I get the drift...

With reliable snow and friendly company, LAURA NIGHTINGALE finds Norway is an ideal choice for anyone learning to ski

- By Laura Nightingale

SLOPES AND GLORY: For newbies like Laura

AS I get older, I am becoming increasingly scared of everyday things: driving at night, wearing high heels, and my all-time favour-ite, not making it to the toilet in time.

But I do feel young at heart... and with a bucket list as long as my arm, I actually do have some ambitious thrill-seeking activities I would like to tick off - including skiing.

Crystal Ski Holidays organises ski and snowboarding trips across Europe for absolute beginners called Slope Starters - and Beitostolen in Norway has been added as a new destination to the programme for winter.

Whisking travellers off to the mountains for one week of bumper skiing and socialising, the packages include return flights, 20kg luggage, half-board accommodation, transfers, lessons, equipment hire and a six-day lift pass. Besides ski and snowboarding lessons, there are plenty of activities on offer beyond the slopes to demonstrate what a ski holiday is all about.

To create a sense of community and encourage attendees to make new friends, the week starts with welcome drinks at the hotel. And there are plenty of chances to party, apres-ski.

You can chill and make use of the hotel's spa and wellness facilities throughout the week - and to round everything off, an awards evening is held on the last night to celebrate customers’ debut trips to the mountains.