Archive for the ‘Skiing’ Category

Winter is when skiers start to think about booking their skiing holiday. In Europe there are hundreds of destinations to choose from. France, Switzerland and Austria all have very popular ski resorts, but if you are looking for a bargain then try Eastern Europe. Borovets in Bulgaria and the high Tatra mountains in Slovakia are attracting increasing numbers of skiers. A survey by pricerunner.co.uk and travelex.co.uk revealed that not only are the Eastern European resorts much cheaper than the popular destinations in the Alps, but they are also rated quite highly. Bansko in Bulgaria, Jasna in Slovakia, Zelezna Ruda in the Czech Republic and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia all got a mention.

If you are unsure which resort to pick, companies such as Forbes create a list of the top ski resorts in the world. The list will contain many Western and European resorts primarily because of the quality of the snow and the village atmosphere. New England has snow, but it won’t feature much on the list. This is because its snow tends to be icy, not powdery like the snow in Europe which is better for skiing. However, skiing holidays are about more than the quality of the snow.

Resorts such as Aspen are hugely popular and the slopes are crowded, meaning that you probably spend more time waiting for the chair lift than on the slopes. Another consideration is the après-ski scene. For some people this is the best part of the holiday. There should be plenty of opportunities for dining, drinking and swapping stories in front of a log fire. It is also a good idea to choose somewhere that has activities other than skiing, just in case your legs need a rest from the slopes. Your accommodation is also important and should be comfortable with easy access to the slopes.

Ski holidays can be expensive, but there are ways to save money. When you book your holiday you should consider a package deal as these often work out cheaper. A single lift ticket can be very expensive. Try booking at the last minute and stay in catered accommodation to save on eating out. Book your ski pass and ski hire online and always pay in local currency.

Ski resorts that regularly make it into the top 10 lists are:

Aspen: Located in the beautiful state of Colorado, Aspen always features on the list of top ski resorts due to its excellent ski runs that are suitable for skiers of all abilities. It is also the place where you have the chance to ski with the rich and famous although the downside of this is that it is not cheap!

Cortina: Another top choice is this stylish Italian ski resort which hosted the Olympic Games in 1956. Cortina was one of the world’s first ski resorts. The Cortina Ski World is located in the Alps and is one of the most scenic places in the world, with 120 kilometres of ski trails and 52 lifts.

Mont-Tremblant: Canada’s best known ski resort first opened in 1939 and has recently been given a $1 billion facelift. It is a compact ski resort lying in the pretty Laurentian Mountains. The village has a distinctive French feel to it and it has a number of cafes and bistros in cosy log cabins, as well as boutiques and restaurants. The skiing is suitable for mixed groups and there is a good ski school. Another plus for this resort is that it is just one hour from Montreal for those who would like to do some sight-seeing along with their skiing.

Stowe: Located in Vermont, this is another American resort famed for its picturesque setting. It has the largest vertical drop in the area and is famous for its double-black diamond ‘Four Front’ trails, suitable for experienced skiers. However, it also offers trails suitable for intermediate skiers and beginners. Away from the ski slopes it has over 90 shops and 60 restaurants.

Chamonix Mont-Blanc: Situated in the French Alps, it played host to the first Winter Olympic Games in 1924. It lies at the foot of Mont-Blanc, the highest peak in the Alps. It is renowned for its vertical drop of 9,209 feet and for having one of the world’s longest runs, the Vallee Blance, at 13.7 miles.

Banff/Lake Louise: This ski resort in Alberta, Canada is located in the Banff National Park. It is one of the most scenic mountain resorts in North America and has very reliable snow conditions. Covering 4,200 acres it offers tree-lined runs, smooth slopes and plunging bowls, providing ideal skiing for everyone from the novice to the expert.

Vail: Another ski resort in Colorado, Vail claims to be America’s favourite resort. With 5,300 acres of skiable terrain it has the largest ski area in the USA. Vail also has a lot to offer besides skiing with art galleries, ballooning, dog sledding, museums, ice skating, hockey and snowmobiling.

Zermatt: Switzerland’s top resort is a picturesque village and a car-free area at the foot of the Matterhorn. It has the second biggest lift-served vertical drop in the world. Zermatt has large snowfalls and the longest skiing season in the Alps.

Kitzbuhel: The most famous resort in the Austrian Tyrol. Skiing began here in 1892 and the 700-year old village still retains its traditional charm. Kitzbuhel is home to the Hahnenkahm the most dangerous and famous of the downhill ski races and is Austria’s winter entertainment capital. It has excellent skiing and snowboarding, but due to its low altitude snow may be lacking on the lower slopes.

Whistler/Blackcomb: This resort in British Columbia provides the best skiing in North America with the biggest vertical drop. It has 8,171 acres of skiable terrain and has been voted North America’s Favourite Ski Resort by OntheSnow.com visitors. The village has cafes, spas, galleries, international stores and over 100 restaurants that feature cuisines from around the world including French, Chinese, Italian, Mexican and more.

Ski holidays don’t have to be expensive and they are great fun no matter what your level of ability. So whether you are a novice or an expert, looking for cheap ski deals or a luxury holiday you will be able to find something.

Author: Amber Mike Hall
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Winter is coming! It’s time to brush off the summer sweat and get ready for winter sports vacations. There are many options to partake in snow-filled fun, but skiing is the perfect plan for a couple or family to enjoy together. Skiing is not as difficult as snowboarding, and it is fun for all family members.

Not many people know that skiing has an ancient history as far back as 5,000 BC. It was developed in Norway, and the original use for skis was to assist hunters through the snow. The main creation of skis was not to use as a sport, but skis were a way for ancient Nordic people to travel through the thick, deep snow. Ancient Scandinavians also used skis for there military transport of food and weapons. The skis provided a convenient method to move food quickly to soldiers and warriors.

Fast forward to the present and thousands of years of skiing have propelled the once simple, traveling method into a recreational sport. There are several different methods, styles, and ways to ski. Competitive skiing can be found in higher altitude countries and states where the mountains have fresh snow with steep cliffs. Scandinavia and Alaska are just two of the popular places to boast your expert skiing abilities.

One main type of skiing that everyone enjoys is alpine skiing. Alpine skiing is the popular way to ski during a typical snowy vacation. Alpine skiing brings you up a lift where you ride up a mountain to your choice of slope difficulty. Beginners will stick to the green, easy slopes. Intermediate level will ski down a tougher grade marked as a blue slope, and experts will ride a higher level to black diamond slopes. These three distinct markings help skiers identify which slope relates to their experience.

Alpine skiing slopes are usually created next to top rated ski resorts for the ultimate vacation. During the day, skiers can enjoy and play in the snow. At night, after the sore muscles and aches from falls take over, the vacationer can warm up to a resort fire place, drink wine, and dine at fine restaurants while viewing the ski slopes under the night sky. Comfortable beds in a ski resort invite the skier to relax so that the next day he can resume the fun.

If you want to show off your expert skiing abilities, you can dive into freestyle skiing. Freestyle skiing combines skater-like acrobatics with alpine skiing. Freestyle alpine skiing is for those expert skiers who want to take the sport to a higher level with flips, rail jumping, and other degrees of difficulty.

If the price of a ski resort and plane tickets has you strapped to a warmer climate this summer, you can still enjoy the sport of skiing. Many places offer artificial ski slopes that maintain the same element of skiing while being in sunny weather. The snowflex material is similar to nature’s own snow, and it provides an avid skier who’s tied to the warmer weather a getaway to their favorite sport.

For more information, visit [http://www.onskiing.tv]

Author: Drew Barring
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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So, your family has been begging to go on a ski vacation, but you have never skied in your life. No worries. You can take that ski vacation and learn how to ski while you’re there. Many people learn how to ski during a ski trip, and there’s no better place to do it than right at your resort. You may find yourself speeding down the mountain before you know it.

Learning how to ski is not as difficult as you might think. The ski school is usually right on the resort property, and lessons are generally not too expensive. You can usually sign up for either group or private lessons. Be sure to find out about skiing instructions at your particular resort before you leave for your vacation, and make a reservation if necessary. As quick as that you could be skiing the moment your vacation begins.

Ski lessons usually begin with you getting familiar with the equipment. You will notice that your ski boots make you lean forward a bit. This is perfectly normal. Ski boots do this because you’re in that same forward position when you ski down the mountain. The first time you walk in your ski boots you might be a little shaky. Try bending your knees a little and you will be just fine.

Within your first hour of ski lessons, you will learn a few basic skiing moves. The first one will be the plow, or snow plow. This is how you stop on skis, and it is done by moving the back of your skis outward and away from your body, like a snow plow. While you are skiing, you guide your movements by bending your knees and leaning to one side or the other. Which way you lean depends on which way you want to go. It seems amazing, but you will be able to do these things within an hour even though you have never skied before.

The beauty of all this is that you can be up on that mountain skiing after learning these two simple maneuvers. Once you know how to stop and guide your movements on the skis, you are ready to mount that ski lift and hit the slopes. Use the snow plow technique to control your speed, and start out slowly. When you feel comfortable, draw your skis closer in and you will move a little faster. Continue using the snow plow to slow down when you need to.

If you’re a first time skier, you will want to stick with the beginner trails. Most resorts mark these trails with a green emblem. The intermediate trails are blue. Once you spend about a day on the green trails, give the blue trails a try. Black trails are designed for expert skiers, and only experts should use them. Ski clear of the black trails until you have multiple ski lessons under your belt and a lot of time on the skis. The black trails can be really dangerous if you don’t have the experience to ski them.

Visit Ski Trip Planning to find out more about the best ski resorts and skiing tips.

Author: Jenny Styles
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Although nowadays cross country or nordic skiing is viewed as the little sister of alpine skiing, it
should be the other way around. Alpine skiing wasn’t invented until the 1930s, whereas cross country
skiing has been around for 4000 years, originating as a way for hunters to get around in
the Scandinavian mid winter.

Based on a natural walking motion, it’s very easy to pick up. Novices that have “defected” from the
alpine slopes are often amazed that they can master the basic techniques on their first day,
compared with the days of painful sidestepping endured on the nursery slopes to learn to ski
downhill.

As you don’t need a ski lift to start, it’s much easier to get off the beaten track. Skiers often
comment on the wonderful stillness of the forest in winter, where the only noise breaking the
silence is the gentle swoosh of their skis. In Scandinavia, ptarmigan and Arctic foxes are often
spotted on the trail; in Canada, moose sightings are common. It’s also much kinder on the
environment, cross country trails are normally hiking or biking tracks in the summer whereas the
mountains are “scarred” with defunct chair lifts once the snow melts on the Alpine slopes.

And unlike downhill skiing, this is a sport that can last you a lifetime without taking a lifetime to learn.
A low impact aerobic exercise, there’s no jarring of joints so grandchildren and grandparents can take
to the trails together.

How you do it

Moving forwards

There are two basic techniques – classic and skating. Classic is when you “push and glide” in pre-prepared tramlines carved into the snow. By placing your weight on one leg to push, you then glide forward on the ski that has no weight on it. By alternating this step you move forward easily in the tramlines that keep the tips of your skis straight, so it’s ideal for beginners. The skating technique is favoured by more athletic, lycra clad types. It’s based on the same push and glide idea, but here
how to do it you ski out of the tramlines and your ski tips are pushed out in opposite directions as you ski, like the opposite of a snow plough.

Going Uphill

Yes, you do ski uphill – but it’s not as difficult as it sounds! To do this you can either side step
digging your ski edges in to stop you falling backwards, or make a V with your skis digging
your edges in and walk up this way. Remember there’s bound to be a nice glide downwards at
the top.

Heeelp! I can’t stop!

It’s great when you’re swooshing down the tramlines with no pushing needed, but
sometimes you’ll want to ease off on the speed. To do this, either bend down and sit on your
skis, reducing your centre of gravity naturally slows you. Or take one ski out of the tramline
and use it as a brake. It’s also possible to come out of the tramlines all together and do a full
snowplough as you would in alpine skiing.

What you’ll need

Skis

Cross country skis are light and long – normally as tall as the skier using them – helping you move forwards easily. But you also need some friction to stop you sliding backwards. Favoured by beginners, waxless skis have a herringbone mesh to give you some grip. Aficionados prefer skis that need
coating with wax to give you some grip. By using different wax for the temperature, a waxed ski improves your glide as it creates just enough friction without slowing you down like a waxless ski can do in some snow conditions. But they’re more fiddly!

Boots and bindings

Cross-country ski boots are like a trainer that allows your foot and ankle the full movement necessary to push you at the toe. Under the toe of the boot there’s a clip that slots into a groove on the ski.

Poles

Ski poles come up to your shoulders, giving you the extra “push” needed to keep you gliding along.

Clothes

Unlike downhill skiing, no costly clothes are required. First timers can get by in a pair of jogging trousers with a pair of waterproof trousers over the top, a thermal vest, a fleece and a light waterproof over jacket. You’ll also need a warm hat and a pair of sunglasses.

Want to give it a try?

If this has whetted your appetite for a touch of nordic skiing, your next port of call should be a specialist in cross country skiing holidays such as Headwater Holidays. We’ve years of experience and can help you to choose the best location for your holiday. So wrap up warm, strap on your skis, and give it a go!

Headwater Holidays
The Old School House, Chester Road, Northwich, Cheshire CW8 1LE, United Kingdom

info@headwater.com
http://www.headwater.com
+44 1606 720033

Author: Catherine Crone
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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