fi access, PC's, wide screen TVs, games rooms, Xbox, iPod connections and of course a sauna/Jacuzzi. Luxury!

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Important Snowboarding Clothes

Snowboarding is fun and exciting but if you do not have the correct and appropriate snowboarding clothes, the fun and excitement will disappear very fast.

One of the most important snowboarding clothes is the jacket. Your jacket should have the capacity to keep you warm and dry. Remember, snow can turn into water very quickly once it comes in contact with your body heat and the feeling is never nice. Therefore, you jacket should be waterproof. Make sure that the lining of your jacket is thick enough to keep you warm but at the same time your jacket should not hinder your movement. Your jacket should fit you snugly while ensuring it does not cut into you. You can either opt for a parka with a hood or a ski jacket depending on what you are comfortable with.

Besides the jacket, pay special attention to your pants. They should be waterproof just like your jacket. Clothes manufacturers make snowboarding pants with suspenders which are similar to waders made for fishing. While other snowboarding pants are just like conventional pants.

Do not attempt to do snowboarding without a pair of warm gloves which do not restrict the mobility of your hands. Make sure your gloves fit you well on the wrist to seal out the cold. Though scarves are not essential for snowboarding, they have their use. You can use scarves to cover your nose and mouth if the weather goes from bad to worse. If you are wearing a scarf, make sure it is waterproof.

The most important part of your snowboarding clothes is your helmet. It is designed to protect you from the cold and from any serious head injuries in case of an accident.

Once you have all the necessary clothing for snowboarding, you are all set to conquer the snow.

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Snowboarding Classes For Beginners

Snowboarding, since it's introduction in 1965, has become an extremely popular sport - the second most popular winter sport in the United States. It is the fastest growing winter sport in the U.S. Only skiing remains more popular.

With that in mind, more ski resorts than ever are beginning to open up some of their ski slopes for either exclusive or shared snowboarding use. For the beginning snowboarder, looking to learn the basic skills, there will be no shortage of places to practice. But snowboarding is not a natural or instinctive skill, so where do you start?

To being with, you should never try to learn snowboarding by yourself. There's too much unnecessary chance of injury. You should always find a qualified expert to teach you. Now this qualified expert can be from a structured environment like a snowboarding school or it can be a friend or family member who has been snowboarding for year and has the knowledge and patience to teach. The important thing is to get trained properly.

No one, especially a beginner should feel embarrassed about attending a snowboarding school. Even snow boarding trainers attend classes in an effort to keep up with the latest snowboarding styles, techniques, and safety protocols. The main decision you will have to make is what type of training you want. Most ski and snowboarding resorts will be able to accommodate you in whichever choice you make.

The most popular type of lesson is the group lesson. Group lessons are relatively inexpensive, well organized, and easy to find. Snowboarding group classes are usually divided by skill levels, so choose the beginning group and you will have few problems. Before enrolling check how many participants are expected in the class. More than 8 snowboarders in a class will probably be too many to allow the instructor to give you the level of attention you need.

To further save on money, if you plan in advance, you can often find coupons or discount books that will give you a nice percentage off of the class fee if you enroll in advance and are willing to pay with a credit card.
If you have the money, and feel that you need more support and attention, you can sign up for a private lesson. Of course, private lessons are more pricey. As the only student, however, you can be sure of receiving instructions geared expressly for your skill level. You will also be more comfortable in learning at your own pace as there will be no other students to hold you back.

A nice compromise between group lessons and private lessons is the private group lesson where you and friends can hire an instructor to teach you as a class. This has the benefit of letting you learn in a relaxed environment with friends and while usually more expensive than group lessons, will be much less expensive than private lessons.

The popularity of snowboard Olympic winners like Shaun White, Hannah Teter, Seth Wescott, and others will only increase the popularity of snowboarding itself. Want to see what all the funs about? Sign up for your snowboarding class today.

Jim Garza is the owner and webmaster of http://www.snowboardingmarketplace.com a winter sports web site specializing in articles and information on snowboarding googles and accessories.

Quick and Easy Guide for Snowboarding

Snowboarding is one of the most adventurous activities one can learn especially when winter season is fast approaching. For individuals who are eager to learn the fundamentals of snowboarding, you need patience as you go through learning this wonderful activity.

To get started, here are few tips as an introduction in learning the basic steps of snowboarding. These tips are aimed to help you as you take your initial steps in engaging in this new sport. Don't forget to wear your safety gears first.

Tip #1 - Stepping Up

For new riders and beginners, starting this hobby might become very confusing as to which foot should be placed forward, left or right? As a matter of fact, in snowboarding there is no rule on which foot, start snowboarding with the foot that you are more comfortable with.

Standing with your left foot frontward is called a Regular stance while, standing with your right foot forward is called the Goofy position or stance.

• Ask a friend to gently push you while standing with your feet and your shoulder wide apart. The foot that you would put first forward would be the ideal foot to use.

• In doing other forms of active sport like basketball and volleyball, ask yourself which foot you are always using when you jump. This is a good indicator that this is the more comfortable foot to use.

• It is important to identify you stance so that you can have a smooth ride. Otherwise, you could easily injure yourself.

Tip #2 - Bending your knees.

As you learn the basic of snowboarding, you must bend your knees until you feel that the muscles and tendons are tight and on a firm position. Straighten up and bend it again until you feel no tension and that your knees are completely and smoothly movable.

This is necessary because if your knees are stiff, it would hurt you when you hit a bumpy surface. You should feel that your joints are lubricated enough to absorb those bumps while you are on bending position.

Tip #3 - The Art of Glancing

Glancing over your shoulder to the direction you want to go would also turn your body gradually. Slowly look over your shoulder to the direction where you want to go then your body will gradually follow and head to that direction. This should be the initial step in changing your course. In this way, you will be leaning the weight of your body in that route. So if you are heading on a downhill in your Goofy stance (which is left foot forward) and you decided to go left, with using your heel edge, you must look over your left shoulder.

Feel your core twisting while looking on the desired direction, then slowly and gradually lean on your heel edge back again. You should feel your front foot freely sway. Feel your front foot sway uphill while your other foot comes downhill a bit. It is very essential to learn things on a gradual manner. Take your time to go through each step to make the learning process easier and snowboarding fun!
That's it. You are all set Rider!

Take your friends with you as you enjoy this new sports. For more helpful tips about Snowboarding Avoriaz you can visit www.mintsnowboarding.com.