Passion for piste: A first-time skier takes to the slopes

Coming from the sunny South African climate where snow is something that makes the evening news, I had the opportunity of a lifetime to tick “ski trip” off my travel wishlist.

By: Tatum Alexander

Nothing quite takes your breath away like snowy mountain caps covered in white fluffy snow with crystal clear streams running as the last of the winter’s snow melts away into spring.

The change in season however did not hamper the exhilarating ski experience that awaited our group of intrepid skiers. Breuil-Cervinia in the Italian Alps, which shares its slopes with Zermatt in Switzerland, is one of Europe’s highest ski resorts. Cervinia has a remarkable mountain view, and from what I’ve heard from regular skiers, it offers some of the best skiing in the world as most Europeans prefer the piste here over other areas.

You can definitely expect a challenging first day as skiing is completely different to anything you might have done before. On day one we were split into groups and introduced to our ski instructors, who quickly taught us the techniques we needed to take on the slopes.

By the end of the week, nothing beat the feeling of skiing down the blue (easy) and red (medium) slopes with a cold breeze rushing against your face and the sense of accomplishment that comes with it.

Here are a few essentials you will need for your ski trip:

• Ski equipment – you will be able to hire the equipment from the resort or a ski shop in the village.
• Ski jacket & pants – Ski clothing is very expensive so you may want to borrow or hire a ski jacket and pants for your trip. Thermal underwear to wear underneath your ski clothing helps to keep you dry and warm in the cold, wet conditions.
• Waterproof gloves
• Ski socks – not too thick as the boots may be too tight.
• Beanie – a decent woolly hat, to keep your head and ears warm as it could get very cold.
• Goggles or sunglasses – Goggles are recommended on windy and snowfall days, however sunglasses will do for the finer days
• Sunscreen – Although it’s cold the sun is very strong and you will catch a tan! Use a high factor sunscreen every day and apply frequently

In the wise words of Jim Bowden, “Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads.”