0117 457 6000

Heidi Blog

How to Improve Your Skiing Quickly on a Short Trip

16 Apr, 2024
3mins, 49s read
Sarah Cramer
Sarah Cramer
Share post:

Short ski trips are a thrilling escape from the normal day-to-day, but with a shorter trip comes less time to improve your skiing. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t make ample progress in a limited time frame. We asked our friends at Maison Sport for their top tips on how to make the most of a short ski trip and advance your skiing as much as possible.

1. Book a private ski instructor 

If you are booking a short ski trip to France or Austria, then you are unlikely to be able to book group ski lessons as they generally only start on Sundays and Mondays, and require you to complete the full 5 or 6 days. However, private ski lessons work well with short ski holidays and will accelerate your learning at a faster pace. Thanks to tailored lessons and one-on-one feedback, private ski lessons are an efficient and effective way to progress your skiing. A private ski instructor can help you to master your skiing technique and take you to all of the best runs in the resort for your ability, so you can spend less time worrying about navigating the mountain and more time focusing on your skiing and taking in the incredible surroundings. 

2. Get up early and make the most of your ski days

More time spent on the slopes means faster improvement. Depending on the time of year, the lifts typically open at 9am and shut at around 4.15pm. Be an early bird and catch the first lift to make the most of the quieter slopes and untouched snow conditions before the morning rush. The more practice that you can get in, the better. Additionally, skiing for full days means you will experience varying snow conditions, which will help you to challenge yourself and improve your skiing.
Three skiers racing down mountain together on intermediate slope

3. Ensure you have the correct equipment 

Make sure that your ski boots are fitted correctly, as the better they fit the more in control you will feel when skiing. You also need to ensure that you have the correct skis for your level. If you are renting ski gear, make sure to book ahead of your trip to save time when you are in resort and get your equipment fitted correctly by a professional. If your boots don’t quite feel right, changing them is quick and easy and will be sure to have a positive impact on your skiing. In addition to having the correct ski equipment, it is also crucial to ensure that you have good quality, warm, waterproof ski clothes so that you are comfortable at high altitudes and can enjoy being out on the slopes in varying conditions. 

4. Prepare your body and prime it for recovery

To progress your skiing as quickly as possible, it is important to make sure that you are ski-fit. Skiing can be a pretty strenuous sport, particularly on the knees and ankles, and will use muscles that you may not commonly use, so strengthening these ahead of your trip will make it feel easier and more natural. Your muscles will fatigue quicker each day, so it is important to warm up and cool down properly to help your muscles recover and perform better. Remember to stay hydrated and refuel properly to aid with recovery - you’ll need all the energy that you can get if you want to make the most of your short ski trip!
Father and son skiing down slope

5. Do some pre-ski holiday research

Before you head out to the slopes, it is very helpful to watch tutorials in order to better understand the foundations of skiing and commonly used skiing terminology. Ski tips and techniques videos can help you to learn key techniques and enable you to visualise what you will be doing on the slopes. Understanding the principles and weight distribution involved in skiing can be difficult to get your head around, but, once you do, it will greatly improve your skiing. Watching video tutorials with expert instructors is a great way to prepare for your lessons or refresh your knowledge ahead of your trip.
Time is precious on the slopes, so make the most of being in the mountains, embrace a positive mindset and make strides in your skiing ability with these top tips. Make the most of your short ski trip and book an instructor today with Maison Sport, Europe’s leading ski lesson booking platform. You can either do this through Heidi or on the Maison Sport website. Maison Sport offers 1,000+ instructors across 430+ European ski resorts including popular spots such as Tignes, Val Thorens and Zermatt, so you can find the perfect instructor for you no matter where you are travelling.

New to Heidi? We’re here to make flexible ski holidays, easy.

You’ll find our holidays more flexible than your average ski package provider, but a lot easier to put together than doing it all yourself. Choose where you want to go from thousands of options, travel the day you want, stay as long as you like.

For help finding a flexible ski holiday, call us on 0117 457 6000, email us at [email protected], or simply start a search.

Why book a skiing holiday with us?

Flexible
Go where you want, when you want, for as long as you want, from an unbeatable choice of resorts.
Easy
Super-clever tech saves you buckets of time by making it easy to find 'the one', from a mountain of options.
5 star service
Our stellar UK team are here 24/7 to make sure your holiday runs smoothly. Flight cancelled? Booking amendments? We'll sort it.
On the money
From budget to luxury, find an amazing ski holiday whatever your wallet, knowing our ATOL protection means your money is safe.

See our ski holiday reviews