Where to go skiing right now? As beginners and not for megabucks!

[OhShutUpThomas]

I took the kids skiing in Scotland earlier this week and they LOVED it.

I really want to try take them for a ski holiday. We could only spare 4 days from home at the mo sadly but there must be somewhere?

Good ski school
Nice green runs
Nice village/town
Prefer France

Thank you!

When were you hoping to go? Andorra and Pyrenees are generally cheaper than French Alps. Staying somewhere with its own nursery slopes while linked to a bigger resort might work, like Villard or Oz for Alpe d’Huez, or a valley town like Bourg st Maurice for Les Arcs but not sure you would easily find English speaking ski school groups there and it might be difficult logistically each day. Valmorel, Flaine or La Plagne might work better and you could self cater to keep costs down.

I love La Plagne but is it still struggling with too much snow? It’s had to keep shutting with avalanche warnings?
Andorra is brilliant for beginners

Thank you!

Is there anywhere you can go where you don’t have to go on gondolas/cable cars??

That may be a stupid question!

How would you like to get up the mountain?

I think it’s unlikely that you’ll find anywhere with decent skiing and a variety of runs where you don’t have gondolas but plenty of resorts have drag lifts for the nursery slopes.
I’ve only ever skiied in the Alps which is definitely not cheap but have friends who go to Bulgaria and the Czech Republic where I think it can be a lot more budget friendly than the Alps. Might be worth looking into those?

Do you mean just to get up to the resort in the morning?
Most resorts will have a variety of lifts.

I agree la plagne or deux alpes both good for beginners.

Where did you go in Scotland...would you mind giving some details for a newbie that would like to take kids next year please

I’m in Scotland - The Lecht and Glenmore are our local resorts (central Highlands) Highly recommend The Lecht for beginners - my kids (8 and 10) have been loving it there this year. There’s a few places with dry ski slopes locally for them to build up their skills.

@Morechocmorechoc cairngorm mountain is good in Scotland, stay in aviemore or columbridge. Accommodation at all price points, public bus available to the slopes or free parking, other attractions there too like the highland zoo with polar bears, there’s reindeer there too. Nice thing is you don’t have to book a full week, prebook rental gear up there, but it’s super windy so you need mountain gear rather than ski eg fleece and waterproof jacket, staff all had these when I went, I just wore waterproof over trousers too, not salopettes. I prefer snowshoeing myself so went off up the mountain on my own, kids in ski school

There are usually drag lifts on the beginners slopes then progress to chairlifts to access longer/steeper runs but particularly later in the season you may need to take a gondola or cablecar to reach easy slopes and lifts higher up as the snow line recedes. Some resorts also have funicular or mountain railways as an alternative but these are increasingly unusual. The piste map should be clear.

We went to Glenshee, it was really good but I found that whilst the beginners area was great, the green runs to progress onto were really steep in places. So the ‘middle ground’ was a bit lacking for us.

Amazing day though still, the staff were lovely and facilities great.

Not France but we are currently in Norway in Beitostolen and it is perfect for beginners, lots of snow and all the accommodation is a couple of minutes walk to the slopes. We are snowboarding as complete beginners and there are plenty of easy runs. I even spent a couple of days walking up the mountain to a point I felt comfortable to board down. There are other activities too like tobogganing which is included with a lift pass

I wouldn't plan a ski trip to Scotland too far in advance. This is the first decent year for snow since 2021 - when the slopes were shut due to covid.
It would make more sense to get kids going on local dry slope and take them to France next year.

We are just leaving Bansko which has been great but I’d highly recommend getting the VIP pass for the gondolas as the queue can be long without it.

You will need to go somewhere high if you’re thinking about the Easter holidays to ensure snow. Tignes is pretty reliable.

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Yep Scotland is definitely a ‘there’s good snow, let’s cancel our plans and head up’ rather than booking a holiday in advance.

Do you mean Easter holidays or in term time? If you can, go now. Somewhere like Les gets or Morzine is good to learn. Snow everywhere right now. If it’s Easter maybe tignes.

I was thinking early March and just take the kids out of school 🙈

Totally. Global warming is a thing. The snow in Scotland isn't as reliable as it was back in the 80s.

It also seems colder than skiing in Europe which is mainly the wind.

Agree on the unreliability of Scottish snow. Luckily seems to be everyone living here (including those running the schools!) are snow bunnies to some degree so no one bats an eye at you taking the kids off school for a day or even a week to hit the slopes when conditions are finally good! 😂Definitely more tricky for planning a trip in advance though. But as others have said there’s a bunch of other fun stuff to do for families around Aviemore if the snow isn’t co-operating

Tignes might work, fly to Chambrey, lots of beginner slopes, not too big, accommodation available right at the bottom of the beginner slopes next to the ski school. Little shops for sandwich lunches and cheaper food option.

Out of school holidays you might find a bargain. It’s never going to be cheap but it doesn’t have to cost a fortune.

@OhShutUpThomas Where are you based? The first issue you are going to have is actually getting to the slopes from the UK (assuming that's where you're based).

Package ski holidays run almost exclusively Saturday-to-Saturday, so your "4-day" limitation rules out that options. Instead, you'll need to fly into an airport that has reasonable access to the ski resorts. Many "ski airports" such as Chambrey or Innsbruck only have Saturday arrivals from the UK as they mainly serve the package tour operators. Look on Skyscanner to find flights to and from Geneva, Salzburg, Munich, Lyon.

There are lots of good resorts for beginners within an hour or two of Salzburg (Maria Alm, Leogang, Zell am See, Saalbach-Hinterglemm, Lofer). To keep costs down you'll probably need to self-cater - look on airbnb or VRBO for options, and also look at the Tourist Office websites for accommodation. Public transport is free of charge for tourists throughout the State of Salzburgerland (you get a Mobility Ticket from your accommodation provider before you arrive) so all of these resorts are an easy transfer by coach or train from Salzburg.

Otherwise, Norway is also great for beginners - but probably not cheap.

It might be worth trying Snowbizz, see what availability they have left for this year.
Pry St Vincent is high, its not incredibly big but a great place.