Why we love Easter Skiing!

Easter is a great time to enjoy skiing, making the most of the better weather, taking advantage of the last of the ski season. Easter is the perfect time to enjoy a skiing getaway with family and children or equally just with friends. If you are the type of person who wants to ski whilst enjoying the sunshine for 6 days of your holiday. Then Easter is the one for you, the most “sun sure” weeks you can have in the mountains. It’s unlikely you’ll be suffering with whiteouts and poor visibility often associated with trips earlier in the season. More likely you will spend your days sun creaming up and swapping the goggles for sunglasses.

There couldn’t be a better time to spend your afternoons sitting on top of the mountain, taking in the views and taking advantage of all that apres ski has to offer. Along with that sunshine comes the opportunity to soak it up. Each resort will have a number of activities on for children. From face painting, to sledging and Easter egg hunts– there is definitely something to keep them entertained. Check the tourist office in your local resort for all the details. Don’t forget; Piste Etiquette – Stop on the side of the piste and be sure not to stop underneath a drop or else oncoming skiers won’t see you. Look around when skiing across an intersection as skiers are coming from all directions.

Safe Gear – Helmets are a must (not just for the children), protective eyewear and sunscreen (even on the overcast days). Wear plenty of layers, these can easily be removed if it is warm, but temperatures in the mountains can drop quickly. When skiing with children the Hobbledehoo is invaluable. With the change in weather, comes a change in the skiing conditions, overnight freezes and warmer temperatures through the day mean the snow melts, Easter skiing is all about, sleeping in, lunch time cruising and apres ski from 3pm. This change in weather conditions can bring about some different injuries from what we are used to seeing throughout the rest of the season. The icy conditions in the morning causes and increase in falls and collision caused by a lack of control. In the afternoon the snow begins to turn into slush, this can result in a lot of undesired twisting through the knees, this can result in damage to the Medial and Lateral Collateral Ligaments.

We recommend looking after your knees! It isn’t worth the risk, if you have had a previous injury, or are prone to knee pain, then wearing a brace will go a long way to helping to prevent any unnatural twisting of the knee. For higher level injuries, the Donjoy Armor offers a level of support un-parallel to anything else on the market. For a lower level support we recommend the Donjoy Quickfit. Although minimal first aid is required as you are never far from a professional on piste runs, however, it is often useful to carry some cohesive rip or Zinc Oxide tape (ensure its hand tearable!) that can be used to secure or hold a multitude of things together- Broken boots, poles, ripped gloves or trousers, can even be used to tape a hand or arm around the chest as a splint/sling or tape two legs together with poles as a leg splint in emergencies. Also, top tip carry a heavy duty plastic bag as in the event of an injury you can fill this with snow, wrap some tape around the top and voila, instant ice pack for any sprains, strains or bruises. Be safe when skiing this Easter, but most of all have fun!