Winter sports hobbies can become rather expensive, and that’s especially true for sports like skiing. There’s equipment rental or purchase, slope fees, travel costs, food and drink, and potentially lodging if you’re staying somewhere for more than a day trip. That said, if you’re going to spend that much money, you should make it a point to experience off-piste skiing as part of your overall physical education in the sport. Just as with any other activity, the deeper you go into more of the skills, the more you are going to get out of the entirety of the experience.
What Is Off-Piste?
The definition of ‘off-piste’ with regard to skiing is that you’ll be going over non-prepared ski runs. This can mean deep snow, steep snow, or working through backcountry snow. Sound pretty exciting, right! It’s all good to go up the chair lifts and run down some trails and mountains with thousands of other skiers over gently groomed snow, but it’s an entirely different animal to go for longer distances over untouched terrain. If you want to be the best skiing enthusiast you can, and you want to get the most out of all the money you’ve put into your gear and training and travel, then you have to add off-piste to your bucket list, and arrange for an adventure the next time you can.
Where To Find Coached Instruction
For your best bet, enroll in off-piste ski training and expedition programs. Find a location that suits your desires, and then find a training package to go with it. This is the best way to make sure you’re trained with the proper equipment, by proper professionals, and in the safest and most effective way possible. Because off-piste activities are inherently more solitary, more difficult, and more dangerous, it’s not an adventure you want to take on your own without the experts to show you the way at first. Upon completion of basic courses, then you’ll be more prepared to take on more advanced opportunities.
The Money Vs. Safety Equation
You may think it makes more financial sense to just go out on certain types of activities rather than spending the money on instruction first. You figure you can watch a few YouTube videos, visit a ski shop, read a few ski tips, and be prepared. However, if you really want to get the most from your money, you have to put safety at the top of your equation, because if you get injured or damage something because you’re unprepared, your whole equation is going to go out the window. So make the dollars and cents make sense, by ensuring that you off-piste ski holiday is safe and controlled to begin with.