The first day of a skiing or snowboarding holiday is a daunting experience, especially if you've never actually been on skis or a snowboard, so hopefully here you can find out the answers to some basic questions. This is based on years working at a ski slope and loads of trips to Borovets, Bansko or Pamporovo and is basically a collection of answers I've already given people in internet forums over the years.
OK, so you've survived the trip, the welcome meal and your rep has done one of two things, either given you your vouchers for ski/board hire and your lift pass or told you where to go in the morning to collect them.
Get to bed, up early in the morning. (Read the reports here and see that I have never, EVER followed this advice.) EDIT - except for 2010, made up for it the next year though!
The First Day
Your rep will have, by now, given you your lift pass and vouchers that you will exchange for both equipment and later on today, lessons. Keep your lift pass somewhere very safe and go and get your gear. This will be in either the gondola station or in a hotel lobby, but your rep will send you in the right direction. Do not stop, do not have a coffee, do not wander through the shops, get there as soon as you possibly can. Remember how busy the airport was yesterday? Well it was busy like that all day. Coach after coach of people were ferried to the resort all day yesterday, and if you don't hurry they'll all be in front of you getting their gear.
It's a melee, a jungle, a nightmare ... get there as early as you can and you get the pick of the best stuff. BUT ... and here's the first tip, as it's so busy you may be tempted to just take what you are given and get out without giving it a once over. A mistake myself and others I have travelled with have made, at the cost of a bad day's skiing and a return trip to the hire depot.
How do I know my gear is up to scratch?
Boots
OK, boots, soft or hard, the same rule applies, do they fit? Are they comfortable? By the way, tell the hire guy your actual boot size ... I've lost count of the times people told me a size higher because they thought that's what you were supposed to do. You're not.
Make sure they look okay, not too worn or too dirty ... and here's a secret, sniff them. Do they smell a bit like a forest floor? Kind of mushroomy? Hand them back immediately as you'll get a lovely case of athlete's foot if you wear them for more than ten minutes. We went through buckets of athlete foot powder treating our stock on a regular basis, but not everywhere does. By the way, none of them will smell particularly good, they were just out for a week on someone else's feet and only got back yesterday or the day before, but the fungus smell of an infection is very distinctive.
With Snowboard boots, are they grabbing your heel, are they snug without being too tight? Are the laces in a fairly decent condition? Laces break a lot as they get wet and are stretched, but a wee tiny knot in them isn't going to get in the way. In fact, it's quite common later on in the season. Just make sure they're not frayed and useless. Nothing makes a morning like snapping a lace while you're late for your class!
With Ski boots, are they in a decent condition with every clip intact, again, are they snug without being too tight? There are two basic types of hard boot, front and rear entry, but for both this is the most important test ... is the toe piece or heel piece worn?
The bits that stick out at the front and back on the bottom, the toe piece and the heel piece, are the part of the boot that is gripped by the binding, and it's vital they are in good condition. They are independently replaceable so there's no excuse for them not to be ... there should be a box of new ones kicking around the hire depot to replace them as they get worn down, not by skiing, but all that walking around on hard surfaces before and after your time on the slope.
OK, get them on and walk around a bit ... all good? Good. And don't worry, most people get knackered during this bit. I used to hear, "I'm sweating buckets and I haven't even got my skis/board on yet," at least twice a day. You're in hot clothes, inside a hot room, and you're bending in ways you haven't done in a while. It gets easier.
Skis (much of this applies to snowboards too)
First of all, do they look as if they've had a beating, are the graphics scratched, are they dirty? Dirt not only makes them look bad, it effects the ability of the bindings to release properly.
Now look at the base to make sure it's undamaged, or that if any marks have been patched or filled in with ptex. Ptex is a composite that's melted into any holes or deep scratches and then made flush with the base, you can tell it's been done as the area will be a different colour to the base, but even though you can see it, you shouldn't be able to feel it. Any deep groves or holes, send them back. You can get away with the odd scratch now and again, (in fact you'll be lucky to get an unblemished pair later on in the season) but any holes larger than a 5p, or deeper than a fingernail, send them back.
Now here's another trick. Gently flick your fingernail against parts of the edge, paying particular attention to the edge between the bindings ... is it producing tiny shavings of your nail? If not, it's not sharp enough to dig in when you really need it.
Snowboard Bindings
Make sure they are facing the right way and that all the straps and ratchets work properly. You're going to be tinkering with these for the next few days to get your riding stance just right so don't worry about it too much now. Your instructor will have a board tool, or better still buy one before you go. They're only a few quid, but really really worth it when a bit falls off half way up the hill.
Ski Bindings
Ok, so your skis are clean-ish, no major holes (or any major holes repaired) and sharp around the edges. The hire guys will have looked at you and given you appropriate skis for your height, but as we get to bindings they should ask you a few questions, like what weight are you and what's your skiing ability?
There are big differences between hire bindings and ones you'll buy for yourself. Rental bindings are designed to be moved around and altered a lot so they tend to wear out a lot quicker. Ideally, if you buy your own gear you'll set up your bindings once and forget about them, but if you're hiring, here are the basics.
Bindings are essentially two springs that hold your boot between them. If the boot remains straight they'll keep it in place but if there's any sideways pressure, they'll release the boot. They're basically holding the boot while you're skiing properly but firing you out if you have a twisting fall.
In order to work properly they have to be clean, lubricated (only an issue after a few years use), and at the right setting. The amount of pressure the springs place on your boot is measured by the DIN (stands for something along the lines of Deutsche Industrial Norm - something German anyway) There are flow charts to follow based on height, weight, boot size and ability, and you should really be asked these questions. But remember it's busy in there and the queue is right out the door. A lot of hire guys, in this situation, will guesstimate to save time, usually setting the DIN somewhere in the middle, depending on how heavy you look, and 9 times out of 10 they'll get it right... but how do you avoid being that 1 in 10 who's skis don't come off or keep popping out?
Basically, put your boot in the bindings (without your foot in it) click them shut, and hit your boot on the side with the heel of your hand. If in two or three heavy thumps it comes out, it's in the right area. If it comes out first time have them turned up, if it's stuck solid, have them turned down. You can do this yourself with a screwdriver, but best to let a hire guy do it. By the way, do this yourself, on your own bindings. Don't let Dad test the kids boots using this method, chances are he'd get it out in one thump but it's in the perfect place for your daughter's height and weight.
There's a small display showing the DIN setting on both the toe and the heel which will show a row of numbers from around 2 or 3 to anything up to 14 with a white line marking the setting of that particular unit. These numbers should be the same back and front as it works as a single unit, and if it doesn't have equal pressure it won't do it's job properly.
If you don't think the boot quite fits, this can be adjusted too. At the back of the heel piece there will be a catch that you lift up to alter its position. Put the toe of the boot in the binding, lift the catch, and slide the heel part of the binding back and forth to make sure it's grabbing the heel of the boot. Older bindings have been known to wear out and slide back over time and also it's not unheard of for you to accidentally knock them out of position yourself whilst trying to get in and out. Ask your instructor if you're not sure, but this should save a trip back down to the depot for a really simple adjustment.
There will also be a plate under the boot, connected to two black plastic pins that will stick out from the bottom of the ski when your boot is not in your bindings, and be flush with the sides when you click in. These are the ski brakes, which in theory stop your ski(s) sliding away down the hill if they find themselves pointing downwards without you on them. They work sometimes, especially in deeper snow (and are next to useless if it's icy) but the real reason they've survived is that they click together making the skis a lot easier to carry as a pair. Don't worry about the brakes ... the ski will work with or without them, and despite the name you can't actually use them to slow down. By the way, if you see a ski travelling towards you at speed DO NOT try to stop it. More often than not you'll just send it skyward via your face ... and if it's your ski that's flying away, shout "SKI!" and hope it ends up against a tree and not in a river.
EDIT - I've removed a paragraph about the finer points of binding pressure as it's not needed and a bit technical, but feel free to leave a comment with any more questions and I'll answer as soon as I can. But really, it's not rocket science ... it's a big slidy piece of wood with two springs and a bit hard boot! Just don't leave them facing down the hill.
And finally, in all my years of skiing and boarding and being the rental guy I've only ever once came across one person who could have used this piece of advice, but you never know, you may be the second. Men, take your skis off if you need to use a urinal. (I'm not kidding about this guy by the way!)
Right, that's it over. Hopefully it's been less than an hour and you won't have to do that again until next year, but by then you'll know what to look for. Now go and find your instructor and let the games begin.
