 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
Thanks to your wise advice, won't be heading to Engelberg in late Nov, and the other suggestions were only open weekends, so now I am thinking.. what about Saas fee? It means a bit longer on the train, but looks open from what I can see. Any good for beginners? I'm taking my son, and he needs really easy slopes, but is happy to go up and down the same one, so doesn't need loads of variety!!
Thanks for the help
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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munchimo: After a couple of previous visits, we skied the Saas Fee Glacier with complete beginners one autumn a few years ago. The beginners comprised four adults in their forties and four kids between about 7 and 11.
We had regarded the glacier (like most glaciers) as very gentle - but our group of beginners (none of whom had been on skis before) found it all a bit difficult. There was no natural beginners area so their instructors (family members who were with us) ended up teaching them outside the top station on a flattish bit of terrain. That was ok - but after that there was nowhere for them to go - access to the main glacier area from there is very steep for novices.
Anyway, we finally got them all onto the glacier - to find that the adults refused to try and ride the drag lifts. The kids did so easily. Problem was that you have to ride drag lifts to the top of the glacier to get the lift back down to the village.....
The result? We had to beg the ski patrol to evacuate the party from the glacier by piste basher - luckily they obliged.
The moral of the story? Saas Fee glacier isn't really suitable for total beginners - at least those who can't or won't ride drag lifts...
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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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Oh dear, that sounds like an adventure! He is actually ok on drag lifts, I just want easy slopes - otherwise he has no fear and just goes zooming down!
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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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By late November Saas-Fee should be open at least down to the mid-station of Morenia, even if the nursery slopes in the village are not yet open.
If open to Morenia you can take the cable car up to Felskinn (Alpin Express or Felskinn lift) and walk through the tunnel (bear right at the entrance to the Metro-Alpin) and there is a track which curves around until it joins the main slope down from the glacier. You can choose from a couple of possibilities, but essentially there are blue runs back down to the cable car at Morenia. You can repeat this for as long as you want and it involves no T-bars and no unmanageable slopes (although the last few metres are a little steeper).
However, the glacier is not suitable for beginners from the top station and there is no real alternative to the area between Felskinn and Morenia which could be rather limiting.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Derek Jackson, That's interesting to hear about November, I've only been to Saas Fee in August and February.
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I just want easy slopes - otherwise he has no fear and just goes zooming down!
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sounds like he needs lesson! My niece's son is like that - last year, on his first ski holiday on snow, he broke his leg on day 1. He had had some lessons on a dry slope, and thought he knew it all. We weren't here - my niece and her family and friends borrowed our apartment for half term. My advice to put him on skis no higher than his chest, and to get him straight into lessons, went unheeded.  They are coming out again at Christmas, but this time have promised that he will go into lessons, use shorter skis and learn how to control his speed properly.
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FAQ
) I'd agree with you about the access to the main glacier area and the drag lifts not being helpful to novices 
