The dream of many people: a week of winter sports. Snow, cold, skis and of course après-ski. Many look forward to it for a whole year. Back on the skis, hear the whiz of the skis, enjoy the silence of nature and then a nice drink and a hearty bite! And then your kids go back to school and what does the teacher or master of Frans say? May you come and explain what you did during your skiing holiday! That is of course a different story! Unless you’ve just read this glossary!
On the way and arrival
The journey and the weather
Of course you first have to say what the weather was like, whether it had rained, whether there was a lot of snow, whether the sun was shining. How you got there and how the roads were. Whether the spreading service and the snow thrower were involved. Sketch the course of your journey and tell what the situation is like on the spot.
| les routes étaient impraticables | the roads were impassable |
| le verglas | the black ice |
| une visibilité réduite | reduced visibility |
| la neige | the snow |
| le chasse-neige | the snow thrower |
| les services d’épandage | the scattering services |
| le brouillard | the fog |
| la brume | the mist |
| la pluie | the rain |
| le soleil | the sun |
| des conditions hivernales | winter weather conditions |
Snow fun and avalanche danger
Once on site you have the different ski slopes. Watch out for avalanches! Children can collect different stars when taking ski lessons. The number of asterisks indicates the level achieved. But you do not only enjoy skiing, there is also other fun in the snow. Just think of sledding or cross-country skiing. If you can’t ski, you can also have fun making snowmen or organizing a snowball fight. Of course you can also go ice skating.
| la piste de ski | the ski slope |
| l’étoile | the star |
| le ski de fond | cross-country skiing |
| le traîneau, la luge | the sled |
| faire du traîneau, faire de la luge | sledding |
| un bonhomme de neige | the snowman |
| les boules de neige | Snow balls |
| une bataille de boules de neige | a snowball fight |
| une avalanche | an avalanche |
| le patin à glace | the skate |
| patiner | ice skating |
The snow
Some useful adjectives to describe details. What is the snow like, is it good or bad of quality? Is it melting snow or is it a thick carpet of snow? How’s the temperature? Did it freeze at night?
| une neige abondante | abundant snow |
| une neige de qualité moyenne | medium snow (quality) |
| des conditions hivernales | winter weather conditions |
| une pluie drue | heavy rain |
| de la neige fondante | melting snow |
| le gel nocturne | night frost |
| un épais tapis de neige | a thick snow carpet |
| la visibilité reduite | limited view |
| la température moyenne | the average temperature |
| une situation chaotique | a chaotic situation |
| les slopes de ski sont ouvertes | the ski slopes are open |
General impression of the skiing holiday
And then finally you have to say how you found your holiday. Was it enjoyable? Do you like winter sports or not at all? Was it hot or cold? Was the weather good? Was the sun shining? Complete your description with the following words and expressions.
| c’était amusing | it was enjoyable |
| c’était marrant | it was funny |
| il faisait froid | it was cold |
| il faisait chaud | it was warm |
| le soleil a brillé | the sun has shone |
| il a plu | it has rained |
| il faisait frais | it was cool |
| il faisait gris | it was gray and drab |
| il faisait beau | it was nice weather |
| c’était difficile / facile | it was difficult / easy |
| je n’ai pas aimé | I did not like it |
| j’ai beaucoup aimé | I enjoyed it |
| your déteste | i hate |
| j’adore les sports d’hiver | i love winter sports |
The environment and nature
Would you like to say more about the mountains themselves and about the animals and plants that you have encountered? About the place where you stayed?
| la montagne | the mountain |
| le sommet | the top |
| le flanc | the flank of the mountain |
| la colline | the hill |
| la vallée | the valley |
| le chalet | the chalet |
| le chamois | the gems |
| le sapin | the fir tree |
| la vache | the cow |
| la marmotte | the marmot |
| la gentiane | the gentian |
Well, now you can say where you have been, what the weather was like, what you did and saw and whether you liked it or not. Good luck with your description!
