Top Tips: Heading Skiing

Ski holidays are amazing and definitely something I think everyone should experience! You may not get to sunbathe but it's the most refreshing holiday you'll ever do.

This blog is all about my general tips when it comes to booking and preparing for a ski holiday (I have done a separate mini one specific to St. Anton in another blog so as not to make this too particular which you can find here ). I am definitely not a pro or an expert but I've done three of these trips in the last 4 years and definitely want to make it an annual tradition!

Let's start with booking.

First thing I would suggest to do is to get your dates and then head on to Skyscanner to see where is available. All ski resorts will require transfer and the distance will depend on where you fly into. For example, if you're heading to an Austrian ski resort the typical airports are Munich, Zurich and Innsbruck if you're lucky. We always rent a car from there to travel to the resort which is not very costly but obviously, you or someone you're travelling with has to feel confident driving. (I'm lucky that my boyfriend John loves that part, haha). 

If you're booking in advance make sure to check how snow sure your resort is i.e. do they have goodsnow fall or not? If not it's fake snow and you can definitely tell the difference and if they are guaranteed to have lots of snow that can also mean poor visibility on the slopes or not all slopes will be open. This happened to us in St. Anton but it actually wasn't that bad and I would choose it over no snow fall. 

Once you get there some costs can creep up. It is a more expensive holiday depending on where you go and what your budget is but some of those mains costs are: Accommodation, Ski Pass, Ski Rental and then your general day to day. 

Ski Rental: 

I have always rented gear over there and have never had any issues especially because I'm not a pro. This will include your skis, boots and helmet for skiing everything else you bring with you. 

Ski Pass:

Your ski pass is very easy to get typically your hotel or the main information or ticket points at the slopes will have it.  

If you're a beginner or you've been once or twice and aren't that confident I would definitely go and get a lesson. It'll set you right for the few days instead of heading into the slopes and having a scary fall and putting yourself off!

Accommodation: 

When choosing your accomodation it is of course budget dependent but if you can I would try and book somewhere within walking distance of the slopes - it is the biggest thing I appreciated after a long day of skiing and your body will be wrecked!!  

Its also very common to go half board with your hotel which means that your food is covered for the amount of time you're staying there. This can be worth it if you don't mind eating in the same place for the majority. 

How can you save money over there?

If you're conscious of spending you can always bring a snack with you onto the slopes instead of stopping in restaurants up there because they are that little bit pricier. I love them because you totally soak up the atmosphere but a lot can be saved here by avoiding them. 

What To Wear:

Naturally every resort is going to vary especially in terms of their temperatures however I would definitely suggest to over pack thermals rather than not have enough because you will have to come off the mountain early if you get too cold - it really can be that freezing!I've done a separate blog post on ski gear options which you can check out here.

What your packing should look like: 

- A Ski Jacket - As per number 4 in the photo below which I'm sure is very obvious!  I love black and white anyway but especially in terms of ski gear. I got this jacket on site in St. Anton but found what I think is basically the exact same one online here.

 

TK Maxx or snow and rock are always good to check out for any ski gear! 

- Ski Trousers- I invested in a new pair for this trip that were skinnier just so they were ever so slightly more flattering because with the amount of layers on it's hard to feel in any way slim, haha. I got plain black ones so that I could switch up my jackets easy if I wanted to. Check them out here. 

- Thermal for top half and legs (a thermal/ base layer or skins - whatever you prefer to call it - is different to general gym gear so I would make sure that you have an actual thermal layer under your gym leggings for example). You can then wear an outer layer on top of these. 

Under Armour are brilliant for things like this. I actually bought a boy aged 10/11 because they didn't have any girls sizes left and it was grand! it's important for these to be a tight fit - check out some options in my other blog here. 

- Glasses - As per number 2 in the photo above.These are so handy and I would choose them over regular sun glasses any day. Plus they usually clip on to your helmet which is a saviour if you happen to have one or two falls.

- Gloves - In previous trips, I had a pair of gloves that allowed you to use your phone at the same time - thought I was deadly! This time though in St Anton it was just too cold up there so I switched to a heavier glove because I thought my fingers were going to fall off!

 - Ski Balaclava/Buff - Buff as per number 3 in the above photo is one thing I think will make your time on the slopes so much more enjoyable - especially if the temperature is so low. This acts as a head scarf type thing that you wear up around your ears and mouth and keeps you warm when you're going against the wind, they're really not that expensive either. I found the fleece type better than just material but it's up to you!

Number 1 in the photo is then your helmet which you will typically rent over there! 

- Lastly socks! I would bring thick ski socks and thinner ones too ( you can always get these out there anyway so don't worry if you forget them). The reason I say to bring both is just so you have the option depending on your boot. Some need thicker socks and some might be too uncomfortable with them! 

Night Time Attire:

Ski holidays as they go can be as casual as you'd like them to be. If you go to apres ski that's directly as you come off the slopes so everyone just drinks in their ski gear and no one cares about how red their face may be! 

You can also of course come down off the mountain and get changed to go back out again. Even this though I would say is quite casual - you could easily go out in boots, jeans and a jumper or bring a shirt if you want to go a little dressier.

I took a few shirts away with me, I only ended up wearing this one but I still had runners or flat boots on. The shirt is available here. 

This of course is just my opinion go dressy if you'd like but it is most likely snowing outside so heels won't be very pleasant! 

 

Do you wear makeup? 

Again given it's outdoor and active makeup isn't necessary but I get that some of us like to wear it and I feel like that myself sometimes.

 For me the biggest asset in terms of makeup was my face tan and then an spf. Spf is so important even though you may not feel like it's sunny and if you can get an spf with a glow that's even better to give your face a radiant finish!

The Tan Luxe face drops as in the pic above are the ones I always use and can be found here . I use medium/dark and mix 2-3 drops into moisturiser. I have a full blog on tips for face tanning so if you'd like you can read that here. 

Bellamianta is a developing tan and their website is here & then the Vita Liberata Body Blur is the instant tan available here. 

Getting back to actual makeup this is basically what I brought with me!

I kept things light and easy so really bits I could double up on.

Sculpted Palette. I know I'm biased but I really did use this on the face and eyes and brought no one other eyeshadow. It's such a handy travel essential and it has a great mirror too. I brought Light Bronze, Champagne Cream, Rose Gold Glow & Pinky Hues. 

It cosmetics Cc cream. This is lovely because it's a cc cream with coverage - nothing too heavy but you still feel like you've gotten something! I have shade light but would like to get medium also.  

Benefit Ka Brow - no surprise here. I actually didn't get my brows, nails or anything done before heading away so I felt a bit meh but thank god for brow gel! 

Flormar brown kohl pencil. I think everyone should have a kohl pencil when travelling because it's the easiest thing in the world to throw on around the lash line and feel more defined. Flormar aren't available online but you can get a Bourjois one here. I rotate between Bourjois, Rimmel or Flormar for a more affordable kohl liner! 

Black mascara. This is the Jlo x Inglot one that you can get in store. Or try Bourjois Volume Reveal, cheap and cheerful and a similar wand! 

Of course I packed my Lip Quads too. I stuck to lip balm for most of the trip so it was great having lip liner to be able to give them some definition!  

Skin Essentials: 

Hydrating masks or moisturisers are a must. I brought 3/4 sheet masks - only ended up using this one but loved it!

I also brought Biofresh probiotic moisturiser and the Image Vital C overnight hydrating mask. I packed all my luxury skin bits because we checked a bag on I'm not usually that good to myself :)

Your lips could get very dry too so no harm to pack some balm. If you suffer with dry lips I have a blog on how to handle them here along with my best lip balm recommendations! 

And I think that's basically all I know and questions I was asked? To repeat again - I am purely speaking from my own experience but these are all things that I have learnt along the way. I am more happy to help with any questions if anyone has any (if I can that is!)

But lastly if you go, enjoy!! So jealous I'd love to have another trip planned soon.

I hope this blog helped some of you anyway. Happy holiday'ing and stay safe on the slopes!!

Aimee xx