Taking Thai GF Skiing in the Alps - Good or Bad Idea?

[Alwyn]

The ski instructor above gave you your answer. I'm an instructor in something totally different and what I can tell you people learn at different speeds. She might be a natural! But, she might now.. But hey, as you said yourself, an experience of a lifetime! She will love it! Hot chocalate, gluvin.. Bugger, I want to go now too!

[Swiss1960]

Better include winter fashion wear in the budget. Should make the lift tickets seem inconsequential from a cost comparison point of view.

Mine came back with suitcase of stuff she may wear 1-2 more times in her life but she shows it to everyone whilst sweat falls from my brow.

hehe.... most ski resorts offer rent for everything, including ski clothes... that might not go down well with a woman, but the OP still has few months to discuss this with his GF... and then amend his budget for purchase of everything

[garrya]

So the OP asks other people about what her gf would like. What a ridiculous question.

Why not ask her??????

[uptheos]

"which would probably be an experience of a lifetime for someone who has never seen snow before

It will certainly be the experience of a lifetime for her if she's not seen snow before, but it won't be guaranteed that she will like it.

I speak from personal experience.

You might end up skiing alone (or not skiing at all), with her wrapped up in blankets drinking something hot and sobbing....."naaw, naaw"

[chrisinth]

My missus forgot who she lent her skis to otherwise we would have done the Alps.

Either that or Phetchabun.

[Swiss1960]

So the OP asks other people about what her gf would like. What a ridiculous question.

Why not ask her??????

Reading before posting normally helps not making oneself a fool....

OP said that his GF likes the idea... Op THEN did ask whether people with experience in skiing think that his GF might be able to learn skiing in the timeframe mentioned..

[Donnie Brasco]

Yes indeed.

Leave yer Thai girlfriend with Deiter the Austrian ski instructor for a few days.

Fireside raclette, anyone ?

Chocolate fondue ?

(Sorry OP. It's in my nature)

[how241]

oh yes, the kudos of posting skiing selfies on facebook will be massive. she'll love it.

+1...Have a GREAT time !

[sipi]

Great idea. You can't go wrong.

The only time my wife saw snow was in Australia. Whilst everyone else was tobogganing and building snow-men, she was happy building a snow-temple (after some tobogganing). Typical Thai..

We are off to NZ for a month in June...

[mango66]

I brought my wife also in the russian winter,

for 1 day we went up to skiing area,

walked around, snowball fight,

later went up the cable train to the mauntain and back by the train;

She did enjoy it;

When back in Thailand - she said terrible, cold, not again please,

just there where they have snow by outlet up 30 degree !! 5555

[Jasun]

Went to the Alps a few years back with some mates and the biggest mistake was not bringing a snow bunny along. The nightlife was pretty much non existant, that was in Chamonix, not sure about elsewhere.

[Altalake]

Dave Austin is right.

A morning or three with an instructor on the baby slopes. I live some of tthe time in Whistler and it can be a daunting "exercise" - so make sure she is warm and has fun - and rents decent boots and skis. The shaped skis they have nowadays are quite easy to ski on.

[jaywalker]

She'll LOVE IT!

And You Hansum Man for taking here there!

I have a picture of my wife in Florida of all places holding a big thermometer that read 0 degrees Celsius. It was N. Florida in January & gets that cold a few hours a day, a few days out of the year.

She thought that was that was the Cat's Meow picture & hustled back inside the house after 3 minutes.

She saw snow at the Chicago airport, through a big glass wall & I told her (I'm a Florida guy) that was the absolute best way to see it, was THRU a very THICK, INSULATED glass wall where it was warm inside.

It''ll be a novelty to her for sure! I never saw snow till I was 30. I quickly hated it, but to each his own.

Snow is like Pattaya..........Fun as hell to play in, just gets old real quick to live there.

I'll take Pattaya over Detroit or the Swiss Alps any day though .

I can always pour a bucket of water over my head or find a shade tree to cool off.

Can't say it's all that easy to warm up in a blizzard & I've helped a friend in Indiana shovel snow at -5 F......It SUCKED.

Please take a video camera.

I'm sure we'd all love to see a sweet Thai girl in snow, on skis for the first time.

Skis..........tell her she should have 17 witnesses video tape her inspecting her skis before she rents them, that way the nefarious Swiss or Italian ski renting mafia won't try to charge her 100,000 baht for imaginary damages!!!!

[12DrinkMore]

If she considers herself hi-so, refuses to walk anywhere and her legs feel like soft putty, then after one hour on skis her legs will be trembling, hardly be able to stand and the next three days she will be rubbing Tiger Balm into her legs and all the bruises.

I would not even contemplate the idea.

Take her up the the top mountain restaurant, sit next to a window and order a meal, go for a walk in the snow when it gets a bit warmer.

Happy as can be.

Get her to clomp around in ski-boots, snow ploughing around the baby slopes, falling over every five minutes, gasping for breath due to the altitude and general unfitness and she will be very unhappy.

But if you really reckon this is the best idea, then buy a bicycle, cycle at least 15 to 20 kms everyday, and walk up and down lots of steps. (Buddhist Wats on the top of hills are good places to find lots of steps).

No prior exercise = no muscle tone = skiing disaster

Bit of fitness = might stand a small chance

[CapeCobra]

Unless she is a natural in other sports, I would not offer more than a professional trial lesson or taster course. You, at a beginners level, should abstain from teaching. It can only end up in screaming at each other. Lack of talent could lead to massive loss of face. She may also fall in love with the sexy ski instructor. Most girls do. Thais love snow (for a short while). They love afterski partying in steaming discos, fondue, raclette, heavy bedware, open fires, tons of selfies on glaciers and with some skiing background.

One warning: Once, I took a pretty young girl to the revolving restaurant in Saas Fee, Switzerland. I think it it is the highest in the world at over 3400m. She was fascinated by all the mountain peaks above 4000m and enjoyed the Fondue Bourguignon, Swiss wine (and my intelligent remarks?). All of a sudden, she smiled at me, squinted, and fell over, unconscious. A rescue team came and we got our own private cable car down to the village. I learned that this happens to people that grew up at sea level. Avoid that by drinking a lot of water.

[garrya]

So the OP asks other people about what her gf would like. What a ridiculous question.

Why not ask her??????

Reading before posting normally helps not making oneself a fool....

OP said that his GF likes the idea... Op THEN did ask whether people with experience in skiing think that his GF might be able to learn skiing in the timeframe mentioned..

I read the post before I posted mine. Let's put it this way: my Thai wife said she wanted to eat steak. Should I let her eat it or not? What do you think????? Will she have a stomach ache or not? Is she going to vomit after that or not? Who knows what her gf will like or not, or if she injures herself or not?

So if some people say that their gfs didn't like skiing, the OP would not take his missus.

If some people say no problem, he will take his missus. What if his missus is different from the others?

Weird.

Edited February 3, 2015 by garrya

[NickJ]

Im thinking about taking mine fishing.....at night......just the two of us.

[thefactoryoutlet]

Poor you, all the hassle you have to go through...

Anyway, if she does not like wine and weed no need to bring her !

[wow64]

OP you GF will love skiing. She told me last night she cant wait to go.

[Don Aleman]

1). The major thing "broken" will be your bank account as she will need at least $ 5,000 in cold weather

clothing and appropriate " Alps" jewelry .

2). She won't be able to get the cuisine, ( bugs/insects, weeds, etc. ), she is used to & you will eat

alone.

3). If she is a really sharp chick, the Alps, anywhere, are a great hunting ground for someone to replace

YOU and,

4). If she doesn't find a suitable replacement, ( $ $ $$ ), she will hate you for taking her there.

[Mises]

You should both learn to snowboard then you can learn together. it is harder at first then suddenly you are away. Skiing takes much longer to get beyond beginner.

Either way the above posted advice is correct:

"No prior exercise = no muscle tone = skiing disaster" I would add that unless she is a bit of a tomboy she will not get on with either.

[jaywalker]

No prior exercise = no muscle tone = skiing disaster

Bit of fitness = might stand a small chance

Insist that she do the "Tea-Bag" on top of you for a month, 5 times a day in the sack first....As prior training, to build up leg muscles ya know?!

Just take the ditzy woman to see snow.

What a load of tripe as far as leg training goes!

If you take a Thai girl anywhere on Earth, whose legs are not the nicest you've ever seen, you might as well go grab some hog from the USA or the UK.

I'm almost 48 and weigh the same as I weighed when I was 17 when I joined the Army.

Flipping AMAZING to me to see American women my age. I just glanced at Craigslist in Georgia the other day YIKES!!! My 78 year old mother looks younger than some of those pictures!

They all look like the bottom of my boot and the only trophy weight award they'd get would be in a salt water fishing tournament off the coast of the Bahamas.

I'm old, just not old, fat & bald.

If you are dating a whale Thai woman, then yes...........Go all out and get her in shape.

If you are dating a typical Thai woman, then her legs are most likely drop-dead perfect.

[Ulic]

First of, never teach your wife/GF to drive or ski. It just does not work.

Second, Thais think 16c is bitterly cold and while it is Easter even if the air temperature is warm

snow never gets above 0 c.

Third, even if she is very athletic she will not progress past the easiest of bunny slopes, so if

that is where you want to stay or she will understand you abandoning her to her own devices

on the bunny slope don't do it.

Fourth, all the clothing for a few days on snow will be expensive.

In short while it sounds like a great Idea for an adventurous guy, the week will be a disaster.

If she/you wanted to try it for an afternoon, in borrowed clothes and rented equipment great.

To commit to a week and hope she is going to enjoy the daily maximum effort needed to

actually make progress so she and you can actually go up and down the hill, I think it will end

In tears, daily. But go for it, I would love to hear about your/her experience.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Ulic

[Gillyflower]

At this moment, I can't see how anybody would want to go and see SNOW. I have just come home from Thailand and am situated in an Orange High Vigilance part of France. It is snowing hard and as far as I am concerned Op you can have my snow. This is the first time in fifteen years that I have been in Europe for the winter. Stick it up your.........

Excuse me, but I've had enough of the damned stuff.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Gillyflower

[uptheos]

Don't laugh at her if she falls over......she'll never forgive you if it's in front of others.

[Rooo]

Moved to expat life.

[KhnomKhnom]

My first reaction to your topic header was ARE YOU NUTZ ???

After some thought, I now know you are nutz. My woman was forced to touch the snow, she hated it and ran back inside. Her HUGE down jacket hangs unused. You are asking for a world of hurt....... SKIING... Ask her and if she is honest, she would rather you buy her gold necklace for the cost of trip, lessons, etc. Skip this nonsense.

Hey, if she loves it, she is likely already Westernized and no longer a good Thai woman.

[Patsycat]

Silk long johns are the warmest.

But as Swiss said, there may not be much snow at Easter. Even so, the views are spectacular.

If there is a chance you are able to ski, get her a couple of lessons. And it's true, you use muscles that have never been used before!! And all the carrying of the paraphinalia!!

Is there not an indoor ski place in Bangkok? She could have a try there. Or ice skating is nice too, most resorts even without too much snow keep their ice rinks open.

It'll be expensive, where ever you go.

Edited February 3, 2015 by Patsycat

[CharlieH]

Hope you get her insured for ski-ing, if she breaks a leg or ankle it could be very costly and the trip ruined.

Personally, I wouldnt do it, take her and show her, yes, let her frollic around in the never seen before snow. Take part maybe next time, but play that one as it unfolds.

[topt]

OP: I have been ski instructor for the Swiss "Youth & Sport" organisation for 20 years and I have taken groups of newbies (both Thai and Americans) to ski slopes during that time. That said, I want to give you the following thoughts:

• Learning to ski is getting more and more difficult, the older you get. Reason is that young kids don't think about dangers of breaking the neck or leg and are completely at ease and relaxed. you can put a kid of 4y on skis, give them a push down a flat slope and they will fall, get up, fall again, get up again and enjoy it and learn quick. Adults have the fear in their heads about getting hurt and breaking legs or what ever and there whole body will be stiff - which is the main reason for broken bones or torn muscles
• Even if your Thai GF has talent, forget about getting her on red slopes. If she is good and you put her in a ski school for a minimum of 3 days, she might master blue slopes with difficulty and under control of the ski teacher, but not more. And she definitely will not like it if you try to instruct her... ski teachers it must be.
• when you say that she never did sports, that also means that she probably does not have the fitness for more than 2-3 hours on skis every day. skiing needs different muscles than jogging / running and she will be exhausted pretty fast.

All that said: others have given you good ideas.. go for the ski area for 2-3 days but take her to the hotspots like Zermatt / Matterhorn in Switzerland or the Jungfrau Joch (highest railway station) where she can take pictures and post them and get likes from all her contacts. She will appreciate that more than spending a week laying facedown in the snow, because you force her down slopes every day.

One more thing: Since you talk about Eastern holiday, just be aware that depending on the weather in the next months, the snow might not be at it's best on Eastern and might be pretty wet and heavy - which again means more danger of falling and more energy needed. Therefore you should choose a spot to ski higher up in the Alps, just to make sure that the snow is not already melting away.

One thing to add is if she is really interested in trying to ski (as opposed to just playing in the snow) I would strongly recommend taking proper lessons on a dry ski slope before you go - this is normally harder then skiing on snow. Depends of course if you have any close to you.

She will also then discover how uncomfortable the boots may feel and how heavy the skis can be to lug around.........