 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi Everyone,
We a group of 4 are planning on skiing 2nd Jan - 9th Jan 2016. Three of the group (myself included) are beginners and the other is an intermediate. We were originally looking at val thorns but someone advised us that based on the week we are going this may be a bad idea because with it being so high if the weather comes in we may not get skiing. Is this typically the case? We are basically looking for nice scenery , a decent amount of runs available for our level and of course good apres ski  Would Val d'Isère or Tignes be a better bet at this time of year? We are doing 2 lessons a week at the minute and are planning a weekend in snow factor prior to going and then ski school out in the resort. One question I had was one of the guys had knee issues a while back but can play sports currently is he better to snowboard rather than ski?Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
best wishes
Mark
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I'd have thought there are much better options for your group than any of the resorts you've mentioned. As beginners, you really don't need anywhere near the ski area that they offer. In terms of bleakness, Tignes would be even worse than Val Thorens.
If you're looking for good apres ski, have you considered Austria? Many of the resorts there are likely to meet your criteria and a buying a pint (or even just a bottle of water) won't bankrupt you.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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I don't know any of the resorts, but - at any time of year, mountain weather gets wild whenever it wants - it's nice to have access to lower slopes with trees so you can actually see when it's snowing.
In Austria Saalbach would be a good option; in France take a look at Morzine. There are a billion other options too though.
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Hi Clarky,
Thank you for quick reply much appreciated. I will have a look at the resorts you suggested also. Many Thanks
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I would recommend Alpe d'huez as a good resort for beginners, its got lots of easy runs to progress to as you move off the nursery slopes.
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In Austria Saalbach would be a good option
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Even better than hitherto, with the new Bernkogel II chair lift, opening this December. I imagine that the upper section of the Bernkogel will be an ideal focal point for a mixed ability group of this sort.
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If good apres is important then I'd echo looking at Austria. Saalbach or Hinterglemm would probably tick the boxes quite nicely and it should be easy to find a few tour operators that go there.
For a slightly different suggestion you could consider somewhere like Sauze d'Oulx in Italy. Our group have been there for the past couple of years which included 2 or 3 beginners/early intermediates using the ski schools, they all talked very highly of them. The apres ski is good (though not on Austrian scales) are beer prices pretty reasonable for a resort.
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In week one, you will probably need nothing more than the nursery slopes and blue runs. Therefore huge resorts like Val Thorens will not be best suited. Even your intermediate skier will not cover the 600km of piste within the week I suspect. If you want wine and dining then go to France, but find a smaller lower place. If you want true apres come to Austria, where you can have good food and wine too, again there is no need for large places.
Smaller resorts of Austria will give you a better deal as they will not be so busy during the time you are going. Snow cover should be OK too. Places like Mautendorf, Fanningberg, Anneck etc are great for beginners but may be limiting for the intermediate. However, they could ski a different place everyday in this region using the ski bus service. These resorts may not be on the UK tourist map if booking with a tour operator. Places which are that may be well suited would be resorts like; Obertauern, St Johann in Tirol or even Schladming. Other place to consider Götzens or Axamer Lizum, these places are just short ride from Innsbruck and you could be checking in to your hotel before many others have even left the airport.
Good luck
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Another point to consider is the availability of conveniently-located, village-height nursery slopes (ski-in ski-out accommodation if possible) in order to minimise the amount of walking, bussing etc., and also so that you don't have to purchase a full lift pass from Day 1. For example, here in Saalbach, there is a small free nursery slope in the village centre, and also a larger beginners' area served by a chair lift. Each ride on the chair lift, which is 400m long and takes you to the top of the beginners' area, would cost you 18 points, and you can buy a 'Pay As You Go' points card, which would cost EUR 100 for 1,000 points (EUR 50 for 500 points). Just a thought.
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Zell am see in Austria would be a good choice with excellent après skills. Passo tonale in Italy is also ideal. Agree with the previous poster that expensive French mega resorts are wasted on beginners
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