As a company specializing in ski and snowboard rental, we hear from a lot of people who say they hate the two sports. We need to wonder how many of them have actually tried one or the other. We get the fact that snowboarding tends to appeal to a more limited audience. But skiing? How would you know you hated it without trying it first?
If you’ve decided that skiing isn’t for you despite never having strapped a pair of skies to your feet, allow us to issue you a challenge. Here it is – give skiing a fair shake before deciding you hate it. Maybe your current dislike for the sport is only rooted in a lack of knowledge or a single bad experience from the past.
Take Some Lessons
There are couple of things you need to do to give skiing a fair shake. First is taking some lessons. By this we don’t mean a single 30-minute lessen before you take to the slopes for the first time. Rather, we are talking about a series of class-style lessons designed to teach you everything from the basics to the finer points.
Skiing is as natural to some people as doing ski tunes is to us. But it doesn’t come naturally to others. That does not mean people in the second group cannot enjoy the sport. Some of them can, and actually do, after taking formal lessons that taught them how to ski.
Invest In a Seasonal Rental
Next up is investing in a seasonal ski rental. Why? Because it is hard to get a good feel for skiing with just one or two days on the slopes. The first couple of times you go skiing, your main focus is staying upright. It’s hard to enjoy the sport when you’re working so hard to not fall down.
A seasonal ski rental offers the motivation you need to hit the slopes on a regular basis. After all, you don’t want to waste your money. Getting the most for what you spent is all about skiing as often as you can during the season. And if you do it often enough, you will get a more realistic impression of the sport. Then you will be better able to decide whether it is right for you or not.
Go Skiing with Friends
Skiing alone is better than not skiing at all. But we can think of no better experience than hitting the slopes with a group of friends. So if you really want to give skiing a fair shake this winter, get together with friends you normally enjoy hanging out with. Go do it together.
If some of your friends are already experienced skiers, they might be willing to help you out. Maybe they can teach you some pointers. If you are all learning together though, that’s not a bad deal either. There’s something to be said about the camaraderie of conquering the slopes as a group.
A Full Season Should Do It
What we are saying here is that you really need a full season under your belt to get a good feel for how skiing suits you. A single trip to the slopes doesn’t offer enough time or experience to make an informed decision.
Do you hate skiing? Have you ever tried it? It is hard to know whether skiing is a good sport for you without giving it a fair shake. So how about it? Spend at least one winter on the slopes before deciding one way or the other. You just might decide you love it after all.