How to blog about a skiing holiday
Are you going skiing this year and planning to blog about it? Travel blogger and journalist Catherine Cooper is big skiing fan and often writes about it, on her blog and for newspapers, magazines and websites. She says it’s very easy to make one skiing holiday sound much like another if you’re not careful. Here are some of her top tips to help make your blog post stand out from the rest.
Ski stories are like your own dreams….
…fascinating to you, tedious to anyone else. No-one wants to hear about how brilliantly you skied the Swiss Wall, or the incredible wipe out you had when that snowboarder cut you up on the nursery slope. Ever heard the phrase “You had to be there?” That just about sums it up. However, pictures are a different matter – almost everyone likes a nice snowy picture so you can always sneak in some pictures or videos of yourself looking cool on the slopes if you like – that’s OK.
Who is this resort for?
Is it an enormous domain suitable for expert skiers or a small resort better for families and beginners? Is most of the accommodation ski-in/ski-out or do you have to get a bus to the slopes? Are there snow cannons and/or a glacier? These are the kind of things readers who are thinking of going to the resort you went to will want to know.
What else is there to do?
Most resorts offer a huge amount of activities which aren’t skiing or snowboarding. As pistes in a mountain resort are a given, it’s worth focussing on what else you can do there. Many people don’t want to ski each and every day and others have a non-skiing partner who will want something else to keep them occupied. There’ll probably be a spa, but what else? This season I’ve written or am planning to write about geocaching in the snow, piste-basher rides, a snowshoeing and yoga excursion, organised snowball fights and fat-biking (cycling on snow.) Anything you’ve done apart from skiing or boarding is likely to make a more interesting post.
Where to eat
Restaurant recommendations are useful for anyone who may be thinking of going to the resort you went to, but bear in mind that many readers won’t be planning to visit, so keep mentions short and don’t include too many pictures of your tartiflette.
Where to stay
Pretty much whenever I go to a new resort I spot a chalet or hotel and think “I’d love to stay there” – perhaps because of its great location or simply because it looks cosy or interesting. Mention where you are staying along with its up and downsides (Is the food good? How far are the lifts and pistes?) but also try to include some other accommodation options you’ve spotted.
Think about layout
If you have some nice pictures, a “Ten things to do in…” or similar piece can work well.
Write what you know
If you’re travelling with small children, you’ll probably know where the crèche is and the best places for building snowmen, so write about that. If you’re travelling alone or with your mates and the après-ski scene is important to you, tell your readers about the best bars. Your post should be useful, but the beauty of blogging is that posts can reflect your own personality and interests too.
What’s quirky?
How is this resort different to the others? I am, admittedly, a bit obsessed with public loos and having heard about some brilliant ones in Andorra, I couldn’t wait to see them and wrote about them here. Many resorts have something which is almost specific to them – for example, I’ve just come back from Les Gets where there is, incongruously, a mechanical music museum, Cauterets has the longest magic carpet in Europe and La Plagne has an ice grotto. Many stations will have a USP – make sure you find it and mention it.
Catherine Cooper is a freelance journalist living in France. You can read her blog at https://catherinecooper.wordpress.com/
