I've been an avid skiier for years and love it! I'm also a Type 1 Diabetic and have been since the age of 4, I'm now 35. Last week I returned from a week skiing in Morzine. From experience the cold won't really have an effect on your glucose levels, not that I've noticed anyways. As a beginner you'll be doing a lot of rolling on the floor, getting up, walking around with skis on / skis off. This all digs away at your levels. You'll be surprised how much energy you'll use up just walking from your accommodation to ski lift if you've not done it before. As a beginner you won't be using that much energy skiing, it'll be more mental strain! As you progress and are picking up speed, that's when your thighs will be screaming! (An ice cold beer in a hot tub will aid recovery)
On a typical day, I'll grab some porridge for breakfast and drop my insulin very slightly. I find that exercise raises mine slightly before it lowers. I'll carry a rucksack, from a diabetic point of view I'll carry a BM tester, my insulin, Jelly Babies and a snack like KitKats etc. I'll be wearing my helmet but will take a woolly hat and wrap it around the tester and pen. Only to protect it and me, if I were to fall (to note - I've also left them in my bag loose and they worked fine). On previous trips I've also worn a Dexcom and I've placed the receiver in my salopette pocket where was able to feel the vibrations. Normally, we'll stop mid-morning for a coffee break, I'll crack open on the KitKats and take a test. That will normally be enough to carry me through lunchtime.
At lunch, we'll either take a sandwich with us or eat at a restaurant on the slopes. On the slopes I'll go for a bowl of pasta or something similar, if I were to take lunch, I'll drop my insulin slightly and finish it off with a Jelly Baby(s). Don't forget to drink water. At the end of the day, you'll no doubt go for a beer, whilst you're there grab some nachos etc. and test again, your evening meal might be later than you're used too at home. Demolish anything and everything you want at your evening meal! As previously mentioned it's the overnight shift that you'll have to watch out for.
In terms of being hypo on the slopes, it's just like anywhere else really. However, I've had some pretty uncomfortable experiences where my fingers and toes became very cold. Since then, I've taken a second pair of gloves with me in my bag:
http://www.cotswoldoutdoor.com/the-...gclid=CKfWvrLTj9ICFYKw7QodaaIGIQ&gclsrc=aw.ds
They are tight to my hands and still allow me to wear my ski gloves, basically a second layer. I can't really bend my fingers when I'm wearing both pairs so only use them when my hands are super cold, two pairs definitely do the trick! In terms of cold toes, you'll have to man-up or do as I did and take off my boots in a lovely warm slope-side eatery.
Enjoy! I'm already jealous of you.
Nick