 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Morillon
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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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Louis, It was never intended to be an exhaustive list, so there are certainly others that can be added.
The only one on that list I have been to is Neiderau, and TBH I'm not sure I would have classed that as eceptionally good for nervous beginners. Although the ski schools have a very good reputation, and there are some pleasant easy blues up at the top of the mountain, the only way to ski down is a fairly steep red, or use the gondola. And after those 2-3 runs, you need a (free) bus to get to any more easy runs (at Auffach).
A colleague of mine went to Rauris a few months ago for his first ever ski trip (with his two children), and from the sound of it, that is a pretty good resort from that POV, and with a bit more beginner skiing you don't have to get on the bus for.
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Les Saisies is still a good bet, with more challenging skiing and some good accessible off-piste elsewhere in the Espace Diamant. 175 kms altogether. Anyone who can manage a blue run can get around the entire area, provided they are comfortable on draglifts. Because it's not an area famous for challenging skiing it can be a great place after a good snowfall - my son had his best ever day's snowboarding in an entirely unpisted area in Les Saisies (with a steep draglift, two red slopes and a black with lots of nice bits in between) where they were finding fresh lines all day, along with around half a dozen other good snowboarders. He has spent two seasons in Val D'Isere and one in the Three Valleys, and said that the area would have been tracked out in an hour in any of those places. Outside the key French school holidays lift queues are a rarity and the snow record is excellent. Niederau sounds hopeless for nervous skiers - 2 to 3 runs then go down the gondola and get on a bus!
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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'd add Obertauern to the list; there are plenty of blues and gentle reds, and there are no steep roads back to the village (relatively unusual in Europe). There are only a few T bars, and only one which you really need to take.
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I wouldn't particularly say that Sun Peaks was good for nervous skiers. There are some nice runs there but there are also some blues which would be pretty tricky for a nervous skier. The Austrian ski team has it as their training base in the run up to the Olympics
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It depends what you are looking for. If it's a sympathetic instructor likely to inspire confidence in a small group then you can't go wrong with Easiski in Les Deux Alpes. As a resort for a beginner to pootle around with friends who aren't that familiar with the area instead of lessons it could be too challenging as some of its blues have got rather red character!
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Oberlech sists in nice bowl and the vast majority of uplift are heated seats. Nice and queit too, but expensive to get there
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I agree that the right instructor is vital for a nervous skier. However, I don't think that very "mountainous" resorts like LDA are ideal - the ambiance up the mountain can be quite intimidating. Tignes and Val D'Isere, for example, have some OK runs for beginners, but just the whole place is intimidating - it certainly intimidates me on a bad day and I'm not a nervous skier. It depends what people are nervous about, I suppose. I have a BiL who has vertigo and although he's OK on chair lifts, as a rule (as long as you don't raise the bar too soon), he hates "edges". Any run with an edge (tracks, for example) or a convex slope where you can't see over the next bit, gives him the willies. I know the Espace Diamant well but it's often a challenge to think of routes which are easy enough, and which don't have those vertigo inducing bits. Les Saisies itself is fine - the surroundings and ambiance are extremely unintimidating. But some folk would no doubt revel in being amongst big rocky peaks and crags and screes and big drops in the distance - providing the pistes themselves were OK.
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Been to Champoluc and I wouldnt agree. It is lovely skiing there but there are a few bits you have to do to get around that I wouldnt have wanted to do a year or two ago.
I vote Cervinia by a country mile. Absolutely flattering with the longest blue you'll ever ski which is something mad like 15kms. Red27 will be along soon to back me up!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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valloire was fabulously flattering and encouraging - took half a dozen total newbies there a couple of years back and thought it was perfect in that regard. aj xx
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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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Actually friends of mine went to Valloire went 2 weeks ago as virtual beginners and got on very well. First time I went was there and I recall getting around a lot of mountain.
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Louis, It really depends on what level your nervous skiers are, and what they're nervous of. You don't say. there would be a lot of difference between a nervous beginner and a nervous 12 week skier.
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You know it makes sense.
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| Quote: |
there would be a lot of difference between a nervous beginner and a nervous 12 week skier.
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Absolutely. And a lot of beginners aren't remotely nervous.
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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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Answer is Sainte Foy
Bye
Dave
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Poster: A snowHead
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DaveB, not really. I love Sainte Foy but I would completely disagree.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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taking about a very nervous/timid third weeker in need for easy stress free greens/blues to develop more confidence , and yes, where the standard of lessons are good.
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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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| Louis wrote: |
| taking about a very nervous/timid third weeker in need for easy stress free greens/blues to develop more confidence , and yes, where the standard of lessons are good. |
If one of the things that makes them nervous is the run grading, then in Europe, only France and Spain (inc. Andorra) have green runs at all.
If they are willing to accept somewhere with a decent crop of blues, plus some easy reds (and some harder ones, but you can leave those until they are more confident), one place I might suggest would be Selva in the Dolomites. But I'm not sure what the standard of English language tuition is like there.
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Louis, I would vote for Serre Chevalier in that case - plenty of good instruction there and long undulating easy blues up in the bowls IIRC + nice woodpaths.
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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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What about Cervinia? My recollection of one day's skiing there is lots of gentle motorways, and my son confirmed this after a trip there over the recent hols. Good views, too, and I assume pretty reasonable grub, being Italy.
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La Grave 
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Thanks guys
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you might like to look at this thread http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=37367&highlight=
Sticky Bun went to Les Saisies and they had a great time. You could PM him for a more objective view of the resort (though I don't know how much he looks at Snowheads). It depends what else (other than confidence-boosting skiing) you're looking for. Les Saisies is small - so it's very easy for people having lessons, or doing different standards of runs, to meet in the centre and there's plenty of accommodation within a few metres of the slopes. But being small it also has a limited range of restaurants, bars etc. The private ski lessons are very reasonable (about 26 euros an hour for one or two people) but group lessons are difficult unless you speak adequate French as most clients are French speaking.
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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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Les Gets for beginners is great! I am new to skiing and was very nervous. This year being my second year I was again nervous about the whole skiing thing but Les Gets has lots of manageable green and blue slopes to build your confidence. It is also a great family resort with a great area for the children too. We will be going back there next year for our 3rd season!
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