Emily Bamber and Sheelagh Doyle went to Saas Fee in Switerzerland with Inghams and Swiss to find out which sport was easier to learn as an adult – skiing or snowboarding
Learning to ski
Out of the advice I was given about learning to ski, two words rang alarm bells: burning pain. According to an assortment of less-than-enthusiastic skiers I should expect it in my thighs, calves and shins.
So the month before the trip I did 100 thigh squats a day. It was as boring as anything, but when the ski boots snapped on at 8.30am on the first morning I realised I would be locked into that semi-squat position for the rest of the morning and was grateful for the good advice.
It felt like I was wearing iron shackles on my feet, and I was also having to walk with half-bent knees. By the time we arrived at the slopes I was exhausted, overheating in all my layers and already wanting to get the damn things off. Not a great start.
When I found my instructor and clicked my boots into my skis I quickly found moving was a lot more graceful than walking. While my first slide down a shallow slope was scary, and I felt out of control, I soon got the hang of it. After an hour or so we had taken the drag-lift halfway up the slope to get a bit of speed up as I practised snowplough turns.
My instructor, Herman, was very encouraging and the two-hour lesson ended with him threatening to take me on to a blue run the following day. I found Sheelagh, who had a very sore bottom, and we retreated to the hotel spa to soak away the aches and pains.
The next morning we were the first on the slopes. Having briefly gone over what I’d learned the day before with Herman we set off for the blue run. From halfway up we started to go over the basics of the parallel turn, which took me most of the morning to master.
By the end of the two-hour lesson we took the drag-lift to the top of the slope and came down through a wide mountain path, skiing glorious arcs down the mountain. My knees were throbbing, I’d lost a glove and serious injury was just a wobble away. But the grin on my face said it all – I totally loved skiing. EB
Skiing: Beginners’ tips
- Keep your upper body still. Movement should be with your knees and hips
- Don’t point your knees inwards when slowploughing, otherwise your skis might cross
- Keep your weight on the downhill leg when turning
- Always face down the slope
- Once you can stop, leave the poles behind while you learn the basics
Learning to snowboard
“You’ve never snowboarded, like never ever?” asked the incredulous guy in the kit shop. Fortunately my instructor Reto was less concerned by my lack of experience.
We started slow with just one foot strapped into the board, allowing me to use my free foot to push myself around the base of the nursery slope to get a feel for the motion. After a few minutes Reto felt we were ready to strap both my feet in and add in a bit of gradient.
On my first few tries things went okay and Reto’s golden snowboarding rule (always look and point in the direction that you want go) seemed easy enough to grasp. It was on the ski lift that I got my first taste of falling over, setting the tone for the rest of the day.
And so it continued. Fall on the right, get up, fall on the left, get up, fall on my front, get up, fall on my back, get up. As I counted my blessings for having padded shorts, music from the children’s ski school rang in my ears and proficient eight-year-olds sped by on their boards.
Still unperturbed, I took solace from Reto who claims that everyone learning to snowboard can expect to spend most of their initial days on their rear end – it’s all part of mastering the process apparently.
For the remainder of my initial lesson Reto walked me through the process of turning ‘toeside’ and ‘heelside’.
At the end of day one I was in pain and somewhat frustrated, but it was nothing a soak in the Jacuzzi and few glasses of Vin Chaud didn’t cure.
Day two was a lot more successful. I was still falling over but I was managing a few turns and was able to stop without tumbling into the snow. The ski lift was no longer a drama and on each trip down I gained confidence.
All in all, I loved every bit of it – the crisp alpine air, the sense of freedom, the adrenaline rush and the amazing landscape. I was completely hooked. SD
Snowboarding: Beginners’ tips
- Wear padded shorts and wrist guards
- Don’t underestimate the value of stretching
- Take one-to-one lessons as early in the day as possible – there are fewer people on the slopes
- Remember to drink water and take breaks
- Have a sense of humour – nobody looks elegant as a beginner
Head-to-head: Ski v Snowboard
Coolness: Skiing seems much less cool than boarding, especially off the slopes. But although snowboarding is coolness personified, for most people the first few days of learning will be spent falling over.
Gear: Skiers have a lot to carry – two skis, two poles and a helmet as well as the heavy boots. Snowboarders only have soft snowboots and a board to contend with.
Ease in first hour: Emily mastered slide-walking and snowploughing within half an hour of starting to ski, and snowplough turns in about an hour. Sheelagh found the first hour tougher, taking a while to progress to boarding with both feet.
Falling about: Emily didn’t fall on day one, but took several tumbles when learning to parellel turn on day two. Shelagh fell more on day one, and less as the technique began to sink in on day two. Padded shorts and wrist guards saved her from major pain.
Ability after two days: After four hours’ one-to-one tuition across two days, Emily was doing the sideways slide and parallel turns down a blue run. Shelagh could manage nursery slopes, was able to turn toeside and heelside, and had begun to link her turns.
Aches and pains: Emily had sore calf muscles, shins and knees, and was tight across the shoulders for a week or so. Sheelagh complained that every muscle in her body was aching – especially calves and thighs – but beginner aches soon disappear with experience.
Sample package
Inghams has seven nights at the Ferienart Resort and Spa on a half-board basis from £1,170 per person, including return flights with Swiss from Gatwick and transfers. 020 8780 4433, inghams.co.uk
Travel information
- Six days’ adult ski or snowboard and boot hire starts from £110 through Inghams
- Five days’ adult ski or snowboard school starts at £96 through Inghams
- A whole area lift pass costs £169
- A local area lift pass costs £158
- Swiss Travel System provides a range of travel passes on the Swiss transport network
- Swiss operates daily flights from London Heathrow, London City, Birmingham and Manchester to Zürich, Geneva and Basel
