Beginners ski holiday to Belle Plagne - what to expect

[Mumtothelittlefella]

On a whim we’ve booked a family ski holiday in Belle Plagne for last week of February HT! We’re all complete beginners save a few hours spent at the snowdome (DC 7 and 5 took to it well...unlike DH and myself).

We’re all booked in for daily morning lessons but I’d like some idea of what we do in the afternoon? I’m guessing that we won’t be off skiing by ourselves as we won’t be competent enough. Should we book full day lessons instead or should we enjoy free time to practice and explore La Plagne on ‘foot’?

Any advice and tips grateful received.

Are you in a catered chalet?
If you’re sc you can happily faff about happily for an hour a day shopping for food/ taking back fondue machines etc.
You could easily spend an hour on the slopes in the afternoon even if you really are complete beginners, showing each other what you’ve learned and just the sheer palava of boots gloves skis on/ off takes time, but in a good way.
Shout out to friends for borrowed ski gear, there was a v posh North Face toddler jacket that was in use all season for about 8 years in my friendship group and Decathlon is excellent.

It's up to you whether you want to do lessons in the afternoons - it can be quite a full-on holiday with full day lessons, and pretty tiring. I don't know Belle Plagne, but sort of things you could do in the afternoons include sledging, swimming or ice-skating if there are facilities for these, practising your skiing together, taking a cable car or cabin/bubble ( so you don't have to ski down) up to a mountain restaurant or bar for hot chocolate/waffles and to see the view. There may be a cinema or bowling alley - a lot of resorts have these, or opportunity for husky rides if you want to try some thing different. A lot of the resoorts do organised walks/ trails round the resort.

The tourist office will produce a leaflet with details of events which run every day so make sure you pick up one of these at the start of your stay - if it' s half term there will be a lot of activities arranged for children anyway. If you have an apartment you can just chill and watch DVDs/films if the kids are tired, especially if the weather turns bad. I don't think you'll find a hard to fill the afternoons.

Snow shoeing is a great afternoon filler "raquettes". ESF will run guided walks . Don't book additional lessons let the mood take you as to more skiing altogether - go back to the runs you did in your lesson - or riding the bubble cars on foot to see the view or sledging or mooching round the shops or swimming or ice skating etc.

Thank you for your help, it sounds as though we’ll have plenty to do which is reassuring. We’re staying in a hotel rather than a chalet as we thought it would be easier for our first trip.

You can easily ski on your own in the afternoons if you want to. Just stick to the lifts and slopes you've used in your lessons and practise

There is a bowling alley in a pub, chill out, walk about.

You can get the cable car up to the top of the glacier very easily from Belle Plagne. We took our little boy up there on foot. wouldn’t advise beginners to ski it but it’s a nice trip on a sunny day if you want a non skiing afternoon.

It is a really good resort for newbies. There is other stuff to do and skiing is tiring so an afternoon reading/ playing board games is never a bad thing.