 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello Snowheads!
My wife and I (both 30) are going away next month on our first ever ski trip. We are going to Morillon in the Grand Massif region.
We have booked in for beginner lessons for 6 days with the ESF ski school. What we need help with please is what type of ski pass to purchase?
There are beginner specific passes limited to the learning areas, but my worry is that we will get bored with the same scenery each day. Also if we learn quickly enough to try some longer green and easy blue slopes we will need passes to those too.
Additionally we would love to get up to the top of Flaine to take in the views. Does anybody have any experience of getting between Morillon and Flaine? Can you do it all by lifts and cable cars?
Any other handy tips in general for first time skiiers greatly appreciated too!
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Apart from any 'debutante' passes, which as you say may be limiting, you have 2 other main choices. First, is to get the Grand Massif area pass, which will open up the whole (Flaine/Carroz/Morillon/Samoens/Sixt) area for the 6 days. Or, you can get a villages pass, which will cover all except Flaine. There won't be a huge saving. But ask the instructor first- they may have a well set out routine for the week.
Map: https://www.skipass-grand-massif.com/en/nos-tarifs?_ga=2.142103858.1833689368.1581604952-189473821.1581604952
Gett ing up to flaine. You can't go from Morillon all the way without skiing 'down to the next lift'; and skiing down to the Morillon side of Flaine. But that aside, you can then go up to the top of Flaine on the Grand Plattieres gondola, and down again. Similarly, you could drive to Flaine and cable car up.
I'd say there's 'probably' enough in the villages pass for newbies on 6 days. Wife and I are going for the whole of March- where are you staying?
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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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Welcome to Snowheads, you've picked a great area for your first trip! +1 for @Charliegolf's advice to check with ESF about ski passes before buying anything.
You cannot get to the top of Flaine (or back) without skiing unless you drive to Flaine in the first place. Again, once you've skied a bit, ask your instructor for his advice on whether it's a good idea and his suggested routing (which may depend on weather conditions). As a beginner, you're likely to tire quite quickly and getting back is likely to feel longer/harder work than going.
You have a lovely green tree-lined run in Morillon, the 5km Marvel, for once you are off the nursery slopes. And you can ski a feeder run (Marveline) and the bottom section of the Marvel, and also the lower section of the blue Sairon, on a beginner pass. Those runs are long enough to give you a bit of a feel for whether you want to venture further at that stage.
Have a great time!
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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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Thanks for advice - we are staying down in Morillon village in a place called Residence Grand Massif, its about 10 minutes from the lift up to 1100. We found what was the cheapest deal we could given its our first time.
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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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View from the top of Flaine 3 weeks ago
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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That pic doesn't do Mont Blanc justice...
here's another
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Are you having full day lessons or just mornings? This will have a big bearing on where you have time to go. Usually your ski school will ensure or advise you have the correct ski ticket to be able to go where the instructor will want to take you. So first port of call will be to ask ESF.
If you are complete beginners there are certainly a couple of runs which are choke points between Flaine and the villages which you may find rather challenging if you haven’t done them already with your instructor. Piste Tourmaline down to Flaine can get a bit gnarly in places especially at busy times and coming back Percé Neige and the track back to morillon at the bottom of that immediately spring to mind as potentially a handful for complete beginners.
I’m not saying they should be feared or trying to put you off but thinking back to when I was a beginner and also my family after that I think Flaine may be a bridge too far for you guys without an instructor if you set off for the afternoon after lessons.
My advice is that you would probably be best served sticking to morillon and les carroz for your first trip. But hey hopefully you take to it really easily and smash the whole area! Either way it’s a beautiful place and great ski area.
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I think the comments here are giving you excellent advice. A couple of other points. I assume this is your first time in the mountains in winter? If so don't over focus on getting to Flaine for the views: great views everywhere you look.
Residence Grand Massif is a little "out of town" so you will need to walk in to restaurants and bars in the evening. La Puzzle is a great restaurant and Le Bon Coin is a nice little acres bar opposite the bottom of the Gondola. Enjoy your trip.
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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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We have the 2.5 hour group lessons booked for 9.30am in the mornings. In an ideal world we take to it well enough so that we can spend the afternoons independently practising Marvel until maybe the 3rd or 4th day at which point we would love to explore a bit more. As you say it all comes down to what is suitable and safe. We don't want to endanger ourselves, or other people.
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I certainly wouldn’t fancy Tourmaline as a complete beginner. More often than not either moguls, chopped up slush or hard pack. Also can be v busy.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It's so difficult to advise because people learn skiing at such different rates. You won't get tired of the scenery, not only because it's beautiful but because for the first few days your eyes will be glued to the piste a few yards ahead!
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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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And if you get on well the process of learning to ski is gloriously absorbing - you wouldn't care where you are. Chances are, too, that you will learn at different rates. We once met a couple of complete beginners. She was nervous. He was ( self reportedly) an expert water skier. She listened carefully to the instruction and got on well. He didn't, and didn't. We could tell before the end of the week that they'd probably never have another ski holiday. He couldn't cope with the competition. 
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Good advice re. asking ESF. They should be able to advise on the minimum lift pass you need. You don't necessarily need to book in advance.
Also, you don't have to buy a 6 day lift pass. There isn't a big a saving compared to buying shorter lengths as you might expect. In an area like the Grand Massif, where there appears to be a huge price difference between a 1 day beginner pass (19.70eur for Morillon) vs a "Villages" pass (44.00eur) vs a Grand Massif pass (48.50eur), I'd consider buying as you go along. You might want a full Grand Massif pass to be able to explore by the end of the week, but I'd be surprised if you need it for the first couple of days. For e.g. 2 days beginner + 2 days Villages + 2 days Grand Massif comes in at 224.40eur (I think) versus 255eur for a 6 day Grand Massif pass. There's also cheaper prices for 4 hr passes, which could be handy if you decide to have an afternoon off (which isn't unusual, as learning to ski can be very tiring).
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You know it makes sense.
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@Ghanny, I was going to post similar.
@MrGreenslope, It's a nice ski area and is very good for beginners, so enjoy it. You can see the top of Mont Blanc pretty clearly from the Tete des Saix, so you don't need to get all the over to the far side of Flaine, albeit the view will be from much closer if you do. There is a cafe with a decent sized outdoor sitting area on the Tete des Saix, that looks in the direction of Mont Blanc, so keep that in mind as a target, should you particularly want to see it.
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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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Also in the first couple of days make sure you take the instructors advice on how much practice to do after lessons. You might find the first couple of lessons leave you with sore muscles and feeling fatigued, remember you are there all week and let your muscles and brain get used to the new movements.
If your accommodation has access to hot tubs, sauna, swimming poole ect. make use of them.
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