At the beginning of January everybody in Croatia talks about Vip Snow Queen Trophy, an international skiing competition that takes place on Sljeme mountain north of Zagreb. The world’s top skiers compete in slalom for two days and one night, with thousands of spectators watching and extensive media coverage, so we can talk about a true ski fever in the nation. Sometimes there isn’t much snow on the slopes, but there are always snow machines to produce artificial snow if necessary. Skiing is the most popular of all winter sports. When we talk about skiing, we usually refer to alpine skiing, where a skier visits a ski resort, buys a lift ticket or ski pass, dons cold-weather clothing, skis, ski boots and ski poles, and rides on a chair lift or gondola lift. Upon reaching the summit (or top), the skier dismounts from the ski lift and travels downhill along a marked route known as a piste, run, trail or slope.
If you are an old hand at skiing, you will already be familiar with much of this, but if you are a beginner, you might find the following tips useful as an introduction to the world of snow sports:
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Get in shape – you’ll enjoy skiing more if you’re physically fit. Also, never skip the warm-up run – it prepares you mentally and physically for the day ahead.
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Buy or rent proper equipment. Have your ski bindings correctly adjusted.
