First Time On Snow

I'd go along with Davkt suggestion - get some lessons on a dry slope or indoor snow here before you go. If you've done the basics you will get so much more out of your first week.

Skiing/snowboarding us too expensive to waste your first week just learning to do your boots up or to stand up when you can do that at home. It's not the same as real snow on a real mountain but if you've got a handle on the basics you'll feel so much more confident about practicing when you lessons are over.

Coop wrote:I secretly want to learn to snowboard but with the limited amount of slope time I get, I think I'll stick to skiing. I'd rather get sh*t hot at one thing than be mediocre at two.

Agreed - I tried it once and spent the whole day on my backside feeling stupid. It's a much more demanding discipline as the upright posture is a 'dynamic' one requiring constant poise and balance whereas you can relax in skis on the gentle bits and let the skis drift (that's my impression anyway). Also, the idea of having both feet bolted together and unmovable scares the living daylights out of me.