The journey to becoming a competent skier or snowboarder may at first seem like a behemoth-like challenge, and from the outside looking in – maybe it is. But rest assured, with the right level of planning, a handful of skiing tips in your pocket, and maybe a few snowboarding lessons up your sleeve, you’ll be ready to tackle the many slopes our world has to offer.

To help you along the journey, we’ve compiled a list filled with beginner skiing tips and tricks that answer those pesky questions you may have boggling in your head, like “What do I need to ski for the first time?”. And like all good lists, we’ve provided a few helpful resources to assist you in learning to ski and snowboard to the pace and level at which you are most comfortable.

Skiing for beginners doesn’t have to be a scary experience, and with this list handy, we guarantee it’ll be the exact opposite.

Book the best resort for you

Believe it or not, there are good ski resorts for beginners out there; they just don’t explicitly say “made for beginners”. When it comes to booking the right resort for your fresh skiing needs, we’d recommend resorts that have a host of smaller, flatter, and wide-open runs. This enables you to have more space and comfort to tackle the tricky micro-movements that come with skiing and snowboarding.

Your ski technique is much easier to hone in on when you have the space and option to confidently make mistakes without harm or other skiers in the way. So, with this in mind, we recommend booking resorts that are large enough to accommodate a lot of skiers so you’re not overwhelmed or having to book in off-peak hours. You want to be able to glide, fall over and get back up again, with your main concern being your technique – not another skier dousing you in the snow while they fly past you.

Ski or Snowboard?

It may sound quite straightforward, but we’d recommend having a good think about whether you want to learn to snowboard or ski. Both sports have different difficulty curves and can feel quite unorthodox in different ways, to begin with. If you already take part in other board sports, there will be a natural lean to snowboarding, and the fundamentals of balance can come in handy.

However, the nature in which skiing utilises rods and a much more natural upright position to gain speed does accommodate most beginners to feel more confident in their ability to ski earlier in their journey. Keep in mind what may feel natural to one person can feel unnatural to another, so pick a side and commit to a good few days on the slopes before you decide to make the switch if it isn’t the right fit.

Get the right gear

A good tradesman never blames their tools, but good gear on the slopes can be the difference between an enjoyable first day and a not-so-successful one. Most mountains these days have good hire centres that take care of their gear, and due to the nature of you just starting out, we wouldn’t recommend taking out a mortgage to buy a whole bunch of ski gear on the chance that you decide you want to snowboard after a day on the slopes.

If you’re hiring, just make sure the gear you have feels comfortable, snowproof, and is in good solid condition. If you want to buy some gear, we’d recommend investing in snow gear and equipment that can go across both skiing and snowboarding, so goggles, a helmet, gloves and jackets.

Lock in a lesson

Say it with us, “skiing techniques are teachable”. It’s not all about ‘being a natural at it’, in fact, there are some incredible techniques that you can learn from the pros to help you grasp skiing or snowboarding a lot quicker (even if it’s your first time or you’ve been doing it a while and barely seeing an improvement).

If you’re wondering how to build confidence skiing, lessons are a way to fast-track your progress. Most resorts have a host of ski school options that are tailor-made to get you confident in the important skills of skiing and snowboarding so that you can hit the next lift with the assurance that you have what it takes to master the skis or board.

The beauty of lessons is that they teach you how to ski as a beginner so that you aren’t being bombarded with a bunch of tips and terms that make no sense to your skillset. Lessons are confidence-building foundations that set you up for a snow sesh win!

Build your confidence on the beginner runs

Learning to snowboard and ski can be a breeze when you choose the right run to go down. We would recommend even selecting a run to commit to for a solid couple of hours or a day just to first get a good understanding of the run and then commit to learning the tips and tricks of the trade.

Beginner runs are flat, wide, and buttery smooth to go down. Look out for these runs near the base of the mountain and stay there until you are ready to push yourself on a bigger run; we’d recommend taking it slow and always be sure to look out for other beginners that you can journey with.

Make sure the conditions are right for you

This is a quick and easy tip, but check the weather conditions prior to leaving and getting prepared – bluebird days, unfortunately, aren’t always a guarantee on the slopes, but that’s okay. If wind conditions are off the charts, there is heavy fog, or there is only a small amount of snow, it could be worth readjusting your plans to suit your needs.

If you believe these factors will be no issue for you, then we encourage you to go ahead and give it your best go; we just know that even with experience on your belt, these poorer conditions can be tougher to traverse the slopes with.

Get up (again), and don’t take yourself too seriously

If you’re wondering, “Is skiing hard?” the answer we like to give is “Yes, but only as hard as you make it.” A great piece of encouragement is that skiing and snowboarding will be difficult at first, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun.

Celebrate the little wins, laugh when you stack and always (seriously always) get back up and go again. Go in with the understanding that you will fall over – a lot – but you’re just starting out, and that in itself is exciting and fun. Skiing and snowboarding are meant to be enjoyed, even in the big stacks, so go out there and make the most of it!

If you’re looking to lock in a beginner shredding session this ski season, be sure to check out our boutique Perisher accommodation. Home to pristine snow runs and the world-famous White Spider Restaurant, Eiger Chalet is the perfect place for you and your family to get that winter escape these holidays.