What to Take

Pack Light

Let’s assume that you’re smart enough to take warm clothes and plenty of ski socks and look at the less obvious.  Try and pack light and don’t worry too much about your employer’s ‘baggage allowance’ of two items each.   If you’re running over, pack the extra in a MagiMix box — it’s far too useful to be turned away.

Equipment

If you’re a rider you may already have a customised board which you should take for street cred value.  If you’re a skier and have boots that fit then definitely take them.  Skis are not so necessary: if you get on well with your local hire shop, you’ll be able to try every type of ski, not worry (as much) about trashing the bases, get them serviced whenever you want and then buy the ones you like best at a discount at the end of the season.

Condoms

Usually straightforward to get hold of in the mountains, if difficult to buy on your budget.  Take a supply with you though — do you really want the pharmacist (wife of your hire shop owner/sister of your chalet owner) to track your libido?  

Pencil-Case

Great for keeping your budget money in.

Bum Bag

The easiest way to gather ski pack cash while standing on a coach.

Alarm Clock

Essential — if you don’t wake easily try for the most irritating wake-up call possible.  If you don’t get up in the morning, you’ll soon have nothing to get up for.  (Not so good as it sounds!)

Music

You will get bored of all your music.  Take as much as you can fit in that MagiMix box.

Visitors’ Book

If you’re running a chalet it’s a great idea to have somewhere for your guests to write their comments. Believe it or not, many will become your friends and your visitors’ book will fill with lift-pass photos, poems, paeans to your.

Staying Healthy

It is very difficult staying healthy during a ski season.

With everyone living in such close proximity bugs can move very fast through the resort community. The killer gastric flu for some reason always seems to strike just after New Year and is hard to avoid. The best bet is to pace yourself!

However, with all the will in the world, most people get ill sometime during a season. If you’ve a job with a tour operator you will usually find you have some sort of cover through them. However it can be wise to get your own additional insurance. From a medical point of view you should be okay, but by the time excesses and maximum claims have come into play, if you lose your equipment you’ll get very little back. Whatever, you must have some sort of insurance — this link will show you why.

Specialist Activities

It’s also worth checking whether high risk activities such as off-piste, racing and parapenting are included. You’re bound to want to do these at some point during the season, so it’s worth taking into account. A way round this in France is to buy a ‘Carte Neige’ or ‘Carre Neige’ that will cover you for off-piste skiing/boarding. Bear in mind though that a Carte Neige does not usually cover repatriation to the UK, nor some associated hospital costs.

E111

UK nationals should definitely ensure you have an E111 form, which you can pick up at any Post Office. This allows you to take advantage of the reciprocal health agreements that Britain has with 40 countries over the world (does not include Canada and the USA).  The reality is that the E111 will not cover you for all of your treatment and certainly not bloodwagon or ambulance journeys.

Travel Insurance

Wintersports Advice

Ski Resort Guides

Ski Resort Guides

Useful Information