Episode 1: The Problem with Waiting for Everyone Else

The trouble with finding someone to go with.

I've done it again.

I've spent the best part of an evening looking at ski holidays, imagining myself gliding down a perfectly groomed blue run in glorious sunshine, stopping for a leisurely lunch with a glass of something cold, and generally congratulating myself on having made excellent life choices.

Then I remembered the problem.

I haven't got anyone to go with.

My partner would happily come skiing with me, but work commitments mean getting a week away together isn't always easy. My children, meanwhile, have reached the age where spending a week skiing with their mum just simply isn’t cool anymore. And my friends? They're either tied up with family commitments, watching the budget or suggesting we organise something next year.

I've considered asking around other potential ski-buddies, but there's something faintly exhausting about trying to organise a group of adults. First you need to agree on dates. Then a resort. Then a budget. By the time everyone has expressed an opinion, the conversation has usually died a quiet death.

The trouble is, I love skiing. And I'm beginning to wonder why I should miss out on a week in the mountains simply because everyone else's diary is full.

And so, like last winter, I find myself wondering whether this is the year I finally book a solo ski holiday.

Is it weird to go on a ski holiday on your own?

I've travelled on my own before, so it's not the travelling itself that worries me. I've actually rather enjoyed the freedom of doing exactly what I want, when I want.

It's the assumptions that can come with it.

On one trip, someone asked if I was on one of those singles holidays. Another person seemed convinced I must be looking to meet someone. I spent an embarrassingly long time explaining that I'd simply fancied a holiday and hadn't managed to persuade anyone else to come.

At one point, I half expected someone to produce name badges and organise a series of increasingly awkward icebreakers.

I'm not against meeting new people. Quite the opposite. I'd just like to do it without the implication that I'm there to find a date.

Still, booking a ski holiday alone feels like a different proposition.

The idea has a certain appeal. I could choose the dates that suit me, go somewhere I've always wanted to ski, and spend a week doing something I love.

Unfortunately, my imagination also supplies a series of less appealing possibilities.

Eating dinner alone.

Arriving at a chalet where everyone else has known each other for years. Or, worse still, discovering that I'm the only person who has turned up.

What if I turn up expecting a sociable ski holiday and find myself the sole solo traveller, awkwardly trying to slot into a group of couples and friends?

Finding myself skiing behind a group of strangers who are either considerably faster or considerably slower than me. Or with a bunch of uber cool snowboarders?

What if everyone else is either twenty years younger and up for partying until 2am, or old enough to be my parents?

What if I don't have anything in common with any of them?

And what if everyone else is coupled up?

Perhaps I'm overthinking this.

Finding the right solo ski holiday

I suspect the answer is to find the right kind of holiday in the first place.

Not a singles holiday where everyone is expected to pair off, and not a week where I'm left to figure everything out for myself. Something sociable, with people who enjoy skiing, a few different abilities and personalities, and the freedom to do my own thing when I want to.

Is that too much to ask?

I'd like to think not.

There must be other people in the same position. People who love skiing but whose partners can't get away, whose children have other priorities, or whose friends never quite manage to commit.

People who are perfectly happy with their own company but would rather not spend every evening eating dinner with it.

Perhaps a solo ski holiday doesn't have to mean being alone at all.

I want to find somewhere I can turn up on my own without feeling that I need to justify it. Somewhere I can meet people naturally, find others to ski with and enjoy a good meal at the end of the day.

And if I fancy a little time to myself? That should be fine too.

Maybe it's time to stop waiting

Before I book anything, I think I need to do some proper research.

I want to find out which holidays are genuinely welcoming to solo travellers, whether I'll have people to ski with, and how the room arrangements work. I'd also quite like to know whether everyone else will be feeling exactly the same way I am.

Because if they are, perhaps we're all worrying about the same thing.

I'm not quite ready to book just yet. But for the first time, I'm considering the possibility that I don't need to wait for someone else to make this happen.

Research begins tomorrow.

Probably.

Thinking about a solo ski holiday?

If, like Sophie, you love skiing but don't always have someone to go with, a solo ski holiday could be just what you need. At Cold Fusion, we've specialised in sociable ski chalet holidays for solo travellers for over 22 years. Our fun, experienced team takes care of all the details, from delicious meals to getting you to the slopes, so you can relax, enjoy the skiing and spend time with like-minded guests. All you need to do is turn up, settle in and enjoy your week in the mountains.

Discover our solo ski holidays in France.