So, you want to do a ski season?

Any recommendations on socks for skiing? Any long thick sock is good enough? I've only been learning so far in Xscape in Milton Keynes. I'll likely only be going 3-4 times per year due to the distance involved, but I would like to go on a ski holiday sometime if I can get my confidence and skills up to a standard I'd enjoy it properly.

Likewise, I've seen some foam ski boot inserts to protect shins. Are these worth it? At least for hired boots? I don't go enough at the moment to justify the expensive of having my own boots, but the ones there did start to hurt after 3 hours or so at my last lesson.

Finally a helmet, I'd rather have one which hadn't already had a million sweaty heads in and which fits properly. So any recommendations? Are there any shops in Essex that people know about where I could go to try them out? What sort of price would I be looking at for a reasonable quality one without going overboard like I know you can do with cycle helmets.

Thick socks are not recommended. Tube socks are also bad. You can pick up cheapish ski socks all over the place, including Amazon and eBay, they're your best bet.
Thin socks are better because you actually need to feel what your feet are doing to have control. The warmth comes from the boot.

Personally I'd not bother with shin pads, they just take up volume and again, limit the control you have, you need to be able to feel the front of your boot. However, if you know you've got particularly thin shins and have trouble getting boots to fit properly, then it could be worth looking at.

Any ski shop will allow you to try helmets on, just Google to find your nearest, but also remember places like Blacks and Millets that'll also do ski gear at this time of year.


As for going on ski holidays, as soon as you're able to get down the big slope at Milton Keynes without problems you'll be able to enjoy going away, don't feel like you have to wait years practising.

Has anyone worked a season in a ski/snowboard technician role? How would one go about getting that kind of work?

I guess your own properly fitted boots will help keep your feet warm better than the hire ones then? My feet get cold very quickly. I've also noticed my socks were wet after each lesson. Wasn't sure if that was from the snow seeping through or sweat.

I have had problems with shin splints in the past hence my interest in the foam inserts, or maybe I was over tightening the shin section. But maybe a properly fitted pair of boots will be the answer. How much would a decent pair of ski boots be (roughly)?

I've only been on the big slope at Milton Keynes once. Going for the next and final stage of lessons sometime early next year I think, after that I'll just need to get more practice. Fell over quite a few times last time before it clicked in my head how to turn with control despite all the instructors help.

Yes, substantially. But thick socks will make your boots tighter and consequently colder, not warmer.
Wet socks will be a bit of both. The hire boots will no longer close properly and you'll be sweating quite a lot.



For a decent pair that will last a while and allow you to progress? £150-200.

Once you've got the jist of the basics, the next step is something we call 'guided mileage'. We don't aim to really teach too much during this phase, but just to get miles under your feet so you can practise as much as possible, but there's nothing wrong with doing that on a real mountain - it's much more rewarding than just going up and down a ramp in the Midlands.

Apply to companies advertising said role.

It's easier if you have the qualifications, but ask the big companies look for in-house ski techs. You might be a bit late for recruitment though, they tend to hire in August/ September.

At best, you'll get basic hire gear - the stuff the hire shop no longer thinks they can reasonably charge for.

If you think you'll be skiing everyday, then you're going to enjoy yourself far more if you have your own boots.

Yeah, I'm planning on doing a season next year, in the mean time I'll maybe look into gaining qualifications and language skills.

I need to find the money, and preferably someone to go with to do that on a real mountain. 3 hours at xscape will be well over £100 by the time petrol and food has been included hence I'm not able to go as much as I would like.

Languages are, tbh, less important for jobs. You won't get local shop jobs, the only ones open for you are the ones with companies like crystal, like Neilson, like Mark Warner, ski Olympic, etc etc, the British companies who take out their own staff to cater for all their English customers. Having other languages is, therefore, largely irrelevant.
I'm an instructor who's worked in 8 countries on 3 continents. I only speak English.

But still, if I'm going to be living in another country, I want to take the opportunity to learn the language, although I appreciate that mostly everyone I'll be interacting with will speak English too.

Have you ever done a season in the US or Canada?

Bare in mind that less than £500 could see you have a week's ski holiday in some of the smaller eastern Europe resorts. Compares favourably to £100 for 3 hours.

Yeah, it's always nice to know some, but it's only shops and bars that you'll need it and you learn it better when you're out there, I find.

Yes, did a season in Fernie, Canada.

Aha, is it any trickier getting jobs and such in Canada than it is in Europe? I think I'd like to do a season there.

I'm looking to do a season come this December, what would be the chances of me being able to do to it in val thorens with a tour company as a chalet host?

Your chances of getting in with a company that works at VT are relatively high, your chances of getting a guaranteed job there are slim - at this point. If you broadened it to 'the 3v' then you give yourself a much better shot.