Eight of the best ski holidays for beginners this winter
From getting a flying start in Les Gets to a top value all inclusive deal in Cervinia, we round up the pick of trips for new starters
Unless otherwise stated, prices are per person for seven nights, based on two sharing a double or twin room and include half-board, flights and transfers.
1. Begin with certain snow in Obergurgl, Austria
Spend a week in Obergurgl – reassuring high at 1,930m – staying at the very friendly four-star Hotel Alpenaussicht, renowned for its organic cuisine. The hotel is not in the village centre, but there’s a nursery slope across the road and the ski bus stops right outside the door. This is a great resort for adults and older children to start, with some excellent English-speaking instructors – it’s not so good for little ones (unless you go with a family specialist), as there isn’t a resort crèche or non-ski kindergarten for those who don’t want to ski all day.
Need to know
From £891 with Crystal Ski. £224pp (from four years old) for six days of four hours at the Obergurgl Ski School, supervised lunch.
2. A flying start in Les Gets, France
Make your first turns in the family-friendly resort of Les Gets in the giant French-Swiss Portes du Soleil ski area. You won’t need the 650km of piste on offer, instead explore the nursery slopes and learn with one of a clutch of British ski schools including the British Alpine Ski School (BASS).
Ski Total’s Chalet Monet is conveniently located right at the heart of the farming village. The property has a log-burning stove, and there’s a sauna and outdoor hot tub. The nearest lift is four minutes’ walk away.
Need to know
From £559pp with Ski Total. Flying Start courses for adults cost £180 for four days, two hours a day with BASS.
3. Learn in scenic splendour in Puy Saint Vincent, France
Snowbizz runs a six-day programme of two-hour per day classes exclusively for its clients (separate groups and juniors under 11 years) at its own ski school in this scenic resort, which borders the Ecrins National Park. Convenient self-catering accommodation is available in one-bedroom apartments, sleeping four, at the Sun Vallée Residence, next to the slopes.
Need to know
From £499 based on four people self-catering through Snowbizz. Lessons on the six day programme cost £125 for adults, £265 for ages three to four years, £215 for ages five to 13 years. All are for two hours per day.
A post shared by @snowbizz_family_skiing on Aug 24, 2017 at 3:56am PDT
4. Learn with the best in Soldeu, Andorra
Generations of beginners have learnt to ski in Andorra – with good prices and plenty of unthreatening slopes. Soldeu and El Tarter are the more laid-back neighbours of lively Pas de la Casa. Together they make up Grandvalira which is the largest, highest and most popular ski area in Andorra.
Need to know
From £505pp – at four-star Hotel Himalaia through SNO. Adult groups lessons cost €153 for three hours a day for five days with Escola Soldeu. Equivalent lessons for children aged eight to 11 years cost €143.
5. All-inclusive beginner holiday in Cervinia, Italy
By going on a fully inclusive Club Med holiday, all lessons are covered in the price. Cervinia is a particularly good option if worried about conditions as snow cover is guaranteed thanks to its location at a heady 2,050m with the skiing going up to 3,883m. At the end of the week you should have mastered the 11km long Ventina run. Cervinia itself is no architectural beauty but the quality of the snow and the terrain far outweigh any aesthetic considerations and the village has a huge nursery slope right beside the centre. Club Med’s Le Cervino resort is based on the outskirts of the village.
Need to know
From £844pp with Club Med including full board, an open bar, evening entertainment, ski/snowboard instruction for adults and children from four years, lift pass, gym sessions, pilates, kids clubs with day/evening activities for two to 17 years and babysitting for four to seven months.
6. Learn from a British instructor in Champoluc, Italy
Ski 2 has everything covered for a first-timer’s snow sports holiday, from tuition and equipment hire to lift passes and lunches. Based in Champoluc, part of the large Monterosa ski area in Italy, the operator runs a British ski school exclusively for guests and has its own ski and snowboard hire. Lunch vouchers, which are included in the price of the holiday, are redeemable at several mountain restaurants. Ski 2 has a wide range of hotels and self-catering apartments to choose from, most of which are a short walk from the main gondola. The four-star Hotel Relais des Glaciers has an extensive wellness complex for those 16 years of age and over.
Need to know
From £1,131, with Ski 2 including lift pass, full board, and return transfers but not flights. Adult beginner ski or snowboard lessons from £145 for five days, two hours per day; Ski 2 Kids Ski School £230 for six days, five hours per day.
A post shared by Roger Walker (@ski2inchampoluc) on Feb 13, 2017 at 4:24am PST
7. Take your first turns in Méribel, France
Beginners can start to slide with ease thanks to a winning combination of gentle nursery slopes and excellent tuition in Méribel. Parallel Lines, a British snow sports school, offers a specific First Tracks group course for complete beginners. By the end of the week, first-timers will be comfortably completing the long Truite green run back to the resort from Mottaret, and may even have tackled a blue. The courses run either Sunday or Monday to Friday.
Méribel’s own ski area is suitable for all levels and is the most convenient base for exploring the rest of the Trois Vallées. It also has one of the widest choices of quality chalets of anywhere in the Alps. Fish & Pips has seven catered chalets in the resort that are all finished to a high standard, and the company is renowned for its cuisine. Chalet Le Christophe is just 20m from a chairlift that connects directly to the beginner slopes. It sleeps eight in four en-suite bedrooms and its open-plan living area has a fireplace and glass doors leading to a west-facing terrace.
Need to know
From £495 with Fish & Pips. Travel not included. Instruction with Parallel Lines costs €210 for five days, two hours per day. Children aged four to 13 years from €285 for five days, two hours per day (prices depend on age).
8. Try less well-known Baqueira Beret, Spain
The beginner-friendly slopes and reasonable prices at the relatively unknown resort of Baqueira Beret in the Spanish Pyrenees offer an attractive alternative to nearby Andorra for novices. Inexpensive instruction is available on the excellent nursery slopes, and there are easy greens and blues to progress to. BBSkiSchool is the only British-run school in the Pyrenees. The standard of teaching is as high as any in the Alps, but rates are considerably cheaper.
Ski Miquel is the largest operator here, with its own simple but comfortable chalets, plus hotels and self-catering apartments to suit all budgets. Chalet Salana has an outdoor hot tub, sleeps 33 (rooms can be booked for individual use) and is the best-value accommodation in the resort.
Need to know
From £592 with Ski Miquel. Group lessons for adults and for children from five years cost €164 to €195 for five mornings, three hours per morning with BBSkiSchool.
