15 things we don’t do on ski holidays anymore
A skier since childhood, my first day experimenting with a snowboard was in 1985. After promptly bulldozing another woman at top speed, we laughed and carried on. Forty years on, the climate is less forgiving.
A few winters’ ago, Gwyneth Paltrow’s collision with an optometrist on a Utah slope made international headlines, and this autumn a third dramatisation of that alpine contretemps – I Wish You Well – took to the West End stage. Litigiousness is just one way the modern ski holiday has become more complicated – some might say joyless.
But all pleasure is not lost. This winter Jackson Hole in Utah is hosting a “ski in jeans” day – a common fashion statement on the slopes before Gore-Tex – and gearing up to break the world record for the most people sliding in denim.
Here’s a short list of other things consigned to the ski-holiday dustbin – some missed, some best forgotten, all pretty much lost to the new, more insulated world we ski in.
1. Going bareheaded
Brain buckets were few and far between until the turn of the century; rare is the head that does not wear a helmet now. The vast majority of skiers and snowboarders – more than nine in 10 in most lift line quick counts – have adapted to studies that show helmets protect against non-serious head injuries. They’re clipping into a global market worth $318 million (£245m). Full disclosure: your stubborn correspondent still wears a hat. Bring on the comments.
2. Sleeping with strangers (in a chalet)
Those were the days. A century ago, Erna Low advertised for companions on a shared-chalet holiday. Britons quickly took a shine to the country-house-in-the-mountains mentality, with its cramped rooms and communal meals rustled up by hungover chalet girls. Brexit and the pandemic conspired against the long tradition: last season, just 13 per cent of us stayed in a catered chalet. Increasingly popular are self-catered alternatives commonly equipped with ensuite bedrooms and wifi, offering flexibility to cook in or dine out.
3. Packing a lunch
Hoteliers cottoned onto pre-ski pilfering from the breakfast buffet long ago. Our 1980s spag-bol diets have steadily broadened and, in some cases, skiing has become a means of transport to a serious lunch. Elevated alpine fare now ranges from huts serving artisanal cheese and locally cured meats, to full-on ski-in/ski-out Michelin-star gastronomic restaurants. Les Trois Vallées alone has 16 stars and why would you pack a lunch in the Dolomites when Alta Badia’s Gourmet Ski Safari features a different, affordable Michelin dish in half a dozen pretty mountain huts?
4. Working on a goggle tan
Honey bronzed and very, very desirable? The shoe-leather chic promoted by the 1970s Snik tanning cream has given over to hopes of an alabaster glow. Concerns about skin cancer and premature skin ageing mean we’re creaming up and covering up. Dr Rozina Ali, one of London’s toniest plastic surgeons and presenter of the BBC’s The Truth About Looking Young, is a keen skier who recommends wearing a minimum SPF 50 with both UVA and UVB protection.
5. Only going to France
Ok, it’s true France is still the number one destination for British skiers. But in recent years we’ve also experimented with ski holidays that combine turns with a variety of fascinating cultures and rich heritage. From double-dipping into Japan’s light powder and steamy onsen baths, to skiing under the midnight sun in Riksgransen, Sweden, there’s a world of skiing beyond Méribel.
6. Breaking our tibias
A broken leg is so 1970. It’s all about soft tissue now, baby. The knee is the most common joint to injure, accounting for up to a third of ski injuries. ACL and MCL ligament tears are top of the podium, and the shock-absorbing meniscus is another biggie. The pressure exerted by modern ski shapes may contribute to injury; muscle strength and fitness can improve your chances.
7. Riding T-bars
Many a romance was sparked in these tracks, ideally between those of similar height. Though the thigh-busting contraptions, for which we have Davos à la 1934 to thank, are still the flexible workhorse of choice for glacier ascent, most have been consigned to the alpine graveyard – alongside J-bars, button lifts and one-person chairlifts – in favour of monster gondola projects like Zermatt’s CHF60million Matterhorn Alpine Crossing.
8. Skiing in jeans
Remember your denim flares flash-frozen into solid cones of navy ice? They’re out, along with woolen socks smelling like sheep and (going back some, here) long skirts for the modern gal. Technological advancements such as Gore-Tex, patented in 1970 by Bob Gore and sent to the moon by 1981, keep us warm and dry in breathable fabrics from head to toe. Now we can wear ironic salopettes that just look like jeans.
9. Sniffing the wind and praying
It’s hard to fathom the resistance avalanche transceivers received when they first appeared in the 1970s. Old-school mountain guides suspected treachery and feared people would take extra risks (and possibly their jobs). Today, developments in backcountry safety protocols extend beyond beacons, to carrying avalanche safety backpacks with a probe, shovel and, for some, inflatable air bags. Of course, it all hinges not merely in the having, but in knowing how to use them.
10. Keeping our feet together
Who needed a tape measure when you knew your skis should be as high as your elevated wrist? Now it’s about width not length – and variety, oh, the variety. There are fat skis, park and twin tips, touring, carving, all mountain, you name it. Technology hasn’t ignored the other bits, either. Limbs tethered to scary ski straps have given way to ski brakes, the carrying of boots in unwieldy boot trees made easier by Velcro straps, and icy death marches on slick soles are now grippy and achieved in comfy walk mode.
11. Bending zee knees with 12 others in a class
Those lazy snakes of too many pupils trailing behind a distant instructor are history. Sliding is out, carving is in, and learning takes place in targeted small-group clinics. Ski instruction is a sophisticated world of biometrics and efficiencies. In short, teachers are better at teaching and learners at learning.
12. Getting uproariously drunk every night
According to a survey conducted last year on behalf of Sunweb, nine out 10 Britons find après ski less enjoyable than a few years ago. Some 22 per cent put it down to après being more expensive than ever. With a pint at the Mooserwirt in St Anton costing €8.30 (£6.92) for example, skiers may be having fewer, and breaking up the ski week with activities such as spa time or snowshoeing.
13. Skiing cheaply in America
Petrol may be cheap over the pond, but lift passes at European resorts commonly ring in at a quarter of the price. Indeed, the most expensive day ticket in America recently tipped the $300 (£231) scale, due in part to dynamic pricing. Multi-day tickets, advance purchase, and strategic use of passes like Epic and Ikon significantly improve the bottom line.
14. Thinking about walking up
Once the lifts began doing the up-work and skiing became all about the down-fun, we never looked back. Until the last few years that is, when ski touring took off in a big way. Whether it’s with a guide for a backcountry adventure, at night on a dedicated trail for exercise, or just to get away from other people, the rise in randonee has been remarkable. Watch for ski mountaineering at the Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the first time 78 years.
15. Being responsible for ourselves
From automatic safety bars to radar-monitored slow zones, there is more care and control taken on the slopes than ever before. Regardez, the padded lift towers, the fenced off trees, the signs warning us to merge, slow, and fait attention. Yes, Toto: there was a time when there were no waivers to sign and smoking on the chair was de rigeur. Which way would you have it?
