La Plagne for beginners

Hi,

New to this forum but trying to find information on La Plagne as its been recommended to me as a great place for beginners.

There are a couple of problems though - the beginner is my husband and he has been wanting to try skiing for ages but I have been holding him back as I am scared of heights and can't use chair lifts!!!

What I would like to know is if there are beginners slopes in La Plagne reachable by enclosed cable car (I will grit my teeth)/funicular or even walking distance from the resort itself.

The added complication is I will be taking our year old daughter so it will only be my husband skiing - I just want to be able to go with him to the slope so we can sit an watch.

Any help gratefully received or alternative suggestions for a more suitable resort?

Many thanks in advance.
Angela

La Plagne has a nice litte cafe/bar at the base of the main slope so you won't need to get off the ground at all.

To be honest you wouldn't be able to watch your husband all of time as a ski resort is a big place and goes way above the tree line.

The resort is a good place for beginners but there is plenty of accessable off piste for the more advanced as well.

Hi Angela,I skied for a couple of days in La Plagne in March of this year & had the most fantastic time. However, I think there are other places you could go to where there is excellent skiing for beginners & you will have a much nicer time as a non-skier with a baby. The villages around La Plagne are purpose built & lack any real charm so I don't know how you would amuse yourself all day. Your husband won't want to ski down the same slope all day so you can watch him & I'm sure you'll get bored of that too.

I've been to Les Gets lots of times (short transfer from Geneva)& think somewhere like that would be a better bet. It's a lovely family orientated village with lots of different shops, an ice skating rink, cinema etc. & the tourist information office puts on street entertainers & various activities during the week. There is more here for a non-skier than in La Plagne. Apart from last season (poor snow) we've always been able to ski all the way back to the village so you could watch from there. There is a gondola which takes you to the main ski area at Les Chavannes and there are several cafe/bars here and plenty of easy skiing where you would be able to watch. There is a free 'petit train' which runs around the village all day & can transport you to the gondola up from the other side of the village to Mont-Chery, where again you could watch from the restaurant.

We've found that the British Alpine Ski School have always been excellent - your husband would quickly progress with them. Why don't you book some time with an instructor who might be able to help you overcome your fear & take you for a short ride on a chairlift? There is a small beginner area with a 'rolling carpet' to take you up the slope, then you can move on to a drag lift to get a little higher. I can't do Alton Towers but I can do chairlifts - they don't all travel very far off the ground! :?

If you send me a pm I can send you photos of both places which would give you an idea of the ski area & the viewing area. Good luck with your search & I'm sure you'll be given other ideas too.