 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
I you all can help or give me some ideas please.
I'm looking for somewhere to take my girlfriend, who would like to learn to ski, in January or March. She will be completely new to skiing apart from having had a few lessons at the chill factor in Manchester.
I'm just looking for ideas or sugestions as to where would fit the bill. I'm looking for a quiet, small, relatively snow sure resort with plenty of beginner terrain, ideally quite a few greens and blues (nice wide confidence building runs if possible). I'd also like to take her somewhere other than France, so am leaning towards somewhere in Austria, Switzerland or Norway. I'd like the resort to be ski in ski out, I don't want her to be having to get a bus to the slopes everyday! I'm not bothered about what the skiing is like for me, I'll just potter about on my ski's or continue to learn to snowboard. I want her first time skiing to be as enjoyable as possilbe for her so she can get the most out of it and want to come back next year.
I have never skied in Norway so haven't got a clue what to expect from out there, but was wondering if anybody knew what Geilo was like.
Austria, I'm open to suggestions.
Switzerland is a country we both love having climbed quite abit out there over the last couple of years. I have always liked the look of Sass Fee, would that be a good resort to learn to ski in?
If anybody has some good ideas, I'll be very greateful and am open to other countries and suggestions.
Thanks in advance 
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Fri 15-05-09 8:40; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Alpinebullit, My daughter and me did our first week skiing in the mountains at Geilo, after lessons at MK and Tamworth. I thought it was ideal, very quiet with lots of gentle slopes and not too high. It's split over 2 hills on either side of a fjord with about 30km of pistes in total I think. Instruction is very good with all the instructors speaking very good English, mine was English and my daughter's Swedish. There are a couple of ski/out hotels I think and the others are only a very short walk away, they all seemed to be of a high quality. The bus is required only to get to the other side of the fjord. Downsides are that daylight hours are short in early winter (only open 9.30 - 3.30 in January when we went) and Norway is very expensive for food and drink (not sure how exchange rate changes have affected that we went in 2005).
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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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There's lots of lovely smaller resorts in Austria that would suit I think - Alpbach is very pretty, small and ideal for beginners. But I think a short bus ride is needed to get to the slopes. Or Niederau is another one I would have thought suitable. SnowHead Caroline lives in Niederau and should be able to give you some pointers.
PS - just in case you're wondering where all the green runs are, Austrian resorts don't have a green grade
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Alpinebullit, the thread that is running at the mo :"looking for a resort with loads of cruisy blues" may be of help
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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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Alpinebullit, I would second Neiderau. There are two hotels within a hundred yards of the nursery slope and the main gondola (one just has the car park between it and the slope, the other is across the road), but even the other hotels are no more than 5 minutes walk away.
It is a small resort, but very friendly, and the ski school has a very good recommendation. You also almost always get some good Tour Operator bargains there! As a more experienced skier, you will probably find the skiing in Neiderau itself quite limited, but Auffach and Oberau are also included on the lift pass (and the ski bus to get there).
As cathy says, green runs only exist in France & Spain (including Andorra), or across the pond. Other European countries just have the three grades of run - Blue, Red, Black.
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| Quote: |
Alpbach is very pretty, small and ideal for beginners.
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That's often said, but I don't really agree, and not only because after the very small nursery area in the village (or if that has poor snow) it's a bus to get anywhere. I will be the first of many to say that your key factor will be quality of instruction and that you should first of all identify somewhere where your girlfriend can be in a small (maximum 6) beginner group. You could look at the places where the British Alpine Ski School has branches, for example. There's also an outfit in Megeve (Simon Butler skiing I think) which does integrated lessons, and which gets good write ups, though I've not used them.
And that would have the advantage that when your girlfriend is having top class instruction, you could have some too!
Size of resort is not a key issue. A disadvantage of some very small resorts is that after a little nursery area it can sometimes be a big step up to a limited number of "proper" runs.
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Alpinebullit, have alook at Ski Welt; several linked resorts with plenty of beginner terrain. BTW, as I'm sure you appreciate, there's a third way between ski in/out and bussing, namely being a walk from the lifts. Pleanty of resorts have ski/boot storage near the main lift, either in hire shops or public lockers.
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Thanks everybody.
pam w, good quality instruction will be a very important factor for my girlfriend, I want her to get off to the best possible start with a smile (okay maybe a few tumbles as well) and having discussed it with her I know she really wants to be in a small beginner group. I take your point about the size of the resort, I'd not thought along those lines so thank you. Also I generally always try to get abit of instruction, there is always something to work on........this year even more so with me being new to snowboarding.
cathy, alex_heney, I'll have a look at Neiderau, I know my uncle learnt to ski there a very long time ago! Also alex_heney, rather than being an experienced skier I may just leave the skis at home and be a beginner boarder and just take lots of lessons on the snowboard then me and my girlfriend can practice on the same runs in the afternoons.
richmond, thanks I'm more than happy to walk to the slopes, I'm either out walking or climbing in the hills every weekend. I'd just rather not have to jump on a bus.
Keep the sugestions coming please 
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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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Saas Fee is a delightful resort - and ideal in many ways. However it's not a ski in ski out place - most accommodation requires a bit of a walk to the slopes.
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| Quote: |
quiet, small, relatively snow sure resort with plenty of beginner terrain, ideally quite a few greens and blues
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OK I suggest this for every request but it helps for beginners to have good snow in pleasant snowy surroundings. Whereas manmade snow greatly reduces the chances of having a complete no hoper there is still often huge variations in the quality of the snow accross the alps at different times of the season. If you are going low season and January is low season and mid march is ususally reasonable it makes sense to wait and see where the snow is.
Arriving at a low resort at the end of a heat wave or a high resort as storms & high winds are setting in is less than ideal.
I have never been to Niederau but personally I would not book a ski area months ahead with limited skiing and a top height of 1800m or so if I could wait and see what the conditions are like later.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
rather than being an experienced skier I may just leave the skis at home and be a beginner boarder and just take lots of lessons on the snowboard then me and my girlfriend can practice on the same runs in the afternoons.
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Very good idea. Much more encouraging for her, as she will probably fall over a lot less than you will. 
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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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Is ski-in ski-out really a necessity since many of the more traditional resorts now have heated lockers at the lift stations? Personally I like the idea of a wander round a pretty resort at the beginning and end of each day (obviously without having to carry skis wearing the equivalent of a plaster cast on each foot). The lockers are not expensive (less than €10 per week usually). Since slope-side accommodation is rarer in Austria, this is a pretty convenient alternative and many resorts are small enough to walk around.
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T Bar, I know where you are coming from but I have a few trips and ideas in the pipeline for this year/next year. The ones where I'm going away with my friends are the trips on which I'm prepared to wait until the last minute to get a good deal or DIY it to where the best snow conditions are because the only factor to consider for us are the snow conditions. However with this trip with my girlfriend there are more factors to consider....accomodation, quality ski instruction, resort and pleasant surroundings. It is important to me that she has the best possible time she can whilst learning to ski. Also booking early helps me financially because this trip will be squared away, then I can start worrying about other trips nearer the time.
pam w, My thoughts entirely
queen bodecia, Sorry, I shouldn't really have said ski in ski out, I should have said we wanted somewhere where we didn't have to get on a bus to get to the ski area, I like the idea of the heated lockers to store hardware though. I've never used them before. Thank you.
achilles, Do they have lockers at the main lifts in Saas Fee? I've heard it a beautiful village and are pistes beginner friendly?
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You know it makes sense.
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Alpinebullit, your problem somewhere like Saas Fee is to identify good instruction - without a personal recommendation I'd be a bit dubious about any old ski schook group.
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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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zauchensee, Auatria
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Poster: A snowHead
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Alpinebullit, you say your girlfriend will have had lessons in a fridge - why? My experience is that unless people ski there regularly they often have to start all over again when they get to resort, either because they haven't reached the next level (1 week skiers on snow) or because they've been rushed and not established their balance and comfort properly. In addition group lessons are big and private lessons are prohibitively expensive compared to the alps. I recommend that she goes out as a complete beginner, or maybe with just one 1hour lesson so she knows how to put on skis etc.
cost of private lessons is over £100 per hour in a fridge and about £40 in the alps (usually with someone much better qualified).  For private lessons in the alps you can specify the type of learning experience you want, and if the instructor doesn't suit you can usually change them! Small group lessons are ideal for beginners though. Certainly not more than 6.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| easiski wrote: |
| cost of private lessons is over £100 per hour in a fridge and about £40 in the alps (usually with someone much better qualified). |
£75 per hour at Hemel Hempstead. The group lessons I've taught over the last week (the place has only been open that long) have had a maximum of 4, and as low as 1, because demand for lessons at this time of year is not high. Maximum class size is either 8 or 10 I think.
In terms of resort selection I'd recommend choosing the ski school first, then the resort. The success of ski lessons will have a much greater impact on whether your girlfriend enjoys her first ski holiday.
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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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| Quote: |
For private lessons in the alps you can specify the type of learning experience you want, and if the instructor doesn't suit you can usually change them!
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and the view is heaps better - the whole experience is so much more enjoyable.
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rob@rar, Just checked and you're right, but that wasn't the price mentioned a couple of weeks ago - still twice the price though.
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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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| easiski wrote: |
| rob@rar, Just checked and you're right, but that wasn't the price mentioned a couple of weeks ago - still twice the price though. |
Yes, the private lessons aren't cheap. But demand for them seems to be high - I'm teaching 4 tomorrow.
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| Quote: |
In terms of resort selection I'd recommend choosing the ski school first, then the resort.
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agreed, once again.
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I'd avoid a resort with too many drag lifts for your first week of snowboarding.
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I'd avoid a resort with too many drag lifts for your first week of snowboarding.
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Agreed, but the OP is a skier and even new skiers can generally manage drags OK unless they're particularly fierce.
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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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Alpinebullit, Have you looked at the Sportwelt Amade area in Salzburgerland Austria? Lots of resorts with a huge ski pass but also the option to buy a local area card. Most of the drag lifts have been replaced with chairlifts, although a couple are usually close to the beginner slopes to ensure people know how to use them before moving out and about in the area.
Very picturesque Alpine villages and small towns with huge amounts of good cruising. None of the resorts are far away from Salzburg Airport - transfer times about an hour at the most.
English is obligatory in Austrian schools, starting in the primary school and even the lowest school leaving exam has English as a compulsory component. I earn extra money teaching instructors whose English is not up to scratch, bringing them up to a reasonable standard fairly quickly as the hard work has been done in the schools. One of the ski schools I work with has Austrian instructors who are easily fluent enough in English to crack jokes as well as understand most word play ones.
Prices are, from reading on these boards, considerably lower in just about all aspects than France and ski schools deliver the goods on the whole. A couple even have a cast iron money back guarantee if you do not make progress. And service is excellent everywhere as the country's main source of income is tourism so they want return business.
Typical resorts that are good for beginners are: Wagrain, St Johann/Alpendorf, Flachau, Zauchensee, Obertauern, Schladming (not the Planai descents to the town though!). You could probably put your own trip together without too much hassle if the TO prices are exorbitant as all the Tourist Offices in Austria offer a booking service and cheapflights and transfers are easy to set up yourselves.
For the Tirol resorts you could look at Ski Welt (Söll, Scheffau, Ellmau, Going, Westerndorf, Brixen im Thale, Hofgarten) flying into either Munich, Salzburg or Innsbruck. Again T-Bars are in a minority there to. I'm not so uptodate on the resorts closer to Innsbruck but places like Axamer Lizum, Stubai (Neustift) Serfus etc are all good options for beginners as I remember
Sue 
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| easiski wrote: |
| Alpinebullit, you say your girlfriend will have had lessons in a fridge - why? My experience is that unless people ski there regularly they often have to start all over again when they get to resort. |
I'm afraid that I have to disagree with this. My wife wanted to fast-track the learning experience when she started skiing, so she took a series of very reasonably priced private lessons at the local dry slope (Cardiff), reinforced with a large number of untutored sessions there. On arrival in resort, she was placed in a beginner group on the grounds that she'd never skiied on snow before; by lunchtime, she was promoted to an improvers class and she was comfortable and controlled on reds by her third day. By the end of the week, she was miles ahead of the absolute beginners - and credit must belong to the excellent instructor at the dry slope.
That was in Wengen in the days of straight skis, but I'd suggest the same holds true today. If, as you suggest, someone who's spent time on a UK slope will fall between classes, the ski school has an attitude problem: IMV, any decent school should reshuffle its classes every day, not just at the end of a week, as individuals learn at incredibly different speeds.
Lessons might be more expensive here than in the Alps, although I doubt that's generally true given the current exchange rate, but you don't have to pay for accommodation, flights, restaurant meals, etc. If you take the total cost of a ski holiday and spread it over your skiable time, the cost per minute is phenomenal (don't do this if you have a family or you'll start telling the kids how much it costs to go the toilet!). If you want to catch up with your friends, it's much cheaper, albeit not so much fun, to learn in the UK than to take a second holiday.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Jonny Jones, I think a lot depends on what kind of person the beginner is. If they're keen, and have a good aptitude, some dry slope lessons can help short circuit the learning process. But if they're a bit reluctant, and the kind of person who tends to give up a bit easily when they hit a snag, it's not so good! Our family did evening lessons on an outdoor slope in Ayrshire, which had no lift and you had to walk up the side. Usually in the rain, in November. But we were keen!
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| But we were keen! |
More like insane!
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rob@rar, the evening entertainment in the Ayrshire coalfield on Tuesday nights in November were not legion.
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w,
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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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pam w,
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an outdoor slope in Ayrshire, which had no lift and you had to walk up the side.
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Darvel?
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Poster: A snowHead
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T Bar, it was so long ago I can't really remember - somewhere around there. We were living in Symington at the time. Did you go there too? It was character building.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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pam w,
No, but we lived just along the road in Galston. Must admit I would go through to Hillend rather than Darvel.
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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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Wow, I go away for the weekend and come back to lots more Ideas and good points, thank you.
easiski, Thank you for your comments and I do take your point on board and agree with you. But I do feel we have to use all of the resources available to us. I don't like fridges but by just going along and picking up some of the basics, like you say even if it's just the feel of skis and boots, I'm sure it will help my girlfriend. She likes to be ahead of the game and even if the fridge experience gives her just that little bit more confidence so that everything doesn't feel completely alien and new I think it will have been of benefit to her. I think it's just about managing our expectations about what she will actually get out of her time spent in a fridge!
As everybody quite rightly keeps pointing out, I want to find good tuition for her in as small as group as possible whereby she can enjoy her time on skis and hopefully learn good technique and progress with confidence from there. I've been thinking about it a reasonable ammount this weekend and first priority is now good recommendations for tuition and the choice of resort will follow on from that. With that in mind, please let me know if any of you have any recommendations of good ski schools or instructors please 
Samerberg Sue, thank you so much, a very informative and interesting post that once again gives me so much to think about. Having used the very helpful Austrian tourist offices in the past to good effect arranging our trip DIY certainly is a real possibility.
pam w, Jonny Jones, I learnt to ski at Rossendale dry ski slope many moons ago and then went into the beginners class on my first ski holiday at Saalbach and found it worked for me. My girlfriend is the sort of person that throws themselves into pretty much everthing with plenty of enthusiasm and a good attitude even now she's looking forward to putting on a pair of skis, spending more time in the mountains, away from the rat race and learning to ski which can only be a positive
Thank you.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Alpinebullit, easiski is an instructor - so her advice in response could be a little biased! I am a very happy pupil of hers - she is one of the best instructors I have had - so I would recommend her as a possibility.
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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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achilles, Thank you, I know she comes very highly rated and certainly would be a possibility. I just have to weigh up the costs of France!
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Hi,
I live in Niederau like Cathy says, and would like to add my two pennyworth! It is a great place to learn, I can vouch for that as I did and now work for the Ski School here! The good thing is that all the runs, beginners and experts and all in between start off from the centre of the village so no bus rides or not being able to meet up easily. There is a good range of hotels, Band B and self catering. If you would like a look at the reort have a look at our website as we have a web cam that you can move about to get a feel for the place. www.auhof.co.at You could, of course, come and stay with us but that would be advertising so I shan't mention that!!
Hope you have a great time wherever you decide to go, and that your girlfriend loves skiing as much as the rest of us all do here
Cheers, Carolyn
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Alpinebullit, Les Deux Alpes is not too expensive a resort. BASS are well thought of - their school in Les Gets might be a possibility, though none of their resorts are exactly low budget. See http://www.britishskischool.com/les_gets/
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i wouldnt recommend norway for skiing...the terrain isnt very varied and even for beginners i think it would be a bit boring!
i learnt to ski in Bormio, Italy and it was absolutely amazing...if you're looking to get lessons for your girlfriend then the instructors there are great...real family/fun atmosphere to the place, and the little town is very sweet with lots of nice hotels...
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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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achilles, thank you - I wouldn't presume to recommend myself - I don't think I ever have!
Alpinebullit, LDA prices are much less than the Haut Savoie prices and even less than ADH apparently!
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FAQ
