THE SOLO TRAVELLER
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Finding your ski legs
A Q&A with Robert McIntosh, Managing Director of Interski.
Briefly …
Learning to ski as an adult begins with unfamiliar equipment, gentle slopes and the near certainty of falling over. For solo travellers starting from scratch, the aim is to build the skills and confidence to eventually head out on the mountain alone.
There is something mildly alarming about attaching two long pieces of equipment to your feet and then learning how to travel downhill on them. For an adult learning to ski, dignity may be the first thing to leave the mountain. The boots feel strange, the skis have ideas of their own and falling over is almost inevitable.
Fortunately, nobody starts at the top. Learning to ski begins gently, with instructors, nursery slopes and the reassuring knowledge that falling over is part of the process. For a solo traveller, the choices soon become more interesting – learn privately and progress faster, join a group and share the experience, then work towards the point when you are ready to head out on your own. Interski Managing Director Robert McIntosh has some reassuring advice for anyone contemplating their first ski lesson: leave your pride at the hotel and do not take yourself too seriously.
Robert McIntosh, Managing Director of Interski. Image courtesy Interski.
For someone who has never skied before, what does learning to ski actually involve during the first few days? What are the first skills an instructor will usually teach?
Learning to ski for the first time can be very daunting and the most important thing at the beginning is getting used to the kit. Ski boots and skis will feel very unusual to begin with! Beginners will start on the slopes with a very gentle gradient, normally known as the baby or nursery slopes – but don’t be offended, plenty of people learn to ski in adult life!
The very first skill to master is the ‘snow plough’, which is a wide stance with your toes pointing towards each other and your heels pointing apart. A strong plough is an essential skill for controlling your speed and is the foundation for your progression.
Many beginners are probably as nervous about looking ridiculous as they are about falling over. What do ski instructors do to help adults become comfortable on the snow and start building confidence?
Nobody wants to be embarrassed or humiliated. Experienced instructors appreciate how nervous beginners can be and know how to put them at ease. They will help put you at ease and help you feel calm and comfortable. Falling over is inevitable, as is being in situations where you struggle to stand up again without assistance. The best advice is leave your pride at the hotel, accept you’ll be falling over and don’t take yourself too seriously!
A solo traveller can choose private tuition or join group lessons. For a complete beginner travelling alone, how different are those two learning experiences?
It depends on what you want to achieve. If your aim is to progress quickly then private tuition is the best option as you’ll have an instructor entirely to yourself and so the lessons will be very much geared to your personal style and ability. You are likely to progress much quicker and you’ll be surprised at how easily you pick things up.
Group lessons are a different dynamic but tend to be much more sociable. Groups are arranged based on ability and so you’ll be with other people of a very similar standard to yourself. They’re a great way to make friends and the shared activity is great for bonding. Progression is generally much slower as the group will normally improve at the rate of the slowest learner, but it can also be great fun and builds camaraderie. The costs are significantly different, as you might expect and group lessons are much more cost-effective.
The Courmayeur chairlift, Aosta Valley, Italy. Photographer: Enrico Romanzi.
How quickly can a beginner reasonably expect to progress during a week-long ski holiday? Is there usually a point when they can begin skiing independently rather than remaining with an instructor?
Expectations are all important, so if you’ve never skied before you need to be realistic about what you’re likely to achieve. This is also where choosing the right resort is important. In skiing, you will hear “progression” used to describe how well a ski area accommodates improving ability. Good progression means that skiers can easily advance between the beginner slopes to the intermediate areas and from intermediate to advanced.
Some resorts are not very well structured for this as the difficulty between the beginner slopes and the intermediate runs is too great, the consequence being that despite making personal progress there is nowhere on the mountain for you to safely advance to. On the other hand, a resort with good progression means that as you progress personally you get to explore more of the mountain, making your achievement feel more tangible.
With this in mind, it’s always worth speaking to an expert who can recommend resorts on this basis to make sure you get the most from your ski holiday. In general terms, if skiing for a week and starting as a total beginner, it’s highly likely that you will be skiing blue (beginner/intermediate) runs by the end of your week.
Once someone has learnt the basics, what should they know before heading onto the slopes alone for the first time?
Safety is the priority – not just for you, but for other skiers and snowboarders. Someone careering uncontrollably down the mountain is a serious danger to everyone and serious accidents can happen. This means that learning to read and understand a piste map is hugely important and will ensure you only ski runs that are suitable to your ability. If you’ve been in lessons, speak to the instructor and ask for advice on next steps and which slopes and areas will suit your standard. Take note of which lifts you use and look out for useful features, buildings and markers that can help guide you – getting lost is another danger to be aware of!
The main thing is enjoyment and that is different for everyone. If you want to push yourself to improve your technique, that’s fine. If you’re happy with your standard and mooching about on the gentle blues and enjoying the scenery that’s equally fine.
To learn more, visit the Interski website and explore Interski’s Ski Holidays in Italy’s Aosta Valley.
Wednesday 16 September 2026 at 9:54:03 am ACST