Solo Skiers
Article updated every 6 months. Last update: 14th May 2008
Author: Sean Newsom (Travel expert) Ask me a question.
More about Sean Newsom
Sean Newsom loves skiing so much that he has made it his job, writing for The Sunday Times as their ski editor. He is also founder of welove2ski.com, the UK's leading specialist ski website.
"Skiing fast in the sunshine with your friends is one of the purest and brightest pleasures I know," he says. "Absolutely everyone should give it a go. If it were up to me they'd be giving ski and snowboard holidays away on the National Health. It would improve Britain's winter well-being in an instant!"
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Skiing and snowboarding are social activities. Any piste, whether green or black, is better skied in company. And all off-piste descent should be tackled as part of a properly organised group, for safety's sake.
So if your friends and/or family don't want to come skiing with you does that mean you can't go on a solo ski holiday? Not a bit of it, provided you follow a few simple rules.
Solo friendly holidays
Several companies based in the UK organise holidays which are either aimed specifically at solo skiers or snowboarders, or which tend to suit them. In the latter category are the holidays which are designed to help you improve your technique. On them, you'll find plenty of other skiers or snowboarders who want to master a new skill and can't find anyone amongst their friends and family who has the same ambition. When you book, you can tell the company whether or not you'd like to share a room, and they'll try to match you up with someone of similar age and interests (of the same sex, of course - they're not dating services!).
Regular tour operators are also clued up about the solo-skiing scene - some offer a range of hotels which offer one-person rooms with no single supplement charged.
When to go
Avoid the school holidays like the plague. Holidays during these weeks are far more expensive than at other times of the season, and other adults without children avoid them too.
Picking the right resort
Don't go to the ski resorts with family-friendly reputations. It's better to pick one of the bigger resorts, with good nightlife, which are favoured by the Brits - such as Val d'Isère, Méribel, Sauze d'Oulx and St Anton. That way, you'll have plenty to do in the evenings, and you'll find plenty of your fellow-countrymen in ski school - you don't want to be the only English-speaker there!
Insurance
Don't leave home without it! Depending on which country you're skiing or snowboarding in, mountain rescue and medical treatment can be expensive. So too lost or stolen equipment, delayed flights, etc. Bear in mind, if you're joining a technique-based holiday for more advanced skiers or snowboarders, normal ski insurance may not cover you for all the activities you'll attempt (for example, for ski racing). You may have to pay a higher premium.
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