Beginners skiing

I think thats the best thing about them tony getting to know the general idea, i'd always been told how weird it is to walk in ski boots so it is useful to know how!

I do still go to the dry slope a few times a year as it helps to keep the memory in the legs, saves getting your legs back in on the first day!

hello there,

i'm planning my first ski holiday ever for mid march. can anybody suggest a place for an absolute beginner please? i have no idea where to go. Was checking Austria and reading the comments here however there are so many villages, i'll be lost soon.
possibly a cosy nice resort in case i realize that i'm not made for skiing!

thank you

Again as Tony has said dry slope lessons will save the beginner at least two days on your hard earned expensive ski holiday, I have used dry slopes and it is a lot easier to ski on snow but for learning the basics before you go you can't go wrong.
I have no experience on the standard of instruction.

Bluemoon,

Have a look at the piste map for Alpe D'Huez (ifyouski.com). There are tons of greens for a beginner, its an ideal place to learn.

It has its bad points though, the town is a bit ugly and the scenery isn't fantastic unless you go up high though you can go up to the top and back on the cable car for the view (it is worth it)

My kids learned there and it was great taking them out in the afternoons on all those easy green runs.

Just my 2p worth

Mike

Bluemoon,

I went to Livigno, Italy for my first ski trip two years ago (been back since and going again in 2 weeks). I was a complete novice when I went, one trip to dry slope before that was it, my wife had skied once before but at school and both my children were new to it, aged 9 and 14 at the time.

There are a number of good nursery slopes, which are all easy to access via the free buses. You can also go to the top of the mountains and come back down on the lifts if you dont fancy skiing down when you get there, we did this a few times. Had group lessons which weree fine.

The village is between two mountains, and has plenty of shops, bars and restaurants. Some designer shops to, supposed to be duty free but with the value of the euro at the moment prob no cheaper than here. One lady in our party didn't ski after the first day and found enough to do during the week.

The only negative would be the transfer time prob 4-5 hours I think although we go on a coach all the way anyway.

Heard that Alpe D'uez is great as my friends learned there. I like Ellmau in Austria but it's low so might not be good in Mid-March - saying that this year there's loads of snow. I'd just make sure it's high enough. Pick one where you don't have to go up in a Gondola first thing in the morning, as many of the Austrian villages do. That's cos as a beginner you'll be knackered enough anyway without a bun fight each morning. Ski in Ski out is excellent choice but will limit your choice too. Avoriaz is high, in France, excellent greens and easy blues and the ski school is in middle of the town itself with no traffic. Also ski in/out. Ugly town though, but very high.

Hope you enjoy it.

Westendorf in Austria is great for beginniners, the slopes are in the village for beginners so easy to get back to your base if you are not enjoying it. Some nice easy runs up the top for you to get better on, and it is linked into the Ski Welt so if Westendorf slopes are not holding the snow, this is worth considering. Also Kirchdorf is good, and linked into 10 other resorts on the pass - Thomson do both I think. Have had friends learn in both and I have been to both several times.

I would agree that a dry slope is no substitute for the real thing. However, the basic fundementals learnt on a dry slope are exactly the same as on snow - there is no difference to the techniques learnt, it's just easier on snow!!