Alpine for this

Living in Europe and not being able to ski is like not knowing how to swim. It felt like a constant handicap, especially when I worked for a Swiss company, where most social events happened in the mountains. I still remember trying to walk to and from an apres-ski chalet to integrate as a young graduate who had just joined the company. That is a story for another time.

Let’s stop wishing the winter away!

Having grown up in a tropical climate in Asia, skiing was never part of the family holiday equation – we preferred our beaches. After moving to Europe, it naturally felt like a complicated and expensive holiday to plan and once I had kids, it felt near impossible.

However, after spending endless winters in England, trying to pray the wintry weather away and having to choose between either flying more than 7+ hours to a sunny vacation or plan a holiday in the UK where it never stops raining, we decided we needed to embrace the ski culture. And we are never looking back.

We enjoyed it so much, we have already booked the same place, same time for next year. Why re-invent the wheel when it works?

Although reSOULve is not a travel blog, I think a ski holiday checks all the boxes for an amazing outdoors family adventure that is not only fun for kids but so liberating for adults. If I can convince even one other family to try skiing, where the parents have not grown up doing it, my job here is done.

Skiing is one of the most parent-friendly holidays

A long time ago, I remember one of my colleagues raving about how ski season is their favourite time of the year because it means that the whole family can enjoy the sport, even with young kids. I never believed him until I attempted it myself. Ski school is as good as sending kids to a daycare or holiday camp.

Kids as young as age three can join ski school. We started as soon as our youngest turned three so that our children had each other in a new ski-school environment and could spend the day together. For our most recent trip, we also had a friend’s kid join ours, so they had an amazing time and never wanted to leave. By the end of the 5-day course, our kids, who started as beginners, were independently using the button lifts and zooming down blue slopes.

As for me, I had never had a guilt-free five-day period where I could just spend time on myself, learning a new sport. It felt so exciting to know that we were all doing something new, fun and outdoorsy. I had time to schedule ski lessons in the morning, have a peaceful lunch with my husband, spend time with friends at après ski and still pick up the kids at 4pm to have a fun evening with them. Once they were asleep, there was still time for the sauna.

The world was my oyster.

If you are the kind of person who is reading this and wondering why I would not just lounge by the pool/beach for 5 days straight – I would say 1) You do you (can we even be friends?). 2) Sure, we all like lazy holiday occasionally, but I cannot do those multiple times a year.

Starting ‘em young

We cannot become an outdoorsy family overnight – it needs commitment and patience. Whenever we have been on our holidays at national parks, there are moments of pure chaos. Our bags are heavy with a gazillion snacks and water bottles as we deal with tantrums mid-way through the hike. It takes 2 hours to reach a summit that would have taken us 30 minutes on our own. But then I spot a family with older kids having the most peaceful time together and I get reminded that that is what we must work towards.

But it is so important to begin this journey early.

I view ski holidays in the same light. It is an effort at first and a drain on the wallet. We spent a fortune on the ski school since I cannot teach the kids myself. In addition, I will not lie, the logistics on the first day are a nightmare. Renting everyone’s ski gear, putting the gear on the kids (when I have limited experience myself) and hauling everyone up the mountain to the ski class can feel daunting. But by the third day, it felt intuitive and next time we will know exactly what to do. Some hotels also offer the option to have the kids picked up, which can make life even easier.

After a couple of years, we could just be that family that goes skiing to the most beautiful places together. More importantly, we set up our kids for success and ensure that they will not be precariously treading up and down the mountain when it is their time to show up for a work social in the mountains.

Combining the two pillars of SOUL - Outdoors and Learn

The best thing about the holiday was learning something brand new. Learning to use muscles I did not know existed, both physically and mentally.

Trying to find the calm inside me when my mind started to panic as my skis picked up speed.

Embracing the rush of the cold air against my cheeks and knowing that I am still in control.

Finding comfort in the fact that if I fall, it would only be on soft snow and there will be someone to help me up.

Focusing on the scenery in the distance and using the curves of the mountain to guide me, instead of incessantly peering down at my feet.

It was not easy. Falling and failing again and again is not something we are used to as adults. But there are not many instances in life where we have the liberty to do so without judgement. So why not enjoy this feeling?

We tell our children that it’s okay to fall and take our time to learn. Then why do we get so tough on ourselves to be perfect?

Upon reflection, it wasn’t only about the skiing, but enjoying the liberating process of learning something new as well.