 Poster: A snowHead
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
@TopGooner, Risoul may fit the bill. Some nice greens and blues, with wide reds if you can stand the drag lifts. Hemsedal is another good one for nervous intermediates, but avoid busiest weeks of year.
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
not the cheapest place in the world, but I have been to courchevel the past 2 years (going again in Jan) with a nervous intermediate/beginner partner. The variety/ number of slopes has given plenty option for progression. Now a lot of her progression has actually come from the lessons (sweet snowsports) she's had, but the slopes on offer, quality of pisting etc.... in courchevel has taken away her 'fear'. to the point last year she came with me to meribel for a day, even going down a red!
first year we went to zell am see, she hated it, skied about 3.5 days (about 4hrs each of those days) and was very reluctant to ever ski again. but courchevel seems to have won her round and the lessons with sweet have helped no end.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
Courchevel. Fantastic for developing and nervous beginners & intermediattes.
Of course, there's one or two cat tracks with drop offs (notably the top of Saluire round to the top of Creux piste, the marmottes side of Saluire and the piste from 1650 round the valley edge back to the lift to 1850), but you'll get at least one or two in every resort, and these are easily avoided.
1650 is mainly made up of very long gentle wide cruisey blues from the top of the gondola back to resort. 1850 similar, the base valley from the bottoms of Saulire back to 1850 and the jardin alpin area above courchneige is a beginners and intermediattes paradise with long wide easy greens and blues back to 1850 and around the biollay/pralong lifts, and the grooming is as good as you can ever get which suits nervousness. It's way the least busy of the other 3v resorts, and if you avoid peak weeks the pistes and lifts, being so extensive, are generally quiet.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Try San Cassiano in Italy.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
Obertauern?
Lots of nice cruisy reds and blues.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Flaine or La Plagne
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Another vote for Courchevel 1850....it also has the advantage of some excellent ski schools, like Ski Supreme, New Gen, Oxygene, Marmalade etc., which are as important as the terrain.
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=132996
Last edited by After all it is free  on Thu 21-12-17 12:52; edited 1 time in total
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
|
Sauze D'oulx or Sestriere in Italy would fit the bill nicely.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I’ve felt exactly the same as your wife @TopGooner, so completely sympathise! And it’s not just the path itself but that some just whizz past at such speed! Echo suggestion of Risoul from @dobby, it’s a great place and have been there a few times but, long transfers and accommodation is now a bit limited if wanting to go with a TO (though we found Rocket Ski to be great if you don’t mind basic rooms & being with a school group). Soldeu & Cervinia were also great places for me to increase my confidence. I now love the Ski Welt and are frequent returners to Soll. If you want to go there maybe your wife would be happier in Westerndorf - with a bus ride to Brixen to explore there & the Hopfgarten area 😀
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
| kitenski wrote: |
| Try San Cassiano in Italy. |
+1 or Corvara
The Pralongia plateau which sits between Corvara and San Cassiano is Blue Run City. If she gains enough confidence you could could consider doing the Sella Ronda Green together towards the end of the week.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
Livigno doesn't have many of those narrow runs and seems to have been widely enjoyed by the beginners on the Myash Bash for the last few years. Downside is a longer transfer.
La Plagne and Courchevel also good recommendations but as@Gazzza says, most resorts will have one or two of those.
Lessons are probably more important than specific resort though.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Hi
My partner was exactly the same but really built confidence with the blues above Corvara. I would definitely recommend
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
I thought Courchevel slopes were in amazing condition last year in Jan, whereas the rest of the 3V was ice, so they keep them well and they're nice and wide so great for beginners.
Also, we really liked Alpe D'Huez in 2016 it was our second ever ski holiday and the main bowl was covered in wide easy blues, we used Masterclass as our instructors for the week and they really improved our confidence.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| Hamish wrote: |
Obertauern?
Lots of nice cruisy reds and blues. |
good call!
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
Cervinia, Passo Tonale. St.Johann in Tirol
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Thanks everyone. Nice to hear there are others who have overcome this situation themselves!
|
|
|
|
|
|
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?
|
@TopGooner, I used to be that person, I was frightened of virtually everything that I did, or anyone else did near me! Like @SnoodlesMcFlude I think lessons are more important than the actual resort.
We skied in various places with good instructors, but my big breakthrough came when I had private lessons with Lynne Stainbrook in Flaine, who is an American and male, despite his name. OH considered the lessons an 'investment' in trying to make sure that there would be further ski holidays. His investment was rather over-successful in that I suddenly learnt that I loved to ski.....and we fairly soon 'invested' in an apartment just down the road from Flaine. 
Lynne's teaching is all about technique and being in control. Most of his teaching is on the nursery slope, and the way to get the best out of it is to spend lots of further time just practising what he's taught you on that same gentle slope, so that by the time you're further up the mountain, you have the tools to ski better and more confidently.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
|
|
Was over in Cervinia today. Very much geared up for beginners with wide gentle slopes. Some of the blues are really greens, similarly reds are often really blues. Don't know much about the resort facilities though as I've always stayed in Zermatt.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
|
|
Les Saisies.
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
|
|
I am a nervous intermediate too! The resorts that I have enjoyed the most are Courchavel 1800,'La Thuile and Pila.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
I’ve been looking for these resorts for the last 5 years so I can tell you about 4 of them!
Ruka in Finland has lots of short easy blues. There is 1 cat track with drop off that can easily be avoided. Nice fairly easy reds through trees and only 2 blacks (the 3rd is the ski cross), both have gentler alternatives. All the runs are short as you are on a hill rather than a mountain. Good snow as no freeze-thaw for a lot of the season. Lots of excursions to do and great scenery (no mountains  ). And it’s generally quiet (we went last year in the busiest week of the season, feb 1/2 term and it was quiet then). Has a very long season but is difficult to get to without using Crystal. Would have gone again this year but Crystal flights stop the week before our 1/2 term:~/
Of all the places we’ve been the wife liked this best by far. We stayed in the centre of the village and had an amazing view from our apartment but it was 2 floors above the supermarket and booze shop. Could wander down in your jammies which was v handy in the morning.
Courchevel is pretty good too. Very wide greens just above 1850 and plenty of easy blues above 1650. Bit of a tricky track back from 1650 into 1850 though as mentioned above (there is no alternative), and the long green runs to/from La Tania are exactly the sort you want to avoid. Not too narrow for this type of run but hardly super wide.
Saalbach-Hinterglemm has lots of wide cruisy blues on the sunny South-facing slopes above each village. There is a track connecting somewhere (going towards Hinterglemm Hochalm area) but it’s pretty wide and another short one high on the North facing side but that’s about it for the whole circuit of the Gemmtal valley. There are a couple of places where there are blue poles down one side of the piste and red down the other to watch for on the North side of Hinterglemm. Not bad and apparently has v good apres ski (was with young children so busy at the time with them).
Ski Amadé was pretty good too. This was a diy trip so a little easy driving involved. Really helpful and interesting trip staying with flangesax and met lots of other Snowheads. They would give you really helpful advice on a run by run basis of all the local areas. There are 6/7 different ski areas within 20 mins drive. Think quite a few would be suitable.
There are TRs for most of these areas on here
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| kitenski wrote: |
| Try San Cassiano in Italy. |
Seconded- struggling to think of any obvious 'run's with drop-offs' like the OP described in/around the main san cass area
|
|
|
|
|
|
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
|
| bertie bassett wrote: |
| kitenski wrote: |
| Try San Cassiano in Italy. |
Seconded- struggling to think of any obvious 'run's with drop-offs' like the OP described in/around the main san cass area |
Thirded
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Good, that’s where we’re going in February 
|
|
|
|
|
|
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
|
|
Courchevel 1650 would be perfect. Lots of wide open runs, no narrow path back to village.
|
|
|
|
|
|
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
|
|
@agw, another +1 for Corvara. Blue heaven.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
You know it makes sense.
|
I posted a similar question a few weeks ago and have been reading up on different resorts. I've decided on La Plagne mostly because I'm going during a quiet week - 6th Jan so no issues with crowds. This was one of my main complaints last year, so many people whizzing past and snowboarders scaring the life out of me with their whooshing sounds behind me. The other reason is that real snow feels so much easier to ski on and so Italy was out for me as I wanted a resort with real snow. Although Courchevel sounds pretty good too. Just thought I'd share another nervous beginner / intermediate's thinking. Hope it helps 
|
|
|
|
|
|
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
|
| karen_globalhelpswap wrote: |
| The other reason is that real snow feels so much easier to ski on and so Italy was out for me as I wanted a resort with real snow. |
I appreciate what you're saying, although you should probably be aware that La Plagne, just like all major resorts, has many, many snow cannons to manufacture snow if the natural stuff is in short supply. Equally, natural snow can take on the characteristics (hard, with not much grip) of artificial snow if it has not snowed for a little while and the passage of skiers has polished the top surface of the piste. As you get more experience you will realise that perfect piste conditions are not guaranteed! Having said that, conditions are currently very good, and there is another major snowfall forecast for the middle of next week, so that augers well for your trip in January
|
|
|
|
|
|
Poster: A snowHead
|
|
+1 for Corvara, San Cassiano or Colfosco. Better value than Courchevel, although that would also suit if cost not so important.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
|
|
Snowmass.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
FAQ
and have any suggestions?
