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Activities for non skiers

Each year, ski resorts invest millions to attract skiers and non-skiers to their resort. Each year, new activities emerge for the greatest pleasure of everyone: sports lovers, extreme thrill seekers, nature lovers and anyone simply looking to try something new... You will always find a way to have a great time on your ski holiday with activities just as fun and entertaining as skiing or snowboarding.

So if you don’t ski but want to travel with a group of friends or family who do, read on to find out what the mountain has to offer you…

At one with nature…

Snowshoeing: Discover the complete tranquility of the mountain scenery by strapping on your snowshoes and following your guide off the beaten track. With a little luck and patience, you might come across some the shy mountain wildlife that hides from the noise of packed ski slopes and rusty chairlifts! This is an ideal activity for all the family and a wonderful chance to let your kids discover the other side of the mountain!

For animal lovers…

Ski joëring: the mountain version of water-skiing! You enjoy water skiing? Yes! You love horses? Yes! Then you'll love ski joëring. The skier is pulled along by a horse. This sport is practiced on packed snow usually in an enclosed park or on snowy roads - an original way to discover the mountain landscapes.

Dog sledding: a magical and unforgettable activity for all the family. Tucked up under a warm blanket, you just sit back and enjoy the scenery as the musher and his dogs take you to the heart of the forest. More and more ski resorts across Europe now offer this activity.

Take to the air…

Hot air ballooning: Take to the skies and watch the stunning mountain landscapes unfold peacefully underneath you. A unique experience you will never forget that the whole family can enjoy together. The flights take place in the morning and only if weather conditions permit. Allow half a day this activity

Airboarding: You certainly won’t go as high as in a hot air balloon, but this sport isn’t called “airboarding” for nothing! Thrills are definitely guaranteed! Imagine yourself lying on an inflatable sledge, pointing head first down the mountain! This may sound a little crazy but you soon get the hang of things – you just have to lean from side to side to steer and the rest is child’s play! Not surprisingly, helmets are mandatory!

For the more extreme…

Snowbiking: If tearing down steep ski slopes at full speed does not scare you, then come and test snowbiking! Accompanied by professionals, you take your bike to the top of the slopes at the end of the day – and listen carefully to instructions! Mountain biking on snow is not an exercise in improvisation: it’s extremely important to listen to the rules and instructions given by the supervisory staff. "Roc'n'Bike" is now available in a few ski resorts across Europe and is equally well-suited to both expert mountain bikers and beginners.

For motor sports fans…

Ice karting: Ready, set, go! We thought we had seen it all, done it all AND got the T-shirt for winter sports activities… but we were wrong! Go karting on ice is a relatively recent activity which is proving extremely popular! As you can imagine, go karting on ice is nothing like the classic version of the sport – it appeals to the more daring and although there is no age limit, participants must measure over 1m 40.

Snowmobile touring: What better way to really make the most of the mountains than to take a snowmobile at dusk up the mountainside to enjoy a good meal in a mountain restaurant up on the slopes? Accompanied by a guide, discover your favourite slopes by night. Most ski resorts now organize evening snowmobile tours.

Not forgetting of course…

Sledging: there’s nothing new about this activity apart from maybe the designs of the sledges available now but no-one can deny that it’s guaranteed to warm you up and get everyone laughing!

Hope to have answered your question about what to do if you're a non skier on a ski holiday...

Join us on Facebook and tell us if you've tried some of these activities or any others... we'd love to hear about your experiences.

Each year, ski resorts invest millions to attract skiers and non-skiers to their resort. Each year, new activities emerge for the greatest pleasure of everyone: sports lovers, extreme thrill seekers, nature lovers and anyone simply looking to try something new... You will always find a way to have a great time on your ski holiday with activities just as fun and entertaining as skiing or snowboarding.

So if you don’t ski but want to travel with a group of friends or family who do, read on to find out what the mountain has to offer you…

At one with nature…

Snowshoeing: Discover the complete tranquility of the mountain scenery by strapping on your snowshoes and following your guide off the beaten track. With a little luck and patience, you might come across some the shy mountain wildlife that hides from the noise of packed ski slopes and rusty chairlifts! This is an ideal activity for all the family and a wonderful chance to let your kids discover the other side of the mountain!

For animal lovers…

Ski joëring: the mountain version of water-skiing! You enjoy water skiing? Yes! You love horses? Yes! Then you'll love ski joëring. The skier is pulled along by a horse. This sport is practiced on packed snow usually in an enclosed park or on snowy roads - an original way to discover the mountain landscapes.

Dog sledding: a magical and unforgettable activity for all the family. Tucked up under a warm blanket, you just sit back and enjoy the scenery as the musher and his dogs take you to the heart of the forest. More and more ski resorts across Europe now offer this activity.

Take to the air…

Hot air ballooning: Take to the skies and watch the stunning mountain landscapes unfold peacefully underneath you. A unique experience you will never forget that the whole family can enjoy together. The flights take place in the morning and only if weather conditions permit. Allow half a day this activity

Airboarding: You certainly won’t go as high as in a hot air balloon, but this sport isn’t called “airboarding” for nothing! Thrills are definitely guaranteed! Imagine yourself lying on an inflatable sledge, pointing head first down the mountain! This may sound a little crazy but you soon get the hang of things – you just have to lean from side to side to steer and the rest is child’s play! Not surprisingly, helmets are mandatory!

For the more extreme…

Snowbiking: If tearing down steep ski slopes at full speed does not scare you, then come and test snowbiking! Accompanied by professionals, you take your bike to the top of the slopes at the end of the day – and listen carefully to instructions! Mountain biking on snow is not an exercise in improvisation: it’s extremely important to listen to the rules and instructions given by the supervisory staff. "Roc'n'Bike" is now available in a few ski resorts across Europe and is equally well-suited to both expert mountain bikers and beginners.

For motor sports fans…

Ice karting: Ready, set, go! We thought we had seen it all, done it all AND got the T-shirt for winter sports activities… but we were wrong! Go karting on ice is a relatively recent activity which is proving extremely popular! As you can imagine, go karting on ice is nothing like the classic version of the sport – it appeals to the more daring and although there is no age limit, participants must measure over 1m 40.

Snowmobile touring: What better way to really make the most of the mountains than to take a snowmobile at dusk up the mountainside to enjoy a good meal in a mountain restaurant up on the slopes? Accompanied by a guide, discover your favourite slopes by night. Most ski resorts now organize evening snowmobile tours.

Not forgetting of course…

Sledging: there’s nothing new about this activity apart from maybe the designs of the sledges available now but no-one can deny that it’s guaranteed to warm you up and get everyone laughing!

Hope to have answered your question about what to do if you're a non skier on a ski holiday...

Join us on Facebook and tell us if you've tried some of these activities or any others... we'd love to hear about your experiences.

137 - Winter - Nikki

About Nikki

Being lucky enough to have parents who were crazy about skiing, my love for the mountains started when I was 4 years old on our first family ski holiday to Austrian ski resort of Obergurl. One ski holiday a year was never enough and tears rolled down my face as I looked out the back window of the car on the drive down the valley on the way home!