 Poster: A snowHead
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just a question that a friend asked me,dosnt matter about night life,eating or anything like that,just the best place you would recommend to an absolute begginer in europe,thanx.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Choice of ski school is more important than the resort in my opinion. I've seen good progress made by friends when taught by a couple of the British ski schools in Courchevel.
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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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BZK seems popular. 
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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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SMALLZOOKEEPER, No it isnt!
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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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Andorra gets good reviews from learners.
But, I'd suggest you find somewhere with good instructors who speak English and are in a resort where you won't spend a lot of time standing around in lift queues.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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notverygoodatskiing, Niederau,Austria. Not only was has Wildschonau Ski School been voted best ski school in the WORLD in the past it is a wonderful place to stay. With this year starting off like it has,Niederau should be a great place for a beginner to learn. Great ENGLISH speaking instructors that will have a beginner feeling great after a week.
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A snowdome in the UK (or a dry ski slope). I recommend this because the sooner you find your feet, the sooner you can make the most of the slopes you've booked your holiday at.
Mr Snowy and I learned to ski at Milton Keynes Xscape. It meant we spent a lot less time on the magic carpet in Banff (Lake Louise), where we went on our first skiing holiday. 
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I first learnt to ski in Westendorf, Austria. Ski school was excellent. Weren't too many good English speaking instructors if memory serves althoug it was a while ago. Nice place as well, I'd go again.
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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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Another vote for a few days in the UK before going out - just the act of getting used to wearing boots, putting skis on etc can make all the difference
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I learned when i was 2 and a half at Nevis Range in Scotland-apparently it was so windy I got blown along instead of skiing anywhere!!!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I would suggest Soldeu in Andorra from what I heard when I was there a couple of years ago (from parents, sister and neighbours). Native English speaking instructors with an empathy for people who haven't grown up on skis, plus plenty of suitable terrain.
As with all things though, there are going to be more than one option that is suitable, although quality English (native or otherwise) is essential.
I would also echo comments about spending a couple of sessions back home before you go. Preferably on indoor snow, but on a dry-slope if you don't have the option. It justs makes the first few days so much more enjoyable, having some idea what your doing and spending slightly less time on your bum!
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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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deleted
Last edited by And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports. on Wed 21-11-07 18:51; edited 1 time in total
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You know it makes sense.
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I think some time spent indoors or outdoors here is a good thing but don't go overboard. A few hours at Xscape or the Snowdome to get you accustomed to the kit, then that's enough.
I went skiing with a complete beginner once who spent a small fortune at the Snowdome to bring themselves up to the standard of the rest of the group. By the time they'd done about 6 hours at the Snowdome, they were great .... in the Snowdome. When we got out to Austria and they were faced with pistes that were (in places) a little steeper, slightly different snow, a bit narrower, a bit rough at the end of the day etc. etc. they we're getting really frustrated because they couldn't replicate their indoor form. We were at a beginner friendly resort too.
IMO, go for an hour or 2 and save your money for your holiday. You can't beat learning in the mountains on the real stuff. Have fun!!!
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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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notverygoodatskiing,
I dont think there is any such thing as the best place and some people will be more suited to some places and others to different ones. I suspect that virtually every European resort will be able to give most beginners a decent 'learning experience'.
But here are things that I personally would like to have and some things which I think are less important.
Good snow, this makes a real difference to confidence most resorts should have this but I would tend to go higher and more north facing as the season progresses, this depends on when your friends are going. Lower sunnier resorts may be nicer when the weather is cold and treeless resorts can be bleak in bad weather.
Small ski area, I think for the beginner having a small area will be an advantage as in my experience the slopes are less crowded and less intimidating and it encourages the skier to think they can explore a little without getting lost or stuck above an unnervingly difficult run. Smaller places are usually cheaper as well, which for a first time skier who is often having to buy a whole set of clothes etc is a real advantage.
Suitable ski school, Probably controversial but I am not sure that for complete beginners as opposed to later skiers a very high technical knowledge is as important as enthusiasm. Lesson timing varies quite a lot the more nervous skier may prefer all day lessons where they are supervised most of the time, others may prefer half day where they can practise and explore themselves a bit. No rights and wrongs but something to look at.
A ski area where there are good gentle slopes to progress to just beyond the nursery slopes, The Nursery slopes should have a number of lifts and ideally not just tows which can get crowded if there are many beginners falling down and stopping.
Atmosphere, however unimportant nightlife and eating etc is for me a bit of atmosphere is part of the captivation particularly for a beginner cute little alpine villages are preferable to usines de ski.
Possibilities which fit some but not necessarily all of the above criteria would include:
Gargellen Galtur Bonneval Puy St Vincent( a bit more factory like), There must be literally hundreds of others though.
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Poster: A snowHead
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When we got out to Austria and they were faced with pistes that were (in places) a little steeper, slightly different snow, a bit narrower, a bit rough at the end of the day etc. etc
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Absolutley - got my wife to learn in xscape last year - took her up to the top of the mountain in Zell am see on her first morning - next thing it was all Bridget Jones and she ploughed herself straight into a fence!
Highly amusing now!
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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 wife and I learned to ski in Bad Gastein. What a joke. The nursery slope is about the size of the forecourt of a medium size petrol station. Each descent allows about enough time to practice a manoeuvre once, after which you have to side step/trudge back up to the top again. After a coupe of days they let you use the rope pully thingy. Nice resort but not for beginners.
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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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notverygoodatskiing, I 'learnt' in Les Gets. Many will knock it as being a 'Brit' resort but it is geared up for Brits and 'Beginners' ... there will be little talk of steep-and-deep and it is kinda French in its own way ...
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notverygoodatskiing, lots of good points above about the best place to "learn to ski". However, in order to "learn to love skiing" you need to go somewhere where you can enjoy the overall holiday experience. And that depends what you want. Some are happy to put feet up in the evenings, read a good book for an hour or so and have an early night. For others, going out in the evenings is a major part of the experience. And sometimes a picture-book village setting can be vital. So I wouldn't recommend ANY resort to a beginner without knowing a bit about what they enjoy - and a few other things like, for example, are they likely to want to spend every possible minute on the slopes practising, or are they going to be worn out after a few hours and want to do something else. That's why you can't really answer the question in isolation.
But for the simple question "where best to learn to ski", the answer has to be "where there is an excellent instructor who is good at teaching beginners". For the record, one of the best nursery slopes anywhere has to be the one in Courchevel 1850. Huge, long, wide, lovely gentle gradient, no nasty steepy bits anywhere in the vicinity, will almost always have good snow.
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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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Something I forgot to mention which I think is very important is the manner in which you learn. If you are in your twenties and want to make friends while on a ski holiday then ski school is probably ok but if the emphasis in on leaning how to ski then private lessons are definitely the way to go. During ski school you spend between eighty to ninety per cent of the time standing watching other people practice manoeuvres. Although they may appear expensive, in the context of the overall cost of a ski holiday which lets face it is generally quite expensive, the return from private lessons is more than worth the cost. Also once you get the basics you can ask your instructor to bring you to different parts of the resort. There's another thing, make sure to pick a resort with high a percentage of green/blue runs.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Chamonix is a good place to learn to ski, ask; Seb, NZK, Penfold/Snowball/Bill Oddie or me.
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a mountain with some snow somewhere abroad..
seriously - anywhere where Ski New Gen have a centre and have availiability for where you want to book - they are absolutely fan bloody tastic..
Got my sis (very timid) onto some blues and enjoying, my 69 year old gran down the nursery slopes and me down a decent length green after a couple of hours.. not cheap but you get what you pay for..
As the governor of california says ... I'll be back...
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notverygoodatskiing, I think Austrian ski schools are very good, and they usually have instructors who speak good English. Two Austrian resorts ideal for beginners with easy to get to central nursery slopes (and pretty villages too) are Alpbach and Westendorf.
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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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Where the nursery slopes are not at the bottom of the mountain where they are hard and icy in the morning and heavy slush in the afternoon. Beginners have this habit of spending a considerable amount of time in contact with the snow and if it is wet, then the learning is not a pleasant experience. Native English speaking instructors can help get the message over at the steepest part of the learning curve ie. the first few days. Learning should be fun!!
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| BarryOS wrote: |
| My wife and I learned to ski in Bad Gastein. What a joke. The nursery slope is about the size of the forecourt of a medium size petrol station. Each descent allows about enough time to practice a manoeuvre once, after which you have to side step/trudge back up to the top again. After a coupe of days they let you use the rope pully thingy. Nice resort but not for beginners. |
I know what you mean. It's not a very beginner friendly resort really. In it's defence, there's a much better nursery slope at the Angertal Ski Centre. The slope's much bigger there with T-bars etc.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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A rush of blood moment with a last minute Internet bargain resulted in booking our first skiing holiday. I was not young, no co-ordination & no confidence. First morning at ski school the kids just did it, I could hardly shuffle up the few feet & my legs refused to conform to a snow plough & was sent to seek private lessons. I thought I was incapable of learning and gave up. I must admit I still enjoyed the holiday seeing the kids having a great time & was hooked on being in the mountains eating Italian food, ice cream & an odd drink. When home, I took lessons at Xscape, secretly so if I failed there would be no more embarrassment at home. My first lesson was pure fear, the 1 hour absolutely exhausted me but I graduated. It took two days for the muscles to recover. The second lesson teacher was cr*p & I regressed. I retook the lesson with a great instructor & then never looked back. The good thing about starting in the snow dome is you can learn at your own pace & take days to recover after each lesson. You can get used to wearing ski boots & having planks strapped to your feet. The best thing was the look of surprise on the kids faces our second ski holiday when I also hired ski equipment & more so when they saw I CAN SKI. If you are like me use a snowdome, if you have confidence in yourself start at the resort as the early stages of learning in a group are the most fun & laughs you can have with your clothes on. Another vote for Niederau, loved small village feel, good english speaking instructors, easy slopes, lots of cheap late deals.
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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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Lechbob, welcome to Snowheads. And congratulations on your determination and courage - trouble is, not everybody has that kind of sticking power. So the choice of first resort, and style of learning/teaching, is very important. I do think, though, that lots of unconfident beginners do start quite happily in resort. But it needs good weather (one of my visitors nearly gave up after the first morning in a complete white out), good luck with instructors, and the right kind of encouragement from the rest of the group/family. "Dad, you're really rubbish", just doesn't do the job! Nice comfy boots are important too.
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At the risk of getting "shot down", you could do a lot worse than looking at La Rosiere. Reasonably high at 1800m, a good snow record, south facing (might be important if you're standing around a bit), compact, easy to find your way around, good nursery slopes, plenty to advance to as you improve, good choice of instruction although I'd recommend Evo2 (?) with English speaking instructors, easy access to slopes, pleasant bars/restaurants.
Downsides? can get busy at peak times, but then so do most places, there are those that post hear that groan at the very mention of the place, it might not the cheapest of places. Can't think of any others at the moment though I'm sure someone will fill in any blanks.
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You know it makes sense.
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yep, La Ros would be a good choice. Super views too.
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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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Believe me, if I can do it anyone can ! The importance of comfy boots that fit can't be understated, didn't know that ill fitting hire boots were half of the cause of the skis waggling around. Plus - if you make the commitment of buying a pair of properly fitted new boots at the outset the expenditure will ensure you persevere (Yorkshireman). If have outgrown Niederau now but have fond memories and must go back one day.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Seefeld in Austria. It's a great beginners resort.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I first learnt to ski at Aviemore and can strongly recommend almost anywhere else.
Seriously also consider the time you go, Jan is cold, Feb is busy, go for March but avoid Easter.
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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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| The importance of comfy boots that fit can't be understated |
Yes it can, but it can't be overstated. 
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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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| whitewizard wrote: |
| notverygoodatskiing, Niederau,Austria. Not only was has Wildschonau Ski School been voted best ski school in the WORLD in the past it is a wonderful place to stay. With this year starting off like it has,Niederau should be a great place for a beginner to learn. Great ENGLISH speaking instructors that will have a beginner feeling great after a week. |
I'd agree with this. I went to Neiderau a couple of years ago to give skiing one last chance after two miserable attempts 15 years previously. If you can manage outside Austrian school holidays, it will be pretty quiet too.
Their ski schools were 5 hours a day for the same price as 2.5 hours elsewhere. And for complete beginners they had a scheme called 'Learn to turn' where if you really can't get on with skiing and gave up by the end of the 3rd day you get a full refund. This happened to my other half, although they offered her a private lesson to the value of the remaining school lesson time, which she took.
Best part for me were the two blue (or green?) runs at the bottom which are long and wide enough to practice on and short enough to only take a minute on the button lift so you can practice before and after the ski school.
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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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| Jeraff wrote: |
Best part for me were the two blue (or green?) runs at the bottom which are long and wide enough to practice on and short enough to only take a minute on the button lift so you can practice before and after the ski school. |
Austria doesn't have greens (Only France and Spain/Andorra do in Europe), so officially they are graded Blue. But they would certainly be green if Austria did.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Soldeu - a crowd of us learnt a few years ago & had a great time. Didn't bother with Snowdome/dry slope stuff but I'd ice skated a lot as a kid which seemed to help my balance. Or tho' some might say that's due to my low centre of gravity!!!!
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Seefeld i. Tirol is always quoted as being the classic learning area. Possibly a few too many Dutch there but other than that it's recommended 
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Have to agree with Marcus - La Rosiere is a fantastic place to learn. Evolution 2 have young, friendly instructors (most of whom seem to be Arpins ) Les Eucherts - which is the newish sprawl that has grown up just around the corner, may be cheaper, but probably not for long.
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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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Lechbob, Great to hear from someone else who's not a youngster with a natural talent and no fear! What stage have you reached now, and how long did it take?? Do you still go to Xscape?
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I recon I'm a level 6 Intermediate. Would love to improve but progress & off piste activity will be limited aerobic inability.... but I have stamina & do OK on good snow & happy enough to cruise around between restaurants. Took 5 sessions at Xscape + 3 weeks of ski school in the Alps. Just started my 3rd season with the Boot camp at Tignes. Zermatt in 2 weeks.
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FAQ
