How to do a ski holiday as novices?

[foyc]

DH and I have been skiing individually but are novices really (especially me as it's been yeeeears) teens have never been skiing.

We'd really like to book a skiing break, we can go in March (in 2026).

I'm mindful skiing tends to be an annual occurrence for some families so they are very clued up on what they're doing, I haven't a clue, I'm curious to know:

1. how long to go first time, maybe a shorter break?
2. Will we be able to do lessons?
3. can we hire equipment?
4. are there places better suited to newbies?
5. is DIY the better way to book or is there a package deal that may be better suited for first timers?

1. Go for a standard week. If you go for less time you won’t fully get mastered on the basics for it to become really enjoyable for everyone.
2. lessons are basically a must-do for everyone. Your tour operator can help you, and I strongly suggest 4-6 days or course of lessons to get the most out of it.
3. again, easily sorted with most standard tour operators. They will likely have a link to the hire shop e.g next to the hotel.
4. YES! newbies are well catered for in most of the smaller resorts that operators use. Don’t go for the large, flash resorts such as Val d’Isere as the lift pass prices will put you off, and you won’t benefit from the challenging slopes. Look for slightly smaller, linked resorts such as La Rosiere (there are many that are v similar- Google) or smaller, lower Austrian villages (I’m assuming you will ski mid-winter not in April).
5. DIY is amazing if you know what you need and what suits the family. Go packaged and then you get a rep to help you on the transfer coach with lift passes, ski hire etc etc. Flights are normally included, as is half board in the hotel etc, so normally works out better value and much less hassle whilst you are finding your feet.

enjoy the planning!

If you want an instructor for just your group, I’d recommend Skibro. They’ll match you with an instructor available in your resort once you’re booked.

Also interested in this! We are looking at Ski famille in the 3 valleys

Look at the main operators - TUI, Inghams, Neilson etc - for one of their beginner ski packages. They do all the hard work of selecting appropriate and easy to navigate resorts, booking English speaking group ski lessons, equipment, lift pass if required. You need a week to really make progress and lessons are structured around changeover days. Look at the altitude of resort(as most nursery slopes are at the bottom of mountains) and look for good snow records. Also look for resorts with pools, ice rinks, walking paths and sledding routes in case you want time out,

Thanks everyone, off to look at Tui as we book our summer holidays with them often, didn't release they did skiing.

I’d go for a package deal to keep things more straightforward.

I know a couple really knowledgeable travel agents who would be thrilled to help you with the planning, pm me if you’d like their details.

Tui diverted me to Crystal holidays which makes it look lovely and easy for a first time booking, thanks again all.

Is March an ok time to go?? Sorry to sound daft but are you quite safe booking a holiday with a tour operator assuming they have done the research that the holidays they sell will likely be in snowy places?!

Lapland has great snow til May, is often cheaper than the Alps, and very importantly to me was the ski teachers all speak wonderful English. Not always the case in the Alpine results. Not all the big tour companies offer Finland or Swedish lapland, but it's well worth a look.
Edited to add that snow is unpredictable. You either go very high (which is more expensive) or take your chances. A resort with good snow making coverage is worth look for.

Where are you thinking, Europe? You need to go high. Nowhere is snow sure anymore.

Early March is usually fine for snow conditions and the temperature is getting warmer. After mid March is more of a risk snow-wise and locals tend to stop around then unless it is an exceptional year for snow fall. Easter is relatively late this season and most resorts will try to keep slopes open until then. We've had bare slopes at end March and heavy snow fall in other years, so you never can tell. Crystal are normally pretty reliable for their information and organisation. However suggest you cross check details like location of hotel relative to nursery slopes/skischool meeting point, age accepted for ski-school and hours of lessons, and availability of any advertised childcare facility you may need to use with the resort websites.

Thanks both, I assumed Europe but DH would prefer USA. I've been to Utah skiing but assuming would cost a lot more and as we haven't been before I didn't want to spend a huge amount.

We could book quite last minute keeping an eye on the weather but not sure how recommended that is with skiing, the kids' school does a holiday in March which would usually be term time so I was hoping that might help with prices.

(Haven't been before as a family I mean)

US/Canada skiing is expensive and the flight and jetlag are a killer, particularly if you go west coast. And learning to ski is very hard work, which could be worse when jetlagged.
I love it, but it needs a 10day trip at least.

Crystal go to Hotel Petit Palais in Cervinia. It is a great resort for beginners, and a really nice little town too.

The cost of lift passes in USA is eye watering. I’m not saying they’re cheap in Europe but it’s definitely something else to consider.

There are so many different things to consider. I’d really urge you to get some advice from a knowledgeable travel agent.

As first-timers with the family, I agree with the others that you should book with an established Tour Operator. Crystal, Heidi, Nielsen, Inghams are probably the largest and they organise everything for you. There are alos numerous smaller, niche operators such as Ski Famile.

1. Don't bother with less than a week - most operators only offer Saturday to Saturday anyway.
2. Lessons are a must - group lessons are fun and the teens should also have group lessons with their peers. You'll probably learn faster in private lessons, but these can be expensive. All instructors in Austria will speak English. France and Italy can be less certain, but most schools will be able to provide an English-speaking instructor, and the Tour Operators will have a contract with one of the schools (usually the one with the most English-speaking instructors).
3. You'll be able to hire skis, boots, poles and a helmet. You need to provide everything else (jacket, trousers, fleece, neck warmer, ski thermals, ski gloves, ski socks, goggles, sunglasses etc.). Again, the TO will have a recommended provider.
4. It's easier to say where you should stay away from.... you don't need the big, expensive resorts like St Anton, Courchevel, and other mega-resorts as you'll be paying for a lift pass that you'll hardly use.
5. DIY can be better value or give more options, but you need to know what you're doing. For the fist couple of skiing holidays, avoid the stress by letting a Tour Operator do all the work.

USA/Canada have become very expensive (lift passes, tuition, ski hire etc) for beginners, and you'll need at least 10 days to get the most out of the trip.

March should be OK, but no later than the second week in March (w/c 7th March in 2026) for most resorts. Higher resorts have a better guarantee of snow, but can be bleak and soulless and not have much else other than skiing going on. Look instead for resorts with good snow-making capabilities and lots of runs below the tree-line.

Beware of ski-in/ski-out as this often requires you to actually be able to ski - which as beginners and novices you obviously can't (yet).

There is actually a separate skiing forum here on MN - and a helpful forum for skiers over at Snowheads.

If your other half is keen on North America check out Mont Tremblant - I think Crystal go there , if not we have been with Ski Independence and BA.

It's in Canada so much more exchange rate friendly than the US resorts and it's east coast so jet lag isn't too much of an issue. It's also a lovely village and the ski school is very good.

By way of comparison:

One week ski and boot hire: Mont Tremblant CAD $478 (= €321); Saalbach Austria (one of Austria's largest ski areas, but very good for beginners) €198

Adult One week ski pass in March: M.T. CAD $585 for 5 days + $142 for day 6 (€492); Saalbach €405 for 6 days

5 day group lessons: M.T. CAD $1,290 (€867) per person for 2 hours a day; Saalbach €271 p.p for 4 hours a day.

The ski rental is 60% more expensive in M.T and the ski pass 20% more expensive but the ski lessons, vital for beginners and novices, are eye-wateringly more expensive in Canada - over 3 times the price for half the amount of instruction.

Thanks so much, we travel to the US a lot so DH would want to do it tagged on to something else but I think given how exhausting skiing will likely be for the kids we are better off focussing on skiing and sticking closer somewhere without jet lag, and build up to the US when we hopefully know what we are doing! Sounds like March is doable if we stick to the first week so will look at the companies mentioned, thanks again.

@foyc The adults will be tired long before the teenagers have even broken sweat (which is one reason why the adults and the teens should learn in different groups).

Another snow-sure option for March is Scandinavia - e.g. Trysil, Hemsedal or any of the SkiStar resorts. Not many UK companies go there, but you can easily DIY the flights to Oslo and then take the SkiStar packages (train tickets, accommodation, ski rental, instruction) from there. Scandinavia does not have the same "apres ski" atmosphere that you'll find in the Alps, but with kids this is probably less important than finding good snow conditions for beginners and good instruction, which will always be in English.

Heidi is a good company-my friend raves about them. I didn’t think cervinia was a great resort for beginners. Alpe d’huez is great as has loads of green runs so beginners aren’t all on the same run. Val Thorens is full of wankers currently! I’d probably do a full week, sat-sat so you can do ski school. Much cheaper than private lessons.

Have a look at ClubMed holidays. Life passes and ski school included. Excellent food, all inclusive drinks, warm comfy bedrooms, entertainment. A variety of locations, we stayed at Serre Chevalier for several years now trying La Plagne.
we book through Skiline, talk to Mal and he will give you plenty of information and advice about all the other operators too.

Thanks everyone, really useful! Will get googling.