 Poster: A snowHead
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im taking my gf away skiing this will b her first time so i was wondering if anyone could offer a bit of advice. i am trying to find somewhere that wont be crowded so she can build up her confidence on the slopes without lots of people flying past her. time of year does really matter, can go basically anytime apart from the feb half term which is prob a good thing. locations i was thinking either canada (i love canada), austria or lapland. i would also like plenty of off slope activites to do like ziptrekking in whistler sounds great but whistler im guessing is going to be rammed and from what i have seen i can go to banff for half the price. so if the resort offers decent things to do off the slopes that would be a huge bonus. myself personally am a decent skier now going onto black runs but would rather have a resort catered more for my gf than myself. any ideas?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sabraham, Top tip - Don't try to teach your gf or there will be blood (and it'll be yours) 
Try pampering in a spa somewhere?
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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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sabraham, banff has lots of activities, check out the Big 3 website. we enjoyed an ice walk one year.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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sabraham, does your girlfriend want to learn to ski? Or is it you that wants her to learn? This makes a difference, because if she's really keen the "peripherals" of the holiday won't really matter. Personally, if it's just a week, I'd go for Austria rather than Canada. And probably in March, with longer days and less likelihood of its being really cold.
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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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well she wants to learn, i have been going for the past 5 yrs and she wants to be able to come along with me this time round. it'd be nice for her to be able to ski too. og i dont intend on teaching her at all i dont have a death with haha. im going to get her some lessons at the chill factore in the next few weeks so that she can do the basics, think she will enjoy the skiing a lot more on hol this way too. anyone got any advice on resorts?
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| sabraham wrote: |
| im taking my gf away skiing this will b her first time so i was wondering if anyone could offer a bit of advice. i am trying to find somewhere that wont be crowded so she can build up her confidence on the slopes without lots of people flying past her. time of year does really matter, can go basically anytime apart from the feb half term which is prob a good thing. locations i was thinking either canada (i love canada), austria or lapland. i would also like plenty of off slope activites to do like ziptrekking in whistler sounds great but whistler im guessing is going to be rammed and from what i have seen i can go to banff for half the price. so if the resort offers decent things to do off the slopes that would be a huge bonus. myself personally am a decent skier now going onto black runs but would rather have a resort catered more for my gf than myself. any ideas? |
Yes Banff is the place great skiing,with very good ski ski schools,you can even get a video of your progress done by the school.Things to do include a day at the thermal springs,great for the aching muscles.We also did a day trip snowmobiling which i highly reccomend.Also try a buffet meal at Bannf Springs,amazing.Have fun.
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sabraham - having been through this myself I'd commend pam_w's advice - do go too far and go when it's going to be reasonably warm.
Personally, I'd keep things as convenient as possible - so stay in Europe and go to a resort where you can have a shortish walk to the lifts. As long as you do a quick check of local events then most places in Europe are likely to be reasonably quiet in the first couple of weeks of March (Easter is late this year) and offer the chance of better than worse weather.
A friend went to Are in Sweeden and really rated it as a beginner's resort. Austria also has to be a good bet - both scenic and a good reputation for instruction.
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I guess you want a pretty (ish) place with quite a lot to do on and off the slopes...
If youski do resort recommendations for 'pretty' here - http://www.ifyouski.com/Resorts/favourites/scenery/
I would work through that list perhaps mainly focusing on Swiss or Austrian resorts as other than Megeve, there's not many other places in france that are 'chocolate box' pretty... BUT if you want her to ski then make sure it's also on the list for beginner friendly too, and then try to get a hotel that doesn't involve walking to far in ski boats. 'chi chi' type places - i.e. where the shop windows are gucci prada etc, would include Cortina d'Amprezzo (Itayl), Courchevel 1850, Lech - all of which are ok for begineers (courchevel & Cortina v. good IMHO ) and kitzbuhel, but then the apres and hotel costs can be ruinously expensive.
Good Luck!
bb
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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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You want:
- uncrowded resort (small place or low season)
- short transfer
- plenty of beginner runs and potential for progression to easy blues
- short walk to the slopes
- good chance of nice sunny weather
The whole experience needs to be as user-friendly as possible - once she's addicted you can get away with the long transfers/blizzard conditions/vertical ice etc etc. 
I would go on a low season week in March in order to get the best of the weather and hit a quiet time. I recommend:
- Alpe d'Huez. Big beginner area, easy progression. Plenty of nice on-mountain eateries accessible to both of you, lots of non-skiing activities. Try http://www.masterclass.f9.co.uk/ for lessons.
- Montgenevre. Nice little resort, plenty for beginners, interesting enough for you as well. Convenient to meet back in town for lunch, bars with sunny terraces for the afternoon.
- Courchevel 1650. Easy runs in an area with plenty for you to do as well. Good choice of ski schools.
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well the only thing putting me off banff is the fact you need to travel to the slopes which might put her off for her first time round.
now i dont know much about skiing in france but arent the french slopes generally busier than say canada/austria/lapland? a few people i know have been to france i.e. 3 valleys and say it gets immensly busy on the slopes. personally i can get by with that but for my gf i want to make sure she can build up her confidence without feeling like someone like knock her down.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| sabraham wrote: |
well the only thing putting me off banff is the fact you need to travel to the slopes which might put her off for her first time round.
now i dont know much about skiing in france but arent the french slopes generally busier than say canada/austria/lapland? a few people i know have been to france i.e. 3 valleys and say it gets immensly busy on the slopes. personally i can get by with that but for my gf i want to make sure she can build up her confidence without feeling like someone like knock her down. |
Depends when you go - anywhere will be busy in the peak holiday weeks, so in France, avoid February (UK and European school hols staggered through the month), Easter (late in 09) and New Year. January can be very quiet but may also be colder with shorter days (although I like January and have been pretty lucky with weather). Second or third week of March may be a good time and if you pick a pretty resort with non-skiing things such as a few shops, cafes, craft places, you're more likely to get her hooked! A nice property to stay in, with comfort and maybe a sauna or hot tub will also earn you points. As for her being knocked down, complete beginners tend to have their early lessons on slopes with some measure of segregation from the hoardes.
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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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sabraham, I'd say Europe as a whole is generally busier than Canada. If you want quiet slopes, some gentle skiing, ski in/out, how about Big White in Canada? The only downside is getting there - although they're extending the runway at Kelowna to take transtlantic flights, at the moment you have to take an internal flight to get there. So fly into Vancouver/Calgary/Edmonton and then take another short hop. The actual nursery slopes are way away from the main skiing area at the bottom of the village with no through traffic at all 
Or how about one of the lovely pretty Austrian villages? I've never been but I've hearf Alpbach is meant to be lovely, or Niederau? They shouldn't be too busy as they appeal particularly to the beginner/improver.
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You know it makes sense.
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big white would be ideal to be honest but so awkward to get to, maybe oneday.
does anyone know much about les arcs or solden? they seem to have a nice big ski area but not sure if they fit the bill with the incrowded slopes or not?
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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've only skied in France once. So my experience maybe atypical.
But even at the very quiet period near end of season (EoSB) at Val Thoren, I found the piste unbearably crowded and intimidating, even for a non-beginer! Maybe it's the layout of the resort, but the few "home runs" back to the base are simply scary. Nothing bad happend actually. But seeing the human cannon balls flying around at random direction is totally orthoganal to any sort of "enjoyment".
I perfer Austria and Switzerland much better in that regards.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| sabraham wrote: |
well the only thing putting me off banff is the fact you need to travel to the slopes which might put her off for her first time round.
now i dont know much about skiing in france but arent the french slopes generally busier than say canada/austria/lapland? a few people i know have been to france i.e. 3 valleys and say it gets immensly busy on the slopes. personally i can get by with that but for my gf i want to make sure she can build up her confidence without feeling like someone like knock her down. |
I was last year at Sölden and it was very crowded at the bottom of the pistes. Not a good resort for beginners! If you want uncrowded beginners pistes in France you have to go to a smaller satelite resort of a bigger one. For instance Vaujany linked to Alp d'huez has very uncrowded slops at the Montfrais. Almost nobody from Alp d'huez comes to ski there. On the other hand there is nothing to do in the village... Alp d'huez is also great for beginners (very flat green runs around the resort), but I'm unsure how busy it will be there.
Other good places for beginners that I know of:
Seiser Alm (Ortisei, Italy). Very beautiful and very easy runs!
Warth-Schröcken, Serfaus - Fiss - Ladis, Lermoos, Tauplitzalm (small but calm and very snowsure= ideal to learn), Steinplatte (Austria)
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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sabraham, Well - I second Lizzard's recommendation of ADH. It's not pretty, but the beginner slopes are fabulous to learn on, many easy runs in the south-facing bowl and many of them with chairlifts. An outdoor swimming pool (novelty factor), and lots of variety for eats and drinks etc. It's not so busy that she's likely to be knocked over if you go out of high season. Really, for the best snow and the least people late Jan/early feb would be ideal. Otherwise try March a couple of weeks before easter.
Get her lessons every day even if she does the snowdome thing - she'll need it and it'll give you half a day or so to ski by yourself, thus you'll be more patient with her the rest of the day. Deffo go to Ski Masterclass if you can. Stuart and Mel will ensure she gets addicted! Do not assume that she'll 'make do' on a little bit of skill - encourage her to learn and allow her to be slow. Most people really don't realise just hoe slow beginners are.
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| Most people really don't realise just how slow beginners are. |
That's a really good point, and well worth remembering if you are trying to introduce a partner to skiing.
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