I've never been skiing before .......which resort do I choose?

A snowHead

Hi , I have always longed to go skiing & I have finally persuaded my husband to go. We are total novices , having said that I have been doing my homework regarding resorts , equpment etc. The trouble is I think I've decided on a resort suitable for beginners then I read somewhere that it's not suitable for beginners . I honestly don't know where to go as so many reports are conflicting. So I would appreciate some advice . Here are my main criteria for the holiday:

1. We want to go to Austria

2. A resort suitable for total beginners

3. We plan to go the middle to the end of January, so somewhere with a good snow record .

4. A nice hotel , half board with leisure facilities.

5. A hotel close to the ski lifts & ski school.

6. Not too long transfer time from the airport to the resort.

7. A medium sized resort with a bit of nightlife but not noisy & rowdy.

I know it might be a bit much to ask for all these things in one holiday but it's worth asking.

Thanks

A snowHead

Welcome to snowHeads Sno125patrol,

What resort were you looking at, that got you worried?

I would say though that larger ski areas tend to have more expensive lift passes as U pay a premium for having more choice available. Obviously we can only be on one lift at a time though and as beginners, you are unlikely to ski-out even a very small ski area in a week.

Most resorts tend to have a couple of free lifts for absolute beginners on the 'bunny slopes' but by day 3 (or even day 2 with a little enthusiasm) you'll likely be wanting to venture up the hill a bit.
Of course, you might bypass the bunny slopes altogether by doing a few starter lessons at a snowDome if there's one near you.

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

Sno125patrol, Take a look at Niederau in the Wildschonau part of Tyrol. Relatively close to three airports - Innsbruck closest, then Salzburg, then Munich. Excellent ski school who not only speak good English, they have native speakers working for them too. Very easy to navigate around and at that time of year, if they don't have any snow then nobody has!

There is a snowHead called Caroline who posts here regularly if you search on Niederau or Wildschonau you should end up with one of her threads. she lives there and is in the best position to advise on hotels.

I like Niederau as a resort, especially when I'm teaching beginners. It has a good progression and is very laid back, friendly and easy to navigate around.

Sue wink

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Sno125patrol, Welcome to Snowheads!

I learnt to ski in Austria, and in my opinion it's a good choice as the ski schools there give you a good foundation and the instuctors usually speak good English. My first ski trip was to Alpbach, which is a beautiful village. The nursery slopes are right in the centre of town close to the Church, and for the first few days you can use cheaper points cards for the drag lifts on the nursery slopes, rather than buy a full lift pass which you will not be making full use of.

Another Austrian resort very suitable for beginners is Westendorf.

Going at the middle to end of January you would expect snow cover to be reasonable or good virtually anywhere. One point to bear in mind when comparing snow levels between different resorts is that Austrian resorts tend to have the slopes on mountain pastures, which require less snow depth to be skiable than more rocky terrain.

One other tip is that if you can have a beginner's lesson at one of the indoor snowdomes it will be well worthwhile. Just getting used to putting on ski boots, walking around with skis on and beginning to do controlled descents on a gentle slope using snowplough and snowplough turns should hopefully whet your appetite for skiing and mean that you will be well ahead of absolute beginners on day 1 of ski school. Some Tour Operators may offer special promotional rates at the Snowdomes for beginners who have booked a holiday with them.

Hope this helps, and welcome to skiing!

Edit: the Wildschonau region of Niederau which Samerberg Sue mentioned above (along with neighbouring Oberau and Auffach) are also very suitable for beginners.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Hi Sno125patrol,

I can recommend Zell am See - it seems to fit the bill. It is a beautiful resort with a lively but not noisy town centre. To be honest in mid/late January you should get decent snow anywhere in Austria, however if you are very unlucky and it's 20c (!) Zell does have the Kitzsteinhorn (which is included in the Zell ski pass) which has guaranteed snow from autumn until summer.

There are several good ski schools and plenty of blue runs - however the runs at the bottom of the mountain are not suitable for beginners and you will need to ride the cable car to the bottom.

Transfers from Salzburg are 1-1.5 hours - I'm not sure if that's ok for you.

I think you will find most Austrian resorts' hotels are of a good standard - the food is usually good and the locals are very friendly. Zell certainly has plenty of good hotels. The only problem with Zell is that if you stay in town you will need to catch a bus to the nursery slopes (its less than 5 minutes) which are further up the valley. But any resort you go to will involve some sort of compromise. If this is a problem there are hotels close to the nursery slopes - but then you will be away from the town!

Austria is a great place to ski - I think you might be surprised how many resorts would more or less fit your criteria. Cool

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Sno125patrol, welcome to snowheads, and skiing.

I know exactly what your mean; you can drive yourself mad with all the different conflicting reports. Just to add to your confusion, I wouldn't personally recommend Alpbach - it's very pretty but it's not super convenient, the village centre nursery slope doesn't always have good snow (Alpbach is very low altitude. When I was there the snow was not very good at all, and when I commented to someone who'd been going there for 20 years she said it was one of the best years for snow she'd had there!). Apart from a very limited village nursery area you have to get on a bus.

I think, when you're a beginner, clumping round in ski boots carrying your skis is one of the less enjoyable things to be doing - try to find somewhere where you have an easy walk to a range of slopes which are suitable - not just the almost flat "Day 1" slope, but also a mix of nice easy, longer, routes to try when you get a bit better. And those easy longer routes should NOT be narrow "roads" which are horrible for beginners. Nice wide, gentle, runs is what you'll want.

I don't know many Austrian resorts but lots of people here do and I'm sure you'll get plenty of suggestions. The time you've chosen is excellent - low season, not crowded, should be snow. So there's no rush about choosing a resort - take your time and get lots of advice.

I don't think you're asking too much at all - should be doable.

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

pam w, Alpbach is ideal for beginners and also offered excellent service as the HQ for the British Children and Juniors for donkey's years. The resort is pretty well what the OP asked for except maybe it is a bit on the quiet side at times these days.

One poor week 20 odd years ago hardly counts as being a valid comment does it! rolling eyes

It sits a damned-sight higher than many other well known resorts at 1000m on the north-facing side above the Inn Valley. and when it snows it cops it in buckets full. As for the "clomping about" - is that a dig at the popular misconception that areas outside of France do not have ski-in ski-out? Alpbach is a small compact and beautiful village with the nursery slopes just a few metres away from the centre of Inneralpbach (the main village and best location for beginners)

Take a look at what is actually possible in this century!

http://www.alpbacher-bergbahnen.at/

The English version: http://www.alpbachtal.at/xxl/en/Ski/_id/834187/skiing.html

I've had several bad snow experiences in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria over the "centuries" but I accept them mostly as anomalies rather than condem the resorts to the eternal purgatory of not worth bothering/unuseable. I count Val d'Isere as one of my most bogeyied resoprts - doesn't stop me from wanting to go back and try again some time. Mind you I will have to take out a morgage to afford the prices these days in France wink

,

After all it is free

A good place would be Obergurgl. My wife and I went there as near beginners and thought it was excellent; gentle runs on the doorstep but with slightly harder runs to progress to by the end of the week, snowsure, jolly après without being rowdy and less than 2 hours from Innsbruck airport.

I would say Seefeld fits the bill. Beautiful place. 25mins transfer from Innsbruck. Excellent ski school. Great shops and resteraunts. Plus good pool, spa,ice skating etc. Also a train station so you can visit Garmisch and Mittenwald. The hotel we stay at is the Alpina, just a short walk along the path to the nursery slopes.

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Aah, I love the pool in Seefeld! It's right on the road between Gramisch and Innsbruck IIRC.

Part of it's out doors but it's so warm, U can sit in it with the snow around you with clouds of steam drifting off it, momentarily obscuring the stars above Cool

When I was there last, there was a long slide out doors too. If U dared U could run as fast as U could to the top before U froze and hurtle down back into the warmth of the pool - that is, if the slide itself wasn't full of snow snowHead

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admin, someone stolen the Y and O letters from your keyboard?

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Sno125patrol, we skied for our first years in Niederau - years and years ago when both single and coincidentally went separately, then we took the children, always for Christmas and New Year for many years, daughter instructed there for a season and we still go back every two or three years for a few days. You certainly can't get lost there. Last year we stayed at the Simmerlwirt which was very comfortable and had a small pool. Very convenient location, also the Austria and Alpenland are right in the middle. Nowhere is very far at all in fact, and all easy to access the slopes and the ski schools. Its also very economical to eat on the mountain there.

bertie bassett, sad isn't it Wink

You know it makes sense.

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

A snowHead

I had a FB update from Alpine Answers the other day promoting their Learn to Ski packages - maybe give them a call to see if there is anything suitable. Something about buying the accommodation, flights and transfers and you'll get lift pass, ski hire and lessons for free - although I think it may only be for certain weeks in March. www.alpineanswers.co.uk

A snowHead

Sno125patrol, a beginners "package" could well be a good idea - a lot of the TOs do them, in lots of resorts. This looks a good deal http://www.freshersskiweek.com/

If there are lots of other beginners on the same week that's all to the good - more fun.

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

Thanks for all the replies . To be honest I have considered most of the resorts mentioned in your replies , I think it's going to be a matter of just randomly picking one of them & hoping for the best!!

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Sno125patrol, curious as to why you only want Austria?

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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I want to go to Austria because I imagine it sums up the whole 'ski' thing for me . You know , pretty snowy villages , apres ski , log fires etc . It just seems if you going to go skiiing, the best place to go . A few replies mentioned about trudging around in skis & getting on buses to get to the slopes , sounds a bit of a pain . So which beginner resorts would avoid that?

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

After all it is free

alex_heney, the Harfenwirt and the Christofel are close to each other but a five to ten minute walk from the gondola, although there is now a drag lift of some sort opposite these hotels which you can take up and then across to the gondola from memory.
Right by the base of the gondola are the Sport Hotel, and the Austria and a little along the Simmelwirt and the Alpenland. But nowhere is far.

Sno125patrol, most resorts in Austria have equipment lockers at the lift base stations so catching buses and trudging around in ski boots isn't necessary. Therefore a nice hotel that's a ten minute walk through a quaint snow-covered village in comfy boots isn't such a hardship.

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As a beginner it really doesn't matter where you go as long as they have a good beginner slope and a few runs suitable for novices. You don't need a massive resort, which as said above will just increase the cost of your lift pass. I would recommend picking the region that would like to visit, in your case Austria, and then look for a good ski school in that region. As a complete beginner it is very important that you get a good grounding in skiing and a bad instructor could put you off for life. I would advise that you look for recommendations, find a good school and base your holiday around that.

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Sno125patrol,

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I agree that you should not worry to much over the ski area, almost anywhere in Austria would suit you. Based upon your requirements, choose a medium-sized resort with good apres-ski. Do not worry too much about the altitude, end-January should be fine anywhere.

Based on this Niederau, Westendorf and even Kitzbuhel would suit you.

Hi,

Welcome to skiing!

Have a look at http://www.freshersskiweek.com/ which is a program designed to attract 1st time skiiers. The site looks a bit cheesy I know but they have put together some pretty good deals.

Good luck and enjoy the holiday!

Heather

You know it makes sense.

Snow and Sunshine, except they do not include Austria in the equation. The original poster specifically said they wanted Austria! rolling eyes

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

Saalbach.

I wouldn't really recomend Westendorf for complete beginners, the nursery slopes are fairly steep and limited.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Thanks again for all the replies . Do you see what I mean about conflicting reports about reviews . Some people recomend a place , others don't, which is why it is so confusing. I think I will try some lessons before we go , that seems sensible advice & hopefully i'll be fit enough , although someone who has been skiing has told me not to bother as it's nothing like skiing on real snow! A few posts mentioned booking with a good ski school but I don't know if they are good or not.

I was thinking maybe a package deal with , say, Thomson Ski as they do a 'First Time ' package which includes all the paraphenalia for skiing . Would many of you say that's a good idea or is it better to book lessons & equipment when you get there?

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

Sno125patrol, there are conflicting views because we all have different priorities and tastes. Some people adore the Austrian style of "apres ski", others abhore it. Some people like to curl up after a big meal with a glass of wine and a good book, others want to go out on the lash to a different bar each night. some people enjoy high quality meals on the slopes; others can't afford it and would prefer to be able to get back to an apartment for cheese on toast. Some people like gentle slopes, others are bored stiff by them.

If someone tells you a resort is "ideal" then ask them for an honest assessment of its weaker points. If they say it hasn't got any, they're not being honest with you.

All the Alpine countries have a wide range of resorts, offering very different products at very different prices. Just as well, given our different priorities. Personally I dislike having to catch buses (though I'm much less bothered about driving to the slopes, provided there is parking close to the lifts - by no means always the case). Other people aren't bothered in the least and having lockers at the lifts to leave your boots makes a huge difference (though you need to be sure they're kept heated overnight). I am content to ski nice runs over and over again - others find that very boring. Remember that the really pretty, genuinely, traditional villages weren't built high in the mountains - so there can be a trade off between resort charm and ski convenience. Places which are "purpose built" for skiing can be a lot more convenient and you are more likely to have snow at resort level, but they often lack charm. Some people would prefer a really attractive, traditional, hotel from which you take a lift up to the snow to a chalet or apartment in a higher altitude resort which is more certain to have snow outside the door. Nowhere has it all (actually, though I've never been there, it sounds as though Lech in Austria comes close but it's incredibly expensive which is why I've never been there....)

I agree it's not possible to tell which is a "good ski school" looking at the TO brochures - and if you're in a group of 12 then, frankly, though it might be fun, and you will learn, even a good instructor will struggle to give you much individual feedback. There are a number of ski schools where you would be in much smaller groups - though they are not found everywhere, by any means. You can get private lessons everywhere, but they can be very expensive and it's really quite fun in a group when you're starting.

The advice that artificial snow is "nothing like" skiing on real snow is a bit misleading. Snow in places like Milton Keynes or Hemel Hemstead is artificial (but so is the snow in ski resorts, sometimes) but the techniques you need to ski it are exactly the same and the short length of the slopes might be a relief, rather than a problem, for your first few lessons. It depends how keen you are. if you just want a big of a giggle and to soak up the atmosphere in a ski resort, don't bother. But if you are keen to learn to ski as fast as possible, so that you can explore more of the mountains, taking good lessons at an artificial snow dome will help a lot. Lots of snowheads who are already good- or very good - skiers do so regularly.

If you want advice on where, and how, to get good ski lessons in the UK or in the alps, snowheads has plenty!

You haven't mentioned your budget - that makes a difference. Ski holidays can be very expensive...

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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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Sno125patrol, You've made a brave start to your skiing career and very sensibly joined Snowheads to imrpove your knowledge base even if we don't all agree. I've only skied a few resorts in Austria based in Murau when we were intermediates. My memory was that we had a great family orientated time and the Austrians made us feel very welcome as it wasn't a big desitination for "Brits".

I would strongly urge you to resist any temptation to use a dry slope = As alex_heney, says they can be very unforgiving and do not give the positive experience that skiers can only get from snow whether it's indoors or out on the hill. Personally I'd stop skiing tomorrow if the only option was a dry slope or nothing, but I'm equally sure there are many snowheads who may not agree, but there again dryslopeheads isn't very catchy or appealing!

Why don't you join at Hemel on the 9th October if it's feasible?PM if you're nearby and need a lift! Cool

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

Sno125patrol, if you are thinking of having some indoor lessons and can get to Hemel reasonably easily, have a look here:-
http://www.insideoutskiing.com/lts.html
Scott and Rob are both snowHeads (skimottaret and rob@rar respectively) and are wonderful instructors.

Jivebaby, I could be wrong, but I think that the snowHeads evenings, which involve use of the main slope at Hemel and ability to use the tows, are not for complete beginners. That said, I believe that on one recent occasion, when Kitty was instructing, she took some beginners on to the nursery slope. Not sure if she's coming on 9 October, she and Spyderman haven't signed up yet.

Sno125patrolyou'll find the 9 October thread here:
http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=66638

After all it is free

Jivebaby,

(Also, while you were posting, I edited my post with a bit more info on snowHeads evenings.)

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Help!!

I've never been skiing before .......which resort do I choose?

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