please give any suggestions also be as brutal as you need to be

[thetallfairy]

8 nights booked for a ski trip
we fly to Geneva but I have always wanted to go down to chamonix
we were thinking of doing two nights in Geneva then back up to fly out of Chamonix

we have never skied before
friends have lent us all the gear etc
we will be going to dry ski slopes to have a go before hand

is this all crazy ???

we plan on getting the train to get to chamonix

we fly in and out of Geneva that should say

any tips much appreciated

Switzerland and France in one trip?! Woah.
Seriously though, why would it be crazy?! Do it!

As you've never skied before, don't waste time on an expensive trip pissing about changing location. There is zero comparison between a dry slope and a snow covered piste with a drop off one side. Save it for another trip.

Yes, that’s true, but as the OP will be a total skiing virgin, she may be bored to death after four days and want to do something else…?

so dont try the dry slope?

before we head away?

do many go to ski resorts and take part in many of the other activities?

loads to do in chamonix apart from skiing

I am sorry I don’t understand this - you ski in Chamonix and so you will fly into Geneva and travel up by train. Sounds completely reasonable… you don’t ski in Geneva. Am I missing something??

Nooo, definitely do the dry slope, but it's very very different on snow/ice depending on the weather! The stamina, but particularly the subtle changes in ground and the emotional aspect of being able to fall down a mountain complicate it. I just don't think you'll get enough for your money to change location.

I wouldn't waste time on your holiday swapping locations. Pick one place and ski there. If you've never skiied before then you should take ski lessons once you are in the resort, and it will take you most of the week to progress off the nursery slopes and onto a red run. I would not bother with the dry slope unless you just fancy having a go on it beforehand, but as pp said there is a lot of difference.

The whole point of a ski holiday is to ski, to be honest. If you want to sight see then don't go ski-ing.

No. Travelling unnecessarily from one mountainous area in one country to another in one trip is just a waste of time.

Go to Geneva, then ski in swiss resorts near enough to there. Going up and down mountains just getting from a to b isn't that fun.

If you want France then fly into France.

???? Guys - to ski in the French alps you would fly to Geneva

You cannot ski in geneva. It is a city.
Perfectly reasonable to fly to geneva to get to french alps.
Absolutely do indoor snow or dry slope before so you not spending first lesson in the mountains on "this is a ski boot" . You might be able to to straight to beginner+ group. A step up from complete beginner.

Or Chambery.

Yes the obvious thing is fly to Geneva and ski in Chamonix. But Chamonix isnt really a resort for beginners. So go to a resort near Chamonix, ski for 5/6 days, which is more than enough for a beginner (book lessons in the morning) then go and spend a couple of days in Chamonix and travel back to Geneva from there. You're going to pay a bit extra for the taxi between the resorts but otherwise just arrange transfer Geneva to ski resort A and back from Chamonix to Geneva. This is not going to be a cheap trip anyway.

You mean clothes leant right? Not Skis, boots and poles. Hire them.

Chamonix is a bit of a tough resort for beginners although not impossible. The ski areas are strung out along the valley and the ones in Cham town centre wouldn’t be my choice to begin. Le Tour at the far end of the valley much more beginner friendly…also possibly Les houches but can’t remember. Free ski bus between areas.
Totally normal to fly in /out of Geneva to access French alps and Chamonix is one of the closest resorts …Road transfer only an hour if you didn’t want to do train. It takes time to get sorted with boots/skis/lessons so if you want to get to grips with it …i wouldn’t lose a couple of days to Geneva …which is expensive, pleasant but not super interesting.

You also have time to spend a day in Geneva and look round there too - which is a city break. You transfer up to resorts in either the French or Swiss alps eg Chamonix or somewhere more beginner friendly from Gemeva.

Maybe research "beginner friendly resorts"....

Les Gets, Morzine, Avoriaz much better for beginners, Les Gets in particular (DH and kids learnt there), and are 'on the way' to Chamonix, for the end part of the trip, or even for the day from Les Gets. Chamonix is stunning so I would go, but not sure you can get a ski bus from those resorts to Chamonix, Ben's Bus or similar? You might be able to. Otherwise will be a pricey taxi/private hire.

But you fly into Geneva to go to Chamonix, it's only up the road. France and Switzerland yes but hardly miles apart.

You don't ski in Geneva or fly out of Chamonix OP.

Geneva airport has a dedicated French sector as it is on the border with France.

You do basically fly into France when you fly into Geneva. And most of the close ski areas are in France. Lived there for six years and did almost all of my skiing (day trips) in France.

Aww that's told me! Thank you. Haha. I've not been to the bit next to France. D'oh. 😂
I guess I always just think travelling in those areas is a pain.

thank you so much guys

super helpful

I dont really know what to do to be honest

Chamonix is not a good beginner ski resort. Your best bet is somewhere like Alpe D’Huez which has wide open green runs and also an easily accessible base if you have had enough and want to relax. Easy access to beginner slopes from the resort too.

Chamonix does not have that - it’s a long, linear resort made up of about seven different ski areas. It’s very disjointed and quite complex to navigate. It’s the last place I’d recommend beginning.

Geneva isn’t really worth visiting. Unless you like really high end shops it’s a bit of a dump, surprisingly. CERN is good though.

Yes, if you were thinking somewhere like Zurich or Zermatt, you'd have a point. France is basically a Pacman that is about to chomp Geneva. The thin black line in the image below is the border (you can see that comes basically into the airport (as someone else noted, part of the airport is officially in France (there are ways to get to it without ever entering Switzerland - though that isn't really relevant other than for rental cars in the world of Schengen).

If you don’t know what your doing then crystal ski do good packages for beginners who can help you organise equipment hire, lift passes , lessons and transfers. Much easier the first time you go.