Ski and snowboard trips can be daunting to a first timer and the physical act of skiing only accounts for part of the time away... Where do you keep your skis at night? What do you do if you lose your lift pass? Should you have goggles or glasses? How do you get off a chair lift? What happens if I'm still on the slopes when the lifts close?

Experienced friends and family give advice about what to buy, what to do, where to go... but the real technicalities or other real worries are met with "Oh don't worry. You'll be fine."

Split into five sections, this book aims to arm the uninitiated with what they need to make their first trip as enjoyable and safe as possible:
Before You Go – What to consider in the planning and weeks running up to leaving
Equipment – How to equip yourself to be warm, protected and look great
Travel – The various methods of travelling to the resort, with their benefits and pitfalls
Off the Slopes – What services, shops and accommodation a mountain resort will typically offer
On the Slope – What you should be aware of in terms of ‘rules of the road’, the lifts you will encounter and a working knowledge of how the mountain is maintained and run

Written by an author with 20+ years skiing experience, who now takes novices out to the French Alps every season. After a week of looking after 50+ complete beginners (never seen a pair of skis before), it planted a seed… someone needs to write a book. This is the fruition of that thought; a comprehensive but concise account of all the advice ever given or heard and everything beginners trip up with regarding their first holidays.