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Solo activities for the shoulder season.
Things I love to do by myself during and outside ski seasons.
If you haven't already, check out my previous article with all my favorite reasons to do more things by yourself and not wait for others to be available to do the things you love during your ski seasons.
When I first learned that spending time by myself gave me the power to do more in life, I was supported and encouraged by my parents. They always encourage me to go on school trips, take my dog for walks, go and visit my friends in different cities on a train by myself, the list goes on. So as an adult, it hasn't been that tough to keep searching for things to do and enjoy by myself, but I have had to find an inner reason to continue doing so because I don’t come home to encouragement from my parents any more. That’s why I decided to write a list of some of the things I love to do by myself during ski seasons. They are here as examples, and I would absolutely love for you to expand on them and find your own independent passions.
Just to be clear, spending time by yourself doing the things you love does NOT include sitting and watching Netflix all day. Although it is something I’ve done countless times, I can’t say that much good or enrichment has come from it. No, I’m talking about getting up and out of the house, or at the very least out of your regular routine.
Contents
What can you do inside?
First I’ll let you in on all of the things I like to do inside, because sometimes outside isn't an option and that shouldn't mean you can do the things that make you happy by yourself.
Bake a cake
Practice some yoga
Do something creative and colorful
Work on a home project
Writing your diary
All of these activities are fabulous by yourself, and definitely worth putting aside time to do in your season.
What can you do outside?
Go walking
Whether it’s a short dog walk, or a long stroll just me and I, walking can be a great solo activity.
Places I love to walk:
In the mountains
You might be surprised to know there are lots of hidden walking tracks in ski resorts often through the forest, some will be well kept and are shared with the cross country skiers and others will require you to have snow shoes, either way they're awesome to go explore. Here in New Zealand you have to travel a bit further to reach the snow for most of the ski season so there are usually plenty of less snowy tracks to Walk along or up too!
Along the beach / waterfront.
When you're in a ski resort you're surrounded by mountains and when there are mountains there is water. Whether it's a lake, river, stream or the sea you're never too far away from the water, especially here in New Zealand.
Through the forest.
I am mad about trees and short walks in the woods make me feel at home. Europe is great for forest walks which are usually accessible from the center of ski resorts!
The gym!
As much as I love and encourage you to explore outside, sometimes it's just a matter of getting out of your normal routine, getting out of your head and the gym can do just that. Set the treadmill to rolling hills or something similar so that you get the hill climb to aclb muscles and put on a good podcast or playlist. You don't have to do a workout every time you go to the gym. But you'll be glad you went and spent some time for yourself.
Through the village
Village walks to people watch, window shop, grab a coffee, write a journal or read a book in a café. There is always a buzz about a ski resort village and it can be the perfect place to reset your mind.
Take the speed up a notch and go for a run
I’m not the biggest fan of jogging and European ski fields aren’t the best places for running since there is slippery snow everywhere. This is a great activity for end of season or out of season months. Or if you’re an experienced runner, pack your spikes and go for it!
Take your bike outside and go for a ride
Again another one that isn't as easy when you're surrounded by snow, but beautifully here in New Zealand the snow rarely reaches street level meaning you can ride the bike tracks all year round. Bike hire is usually available in ski resorts so I wouldn’t go shipping your bike to a resort unless you’re super keen and have done your research.
Go for a ski
Skiing and snowboarding are extreme sports so practicing them by yourself does come with its risks and isn’t recommended for the lower levels and less confident. Don’t let what others say put you off though! There are ways to take steps to avoid injury when skiing by yourself: stay well within your limits, save trying new things for when you have support with you, keep your phone well charged and turned on, and your PLB and or avalanche gear with you especially if you're in a bigger resort. Don’t travel too far from home, you can have sooo much fun simply skiing the home run over again perfecting your turns, perhaps watching others try things you’d like to learn. Make sure the weather is appropriate, I wouldn't recommend mixing fer of weather in the mix when it’s just you out there and if you do get caught out, get to the nearest shelter and or ski lift. Most importantly, stay confident and have fun!
Go for a swim!
Whether it's in an ice cold glacial lake (be careful and dress appropriately!) or in the local swimming pool, I just love going for a swim.
Go get pampered
Getting a massage, manicure or simply sitting in a sauna or spa pool is just bliss and you don’t need anyone else with you to enjoy it. You’ll find beauty therapists and massage therapists in all ski resorts and you really don’t need that long to enjoy these activities either.
Getting out and about
Living in a ski resort can feel claustrophobic at times. I have experienced the feeling of being trapped as if I'm on another planet and I don’t know anything about the outside world. Getting outside of the immediate area can really help you with these feelings. If you’re a chalet host, you can ask your chef or manager to join them on their trip to the supermarket, or you could get the bus down to the village in the valley, or you could go the opposite direction and book a guide to show you the cross country trails around the mountains.
Just because it can be more daunting to venture further when you're by yourself, don't let it stop you and work on gaining confidence to travel further from home each time. Don't be afraid to get on a bus to go for a walk or for your outing. It's a small price to pay for potentially life long memories.
These are just a tiny handful of things you can do by yourself this ski season. Of course I’d be super impressed if you managed to do all of these in just one season since you’ll hopefully be spending most of your time out skiing and snowboarding with your friends and colleagues and hitting the bars after work.
In the crazy whirlwind that is season life, remember to take time for yourself. You deserve it.
If you’re a rare find, somebody who isn’t working a ski season to ski or snowboard and you’d like to know more about what ski resorts have to offer. Scroll down and hit subscribe to be notified about my next articles! Next up: Activities you can do in a ski resort that aren't skiing or snowboarding
TheSkiNomad
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