 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all.
I’m a reasonably good skier but my wife is not, she doesn’t hate skiing but anything remotely steepish freaks her.
She loves the ambience and atmosphere and enjoy easy slopes but doesn’t like to be pushed or stress on the slopes. She had private lessons before and said she would really like to get better.
Also have two kids (1y and 5y) which we need to cater for. We will be taking the grandparents along to look after the one year old – they don’t ski but are happy pottering about, meet us for lunch, do shopping and so on.
If possible I want the other-half to have private lessons in the morning, and then for us to ski a few hours in the afternoon on a billiard- table with a beer mat under one end type of piste but hopefully not on the nursery slopes to get a sense of travelling.
Looking thus for:
1) Good lessons (private) for wife and also good group lessons for the 5y.
2) Quite a few very easy slopes for us to ski together
3) Something for me to do in the morning but this is not the main priority
4) Something to keep grandparents amuse for a week.
We went to Cervinia last time and a lot of the lifts were shut due to high winds and my wife didn’t feel the slopes were that easy.
Maybe Courchevel but is there enough to do for the non-skiers at 1650 as 1850 may be out of our budget?
We are thinking of going in January
Many thanks in advance
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sainte Foy, but take a car......
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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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bluebull, At the risk of self-publicising, La Tania would tick a lot of boxes, as would St Gervais. If the grand-parents prefer a 'proper' village atmosphere with lots of little shops and cafes to potter about in, then St Gervais would be a better choice, and the skiing would also suit. If the skiing of 3 V's appeals, then La Tania would offer the convenience, great lessons, easy slopes for all straight back to the village, but is less charming than St Gervais
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The bowl down near the town at Alpe d'Huez is a really big area, and has loads of gentle slopes. They are classed as nursery slopes, but there are quite a few that you can go up and down to vary it.
There's also a big area of more challenging stuff for you when the OH is in lessons. We did this on my first ski holiday, the OH went out and enjoyed herself in the mornings while I was in lessons, and then we'd potter around the greens in the afternoon with her trying to tempt me on to tougher stuff!
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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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You'll struggle to find anywhere as overall flat and 'easy' as Cervinia.
Alpe d'Huez maybe? It's famous for its area of green runs, but it can get rather busy.
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bluebull, any where except France 
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If you can cope with the Swiss Franc Wengen might work for you, Nursery slopes in the middle of the village, there's also an actual nursery for kids over 3months adjoining the tourist office there (minimum 1 hour max all day), slope wise there are several nice easy blue runs one on Mannlichen and from either side of Kleine Schidegg including a pretty easy blue back to the village, several ski schools in the are can give private lessons all have English speaking instructors, lots of Red runs in the area but not too many blacks but plenty of ski area, Grandparents could get the winter walking pass which means they could meet you on the mountain somewhere for lunch or take a trip to Murren, Interlaken, Grindelwald, Jungfraujoch (highest mountain railway in Europe) or wherever, almost all the restaurants on the slopes in the area can be reached by train or cablecar.
For ambiance and Atmosphere it takes an awful lot to beat it, the trains up from Wengen To Kleine Scheidegg mean that if your wife gets uncomfortable skiing down she can just get back on at the next station and go back to the village, if going in January you may want to decide if you want to be there when the Downhill Race is taking place, it gets very busy over race weekend and there's a huge party atmosphere but before or after the race it's much quieter.
Note that the blue runs are easy and none are steep, but that they're generally slightly steeper than a bowling green
Last edited by Then you can post your own questions or snow reports... on Thu 7-04-11 13:15; edited 1 time in total
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bluebull, Les Saisies would be ideal from most of those viewpoints, though the group lessons for little ones would be largely in French. However, private lessons are cheap, and our grand-daughter got on well with a lovely instructor in one to one lessons. The grandparents could presumably deliver and pick up from ski lessons (in the middle of the village) to give you more ski time.
As for what the non-skiers could do, there's not a lot of "entertainment" if that's what they wanted and what there is requires some French. There are plenty of cafés and restaurants very near the slopes to meet up, it's very friendly, there are the usual range of shops, a beauty treatment place (rather expensive...) and there's a couple of possibilities to meet up, up the mountain (either walking up a prepared path or going on a pedestrian-friendly chairlift) so that they can really see what it's all about. Having been to both, it's certainly a much more pleasant place to pass the time than Courchevel 1650 - more villagey, more attractive, wider range of shops.
I am a grandparent, and if they are looking after a 1 year old and sorting out the 5 year old to and from lessons, they won't have much spare energy for "entertainment". 
Private lessons are generally at lunchtimes - for periods from 1 - 2 hours. So you could ski with your wife before and after. There's plenty of opportunity to "travel" but to stay on easy pistes. There are some difficult pistes too (though not many) and some accessible off piste if snow conditions allow, but you might also like to take the advantage of some very keenly priced private lessons, particularly maybe if you want to explore the off piste but prefer not to do so on your own.
As for accommodation, there are apartments to rent of every kind, from very basic to rather smart, but no Brit style "catered chalets" (and indeed no UK tour operators, which adds enormously to the charm of the place). There's a hotel (the Calgary, run by Frank Piccard who won his Olympic gold medal there) but it's a bit pricey.
We have an apartment near Les Saisies. We don't rent it out. Friends with similar apartments do, but this location is not ideal for your group - you'd be better off in the main village where ski lessons take place and the grandparents could get about without needing to drive anywhere. But if you found anything which looked good I'd be happy to advise on location etc.
Les Saisies is part of the Espace Diamant which has 185km of lift-linked skiing. Crest Voland is particularly good for gentle slopes - Notre Dame de Bellecombe is more challenging.
I've not been to Cervinia so I can't comment on the comparison, but I believe Cervinia is high, and can be a bit bleak. that's certainly the impression from the webcam http://www.cervinia.it/pages/TOP_5_WEBCAM_i_en/453?#ixMainSection (it's also looking very snowless at the moment but that's true of lots of places). I think that for nervous skiers places with high, rocky, treeless surroundings can be a bit intimidating, regardless of the flatness or otherwise of the actual piste. That's certainly true of the higher resorts I've been to, like Val Thorens, Tignes and Les Deux Alpes.
Les Saisies is quite "cosy" which is not so good for the people who like to think they are gnarly boy racers, but nice for someone who feels nervous. It has a high proportion of French family skiers, many of them quite elderly, mostly perfectly competent but past having to dash round showing off - the absence of the boy racer element is also rather a pleasant feature of the place (there are a few in the Paris school holidays, but not in January). There are heaps of grandparents looking after little ones whilst parents ski (some of them sport a splendid array of ski suits from the 'seventies and 'eighties.
If the grandparents wanted to learn to ski it's an ideal place for that too, though that would presumably interfere with their baby sitting role.
Nobody round here will be thinking about any accommodation bookings for 2012 for several months yet - especially not for January, which is low season (and a very good time to come - the later in the month the better, generally).
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Actually, not been there, but how about Cortina d’Ampezzo?
Flat as a pancake, and meant to be insanely pretty and with loads of fancy shops for the non skiers...
Only trouble might be that January could mean unreliable snow in the Dolomites.
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Montgenevre - I day-tripped there a couple of Christmases ago and it struck me as having lots of attractive and easy-going slopes that less confident skiers would love & has plenty more to progress to as their confidence builds. The village itself, on the col at the French side of a high pass dividing Italy & France is definitely skier focussed but it's not crass.
Magugnaga - My second ever week of skiing was spent there and it was in Macugnaga that the joy of the sport clicked. It's sat right up the top of Italy in the Monta Rosa area and by all accounts that makes it relatively quiet. It hasn't got the mileage of a big resort but it's got mighty & dramatic scenery all around for Alpine ambience, has mainly gentle slopes which are wooded low down and the village(s) are chocolate box cute.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Having spent some time in St Gervais I would second it as a good choice.
There are a couple of English ski instructors based there - Debbie and Tony from skifever, or ESF walter, Laurence or Stefan are good english speakers and patient teachers
It is possible to ski over to Megeve on green slopes so your wife can get a real sense of travel. Grandparents will probably like the village and can also take a tram to Les Houches for a change of scene.
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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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Cortina is fairly attractive (I wouldn't describe it as "pretty" in the sense that, say, Alpbach is "pretty") and the surrounding mountains are certainly incredibly beautiful and it has loads of fancy shops. However it's also very inconvenient, queues for the various (far from each other) gondola were pushy and shovey even though when I was there the resort was practically deserted. Traffic is heavy and parking difficult. We did a lot of walking, in the short time we were there.
It's not a place to ask granny and grandpa to shephered little ones around. Apart from anything else those swanky shops are closed until the apres ski "passegiata" when all the ladies in mink coats swan up and down looking for a small sculpture or painting to buy before they have their expensive coffees and cakes. They're the sort of shops which have no prices. Like Megeve.
I've done very little skiing there but it's certainly not "flat as a pancake". The good ski guide says most of its skiing is intermediate, and the bits I did answered that description pretty well, though I skied only a little of it, as our trip to Italy was with non-skiing friends and was not primarily a ski holiday.
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La Thuile has an abundance of flat easy blue pistes. Quiet, pretty and family friendly, but not much to do during the day for non-skiers.
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You know it makes sense.
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Sounds like the only sensible choice is Les Saisies then.
Or La Rosiere, obviously.
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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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Or La Rosiere, obviously
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Nope. Nothing like as good. Can't travel as far on easy runs (or on any kind of runs, come to that). One of the main easy runs down at La Rs is essentially a road IIRC. There's a lot less of a "village" for the grandpeople.
St Gervais, or any number of Austrian villages (which nobody has yet been arsed to identify, but which surely exist) would be better.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I'm sure I will be corrected but what about Morzine/ Les Gets?
Dodgy snow this year but hopefully a good season next year. Loads of "progession" runs on Le Pleney, at Nyon and at Les Gets there are lots of easy runs to progress to.
Also consider Corvara although I'm not sure re lessons for your 5y old there ?
In Austria consider Berwang, Seegeld or Filzmoos.
Good luck.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Pila, Italy, staying down in Aosta. Good progression of runs for your Wife, Stuff to do in the City for the Grand Parents and stepper pitches for you.
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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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I thought about Pila, but I would say overall it's tougher terrain than most of Cervinia, and with a similarly intimidating nature (the gut wrenching vertiginous views).
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Montgenvre i agree with, whether its apts or chalet ski from door, the lovely long green and blues from gontrans to resort will be love by your wife, there is a large fenced off area for the ski nursery for kids to learn. we stayed at new new Obelisque area in the hameau apts, you can ski back to them but its a steep narrow blue run, which my daughter did not enjoy, but if you ski the Gontrans side of valley there is a free minibus every 15mins for the 800m trip back to the apts.
for a day out you could go down the green run Claviere (some pushing required on flat bits) and on theway back it is an easy red run that would not be too scary for your wife.
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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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Surprised nobody has mentioned the Ski Amade area, yet, Loads of gentle skiing in attractive surroundings. Attractive villages for non- skiers to potter around - and excellent public transport for them to do a day visit to Salzburg (fantastic city for any tourist).
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I'd also recommend Montgenvre - very good ski school and good for beginners and intermediates. The drawback would be that the town does not have that much charm for the gps. Le Hameau des Airelles mentioned by cockerhoop is good value.
La Rosiere good in terms of blue cruising and ski school but very cold in jan. The new Eucharts area is much nicer than the main village in my opinion. It has a nice family pizza restaurant and a creperie with lots of teddies in the window. I think there was a very small ice rink and bowling alley. Quiet in the evenings which we liked. no rowdy bars. We stayed in Cimes blanches appartments which are very luxurious.
Les Saisies - ideal in terms of skiing for your wife and 5 yr old. A large number of easily accessible gentle runs. We went there this Jan and had an enjoyable holiday. Our youngest was 5 and we booked both children into ESF group lessons. It was a quiet week and they were both in groups of 3 and the only English children. The instructors conducted the lessons in english and french and my children enjoyed them and didn't seem at all phased by being the only English ones. My daughter was happier in a group with french girls than the group with English boys the previous year! I think the drawbacks of this resort are 1. you need a car to get there - we took train to annecy and hired a car. 2. Not a great choice of accommodation at present. We stayed at le hameau de beafortain which was on the piste and had a pool but appartments were not the best we've stayed in.
La clusaz would be another one to consider - nice traditional town and good variety of skiing. Pretty resort when there is enough snow  . Also one of the easiest to get to whichever way you travel. A couple of nice hotels there.
In your position I would not go to one of the mega resorts. The slopes are a lot quiter in all the above which would help your wife and 5 yr old gain confidence.
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Are you saying La Rosiere isn't a mega resort?
HERETIC!
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oh, and if near Hemel, what about a few pre-ski lessons there, worked well for my ever so nervous other-half.
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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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bit of a harsh word for some very helpful efforts above, from other people as well as me (and I have no commercial axe to grind - in fact it would be better for me if nobody came to Les Saisies as it would be even quieter on the pistes). Add some helpful Austrian ones! People can only provide sufficiently detailed information on what they know. I said that there would be any number of suitable Austrian venues, but without any knowledge of them, I can't say more. You're original offering of "anywhere other than France" wasn't, really, terribly helpful.
I drove under the Pila gondola this afternoon. I have a rather nervous brother in law who also has more than a touch of vertigo. I have to say that whilst I think Pila looks smashing, having to do that big gondola trip up from Aosta, and then look down into that valley, would completely finish him off.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Villars is a popular choice for families with young kids. Easy by train from Geneva. Gstaad is another option and is a stunning train journey through the mountains from Montreux.
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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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Just a quick thank you for all the helpfull suggestions, lots of research awaiting me now.
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Tignes, the Val ski tranquille area. It's a bit tedious to get up to/down from, but once you're there it's a superb and varied green area, and lots of off-the-piste fun for better skiers.
Whilst the bowl at ADH is indeed large, it's extraordinarily dull IMO. A hundred adjacent pistes all running into each other, and all feeling the same.
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You know it makes sense.
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pam w, Whilst this is a little off the OP you can drive up to Pila too. We stay up there for the week right on the side of the piste. It takes as long to drive as to take the Gondola and it is free parking in the village.
I did not suggest it for the OP as not much for the non skiers to do, even adding in Aosta, for a week.
Personally, as we have not been to many resorts I do like to hear about all suggestions.
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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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Jake43, I'm sorry we never made it up to Pila - definitely one to try again next year, as we'll no doubt be driving down to Genoa again, to see our son.
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Poster: A snowHead
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bluebull, Les Deux Alpes might tick some boxes, though not a place you might first consider.
- as France goes it's not the most expensive
- Your wife could do a lot worse than take lessons with Easiski who is excellent at encouraging the less confident (see link in my signature for some more info).
- The main resort area is mainly flat, making it easier for the grandparents & little one
- There is a good selection of pedestrian lifts so they could get up for lunch
- There are resort level slopes (button lifts) from very easy up to quite challenging and you there are paths across the lower area part way up so you don't have to walk along the bottom if you're in the wrong place
- There are some lovely easy pistes on the glacier and an ice grotto to visit up there
- There is a not-too-hard route all the way from the top of the glacier to 2100 (Cretes), so your wife would really go somewhere. (I've done it several times, so it can't be hard!).
Alpe d'Huez certainly has some lovely greens in the bowl at resort level, and the trip over to Auris is nice unless you don't like going down/up a gorge in a chair lift. However I found that progressing on from the easy slopes was quite a jump. Also the resort is pretty hilly in terms of pushchair access.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Don't like cliches but Les Carroz should tick all your boxes.
Alpe d'Huez might be OK or Wengen (especially if the trains are an attraction for the olders and youngers). How about Selva?
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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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Just thought I would add my thoughts to the mix! What about Niederau in Austria? It is excellent for beginners and intermediates with fabulous chatacter and athmosphere. Beautiful just doesn't descbribe it well enough! Great local Instructors who all speak good English and several native English speakers from the local Ski School will give your wife confidence and the children make great progress, too. Lots of the easy slopes are right in the village with cafes by the pistes so the Grandparents can watch your 5 year old while minding the little one. Not too pricey with large selection of hotels, self catering, B @B etc. Wherever you choose, hope you have a great time. We moved out here permanently 3 years ago and have never looked back! Carolyn
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Really useful post here, love the forum.
Thanks. 
Henry.
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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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What about a smaller, quiet resort? Have a look at Folgaria in Italy. It has a lovely couple of very gentle, wide blue pistes heading towards Costa with no vertigo inducing edges. A few longer gentle blues in the main bowl around Fondo Grande. Lots of the reds are just tougher blues, so would be good to progress to later in the week. There are a few steeper reds and a black for you to blast around while your OH is in lessons. Almost every lift is a chair lift. Pretty scenary, a nice Italian village as a base, so lots of the ski holiday ambience without the crowds. There is a pool and fitness centre, shops and indoor ice rink in Folgaria, and a little bowling alley in Laverone. There are some nice winter walks to do too. The ski school at Costa is very good, with plenty of english speaking instructors.
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Zell am See might fit the bill
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Would agree Montgenevre would suit for the skiing but there's not a huge amount to do for the non-skiers, the village is pleasant but small and quiet.
Think about Serre Chevalier - there's a huge range of slopes I'm an ok skier but like your other half really don't like steeps or to be surprised and I was fine on the reds - you can ski from one end of the resort to the other if you want but needn't worry about having to get back if you've had enough as there is a ski bus that goes up and down the valley.
Gavin at the New Generation ski school is excellent - he did lessons for our 2 boys last year and they had a great time - he even wore them out which is practically unheard of and I'm sure could do some confidence building - he's British so no language issues.
For the oldies there is Briancon at one end of the valley with an old town to explore or the baths at Monetier if they want to try those - there are also a string of villages to wander round all accessible by bus during the day. You can also get gondolas up to to some of the mountain restaurants so grandparents/youngster could join you for lunch
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How about somewhere on the Sella Ronda, nice easy skiing with a real sense of traveling the mountain and great places to have lunch.
If your parents were willing to hire a car then day trips to the Itailian Lakes are possible as is Verona.
If lessons for your wife and child are your main concern then maybe you should look at Andorra (soldeu) as the ski school is second to none and from what I have heard talking to people with kids in the ski school, all the kids have great fun. The resort also has lots of nice easy runs and you could amuse yourself with the runs to pas in the morning.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Got back from 2 weeks in Whistler today - be assured it will fit your requirements and exceed any expectations you could possibly have.
My wife had a couple of private lessons and her skiing is unrecognisable from how she started the holiday.
Best ski resort I've seen for kids. Kids under 12 ski free. Loads of off-slope activities for all ages (tubing, zip trekking, snowshoeing, etc). Ok, it's a long flight and it's not cheap but it will deliver the best winter family holiday you can get. However, eating & drinking is considerably cheaper than the big French resorts and the people are so friendly which looking at your brief would seem key.
We sat next to a large family on the return flight who could not have been more positive and it had clearly suited all tastes.
Let me know if you would like more specific information.
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Sometimes it's best to nip these problems in the bud.
If she's failed to make the grade after a couple of private lessons, she's never going to be a suitable partner. You need to find another wife. Fast.
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FAQ
