Where to Ski in March?

Sorry Rick my previous comment should have gone on Marnicks post.

But yes Niederau, Westendorf oArinsal all good for beginners . Would recommend a tour op beginners package as it works out cheaper than buying separately. Hope you find something.

This question comes up sometimes and we can all mention our favourites. My favourite is Seefeld, smart town, lovely scenery, good for beginners. Late March the bottom run gets slushy but it is not a difficult slope and you can avoid skiing it if you need to. If budget is tight I guess eastern Europe is cheaper.

Equipment costs? I would not know. I have been skiing 7 years. My first skis / boots/ poles / bag was £30 in Oxfam, and still usable. My current pair of skis was £25 on Gumtree. The last set of poles I bought were 1 Euro each in a fleamarket in a skiing town. My current boots were a reduced price, pulled out of the store-room as old stock, My touring skis and skins were Euro200 from a friend. Every set of skis has (though I am no expert) got me down black runs, long unpisted Alpine routes, deep powder, and skiing through woodland, none of which you will be doing in your first year. To be fair, if you can rent modern skis that will make life easier but don't waste money on the upscale models, which will not suit a beginner. Just make sure the boots are comfortable.

Probably, as Dogu suggests, a package is the answer, but a pension / b&b and an Easyjet or Ryanair flight can be a cheap option, provided the piste is reasonably accessible by foot or free bus. If you go that non-package route, you will be buying lift passes at the rates advertised on the resort website. I have not seen the UK-based websites selling passes really undercutting the standard prices. Check the resort's advertised prices, as some big big resorts are needlessly expensive (why pay for hundreds of kilometers of piste you will not get the chance to use?).

Some kind of initial instruction is a probably needed, either a course or a couple of private lessons. Best of luck!

I agree with SnowLily. This is where I went on my firts skiing adventure and thought it was aperfect fit for the level I was at (absolute beginner). The area is very nice, too. Everwhere you turn looks like a winter scene from a Christmas card!