The Tasty Ski Company’s Tim Maitland is back with his regular Source blog, which makes for essential reading if you’re preparing for your first winter season.
Ski job: check. Quit job: check. Dumped boyfriend / girlfriend: check. You’re all set for five months of glorious alpine living. The only problem is that alpine living can only weigh 20 kg. Your employer will probably be paying for your luggage allowance and will not be happy if you overstretch their generosity.
Here’s what not to forget:
1. Socks – smelly socks are the bane of seasonal accommodation. As a general rule, the more you ski the more your feet will smell. Bring lots of socks.
2. UK adapters – bring 2 or 3 – or just 1 but with a UK multi socket.
3. Lip balm and sun cream – believe it or not you will finish your season with a tan. On your face at least. Infra-red and UV rays are less filtered by the atmosphere at altitude, and 85% of the rays are reflected by the snow.
4. Hand cream – your skin will dry out more at altitude. Chances are you will also be doing a lot of cleaning, cooking, or bar work – none of which cultivate nicely manicured hands.
5. Fancy dress – seasonaires love to dress up in ridiculous costumes. Consider bringing a few of your favourite outfits, although bear in mind it might not be worth using two of your allotted kilos for your lion outfit. A morphsuit on the other hand…??
6. Ski gear – trousers, jackets, thermals, hat, goggles, sun glasses, gloves, and helmet. Also consider bringing a small rucksack – they are great for taking food and drink up the mountain. Mountain restaurants are expensive!
7. Passport photos – you will need these for your Carte Niege and ski pass. You can get passport photos done in resort but they are expensive.
8. Swimming stuff – most resorts have a public indoor swimming pool. You might want to change it up a bit after four months of skiing.
9. Bed linen – be sure to check what is included and not included in your staff accommodation. Sometimes you will be provided duvets and pillows but not duvet covers and pillow cases. You may also have to bring your own towel.
10. Medicine – there are always pharmacies in resort but they are generally quite expensive. Be sure to stock up on things you might need like paracetomol and flu medicine.
