Learning to Ski As An Adult – An Honest Beginner’s Experience

This winter, I decided to try something completely new: skiing. I wasn’t doing it just for myself, but also for my husband and child. I should warn you upfront — I’m not sporty, and I had never been on skis before.

Learning to Ski as an Adult – My Beginner Experience

First Impressions

The first day was the hardest — I didn’t even ski. Just putting on the ski boots and carrying the skis felt like a workout. I kept thinking, “Why on Earth do people put themselves through this?”

Walking up stairs with boots on and skis in hand was a nightmare. The next day, I realised I’d been doing everything wrong: my boots should have been partly untied to walk properly, and I was carrying the skis all wrong. Once I learned to put them on my shoulder the right way, it became much easier.

Attaching my boots to the skis was another challenge — I managed the first one, but slipped on the second. Even moving forward on flat ground was tricky. Parallel walking felt impossible because of the weight and my clumsy technique. Honestly, the first day was a total mess, but I knew I’d have an instructor the next day, so I wasn’t worried about enjoying it yet.

The Ski Instructor — Money Well Spent

Having a ski instructor makes all the difference, especially when you’re learning as an adult (I am in my mid 30s) — at least it did for me. I discovered simple things I didn’t even realise I should do, like lifting each foot or doing a small jump. It might sound silly, but I honestly didn’t know I was allowed to do those things!

We went to Villard-de-Lans, about 40 minutes from Grenoble — the Capital of the French Alps. They have a ski school, so we booked an instructor there. They even have a dedicated beginner area, which made the first hour much less intimidating. After that, we moved onto a beginner slope.

Every time I came out of the tunnel (you’ll see it in the picture below), I fell — but overall, things went better than I expected. The second hour was my first time on the pommel lift. Going down the slope went well, because I was following the instructor’s directions.

Learning to Ski as an Adult

The Third & Fourth Day

By the third day, my husband, son, and I went down the beginner slope together so I could show him what I had learned. Halfway down, I ended up on my back instead of my skis — a classic beginner moment.

At one point, I tried to wait for them on the side of the slope and fell under the net that separates the slope from the chairlift area. One foot got caught, and the other ski landed on a steep, rocky drop-off beside the run. Thankfully, a kind woman checked I was okay.

I felt discouraged for a while, but I took a long break and waited for my session with the instructor. Meanwhile, my son was having a blast skiing with my husband on another slope.

Progress and First Chairlift

This time, we had a different instructor, and we booked him for the next day as well. Learning to ski as an adult isn’t as easy as it is for a child — generally speaking. My son was progressing faster, so during the second hour, I let him and the instructor go on the bigger slope while I practised on the beginner one.

On the fourth day, I finally took the chairlift for the first time. I had been worried about it in the previous days, but with the instructor next to me, I felt more secure. My son had tried the chairlift and the slope a couple of times before, so I knew he would be fine.

The new slope was a real adventure for me, but I’m glad I did it. Skiing was completely new to me, and on the day we left Grenoble, I kept thinking about what a nice experience we had. Looking back, it’s funny how different the first day was compared to the last.

Final Thoughts

Learning to ski as an adult is challenging, but it’s also fun. I still highly recommend having an instructor or someone who is patient and a good teacher, by your side.