ADVICE: How to do the best by a total beginner in Meribel

A snowHead

I'm taking my non-skier girlfriend skiing with me - I realise these words are the start of many a divorce deposition Confused

so I want to make sure it's a fun trip for her and for me!

My current plan is to drop her off at Meribel Chaudanne each morning for a group lesson with ESF - do we think this will this be alright for someone who's never done any downhill skiing? She has done a little cross country but years ago.

Are ESF still good? I learned with them years ago, but one-on-one lessons. I do remember as a small child finding ski school very stressful! Unfortunately our budget doesn't stretch to any private lessons. And they do groups for adult beginners at €220 for the whole week.

Sorry if there's a thread on this already that I've missed!

A snowHead

Used New Generation before, and can thoroughly recommend Ski Marmalade.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Cheers - I've had a look and they sound pretty good if a bit more expensive - assuming the groups will be smaller though which would be good. Should I take from that that ESF are not 1st recommendation here?

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I've done sessions with new gen and marmalade who both have done a great job.

After seeing groups of 12 in esf groups last week, I'd be asking what max group sizes are before booking with anyone.

Best advice I can give you is to avoid taking her through the middle of town at the end of the day, I find it scary and I am a confident and robust skier, so many people so far out of control...

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

@Humfrey, good plan if you want to be a bachelor. The mere fact that you said you found learning with the ESF very stressful should have all your alarm bells ringing....

Get your credit card out and send her to a UK snowdome to do a "Learn to ski in a day" course before you go. That will teach her the basics and get her to plough-parallel standard. Then put her in group lessons with a British ski school (there are several in Meribel) at early intermediate level so she has a chance to see the whole mountain and get a proper skiing experience.

Using a Brit ski school guarantees consistency of methodology with the snowdome and the opportunity to ask questions/get feedback/understand the theory as well as the practical side of learning. Not everyone learns by rote and a Brit ISTD will adapt to what she understands best.

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Given the cost of the trip and pass, any saving on your partner's lessons might prove in the long term a false economy, I would give my eye teeth for my wife of nearly thirty years to share my passion for skiing. So spending a few extra quid on having really good English speaking instructors could be best in the long run. In my daughters case we did a Sunday one to one session with Marmalade, then did New Generation intermediate group lessons. My daughter is now very enthusiastic and has good skills to develop from.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks for for the advice all - Definitely seems like it will be better to get one or two private lessons then 5 group mornings, all with a good English instructor. I've dropped an email to Ski Marmalade to see what I can book in.

@Raceplate how do you reckon the advantages of the dry slope vs getting an extra private lesson once we're there? Price is about the same, but with only the apres ski of Milton Keynes to look forward to after...

After all it is free

@Humfrey, MK is artificial snow, not a dry slope - big difference and much better in this scenario. IMO, a learn to ski in a day course at an artificial snow slope in the UK will advance her at least 3 days in resort instruction. The course is usually 6-8 hours so completely outweighs an extra private lesson in resort. Cheaper for the whole day than one private lesson in resort, too.

You only have 6 days holiday so instead of her spending half her holiday on beginner slopes learning the basics and getting frustrated she can instead spend 6 days doing 'real' skiing, meet you for lunch and ski around the easy altiport area with you in the afternoons. Personally, I don't think you need the expense of private lessons in resort, group lessons with New Gen would be quite sufficient if she's already done a course in the UK. Save the privates for when she's more experienced and needs more specific attention.

I've introduced 3 'non-skiing' girlfriends to the sport this way with no domestics. It works.

I'd go along with what @Raceplate, says... if she's very fit. Otherwise go for a series of shorter lessons over 3-4 days.

When I went for my first week I did a "learn to ski in a day" at Castleford beforehand. At the time I was pretty fit, cycle racing to a fairly good standard. 4 people started the day by mid morning we were down to 3 and after lunch I was on my own. By the end of the day I'd achieved 2 things, I could ski the main slope (kind of) parallel... and I couldn't walk anymore. I then did a few more (1-2 hour) sessions without lessons before I went. Had a great week in Meribel, was good enough to get around, by day2 was off the Altiport and onto the other valleys. It probably (definitely) wasn't pretty but I've been hooked ever since.

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Thanks @raceplate @adithorp

3 hour 'fast track course' at MK - £80 or a bit more if she is up for the full day
6 days of New Gen group (2-8 skiers) mornings - €239

Now to break it to her that it's €8 a pint...

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Raceplate, is spot on..
I can recommend JoJo if you do go with Marmalade.
For a good afternoon with a novice in Meribel try the piste Escargot accessed from the Plan de la Homme chair from the Chaudanne
it gives beginners an excellent practice area served by a button lift, high up with epic views and an easy descent via Grive -Tougnette lift stn - Foret to Mottaret.
Good luck
Ps. I have video of Escargot if you cant find any.
PISTE PERFORMENCE. First piste in this vid:
http://youtube.com/v/gZuL2J0w8H0

My best advice, regardless of which ski school you choose for lessons, is make sure you find out from the instructor at the end of each session where they have been skiing that day, and where they recommend you ski together in the afternoon. Resist all temptation to take them skiing elsewhere unless you're very confident of the piste conditions and their abilities.

You know it makes sense.

I prefer groups for beginners, so they meet others and realise they are not the only ones struggling with things, and so they spend less time with you feeling like they are massively worse and will never catch up. Just not esf. Any of the other schools a better bet for English beginners. Aj x

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

Having do this myself I secon everything that @Raceplate has said. We were in the fortunate position of being able to give my Mrs quite a bit of private tuition, which she really enjoyed. Although, I really can see the additional benefits there would be from learning in a group context. I think private tuition and coaching is best suited to progressing beyond te intermediate plateau. I wouldn't go near ESF personally.

@kieranm, that is also great advice. Confidence is so important. If your partner knows that she can happily ski what she did during her lesson, then your time on the piste with her must start by covering only the pistes where she has been during her lesson. I really cannot stress this enough.

A snowHead

I forced my husband into taking up skiing in Meribel many years ago and we are still married (just!) He still has the odd paddy and declares he is never skiing again (at least once per season), but he's always the first to make sure our trips are booked. We stayed in a chalet in Mottaret and he learnt on the beginners' slope there. He still has fond memories of 'dicing with death' on the Trout each afternoon! La Truite is a nice gentle green from Mottaret to Meribel - great for building up beginners' confidence.

I don't remember which ski school we used, but he shared private lessons with another guest in the chalet. I had both group and private lessons as a beginner. Group lessons are fun as long as the group is small. I would also agree that some lessons on slope at home will make a big difference when she hits the real snow in Meribel. It's worth the initial pain to have a partner you can ski with. Enjoy your trip. Blush

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

@Humfrey, you seem to be looking at just a few private lessons. Unless your GF is athletic and confident a week of small group lessons would be far better. Most of us needed a lot more than a couple of lessons to get started.

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Another +1 for Raceplate's advice. Pretty much what I did for my (then) girlfriend (now and still) wife many moons ago - having done a "learn to ski in a day" course at Tamworth, she was bumped up a group on holiday and we were able to ski together. I wouldn't say she's unusually athletic but she did seem to pick up the basics of skiing pretty quickly, others may differ. keiranm's suggestion to ski the same pistes in the afternoon, as covered in morning lessons, is also good. A beginner's confidence can be knocked very easily and stuff that you think she can ski may look completely different to her if she's not already been down it.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Great thanks all - I've booked her in for an 8 hour ski in a day course at Milton Keynes, it ends at 10:30pm! So she's prepared for a little pain vs gain

Once we're there, do is this the appropriate level for her week of six group lessons, with New Gen?

SKI LEVEL 2
I have tried skiing before, on snow or on a dry slope. I have started to snowplough turn on the nursery slopes.

I have been on skis before but I am virtually a beginner. I understand what a snowplough is and have started to snowplough turn on a green/beginner slope. In some circumstances I am a nervous beginner who has had some basic lessons but would like to revisit the basics.

Aim: To be comfortable snowploughing on green and some blue runs at end of the week. To have started to learn plough parallel

@kieranm, that's a great idea, thanks

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From experience last year with a total beginner (wife), I made three key mistakes.

1. She was unhappy with the boots she hired the first time round but when I asked if she wanted to change them, she said not to bother and I didn't push it further. I should have got her to change them.
2. The place we stayed was on a hill (odd that in the Alps...) but right between two bus stops. One up the steep hill 500m away, or one down the hill 500m away. When it was icy, she was really unhappy going either way. It was also a 1.5km walk from the main bit where we'd get dropped off.
3. I thought the initial instructor wasn't actually very good but I felt that perhaps only a couple of days in, it'd be best if I kept my nose out.

So - Not good fitting boots, a horrible walk for her from the town and to and from the buses really screwed her ankles - completely my fault and she was in agony after a couple of days. Coupled with the fact that she didn't progress one bit as the instructor was rubbish, it was hard going for her. She did have a far better instructor on the third day but by then her ankles were heavily swollen and it was too late.

I should have done more homework as to the place we stayed and where it was in the resort for easy access etc... I should have insisted she tried on another set of boots as soon as she'd mentioned it and I should have raised the issue that I didn't think the instructor was good enough.

Hindsight is 20/20.. Sad

There's some great advice above. Especially getting to an indoor slope and having some lessons before going.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@Humfrey, good move. If she's comfortable on the course at MK she should be a New Gen Level 3 at the end of it, not a Level 2. Level 2 is for super nervous adults - she won't see anything of the mountain with them.

MK gradient is equivalent to a Blue and steeper than both the Altiport 'beginners' area and the Escargot piste that franzClammer mentioned in Meribel. Those are the two main areas she's likely to be taken to on her first day so if she can get down MK in a plough-parallel fashion by the end of the course she will be fine in Level 3. Only if she freaks out on the MK course and hates it would I put her in Level 2 but I would be very surprised if that happens; the guys that teach these courses are used to giving people confidence.

Let's hope she enjoys the course and gets the bug!

After all it is free

hope she gets the bug, completely agree with advice on the learn in a day at the fridge(doing it over two days maybe better if she is not fit as she will be sore). I think if she can pull that off and get to a competent level she would go in a higher group in Meribel. I did similiar before my first trip and skied all of L2A blues and greens which let me see the top of the mountain and cover some serious miles.

I was opposite and went with girlfriend who had skiied since she was 5 and apart from spitting my dummy out pram on day 2 when my legs were agony and thought i would never do parallel I then loved it.

I agree with all the advice, and especially the advice to choose your accommodation carefully. Despite Meribel often being described as a good place for beginners, there are aspects of it which I recall (as a nervous intermediate in the mid 90's) freaked me out. Save for the Truite from Mottaret, runs down to the Chaudanne are often busy, hard, narrow and icy. Aigle down to Mottarent from the Saulire side-avoid avoid avoid. We're I taking a beginner with me to the 3V I'd head to Courchevel 1850, or 1650. (Just a thought, if you're not already booked or wedded to Meribel as a destination

)

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Strongly agree with all the above, especially to go somewhere else or, if not possible,

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Whatever you do, don't make the same mistake that I did in Meribel on my wife's first ski trip. After a few days of lessons I planned the perfect itinerary for her. We went over to Courchevel, lunch at Bel Air and then over further to spend the afternoon skiing the lovely big easy runs of Pyramides. All good so far, but to get back I had planned an easy run down to a short button (Creux) which would take us back towards home. All the pistes I and mapped out were blue or green. What I hadn't taken into account was that the Creux drag lift should be labelled black on its own! Plenty of signs saying it was unsuitable for beginners Embarassed

in the end I had to take her on a chair and back down a red run (Park City) on her bum in a mad dash to get home. Never been allowed to forget it! One of the rules of skiing should be that regardless of the care you take with a beginner it is utterly inevitable that you will, at some stage, end up taking them down something that reduces them to tears.

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@foxtrotzulu, Laughing

thereis a draglift in the Arly Valley which can reduce strong men to tears. Ideal place to take a cocky young snowboarder who reckons he knows everything.

@Humfrey, Marmalade are a really good ski school, mainly UK instructors who should also make it a lot of fun for your girlfriend...also find out where the happy hours apres ski to save you from the 8 euro a pint Smile

also remember she maybe totally shattered after the first session, so don't "force" her out in the afternoon. Equally she may love it and be full of energy to ski in the afternoon

You know it makes sense.

If you are not ski in/ ski out find a way to carry light or walking trainers with you so she can put boots on as late as possible/ take off as early as possible. Walking in ski boots isn't fun as a beginner + far more risk of falling. Grip's no better than most street shoes. Ballet pumps not ideal for keeping socks dry though.

Wish we'd done that when I started, starting the day with sore feet after an uphill slog never helps learning.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

@Humfrey

I hope your GF enjoys it and get the bug... Years ago, my now wife(beginner) went with her mates (good skiers) before I met her... whilst she had lessons, the inevitable "boredom" set in with the good skiers..."you'll be fine" was the persuasion as they took her to go on "reds" far to soon and she had a nasty fall as a result. Has totally put her off ever going again which is a shame as I'd get to go far more often if she was up for it ... still it means I still get to go with the lads once a year so it's not all bad Laughing

A snowHead

Two of my friends learnt to ski in Meribel (as adults), both with New Generation. One friend did a one day course at Hemel before we went and then spent a week in lessons in Meribel (level 2) and now loves to ski. The other friend arrived in Meribel without ever having skied before and was booked into complete beginner lessons. In his lesson he spent all morning walking 100m up the green run from Mottaret into Chaudanne to then ski down it to then walk up again etc. When we met him for lunch he was literally steaming and absolutely soaked through underneath his ski jacket from his lesson. He stuck with it for the week but that was it, he never got the bug. And who can blame him.

So I would also recommend doing a day in the snow dome before heading out. Get the basics out the way indoors!

A snowHead

Just beware. Putting your girlfriend in the same vicinity as a male ski instructor is, at worst, going to end your relationship, and, at best make her see you in a less favourable light. He's going to be fitter, thinner, more tanned, better looking, have a charming sounding name, oozing testosterone and be a deviant sexual predator. Most annoying of all is that he'll ski better than you too.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

So, Escargot it is then Laughing

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Thanks for all the help above!

Just as an update on this, New Gen actually cancelled their Level 2 (semi beginners) group course that week, luckily Ski Marmalade were able to recommend Parallel Lines who still had a place left on their course. I'll report back on her experience of them!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

After all it is free

@ansta1,

I think that's a somewhat Anglophone view, @ansta1.

Reporting back on this one, thanks to this advice she absolutely loved it! Back today and already talking about planning next years trip. Luckily I got her the full pass not beginners because she made it to both edges of the three valleys map.

In Meribel we ended up going with New Generation who she loved, Rich ran the Sunday course and Zoe who ran the weeklong course were both fantastic teachers. Snozone ski in a day also highly recommended, she went straight into Level 3 after first lesson with New Gen.

@cameronphillips2000, you were right to warn me - I was told very clearly that she preferred skiing with Zoe to skiing with me!

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@Humfrey, excellent!

Help!!

ADVICE: How to do the best by a total beginner in Meribel

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