Ski holiday

[maribananas]

Hi we went skiing this year as a family of four, hubby, myself and kids age 8&5. We all loved it and planning next year already. Can anyone recommend somewhere with lots of green and blue runs? We would also need a chalet geared for 2 families so 8 people in total. Preferably with breakfast and evening meal included.

We went to morzine which was lovely but my nerves aren't great and some of the blues were quite steep for me! We had a fab chalet and hosts and I would go there again if it wasn't for the fact my 5 year old and I found the blues to steep!

Also would be looking at lessons for us all. Thanks in advance

I think you will find the blues too steep everywhere in that case, it's not Morzine. Blues often have short in length, but steeper drops in the easier runs. There's always a small section (pretty much) that'll give you 'the fear'. Don't let that put you off. Another week under your belt and you'll improve no end. Just isolate the fear to that section. Traverse the steep bit. Keep going to lessons.

You won't find many places that have lots of green runs unless you go to North America, where they always have a bunny run down. The greens are limited, but one of the best places I've found is Val d'isere. The greens are up high and quite extensive. Tignes is linked to it and is the cheaper option.

I also found La Plagne full of cruisey blues and large so you get lots of skiing at the easier end.

Italy I find is slightly kinder on the classifications. I've skied blacks that would be red in France and Blues that are very 'green'. Cervinia and Courmayeur I think are both quite mild skiing - on piste - but I've not skied elsewhere in Italy.

Your 5 year old will be OK next time I expect, but if you really want them to take their skills forward to next year, try to go to your nearest indoor slope in between. It's amazing how much they forget otherwise. Mine improved over the year from 4-5 and 5-6 and it meant we could all ski together more easily.

Thank you for replying. Morzine itself was lovely. However the nursery slope was quite a climb up from the lift. A lot of walking up hill which was hard with little ones! Would preferably like a slope closer to practice on. I defiantly need lessons next year.

I will check out your recommendations

No indoor ski slopes anywhere near us, were in Wales and far from everything 👎🏻it would be a 4 hour drive plus for us!

Did you go up to avoriaz? Long greens and blues

Alpe dhuez has a large beginner area/bowl with tons of greens

It's quite a few years since I was in morzine, but you will find places with much better learner areas (having just taken a look).
It's worth looking at the piste map before booking
When I say you won't find places with many greens. What I mean is, outside of a learner area. In North America there is usually a green run off every lift. That's not the case in Europe. You usually have a blue, but greens in the main mountain, outside family areas or nursery areas, are more limited.

I would absolutely not recommend Val D'Isere or Tignes for nervous skiiers - the greens above Val D'Isere are lovely but they are very steep compared to greens in other resorts, and the runs back into Tignes are also quite difficult if you are nervous.

La Plagne and Les Arcs have lots of nice blue runs - some very low flat ones through trees and some steeper ones too. We have also just been to Serre Chevalier which had lots of nice blues and some very easy green runs which zigzagged down the side of the mountain without ever getting steep - look at a piste map to make sure your accomodation is in the right place to be near one!

If you have the budget, Courchevel 1850 is the best IMO - they have a huge area of lovely green and blue runs right near the resort - the "jardin alpin" (alpine garden). But it's not the cheapest option.

We really liked the Grand Massif area for nice blue and green runs for beginners.

Morillon has a green run called Marvel that is 5km long and great for kids.

Flaine was good because ski school and the nursery areas were very easy to get to.

Agree about Tignes and Val D'isere being not great as the return slopes are quite tricky. There's one that's like a natural half pipe that when busy is horrible (santons I think) and some people think should have really been rated red.

La Plagne is brilliant for easy blues. Loads of them. Most of the villages have lots of ski in ski out chalets, which makes things easier with kids. I’ve heard excellent reviews of the esprit chalet hotel in Belle plagne so that may be worth a look?

Also agree re: Flaine . Whilst it is not very pretty it is very functional!

Another recommendation for Alpe d'Huez. Some great green and blues there - and very wide and forgiving for nervous skiers. We stayed here
www.zenithholidays.co.uk/accommodation/chalets/alpe-dhuez/chalet-louis/

I can actually ski fairly well but got the fear a year or so ago and now get completely freaked out if I don't feel in control so like to stick to gentle pottering. We went to Tignes and I hated it. Getting to and from the Greens upset me so much that I stayed on the nursery slope in the resort for the rest of the holiday. Do not go to Tignes if you are really a Greens skier.

I would absolutely not recommend Val D'Isere or Tignes for nervous skiiers we always took the lifts down from the greens at the top adjoining the resorts, perhaps that's why we liked it!

At the end of your first paragraph, I was about to recommend Morzine... but then I saw that's where you went! Did you go across to Les Gets? That's a bit gentler for beginners.

As has already been said, there's a lot of variety in slope grading, and what is blue in much of France would be red elsewhere. This can even be the case in the same ski area - we've skied in Sauze d'Oulx a few times (Italy), and the reds are very manageable, but across the border in Montgenevre (still in the Via Lattea ski area, on the same lift pass) the blues were pretty much the same.

How about Obergurgl in Austria? (haven't been, but heard good things)

Also second what the poster above said about 'feeling the fear and do it anyway' - it's the only way to build your confidence and competence! And as long as you can side slip, you can get down anything!

I found Val absolutely fine as a relAtively new skier. The bowl of greens on Bellevarde and the Madeleine area on Solaise are great. Plenty of blues when you are feeling a bit braver.

Also I read that the whole thing has recently been redeveloped with magic carpets etc so is very beginner friendly now.

You just have to be content with getting the chair or bubble down.

And avoid Santons at all costs!

I'm a fan of brutalist architecture so I loved Flaine although I can see it's not to everyone's taste!! It's certainly not your standard chocolate box ski resort.

We’re in vallandry near les arcs at the moment, and there are loads of blue runs around here, no greens though, but the blues are nice and wide and the snow here is perfect at the moment!

I think La Plagne is a nightmare because it is so scattered about. You come down a blue to connect to another blue and depending where you come down, it's a flat trek of 300m+ between the lifts. If you want to do the same runs over and over, it's okay I guess. It's also very hard to get between the resorts - the buses are patchy at best.

My vote would be for Courchevel, Tignes or Meribel, or Andorra which is geared towards beginners.

Meribel was great and very family friendly. We are a mixed group and all had a great time. Plenty of greens and blues

Try Levi Finland for something different. Plenty of long easy not steep blue runs and you can go over the whole fell via greens and blues (and lift). I’ve always found it preferable to big Italian resorts which have difficult blues at times (can’t comment on France). You may need to investigate the catered chalet. Some lovely chalets (e.g. Immelmokit) but I think they are either self catered, or I think you could go the nearby hotel for meals. This year will be my sixth at Levi and I love it.

33 out of interest what time of year do you go?

It's already been mentioned but I second Belle Plagne. We stay at the Des Deux Domaines (esprit). It's ski in, ski out and surrounded by lots of blue runs. Childcare is excellent and no need to walk children to lessons. You can arrange private ski lessons and they'll collect you from the hotel.

Have a look at Passo Tonale. Popular with a public school I know of.

dont either last week of feb or first week of march, anything earlier is pretty cold and not many lifts open. Still plenty of snow at that time...

Our school go to montgenevre which they rate very highly for beginners.

I've not been myself but they keep going back which is a recommendation in itself.

Santons in Val D is now Red on the map. We're heading their in a couple of weeks. Clearly they've realised!