Choosing to get away on a skiing holiday is amazing, but you do need to take care of yourself when you are out on the slopes. It does not matter if you can barely manage a bunny slope or you are taking on the most dangerous of black diamond runs, you need to keep yourself safe. Here are some of the things to remember before you hit the pistes.

Weather

Have you checked the weather forecast? Up in the mountains, things can change very quickly. Most ski resorts keep a close eye on the weather forecast, but you should make sure that you do so too – just for your own safety. No one wants to end up lost in a blizzard or unable to find their way back safely thanks to sudden low cloud.

You need to make sure that you know what the weather will be for the day ahead, and you should also have some way of checking it when you are out on the slopes. A service like Piste Pro can be invaluable here. They will be able to offer accurate maps of the trails that you might wish to follow, in addition to the latest weather forecasts. A service such as this can really prove invaluable to skiers, especially if you have plans to climb high for a difficult ride down.

You need to take safety into consideration as well during the weather. Instead of renting a car and risking driving in heavy snow consider booking transport from Geneva to Morzine for example. You need to make sure that you and your family are safe, all the way before arriving to the resort but also getting home safely.

Sunscreen

So many people forget to take sunscreen when they hit the trails, and then end up wondering why they are red around the nose and cheeks when they get back to their lodge. When you are out on the trails, it will be hopefully under some sort of sun. On top of this, the sun’s glare will reflect off the snow into your face.

This is a lot of exposure that you need to protect yourself from. Get a good quality sunscreen that is both water and sweat resistant, and don’t be afraid to choose a high factor. You don’t just need factor 50 for high temperatures! Make sure that your sunscreen also has good UV protection – this is one of the most important factors so ensure that it blocks both UVA and UVB rays.

Research the Route

If you are heading down a new slope, or you are heading off-piste, make sure that you have researched the slopes a little so you know what to expect. The more prepared you are, the safer you might be. Try to find recent accounts of other skiers who might have taken that route, as they might have some insight that doesn’t appear on official guides.

Recent changes could have resulted in the route being altered in some way. Trees could have fallen over, there could have been a rockslide, and there might be many other issues that you will have to overcome now. Be prepared to take it slow and steady. Remember that things might even have changed that morning, especially if you had to deal with bad weather overnight.

No matter where you go, from Europe to North America and even further afield, you need to ensure that you keep yourself safe when skiing. There are so many ways in which things can go wrong if you are not careful. The three points above are just some of the things that you need to be aware of. The more precautions that you can take, the safer you will hopefully be overall. Don’t take any risks when it comes to choosing your routes, but make sure that you enjoy yourself – wherever you end up hitting the slopes!