Ski Solo & Make Friends

fifth March 2024 | Jane Peel, Trysil, Norway

The 5 ladies and three males have booked with Friendship Journey.

The corporate was based in 1999 in Northern Eire to supply bundle holidays for folks aged 25+ who wish to ebook solo journeys.

The placement for this ski journey is Trysil, Norway’s largest ski resort.

Trysil, Norway. Picture © PlanetSKI

Of the three ski holidays provided by Friendship Journey this season, that is by far the costliest at slightly below £3,000 for per week.

However Norway is just not precisely a finances vacation spot, not one of the 8 company has been right here earlier than and, with carry passes included and no dreaded single-occupancy dietary supplements, it’s a value they’re all prepared to pay.

Most travellers on these journeys are aged between 35 and 65.

Girls make up 60%, males 40%.

This group is made up of 5 ladies and three males, aged between 27 and 67 and from very completely different backgrounds.

So, who’re they and why are they right here?

KIM

Kim. Picture © PlanetSKI

A veteran of solo ski journeys, Kim, is a medical secretary at one in every of London’s educating hospitals.

She first went snowboarding with members of the newbie live performance band for which she performs flute and piccolo.

After a few years, the annual journeys stopped and Kim discovered herself with no associates who wished to ski.

“It took me one other two years to seek out the braveness to do one in every of these journeys because it’s a scary factor going by yourself and never understanding anybody, but it surely was the perfect factor I ever did.

“I instantly thought I didn’t know why I hadn’t performed it earlier than.”

Kim has been on not less than 20 singles ski holidays, together with 12 with Friendship Journey.

“It’s a great way to satisfy new associates and like-minded folks.”

It was on one in every of these holidays that Kim met Steve, Yvonne and Tim, who’re additionally on the journey to Trysil.

TIM

Tim. Picture © PlanetSKI

Tim is a golf membership greenkeeper from West Sussex and, for 25 years, has been happening solo ski journeys with three completely different specialist firms.

“I had a very good good friend who was a ski racer and I skied with him for five to 10 years. Then he had children and a household so I had nobody to ski with.

“I assumed these solo journeys had been a good suggestion however I used to be frightened about who could be on the journey, what sort of folks, how previous they’d be, but it surely’s nice to satisfy others who simply wish to ski.

“And also you see among the similar folks many times.

“For skiers interested by it, I’d say ‘go for it’. You make new associates. You all like snowboarding so you’ll have one thing in widespread.”

YVONNE

Yvonne. Picture © PlanetSKI

Yvonne works in IT for a authorities division and lives in London.

She’s been happening solo ski journeys since 2005.

“Numerous my associates don’t ski in any respect and others don’t wish to ski yearly.

“I’ve tried happening an everyday ski journey by myself and it was high-quality in the course of the day after I had classes, however I used to be the one one within the group in my lodge so I used to be consuming dinner by myself and it was not the identical.

“On solo journeys you get your individual room, it’s nice to have folks to socialize with however you may as well go off and be by yourself if you wish to.”

ELAINE

Elaine. Picture © PlanetSKI

Elaine is a retired hospital marketing consultant who lives in Leicestershire.

She’s been snowboarding since she was 14 however, in 30 years of marriage, she’s not persuaded her husband to do it.

From when their son was 5, she took him snowboarding with household specialists, Esprit.

However when he began going snowboarding with the varsity, Elaine searched on-line and found Friendship Journey.

“I can go snowboarding with out paying an enormous complement and I’ve folks to ski with.

“I’ve been fortunate. There has often been one or two folks at my degree however you discover that, if there are some people who find themselves extra superior, they’re ready to attend as a result of they wish to ski with different folks and be sociable.  It’s a really supportive setting.

“This has been an excellent group the place the personalities have gelled though it’s a gaggle of people that would by no means usually meet.”

MIKE

Mike. Picture © PlanetSKI

Mike was a guardsman within the Coldstream Guards and spent 26 years within the British Military, seeing lively service in Northern Eire, Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He’s been on a number of solo ski and summer time journeys however that is his first time again on skis in 4 years.

“Once I was within the army I’d have depart the identical time as everybody else and they’d go off and see household and associates,” Mike says.

“Numerous my household and associates didn’t wish to ski however my sister had been on a solo journey earlier than and that’s how I obtained into it.

“I’m a carefree character and have a tendency to mix in and everyone seems to be right here as a result of they wish to ski.”

SUSAN

Susan. Picture © PlanetSKI

Susan’s initially from Middlesborough however lives in Brighton.

A former nurse, she now runs a enterprise along with her husband, a profitable artist who sells his portray and sculpture internationally.

“Snowboarding’s not for him and he’s scared he’ll fall and break his arm which is able to have an effect on his work. He’s additionally afraid of heights. He got here with me as soon as and he’ll by no means go once more!”

That is Susan’s third vacation with Friendship Journey. Her first was a learn-to-ski journey 11 years in the past.

“None of my associates wished to go and it was actually good enjoyable. None of us even knew tips on how to put ski boots on however I assumed I’d be OK as a result of I’ve good stability – and I used to be.

“It was a stunning week and I got here away pondering ‘have a look at me, I’m 55 and I’ve simply realized to ski’.

“I did assume possibly it was a ‘singles’ vacation with folks in search of companions and I’m married however lots of people who do these journeys are married and have companions who don’t ski.”

As a result of Susan is just not a sophisticated skier like the remainder on the journey, she has booked onto 3-hr group classes for five days however meets up with the remainder of the group within the bar earlier than dinner every night time.

CECILIA

Cecilia. Picture © PlanetSKI

Cecilia, who works in finance within the Metropolis of London, is on her first solo journey.

And her causes for being listed below are fairly completely different from the remainder of the group.

She’s the youngest on the vacation and is a relative newbie.

She’s skied for less than six days in whole on three brief breaks.

“My associates are higher than me so it’s tough to go on journeys with them,” she says.

“I wished to get higher so I Googled solo ski journeys and this one had availability and was a very good time for me as I’d simply completed a mission at work.

“Every part was included and so they booked classes for me so I didn’t must assume.”

STEVE

Steve. Picture © PlanetSKI

Steve describes himself as a ‘semi-retired’ builder and comes from Kingston-upon-Thames.

He went on his first solo ski journey 30 years in the past.

He likes the way in which every thing is organised for you and equipped for solo travellers.

“When you attempt to go along with a mainstream firm by yourself, you may’t or there’s an enormous complement.”

He met Kim and Yvonne on earlier solo journeys and the three of them at the moment are common strolling buddies as effectively.

Snowboarding collectively on a Friendship Journey ski journey. Picture © PlanetSKI

Having skied with most of this group for a lot of the week, I can report that it has been nice enjoyable.

It helped, in fact, that the 6 who weren’t in classes had been competent skiers and we may all ski on the identical runs, together with blacks (although the blacks listed below are typically extra ‘darkish purple’ than the blacks you discover within the French Alps).

Trysil, Norway. Picture © PlanetSKI

However everybody went at their very own tempo and the quickest of the group had been completely happy to attend the very brief time wanted for these on the again to catch up.

Social snowboarding in Trysil. Picture © PlanetSKI

It was a really social expertise and nice to talk on the lifts – and within the lodge bar and at dinner – with folks from such diversified walks of life.

Snowboarding with others additionally proved to be extra of an encouragement to exit on dangerous climate days – of which, sadly, we had a number of.

Foggy in Trysil, Norway. Picture © PlanetSKI

These days turned out to be among the better of the week with nice piste snowboarding and shorter carry queues.

So, in the event you’re a skier with no snowboarding associates, I’d say it’s positively price contemplating a vacation like this.

The Trysil 8. Picture © PlanetSKI

This season, Friendship Journey, has organized three 7-night ski holidays in 2024:

Vaujany/Alpe d’Huez, France (chalet board & 5 half-day group ski classes included) departed on thirteenth January, from £1,495Trysil, Norway (lodge half board) departed on twenty fifth February, from £2,995.Les Deux Alpes, France (chalet board) will depart on ninth March, from £1,395.

Trysil, Norway. Picture © PlanetSKI

Full particulars about Friendship Journey’s winter and summer time holidays might be discovered on the Friendship Journey web site.