Courchevel - beginners

A snowHead

Hi,

We are embarking on our first ever ski trip next month, our family of 5 includes kids ages 7 to 11.

We are staying at the Ecrin Blanc hotel in Courchevel.

One things I'm not sure about, the ski school drops the kids off at 12:15 back at the hotel each day, where we will meet them (we have private lessons booked in the mornings too).

Not sure then on how do we then get back up the slopes to do some afternoon skiing together with the children and to get to the on-piste restaurants for lunch.

Apparently the chairlift next to the hotel is "not for beginners" whatever that means!

Thanks!

A snowHead

Have you done any skiing before at all? In a snowdome maybe? If not then yes, that chairlift probably is too difficult as it's a moving conveyer belt type.

Options would be:

Take the free bus from outside Aquamotion to Courchevel 1650. In 1650 it's an escalator and a walk on gondola (Ariondaz) to get up the hill and there are greens and blues back to 1650. You will have to take the bus back again until you are experienced enough to use a chairlift.

You could also go in the opposite bus direction to 1550 which is a lift (as in elevator) followed by a walk on gondola (Grangettes).

From Grangettes you can take the Jardin Alpin that leads to the beginners area of C1850. Going that way would allow you to take the piste that leads back to the hotel directly (Tovets and then Grandes Combes). However the first section of Tovets may be too steep if you are a total beginner.

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

also the buses between the resorts are very frequent and easy to navigate. we have used them frequently between La Tania and the Courchevel villages, with beginners and non skiers alike to get up the mountain.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Should have added that if you're having private lessons you should make a point of getting the instructor to take you back to the hotel and chairlift during the lessons so they can show you the ropes and you can then decide for yourself if you're good enough to cope with it.

When you've got your kids with you, the chairlift operator will slow the lift down to make it easier for the kids. So if you can cope with it on your own, you should be fine as a family.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

And also make sure the kids have been on a chairlift with their instructor first!

You'll need to Register first of course.

Courchevel is fab.

I was there a couple of times when the Kids were young......we stayed at the Hotel New Solarium in the Jardin Alpin area.

There is a whole side of the mountain above 1850 that is Green.....perfect for learning.

Food is a frightening cost....and be careful where you buy a Hot Chocolate, as you will need a mortgage for a family of five in some places.

There are also some great ski schools to add to the mix.

I am most envious.

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

Hmm. That's not easy. @Raceplate has some great advice. Get your instructor to leave you at the hotel, where the kids will also be left (that might mean the instructor leaving you a bit before the end of the lesson, if they have to be back to pick up their next charges.

To be honest, I would strongly advise against 2 adult beginners getting 3 kids onto a chairlift on their first day or two of skiing. Depending on the lift, you might have to split up (not all lifts will take 5) and getting the kids off could be a lot harder than getting them on. Even for experienced skiers, getting little beginners off chairlifts without drama can be a challenge - ski schools regularly ask other adult skiers to take on this job. I've done it a lot, and it's always a relief when nothing goes wrong.

Honestly - a chairlift drama, even if it ends in nothing worse than tears, is absolutely not what you want in your first day's skiing.

Arrange to have lunch back near your hotel - is there somewhere near there where you could do a wee bit of sliding? Assuming you all want to. You might be up for building a snowman or doing a bit of toboganning. Or lolling in front of a video, if the weather is nasty.

Don't ask too much of yourselves. Just getting you all into your gear, coping with the last minute wees and lost mittens, making sure you all have your lift passes and getting everybody to their lessons on time is plenty for your first few days.

After all it is free

Thank you @Raceplate, @FoxonthePiste, @Old Fartbag, @pam w this is very helpful!

We have booked Chill Factore for a couple of lessons next week, only an hour each though.

Based on the replies I think I was expecting to do too much, to be honest it's a relief what I'm hearing!! I suppose there is no hurry to get back up after the lessons to ski with the children, we could do that from the 3rd day maybe, if we do ask the instructor for some specific lessons on the chairlift!

@pam w, we can't go 10 minutes down the road without the kids wanting a wee rolling eyes

One option that hasn't been explicitly described could be to get the bus all the way to 1850 then use the Jardin Alpin, or just get it back from 1850 to avoid the steeper runs back to 1550.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Thank you @rjs, what is the Jardin Alpin?

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

snow reports

Yes, although getting three kids, ten skis and 4 ski poles (the kids won't have them) on and off a bus is a hassle, it's easier and safer than getting them as beginners on and off a chairlift. And there are other things to enjoy at 1850 - just a potter around, people watching and a hot chocolate would be nice (but in 1850 always have a squint at the drinks prices before you sit down, some places are seriously expensive).

It's a holiday - you've chosen a lovely resort (though not the most convenient part of it) and it's not all about becoming expert skiers in a week. If you and your other half can get yourselves on and off chairlifts competently, you'll be doing well. If the kids have a whole week of lessons they'll be laughing at you by Thursday and showing you how they can ski backwards.

@frozenwaste, your hotel has a lovely terrace outside between the hotel and the chairlift. That's the ideal place for lunch for the first few days. The point that @pam w makes about having to split up on the chairlift is a good one - it's an old four man lift so both adults will need to be competent on their own getting on and off the chairlift as well as supervising one or two kids. I would think skiing back to the hotel and taking the lift out as a family is a reasonable objective for day four or five, certainly not the first couple of days.

You know it makes sense.

I wouldn't recommend going up Grandes Combes (the chairlift next to the hotel) as a beginner, not so much for the problem of getting on and off the lift but due to your choice of options at the top. It is quite a hike uphill from there into the centre of 1850, so I would normally ski down from the top to the Grangettes bubble and then take it back up to the centre. However, the run down to Grangettes is relatively steep and can be quite icy. The only other option is to ski back down to the bottom of Grandes Combes, which is quite a nice run but still a blue. I would recommend getting a bus (navette) to 1650 Moriond; 1850 or 1550 Courchevel Village then Grangettes bubble to 1850, as @raceplate and @rjs have suggested. You might like to look at https://courchevel-1650.com/slopes/ and https://www.seecourchevel.com/ski-area/beginners . Have fun.

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

Thank you @Mike S, sounds the way to go!

A snowHead

The bus to 1650 is probably a couple of stops and runs pretty much every ten minutes. Loads of options for lunch there, there's also a couple of drag lifts to the left with some nice green runs from them as a little beginner section. Also at the end of the day if they still have any energy but them a 5euro sledge from a ski shop as the bottom of the slope turns into a kids sledge area, you can also have a couple of drinks watching them as there are bars that back directly onto the slopes.

Help!!

Courchevel - beginners

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