It’s winter. It’s cold. And dark. Tempted to crawl under a blanket, watch episodes of “This is Us” and text your friends? Why not make a date with your besties instead and take a girls ski trip. You can do all the girlfriend getaway things you love – shop, spa, cocktails – and add in the thrill of whooshing down a spectacular, snow covered mountain. Spending time outdoors in winter is a proven mood booster. Doing it with your friends? It’ll make your January feel like May.
It’s easy to book a girls trip when the weather is warm and the sun’s shining. But don’t put off the fun until spring. A trip to a ski resort is the perfect winter girlfriend getaway for everyone, even if your friends don’t ski. Thanks to the super “Bring a Friend” challenge, your non-skiing friends can get deals on professional lessons and you can win great prizes on gear and more.
9 Reasons to Book a Girls Ski Trip
- Plenty of Time for Bonding
- You Can Take Lessons
- Chance to Check Out Winter Sports
- Ski Outfits are Forgiving and Adorable
- Cocktails + Fireplace = Fun
- It’s All About the Spa
- Your BFF is the Best Shopping Companion
- Great Friends Deserve a Great Meal
- Fresh Air and Sunshine are Good for You
1. Plenty of Time for Bonding
When was the last time you actually saw your best friends? A girls ski trip will give you hours to hang out and catch up. Plus there’s awesome scenery for great selfies. Another benefit to bringing a buddy? They can assist you when it comes time to awkwardly exit the chairlift. Or help you up after you face plant. Happens to me every time.
2. You Can Take Lessons
You ski. But your BFF doesn’t. This is the perfect reason to book a ski trip for the two of you. January is “Learn to Ski and Snowboard” month and many ski resorts are participating in the Bring a Friend Challenge.
It’s a win-win for you and your non-skiing friend. She gets to take professional lessons. That’s the best way to learn to ski or snowboard. And, when she signs up, you get the chance to win great prizes.
Plus, once your buddy’s hooked, you’ve got someone who’ll share your passion. Like when you signed up for those knitting classes. But better.
3. Chance to Check out Winter Sports
There are plenty of ways to enjoy time on the mountain, even when you’re not skiing or boarding. One of my favorites is snow tubing. No skill necessary and it’ll remind you why you loved sledding so much as a kid.
When choosing your resort, pick one with lots of different winter activities. For example, Pennsylvania’s Seven Springs Resort offers horse-drawn sleigh rides and snowmobile tours. And, remember, you don’t have to go downhill to ski. Cross country skiing is one of the best, high calorie consumption exercises.
4. Ski Outfits are Forgiving and Adorable
Beach vacations with your best friends are great. Except…you have to wear a bathing suit. Who wants to pull an old one out of the closet and try it on after the holidays? Not this gal. The right way to dress for winter sports is in layers. This hides the physical layers acquired during the feasting from Thanksgiving through New Year’s.
And winter outerwear is really cute. It’s hard not to look and feel great wearing aviators, a down jacket and a pair of fun boots.
5. Cocktails + Fireplace = Fun
Humans have gathered around fires since the dawn of time. Back in cave days, the goal was to keep warm. Now? It’s the best way to end a day, particularly one spent climbing up and racing down mountains.
Gather the girls and order a round (or two). It’s time to share your slope stories, especially the one about your epic wipeout.
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6. It’s All About the Spa on a Winter Girlfriend Getaway
Choose a ski resort with an onsite spa or in room spa services for your winter girlfriend getaway and let the pampering begin! I can’t imagine anything better than pulling my feet out of ski boots and wool socks and settling in for a spa pedicure with my girls. Talk about the perfect ending to a day on the slopes. Check out the Spa at Bear Creek. They specialize in group services.
7. Your BFF is the Perfect Shopping Companion
If you’re like me, you’ve shopped with your girlfriends since you started taking mall excursions in middle school. Why? Because they tell you what the mirror’s showing you. “Not that coat – it makes you look huge.” “I saw those boots in DSW for 1/2 the price.” “That!!! You look perfect in that beanie!”
Shopping at ski resorts is a fun diversion between runs. Lodge shops stock hats, gloves and other gear you don’t normally find in your local department store. And you get to try it on. If you’re addicted to online shopping, you might have forgotten how much fun it is to do!
8. Great Friends Deserve a Great Meal
If you think ski food means overcooked hamburgers kept warm under heat lamps in a crowded food court, think again. Although cafeteria quick service is an option, ski resorts now understand that exercise requires nutritious, delicious food for fuel. Many ski resorts have upped their restaurant game, so you’ll want to book a table. Then relax and enjoy the view, like the one at Blue Mountain’s Slopeside Pub and Grill – it sits atop Pennsylvania’s highest vertical!
9. Fresh Air and Sunshine are Good for You
Feeling sluggish after the holidays? Instead of joining the local gym (we all know how THAT turns out…), hit the slopes. According to Linda Irvin, Executive Director for the Pennsylvania Ski Areas Association, skiing and snowboarding offer 5 health benefits: they’re a great cardio workout, they build muscle, improve flexibility and strengthen your core. And, by spending time in the bright winter sun, you’ll boost your mood.
Just don’t forget your sunscreen and shades. A winter sunburn is just as bad as a summer one!
Christine Tibbetts says
Grand notion—I’d go and do everything except get hooked on skiing. Tried, just never clocked.
Cathy Bennett Kopf, Optimism SheBuysTravel says
I like to do one or two runs early in the day and then move on to other things. It’s how I discovered snowshoeing – a wonderful activity that I can do in my neighborhood park after a snowfall.