 Poster: A snowHead
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Does anyone have any suggestions for a good resort for a 14 year old to learn to ski? My first thought is for Austria so he can practice his German (ha!) and so his parents can enjoy the apres-ski (even though they don't ski), and a place that has non-ski options such as a spa/pool complex and tobogganing. Ideally there'd be a few other british kids his age in ski school.
Thanks in advance!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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My first thought is for Austria so he can practice his German (ha!) and so his parents can enjoy the apres-ski (even though they don't ski)
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Why not learn to ski? It's fun. And then you can do nach dem Ski
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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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Take a mate, perhaps - even if there are other British kids in ski school it might be difficult for him to hook up with them after lessons. But yes, all learning to ski would be more fun.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I'm with @pam w on this. 14-year-olds are incredibly social animals, and whether he enjoys skiing will depend strongly on the company. Plus many other 14-year-olds may quite likely have skiied before, so the chance of meeting someone likeminded in the same ski class are small.
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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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Thanks. I've tried many times to persuade his parents to try skiing, never succeeded. But if they see their little boy having fun on skis then you never know...
On ski school, I think he'd hate being stuck in a class with a lot of 7 year old first timers. Maybe better to go in with adults if there aren't enough teenager beginners?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@1gunsalute, are his parents determined to go on an alpine holiday, or is this part of a group of other families?
if not, could he not go on a school ski trip, if it is available?
he would be with his schoolmates and the parents could have a child free week, presuming he is an only child!!
IMV that is the main benefit of school ski trips, when the parents have no real interest in skiing.
some of my friends have sent their kids on school trips as they are not bothered about going.
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Kitzbuhel, Bad Gastein (plenty of spa hotels) Ellmau/Soll, Saalbach-Hinterglemm or Schladming.
Use this site to get an idea of the resorts:
https://www.wheretoskiandsnowboard.com/resorts/Kitzbuhel
One of the issues for a 14 year old maybe having to go up from valley to ski area on first day by themselves so a place with low lift beginner area, even if just used for first day a consideration. Kitzbuhel and Soll you've probably got a pretty good chance there will be other Brit kids and ski school will group them together. Spa hotels are quite common in Austria. Resorts are often quite compact. Make sure you're in town and ideally can walk to lifts.
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Hinterglemm has free tubing and good gradients of slopes. Apres in great too
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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.
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| Quote: |
On ski school, I think he'd hate being stuck in a class with a lot of 7 year old first timers. Maybe better to go in with adults if there aren't enough teenager beginners?
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My 9 year old was in a beginners class in Austria with 5 year olds. He still liked it, except one day when he was kidnapped by the ski school. He and his older brother came straight back from ski school to our apartment for lunch eah day, but one day the instructor asked him to take one of the little kids back to the ski school - and they wouldn't let him go. I went dashing round trying to find him and eventually went to the ski school where there was a complete breakdown in communication. They were saying he must wait for his parents, and he was telling them we'd never come as we were waiting for him at home. Little English was spoken - it was a long time ago. I had to use my rusty O level German when I rescued the poor lad. He was very unhappy - the instructor was to blame, of course.
Austria would be good if he can do ski school both mornings and afternoons - a keen 14 year-old is likely to want to ski ALL DAY and not go faffing around with his parents in the afternoons. If they can't take a beginner friend with him, to keep him company, it could be a bit of a frustrating week for the lad.
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He could do a course on a dry slope or a fridge beforehand, to avoid being in a class with little beginners.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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do a cheapy to Bulgaria.
Parents can wander around the old town, visit the old surrounding area & thermal pools in Banya, visit the local monastery. Eat great food (if you like your meat!).
Have private 1:1 tuition which is cheaper than any a ski school in the alps. So cheap he could take a friend!
Laughable when learning to ski all the usual big name resorts get spewed out. Paying £250 a lift pass & not getting off the bunny slope.
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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.
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Eat great food (if you like your meat!).
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In Bulgaria!!!!
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Ellmau (good areas for beginners / real town with things to do and see / kaiserbad leisure centre)
And take a friend
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You know it makes sense.
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Thanks for all your suggestions.
The plan will be a joint trip for them and me and mrs 1g, with us being able to supervise post-skischool practice. But then we would aim to carry on for another week of more full-on skiing - which I think rules out Bulgaria. Teen was booked on school trip this easter but obviously that isn't happening - hopefully it will next year but he suggested it would be nice to get a week in at half-term so he is more on a level with some mates who have skied before. The parents are keen to do a winter holiday just for the experience.
Ellmau looks a nice idea, some good non-skiing options and a good place for a beginner. Maybe rather quiet but the lad can go to wilder places when he turns 18 . I've never skied there so will be good for a bit of scenic pootling.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Poster: A snowHead
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Fingers crossed for the school trip next year, they are great fun and the kids learn so much.
His idea of getting some practise in beforehand is a very good one. They always want to ski with their mates, but it doesn't work out if their abilities differ too much. Either the teachers tell them they are in different groups, and they are upset that they can't ski with their mates. Or they let them ski together and the whole group has to keep waiting for the beginner, who ends up over-working to keep up. Even if he does manage to get a bit more experience, he should be prepared that his mates' group isn't necessarily the best group for him and be ready to accept whatever group the instructors put him in. They're only in their groups for 4 or 5 hours a day anyway, so he can still be with his mates the rest of the time (and tell them how amazing his skiing was, even when it wasn't).
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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[quote="terrygasson"]Thanks I hadn't considered Zillertal. I'd ruled out Mayrhofen as too beginner-unfriendly, but looking at the piste map, the blue area at Hochfugen looks quite good. Have you skied there?
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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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@1gunsalute, we didn't ski over in hochfugen, but did drive round there and had lunch one day, overlooking the beginner area which looked quite well organized.
we went a few years ago over the xmas holiday, it was a mixture of a city break (salzburg) and ski trip. we stayed in fugen and skied in kaltenbach everyday as fugen's slopes were not due to open up until the day we left resort 
there was a good nursery slope in fugen with a free magic carpet, my girls used this mainly for tobogganing
there was a large beginner area and plenty of blue slopes in kaltenbach, accessed via the gondolas, with a few nice restaurants up there accessible to pedestrians from the top station.
I will definitely take my daughters back there soon, as we really didn't get to explore all that the area had to offer.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| johnE wrote: |
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Eat great food (if you like your meat!).
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In Bulgaria!!!! |
Yes.
Stick to the authentic mehana’s and you wont go far wrong.
Low and slow
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