 Poster: A snowHead
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We are hoping to go skiing next year potentially to Val d'Isere as a mixed group of skiers and non skiers, but there are two total beginners coming with us.
I know there are nursery slopes in the village, which I expecting them to use for the first couple of days, but what are the greens / blues? like up the mountain inorder for them to progress to and get the moutain experience. I have searched through several topics on here and understand that the slopes down to the village aren't really suitable so expecting them to down load. One of the beginners doesn't really have any fear even if he's 60 (crazy dad).
Any info / experience would be great
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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yes, the slopes down aren't great (the green is a bit of a con).
but there are some excellent gentle slopes at the top of Bellvarde, then it's an easy ride back down in the express or funicular.
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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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Also the Medeleine on Solaise is a very popular run for beginners to progress to, get solaise chair back down. Le Fornet also has nice piste to progress to and some fab off-piste, if you know where to go. Overall val is good for mixed groups, though the runs back to resort can be pretty busy & messy.
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| acanno wrote: |
We are hoping to go skiing next year potentially to Val d'Isere as a mixed group of skiers and non skiers, but there are two total beginners coming with us.
I know there are nursery slopes in the village, which I expecting them to use for the first couple of days, but what are the greens / blues? like up the mountain inorder for them to progress to and get the moutain experience. I have searched through several topics on here and understand that the slopes down to the village aren't really suitable so expecting them to down load. One of the beginners doesn't really have any fear even if he's 60 (crazy dad).
Any info / experience would be great |
The nursery slopes in the village are very basic nursery runs. The problem is the next progression. To be honest there is no sensible route for a true beginner to ski down in to Val d'sere. There is plenty of straightforward skiing as stated in the above emails and also on the glacier (best accessed from Le Fornet) There is great skiing there but I wouldn't choose it as a resort to take beginners. Consider other resorts eg Courchevel, Les Arcs, Alpe D'huez in France. Other will have good or better ideas.
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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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dan100, Agreed. Dont take beginners to a resort with 300 km of skiing and huge prices.
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The reason we were looking at Val was that were been to a few other resorts and agree probably better suited, but wanted to try somewhere different and also some of the more experienced skiers suggested they wanted to try Val (not set in stone and there minds could be changed).
Also it looked reasonable for non skiers as looks to be a bit to d oin the town and easy access with Gondolas up the mountain to meet the rest of the party for lunch, and catered chalets are inaboundance
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acanno, as others have said Val is not the best place for beginners, however with a mixed group it's a good choice imho, there's nowhere that caters 100% for a mixed group so somethings' gotta give.
I took 3 beginners there last year (as part of a mixed ability group) and they had a fantastic time, so much so that one of them has since been back twice more.
Be careful where your accommodation is, beginners have enough to worry about without walking long distances in unfamiliar boots and having to lug planks around etc.
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acanno,if you do go to Val, don't let the beginners try to ski down the 'green' named 'verte' into la Daille. The top three quarters is fine, easy cruising, but the last 500m is the same piste as the red OK. It gets very busy and is often icy.
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| AxsMan wrote: |
| acanno,if you do go to Val, don't let the beginners try to ski down the 'green' named 'verte' into la Daille. The top three quarters is fine, easy cruising, but the last 500m is the same piste as the red OK. It gets very busy and is often icy. |
well, not on their first day ! Most beginners should manage it by the end of the week however
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I have just got back from Val. I am an intermeidate and would not take beginners there unless they are fairly athletic and fast learners.
Many of the runs are incorrectly graded, for example the green "Verte" mentioned above is in my opinion blue/red in parts not just at the bottom, and the blue Matisse is black for the first 100 metres. The easier runs are all higher up and there are few that would be good for confidence building.
The village is very pretty, even the Tourist Office has fairy lights in the trees outside but there is nothing much to do except oggle the prices in the shops. As an example a pack of 4 Gillette Mach II razor blades cost £11.70 - about £4.75 in the UK. A can of coke is 3 Euros. Apart from food and beer we didn't buy much all week. There is a cinema, swimming pool (somewhere), ice karting (40€), Audi Ice driving (250€ for half a day) and lots of bars, restaurants and ski shops.
On the plus side Val has really cracked the lift business, I don't think I queued for more than 5 minutes all week - and few drag lifts.
And the pistes were pretty good - some moguls towards the end of the (half term) days. And the snow was plentiful.
As a beginner its nice to ski back to a bar for a debrief with friends at the end of the day - there must be a better resort for a mixed group.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Val D is expensive, but is not too bad for beginners except that you can't ski back down into the resort easily. Take the Solaise express and then ski to the madeline run. madeline is a good beginners run with plenty of easy blues around it too but you do need to get the solaise express back down the mountain. Alternatively, take the gondola up into the middle valley and there are plenty of easy blues and greens in that area. You just need to get the cable car back down.
There is one blue run back from the middle valley to Val D, the Santons run. I wouldn't recommend it though as its in a tight gulley, its always very busy, loads of poling at the end unless you're prepared to carry quite a lot of speed, and generally not that pleasant to ski because it is always soo busy.
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acanno, I think in all honesty some of it depends on how fearless your beginners are.
If you come out of the Olympique bubble, that alone is enough to scare some beginners, because it's a slightly awkward descent (one of our party froze in fear at the top and had to go back down to resort, because she couldn't continue onto the slopes). Similarly, the top of Genepy is a nonsense (although you can go the long route round).
Once beginners progress onto the blue, the issue they then have is how happy they are to build up speed. I noticed a lot of beginners/low intermediates obediently slow right down at the "ralentir" signs, to the point of always having to pole to the next lift. One of our guys was getting exhausted by that alone.
Although there is a green over at Fornet, the only way back to the rest of resort is down quite a steep bit of blue to get the up-and-over chair back to Solaise. Again, depends on their fear levels.
I wouldn't worry about getting back into resort, and in fact would barely even worry about that as a consideration. We took the lifts most days because we stayed up high in one area and then couldn't be bothered to ski back down into resort.
So if they're game, I would say it's a great resort for a mixed group (which we were). If you know some of them are really timid, I would have more reservations.
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You know it makes sense.
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But the question remains, isn't there a better resort for a mixed group? I can think of several, including those mentioned above. It's always possible to download in a gondola but also nice to be able to ski "home" and there are so many places with great progressive runs for early skiers.
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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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I think Les Arcs, especially 2000 is great for mixed groups. You are never far from the action and there is good progression right from the nursery slopes.
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Poster: A snowHead
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pam w, I think you're absolutely right, but obviously if they have advanced people trying to make a bid for a particular resort acanno needs to be able to fight the corner for the beginners and explain *why* it isn't the best place to head for. Beginners won't know any different at this stage, but the advanced skiers will probably have fairly fixed ideas about where they are and aren't prepared to go. Just a thought.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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also the poster mentioned non-skiers being part of the group, Les Arcs hardly fits the bill there ? Not sure about Courchevel for non-skiers either but for mixed ability skiers it's spot on, exceptional for beginners I would say, and not many intermediate or advanced skiers would find fault with the 3V.
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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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masmith, I'd go for Courchevel too, and I'm not sure what non-skiers could do in Val that they couldn't do in Courchevel. It's easier for non skiers to "mix it" with the skiers, for example meeting for lunch, and it's sunnier, too. Val D'Isere can be a bit claustrophobic and and sunless, surrounded by those intimidating cliffs. And I can't think why anyone would describe it as "pretty", except possibly as compared to Tignes. Personally, I prefer Tignes, though it's not much good for non skiers. acanno, what time of year are you thinking about? That has quite a major bearing on resort choice.
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Well I took a complete novice to st anton last year, he loved it and st anton is way less friendly than val for beginners. I agree with some of the points made about val here, but I wouldn't be put off just on the beginner thing. I've entertained non-skiers in Val, if weather is pleasant a few lifts they can go up, some pleasant walks, snow-mobiling, swimming pool, cinema, shops & beer. If you're unsure on Val, well there's hundreds of alternatives in europe alone.
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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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waynos, I may be in a minority here, but I really don't get the whole non-skiers going to a ski resort thing. How long do most of us go away for? A week? If that's going to be your one and only family holiday then I could kind of understand it, but a lot of the non-skiers I've spoken to about it have said in actual fact, nice though it was of their partners to invite them, they'd rather stay at home next time. They've described it as being on the outside looking in - they know they *ought* to want to ski, but they just aren't interested, and everything else they do in resort seems like killing time. Even the shopping is rubbish, as far as they're concerned, because so much of it is ski-oriented (bar a few boutiques in places like Val).
It's important that I cultivate friends like this, so that I am given free rein to go away with their partners to fill the spaces they leave on numerous ski holidays!!!!
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Thanks everybody for your points whcih I will take on board.
To help clarify things a little we are hoping to go 2 week of march so needs to be reasonably high to get decent snow - we considered Alp d'huez, Le Gets, la Clusaz which people have suggested but very concerned about the condition of the snow ( especilaly after this year). Were already been to the 3 valleys and the wife doesn't want to do Austrian.
One other point the Non skiers are coming as baby sitters as were taking our 10 month baby hopefully therefore were looking for a catered chalet also a resort with gondolas so baby sitter and buggy can get up part of the mountain. The non skiers also love the mountains and walking so we will be giving them a day or few afternoons off to go and explore. Tyring to plan this holiday is proving difficult as we keep changing our minds on resort choice - but the reality is that if the snow is OK then we will all enjoy it were ever it is, as it will be their first time on a winter holiday or like my wife and I desparate to get skiing due to missing this season.
many thanks for all your help
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Interesting to see people slating Val D'Isere for being too expensive, yet then recommending Courcheval.....are we all talking about the same resorts here, or am I missing something?
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Guvnor, maybe we've just been to Courchevel enough times that we know where to eat and drink for reasonable money but yes, Val turned out to be far more expensive for us than Courchevel. Didn't seem so superficially but when we saw how much money we'd got through on *nothing*... 
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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 think Courchevel is a better place for a mixed group inc beginners. Both are expensive. However, if you decide where to eat drink in both you can affordable places
Alp d'huez is high and reliable . Very good slopes for beginners coming off the nursery slopes. Goot intermediate/ expert terrain.
Its not particuarly cheap. I prefer Courchevel but ADH is another good option.
Who can say what conditions will be like in Les Gets/La Clusaz next year. Last year the lower resorts had better conditions early season. this year they've had a rough time.
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cheersdan100,
Not sure if your been to Alp d'huez but just concerned that the lowers slopes ( ie nursery) will be very icy / slushy due to the being lower and in the sun all day
Do you have any knowledge of this. As said before we 'll aiming to go 2 week of march
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
also a resort with gondolas so baby sitter and buggy can get up part of the mountain.
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I wouldn't rate Val D for this, frankly. Courchevel better, because they can stroll onto the big area at 1850 and be right in the middle of things, lots to look at, without even having to go up a gondola (and not all gondolas will take buggies). Guvnor, I didn't slate Val D for being expensive - it was its lack of beginner and non skier friendliness which I was more bothered about. There are beginners and beginners. One of my son's friends, total beginner, got on a snowboard and threw himself down the mountain, doing reds well by the end of the week. My sister in law, now on her fourth week skiing, is still going gingerly down blues.
acanno, normally mid March would be brilliant for snow in most places, and certainly better than New Year everywhere. This year has generally been poor in many places, but hopefully we won't get two poor seasons in a row. If you want a place with high skiing you're obviously more limited, and the 3 Valley is not that brilliant for snow, really. It depends what sort of people your non-skiers are. If they want to be "in amongst" the skiing, and able to push baby round in a buggy and feel part of the scene I would personally rate Tignes above Val D'Isere and again, there are restaurants at the bottom of the main lifts for people to meet up, whether they are skiers of different levels or the baby sitters. I would also much prefer to be a beginner in Tignes than in Val D'Isere, but the big thing that will make a difference to them is the quality of the instructing they get, and I believe there are very good ski schools in both.
It's always hard to be objective about ski resorts, isn't it? I think lots of people dislike Val D for its hooray-henryism but obvious hooray henrys like it for the same reason. "People like us". Your baby sitters could hobnob with the nannies there! I also dislike it for its position in the bottom of a deep valley and the surrounding steep slopes which for timid, or even fairly average, beginners, can really seem rather intimidating.
Why not wait a bit and see how next season begins to pan out? As long as you go after the end of the French school hols (and before Easter, which will be a narrow window next year....) you shouldn't have any great difficulty finding accommodation. If its a more average year for snowfall you don't really want to put yourself up in some bleak place above the tree line.
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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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| acanno wrote: |
cheersdan100,
Not sure if your been to Alp d'huez but just concerned that the lowers slopes ( ie nursery) will be very icy / slushy due to the being lower and in the sun all day
Do you have any knowledge of this. As said before we 'll aiming to go 2 week of march |
I went third week of March two years ago and my friends had been the same time the year previous. there was plenty of snow. The resort is at circa 1800 metres. The snow above 2000metres was fine. The south facing slopes above ADH did get heavy from after lunch but It was very hot that week. Apparently the following week was superb conditions and cooler. the week before we went it had been very cold. My friends had gone the same time the previous year and had very good conditions. We all got a sun tan  the week I was there
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Thu 22-02-07 11:43; edited 1 time in total
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I took my father to Val. He was a total novice then, and I've regretted taking him there since. The nursery slopes are a disaster, too small and the top section is too severe for beginners for the first few days (chair lift - not Schlepper). Once he got up the mountain by the end of the week we skiied with him for a day, and it was hard going. Getting him down again would have been suicidal with the red run being more black than red. The cable car was the only answer.
The ski school failed to impress me either, with morning only sessions. I love the 2 hours in the morning and two in the afternoon for beginners as in many Austrian resorts.
Val has a great skiing areas for intermeddiates and advanced skiiers, it is definately not for never evers. OK I'm not a big Val fan, I feel ripped off and surrounded by Brits, but I would go there purely for the ski area, and then only with a group of advanced skiiers. Would I take a beginner to Val - no not on your Nellie.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think there are better resorts for beginners in the same category as Val d'Isere. I think Courchevel is hard to beat for mixed ability groups if you have beginners or 2nd/3rd-weekers in your party. Lots of excellent nursery slopes with plenty of slightly steeper pistes to progress to; everyone can ski back to the resort (but not if staying in Le Praz); a couple of great British ski schools offering high quality instruction. Obviously the main drawback in Courchevel is the price, but it is possible to enjoy a good holiday there without spending the family inheritance.
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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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Was in Alpe d'Huez last year 1st week April and snow was excellent. We had two non skiers with us and they had plenty to do, can easily take gondola / cable car up to Pic Blanc for awesome views if they're into that sort of thing, or alternatively meet half way up mountain for lunch. Good outdoor pool too and sports centre with many of the activities included or reduced with a lift pass.
Courchevel, it's been a while, but I think I'd encourage a mixed group to stay in 1850, as they're then right on the excellent Jardin Alpin area ... a great tobogganing run at night there for the non skiers to indulge in as well !
Back to the Val debate, each to thier own. Agreed there are better places to take complete beginners, but Val is fine if it's ticks most other boxes. I've been a few times to Val recently and didn't find it at all horray henry'ish. Great skiing and good nightlife, certainly nothing out of the ordinary. Has a great selection of chalet offerings.
All in all, if you can pick the location of the chalet well (it's a bit sprawled out), for your group Alpe d'Huez sounds ideal.
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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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How about Les Deux Alpes?
I wouldn't recommend Val d'Isere for beginners. It would be fine if they're quite gung ho, but terrible if they're at all nervous.
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