Call for an instant quote 0345 90 80 161
Open Mon to Fri 09:00 - 17:30 | Sat 09:00 - 16:00 (GMT)
31 October 2013 10:25
It's snow joke: learning to ski can be a painful process, involving plenty of bumps and bans to both body and ego
Australian cricket legend Steve Waugh once said: "Fail to prepare, prepare to fail."
Many holiday-making novice skiers are failing to heed Waugh's maxim, a new survey suggests - and sometimes with painful consequences.
More than four in 10 (43%) beginners polled in Snozone's Ski Holiday Satisfaction Survey wished they had taken extra skiing lessons before hitting the pistes in the Alps or the Pyrenees.
Learning to ski can be a painful experience involving plenty of bumps and bangs to both body and ego.
But learning at a resort can also be expensive. Novice skiers lose up to three days of their holiday learning the fundamentals of the pastime and spend up to £300 on lessons, according to the poll undertaken by the indoor ski-slope company.
The figures are a reminder of the potential pitfalls of a skiing holiday, and offer a timely reminder of the importance of taking out sports travel insurance for extra peace of mind if you're hitting the slopes as a beginner - or even an intermediate - skier.
It questioned 2,220 UK residents who have been on a skiing holiday in the past five years.
The cost of resort lessons adds £200-£300, the poll found, in addition to the £750 to £1,000 that British travellers expect to spend on their skiing holiday.
More those half of those surveyed (55%) also admitted to novice nerves, claiming that skiing can be a frightening thought for people inexperienced in the sport.
Nearly half of people questioned (46%) claimed they go on a winter sports holiday every year.
A bit of ski practice before you board a plane to France can make all the difference, says Snozone's Elena Kale.
She said: "For complete beginners, learning to ski or snowboard can be an intimidating experience."
So, she advised, lessons before you leave should give confidence to make the first few days of your trip much more enjoyable.
15 August 2018
A simple blood test could help GPs detect a rare form of bone marrow cancer much earlier, a new study suggests.
[more...]
14 August 2018
Passengers arriving at Heathrow Airport last month faced queues of over two and a half hours at passport control, new figures have revealed.
11 August 2018
Hundreds of Ryanair flights will not take off as planned on Friday due to pilot strikes in five countries.
10 August 2018
Fad diets that cut out carbs while increasing fat consumption could lead to an increased risk of diabetes, according to new research.
09 August 2018
HIV testing has become even more accessible after a self-testing kit was made available from a High Street retailer.
08 August 2018
Women patients are more likely to survive a heart attack if they are treated by a female doctor, a new US study has revealed.
07 August 2018
The head of British Airways has branded two-hour queues facing travellers at Heathrow's passport control as a "border farce."
04 August 2018
Simple factors such as gender and body mass can help doctors to personalise care for patients with type 2 diabetes and avoid harmful side effects, according to a study.
03 August 2018
Gatwick Express must no longer claim it runs "non-stop to Victoria station in half an hour" and "in just 30 minutes" unless it can achieve the time in most cases, a watchdog has ruled.
02 August 2018
A charity is calling for greater access to respite support after it emerged that 72% of Britain's 700,000 young carers feel lonely and isolated during the summer holidays.
01 August 2018
A plan to build new rail links with Heathrow Airport and connect Windsor's two train stations have been submitted to the Government.
31 July 2018
The head of International Airlines Group (IAG), the company that owns British Airways, is 'optimistic' about a legal challenge to end crippling strikes.