Beginner skiing trip advice!

A snowHead

My girlfriend and I want to go skiing this winter; I have been once before but she hasn't been before.

We don't have many requirements; we want a mixture of beginner and intermediate slopes, fairly basic accommodation (not bothered about sky tv etc, cheap chalet or B&B will do), nice surroundings, easy and convenient ski hire. Preferably under £600 pp for 1 week, although I don't know if that's pushing it?

Our available dates are the Christmas holidays, Feb half term, or the whole of April.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks snowHead

A snowHead

tomma, Hello

You will get a deluge of questions but Either Xmas last minute or April are you only choices, NY and Half Term are the cash cow weeks for operators.

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Welcome to snowHead

tomma,

We ski mostly in France, so my comments are for there. Avoid Feb half term - snow can be great but the crowds will be horrid. Christmas is a nice time to go, as is New Year. New Year can however get busy particularly in France IME. Choose high resorts, or ones with glaciers e.g. Val Thorens in 3 Valleys, or Tignes. These can however be pretty souless as are above the treeline. Les Arcs is worth a look, as has been built for ski-in, ski out convenience, and there are some other snowHead

who ski there over the whole season and teach there. It is not too bad early in the season. We also like Serre Chevalier, but it is less ski in out.

We have generally gone Self catering, which can save oodles of cash. £600 might be tight, unless you go for cheapo package - a 5 day pass is about £200, and your ski & boot hire would be about £100, leaving you only about £300 for travel, accommodation and lessons. If you DIY you will have to factor for about £200 pp for flights, and then you need to work out your airport transfel. IIRC lessons would be about £100 ish, if you had a group lesson with ESF the French ski school.

There will undoubtedly be many others coming along soon. You may be best to look at a package, as we have generally spent about £1000 each all in for 6 days skiing.

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Thanks for the advice!

Strangely enough, Les Arcs is where I went, a few years ago admittedly, but I went in an April and really enjoyed it.

So say we wanted a week in France in April, self-catering, whom would you advise booking with? Crystalski? I didn't do any of the organising when I went so I don't really know where to start!

Thanks

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tomma, of your suggestions, I'd plump for the very beginning of April. Cheaper than Christmas, far cheaper than half term, and the snow should still be OK as long as you avoid very low altitude resorts, where snow might be becoming thin.

the convenience of ski hire is not really important - you only go to the place twice, after all! the convenience of ski lifts is far more important, as you'll either be walking, or bussing, between your accommodation and the ski lifts at least twice a day.

If your girl friend has not been skiing before, a resort with good ski instruction is important. Austria would probably fit a lot of your requirements but ski school there tends to be all day - which won't leave you much time to spend together.

I'd suggest you aim to go the first week in April, but leave your booking till the last minute. It'll be a lot cheaper, you'll have a chance to see what the snow is like, and you could get lots of feedback on here, at the time, about the deals available.

If you try to book now, for either christmas or half term, you have no chance of getting everything for £600. I'd agree with MarjMJ that a package would make most sense - but any holiday booked at this stage, even for early April, will probably cost more than £600. It would be a false economy, by the way, to save by not paying for good lessons for your GF. The first week of her skiing career is probably the most important.

If, of course, the euro has collapsed before you go, you could end up getting a real good holiday for £600. wink

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Thanks pam! Smile

We will take everyone's advice then I think, and look for April deals closer to the time. What would you classify as "last minute"? Leave booking til as late as March? And would you go for lessons for the whole week, or just a couple of days? When I went, I only had 2 days' lessons because I picked it up really quickly, does it normally take people about this long to learn enough to go solo?

Thanks!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

tomma, Last minute means different things to different people, but for me personally, I usually book between 4 and 10 weeks before travel for my ski holidays. Some people don't consdiere it properly "last minute" unless it less than a week before you go - and for a couple, at that time of year, you should be able to find something only a week before.

The more lessons you have when starting, the better. Most people will be able to ski outside of the lessons after two days, but will be getting a lot more out of it aftrer 5 days of lessons.

After all it is free

tomma, Go in summer and visit Easiski at L2A - very good prices then... Then you can go again in winter and have more fun because you both ski better!

Summer skiing is fun - ski until lunch then go hiking/swimming etc

tomma, Welcome to snowHead

Definitely April, definitely last minute. I think that you should be looking at booking during the period 6 weeks - 2 weeks before you travel. If you leave it much later than that you run the risk of having to pay extra to have tickets couriered etc.
Also, check the sites where you are likely to book. Do they charge extra for CC payments? (most will) you have plenty of time to get yourself a Visa Electron card, bung the money on it and use it to avoid booking fees (unless you like the added protection from CC payments).
Check which tour operators are offering cashback via quidco, and - if you are getting as good a deal - use that for more money off.
Might be teaching a granny to suck eggs - but you never know.

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

tomma, welcome to snowHead

s

I would echo youspurs1, advice. Except I would book the week you are going! You do pay for tickets etc, however we got a couple of quality chalets last minute for €250 and €300 pp and it was not the cheap TO package either! Both were in the 3 Valleys one in January (Meribel) and the other in March (Les Menuires)! Normal prices were from memory €650 and €750. Add on flights and transfers, flights can be done when you see cheap ones in August! In fairness that does not include lift pass and tuition but it was also a decent chalet! If you would consider self catering the basic cost of the holiday could be as little as €300 each for flight, apartment and transfers! However if you are like us we blow what we saved on good food and wine Embarassed

.

I certainly think it is possible for about €1200 for a couple for the week but it will be tight. We all have had good deals but skiing is an expensive hobby whatever way you look at it!

It can be done but you have to look around! It is also fun to do this.

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tomma,

Why not just book something you like the look of now.
If you add around another £50 PP you "can" go at half term, including flight
Look on Crystal ski website.
If you really want to go in April then book it now - for £600 PP, again inc flights
Or try Thompsons, Neilsons or (better) just go down to your local Thomas Cook and tell them your buget and ask what they have on the dates you "want" to go.
After you have had your holiday send me a postcard for this good advice wink

Or
Leave it till the last minute and you never know, maybe you might be lucky and pick up a bargin to a hotel, somewhere that no-one else wanted to book

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Thanks everyone for the great advice!

I will start looking around now for deals, but I definitely won't rush into anything if, like you say, last-minute deals can be got. We both like the idea of going in April so still plenty of time to go, I'll be sure to post any deals I see on here before jumping into anything!

Thanks again Smile

Bulgaria is good for beginners, ski/boot hire, lift pass and lessons all came to about £120 per person with Neilson about 4 years ago.

Bansko the best resort but get up to the slopes early 'cos the queue is a nightmare at 9:30.

Mike

You know it makes sense.

Wayne, I know that you did not mean that because the holiday was not sold out inferred the hotel/chalet/resort was not of a good standard. You can get fantastic bargains in quality resorts because a number of them have over capacity or their initial pricing structure seemed too high for our new economy!! wink

You could not say that the 3V's is a place that nobody wanted to go to! I can appreciate that it is not everyones cup of gluwein but ticks a lot of boxs! Some peoples boxs can be ticked by a small resort with a couple of lifts. I would still leave it to the last minute, no doubt this coming year will be like all the rest and you can bag a deal. I still think it is part of the fun searching the net. Mind you it is the quietest time of the year in my business so I have the time! wink

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

www.propagandasnowboards.com Slovakia, it's the alternative to Bulgaria and Andorra which is where you will probably end up if you want to go on a budget. However, its much much better probably cheaper too!!

A snowHead

tomma, Have a look at Ski World or Silverski in La Plagne a good mix or runs and a well connected area. I would go for a catered chalet unless you drive, personally I don't think that self catering makes sense, the cost of shopping in resort. Avoid half term as its the most expensive, with Christmas it depends exactly when you want to go, if its over the Christmas holidays consider the week before, you should be able to get a deal in April. Silverski have some special offers for booking early, however you could hold off for a last minute deal.

Lessons are a good idea, even if you have skied for a week, depending on how long a go it was you may be in the same class, or grab some lessons at a now center.

A snowHead

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

And how about some lessons either on a dry slope or indoor slope for your girlfriend before you go? Thats what the kids and I did before our first trip to the mountains this Feb half term and had all the more fun on holiday because we knew the basics and could enjoy getting better rather than being frustrated by having to pick up the most basic skills.

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

[quote="Wayne"]

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tomma,
I'm with the latebookers for a decent price, also you can go where the snow is best.
If there are just the two of you it may well be worth looking at a chalet rather than self catering. If you are careful self catering will generally work out cheaper but for two a cheap appartment will often be very small encouraging you to eat and drink out more which quickly racks the price up. You also lose the economies of scalethat you get self catering for larger groups.
Depending on snow conditions I would tend to ignore the larger Tarentaise resorts if you are on a tight budget. Virtually everything from lift passes to ski school to equipment hire and eating is significantly more expensive. At your and your girlfirends stage you cannot really usefully use the full extent of skiing that these resorts offer. In my exprience the higher Tarentaise resorts although cheaper than in February can be just as crowded losing some of the benefits of going in April.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

tomma, Have a look at Skitopia - they do all inclusives to the French Alps for dirt cheap. Admittedly the accommodation is basic, but, for the last 3 years we've paid £550 all in (flights, accom, transfers, lift pass, boot hire, meals), so cant really complain.

After all it is free

I spent a week with the UCPA last month and can't sing their praises enough. Brilliant place, dirt cheap but good food, good instruction, good kit, good social scene. I stayed in their Argentiere centre, but being pretty much a beginner myself, wouldn't recommend it (the slopes there are fearce!). Try their centre in Flaine, where all rooms are twin rooms en-suite (so better for a couple). Their prices include accomodation, food (three meals a day), kit hire, lift passes and instruction if you choose to go for it. I booked through the website mentioned above. Brilliant week and can't wait for them to release their prices for next season so I can sign up!

Their prices are due to be released in about August time I believe. I paid £431 at the start of April for one week with full time ski instruction. If you book in advance you can get cheap flights out to Geneva with sleazyjet and action outdoors will sort you out with transfers for about £30 each way.

Go in spring time. As a beginner sunshine is important, you wont have to buy so much gear, and prices are better.
Pick a resort with a south facing aspect.
You really really dont need fancy resort.
Pick a smaller one.
Try and get a little altitude, at the base, not at the top (you wont go there)
Avoid france its always crowded.

something further east may fare better in the spring, Austria is probably your best bet. you might even consider bulgaria if you want to save some money.

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tomma, A lot depends on your GFs attitude WRT instruction. If she's 'up for it' it won't matter so much, but if she's at all nervous then the big group lessons will be unhelpful and might easily put her off for life. If this is the case then instruction quality is the most important consideration. Do not just book lessons through the tour op without checking up on the ski school and alternatives in the resort of your choice. They will use the school that gives them the best commission -not necessarily the best school in town.

April is certainy a good choice, but I disagree with the idea that you should get altitude at the bottom, as it depends entirely on the shape of the mountain where your GF will be able to ski in her first week. Also, I disagree with the idea of S facing slopes in April, as they get more sun and can be icy in the morning and slushy in the afternoon, especially on the lower slopes (melt and re-freeze) which is not ideal for beginners.

Of course the summer is a good idea - but I would say that, wouldn't I?

micky, I have found (unfortunately), that many students who've started in Bulgaria have had poor instruction on poor equipment, and have not achieved a normal level of improvement in the first week.

nixmap, France is definitely not always crowded, even in some of the bigger resorts. Where/when have you been?

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nixmap,

Help!!

Beginner skiing trip advice!

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