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Skiing and snowboarding

Photo: Flickr user: buckaroobay https://www.flickr.com/photos/buckaroobay/, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

  • This article is specifically about downhill (Alpine) skiing; for cross-country skiing, see Cross country skiing.

Skiing and snowboarding are popular sports involving sliding down snow-covered terrain with skis or a snowboard attached to your feet.

Skiing is a major travelling activity with many enthusiasts, occasionally known as "ski bums," planning entire vacations around skiing at a particular location.

UnderstandIf you don't have any strong preferences or prior experience, choosing between skiing and snowboarding can be a tough choice. Here are some factors that might help you make up your mind:
Plan your visitSince very few people live near a snow-covered mountain, most skiing happens at ski resorts, which offer the skiing location, equipment rental and sales, dining, and lodging all within a small village.
Get inGetting to ski resorts can be challenging and complicated due to their distance from large cities and airports.
On the slopesThe mountain is divided in to various trails (also called "runs" or "pistes" [rhymes with "least" in British English and "list" in American English]), each of which is rated according to its difficulty.
BuyWhether it's your first time or your hundredth, the one thing you must purchase is a lift ticket or lift pass. It's your admission to the mountain, and your ticket to use the ski lifts to get back to the top.
DoThere are many types of skiing within alpine skiing, from contests to downhill (going straight without turns) to moguls (going around the bumps).
LearnBefore hitting the slopes, you'll need to get dressed. Most of the equipment is simple and straight-forward to put on.
Stay safeSki terrain can often be very dangerous and can lead to hazards that can potentially injure or kill a careless skier.
Stay healthySkiing takes place in some of the most treacherous terrain in the world under very cold conditions. Be sure you are properly protected against the cold so you will not suffer from frostbite or hypothermia.
EatMost ski resorts have one or more lodges that include cafeterias or restaurants. Skiing is a demanding sport that requires more calories than your normal diet may support.
DrinkAprès-ski (French for "after skiing") is a fancy word for "going out drinking after skiing".
SleepBecause of their remote location, lodging in and around ski resorts tends to be expensive, with prices dropping off the further from the slopes you get.
ConnectAs ski slopes are typically in very rural areas (and to that: hilly), cell phone service may be weak, unreliable, or non-existent. On the other hand, large resorts may have good coverage locally.
DestinationsThe great advantage to skiing in Oceania is that the seasons are reversed, meaning the slopes are open from roughly June to October.
See also

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