Resort suggestions for nervous intermediate skier please

[BabyLEphant]

Just back from a week in the French Alps with DH (excellent skier), DD(15), DS(11) and some other friends (all good skiers). We had a great time but I am now seriously lagging behind the group in skiing ability.

I skied a few times in my 20s but only really started to learn properly over the last 4 years. I'm 45.

I've had lessons every trip and really enjoyed it at first as DD and I had lessons together. DS was in ski school. But both kids are now brilliant and don't need lessons. They can keep up with DH on reds and some blacks.

This last week I've tried really hard and put in loads of effort. I have improved a bit but I struggled on some difficult blues and on the reds. I felt I was constantly pushed outside my ability and I didn't get to experience any "easy" bits where I could just have a meander and enjoy the view!

DH says I need to "invest" this time to get better. I agree but surely I should be able to have some enjoyable moments too. It is supposed to be a holiday.

Can anyone suggest any resorts with long easy blues for me to practice on plus some more challenging stuff for the rest of them? a short transfer from an airport (accessible from UK) would also be good.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or tips to make more fun for me. Am starting to lose heart a bit....

We picked Madesimo in Italy for this very reason. Very long stretches of blues and red and black for those who enjoy the thrill.
1h30 from Milan airport.

La Plagne and les arcs (Paridiski) 425km of piste, I worked a season there a few years back, there are some lovely wide rolling pistes, plenty of tree runs, parks, off piste and more challenging runs and quite a few places where a blue/red/black all converge at the bottom so you can take an easier route and end up at the same place.
La Rossierre and La Thuile (linked) are also worth a look.

There's a great long blue in Montgenevre in France. Also Kronplatz, Italy has a long beginner slope and there are lots of blues in Alleghe, Dolomites. Super Chatel area (above Chatel) may work well too.

Thank you all. I'd love to try Italy for skiing (great food and wine). DH has already suggested Sauze dOulx but I'm going to check out your suggestions. I want us all to enjoy the next one and I was starting to feel left out. I'm sure my DD will do some of the easier runs with me (if we go somewhere suitable) as well as speeding with DH.

Yes Italy is great and really good value. Sauze is in the same ski area as Montgenevre in France btw they are linked as they are in The Milky Way. I personally would prefer Claviere (also in this area) as Sauze is a bit of a party town full of Brits, but if you are looking for Apres it would suit you well!

Definitely Montgenevre- lots of cruisy blues there

Your husband sounds quite selfish and thoughtless. Spending a whole week of holiday feeling like you are out of your comfort zone is not very nice.

Up until 3 years ago, I was skiing with my family on red and blacks but had a hideous accident when I was out of my comfort zone and did some horrible damage to my knee. I will never ski a black again and vary from finding blues in tricky conditions quite awful to managing to ski reds quite comfortably. We ski with friends (we live within easy reach of mountains) and they understand my situation and usually have someone ski with me on the reds and blues while they do other things and they all ski with me on some runs and still manage to have fun. I also do a hit of cross country skiing and ski randonnee to vary the week a bit as well as taking a day to catch up with some work too.

I'm still very much a green and blue run skier and love Chatel. There is a beautiful run that zig zags through frozen waterfalls.

DH and I have both resigned ourselves to the fact that I'll never be as good as him, since he's been skiing for 25 years and I'm just not that desperate to hit black runs, it does nothing for me.

DS has started lessons and I'm looking forward to a few years time when he can go off with DH because at the moment it's quite a solitary holiday for all of us. I have lessons, DS is in ski school and DH is off on his own. We literally only see each other for evening meals.

Your husband sounds a bit selfish tbh. Me and my husband are the other way around - I've been skiing for years and years whereas my husband only really learnt a few years ago. It's bloody tough learning as an adult - it's literally only last year where the look of grim determination has gone from DH's face and he's started to properly enjoy himself. Feeling like you're having to push yourself too far out of your comfort zone is not enjoyable and dangerous.

I've really only skied in France the last few years - La Plagne has some great blues - plenty of big wide high runs and pretty tree lined runs. We were in Tignes last year and I was surprised how many nice blues is had - you can get almost to the top of the glacier up the funicular and ski down on blues. But the transfer time is utterly hideous which would put me off going back. Alpe D'Huez also great and the transfer time is a bit less awful. All resorts are fairly ugly but that's par for the course for high altitude, purpose built French resorts.

I was the same; very much a novice and my husband would take me up the wrong lift and I’d get upset and wobbly on the way down, cross words etc. It wasn’t working. So we made sure we planned our skiing holidays so my husband and I could have some time skiing separately. Why not sign up to a morning group and then DH can take it easy alongside you in the afternoons once he’s got some runs done? You will improve and have fun with people your ability and speed alongside. We’ve done this a few years now and now I’m comfortable skiing with him. Most of the time anyway

Oh dear. I hear so many stories of people being put off skiing by pushy boyfriends/husbands! I hope they are not the same with the kids too it would be terrible to put them off when they are just starting out...

Soldeu Andorra is perfect for you. Food not great but excellent skiing for those who need to gain confidence

I agree with pp. We have just returned from Soldeu in andorra. It was fabulous. The package meant that we all had Ali school, even dh who is an excellent skier - his group did looks of ski guiding. Children came in leaps and bounds. But most importantly, Mr ski school was fantastic. I want pushed out of my comfort zone but we did loads of blues and some reds. The instructors were all amazing - andorra ski school has a fabulous reputation. There's miles of blues to ski in the grandvalira region and it's great value for money.
The only downside is that it's a 3 hour transfer.

ignore the typos!

Me and the OH spent a week in La Plagne last February. I would say I'm an intermediate and confident on some reds, he can go down blacks and off piste etc. I've never had any lessons and just copy what he does/did.

I had a nasty fall in La Plagne and broke my leg (needed surgery with plate/screws) and spent 3 of the 7 nights in hospital an hour and a half away

We've also been to Chamonix, Tignes, Val Thorens, Deux Alpes & Sestriere. Out of those I enjoyed Tignes the most & found there was plenty to do for both of our skill ranges.

We also did a day trip from Chamonix to Courmayeur which was a lovely resort!

Thank you all for the replies. Some good recommendations I will check out. @chateaumargeaux you're right he is a bit selfish but I don't think he means to be. He's just really keen for us to all love it as much as he does. The kids are loving it and keeping up with him. He just needs more patience with me. As PP said it is hard learning to ski as an adult.
@billyandthesillies you sound just like me. I hope we can find a balance so we can all enjoy ourselves at all levels.
I have this dream that the kids will ski with us year on year even when they are grown up and married. So I think it is worth skiving with learning now. x

Sticking with learning now

@chateaumargeaux and @goldenkirst I hope you've both recovered now from what sound like nasty injuries!

The thing with kids is that they hit their peak just as the parents are starting to slow down due to creaking knees 😂😂
I laugh at dh now as he is still trying to keep up with our 20yo dd who more frequently drops cliffs with the boys raised in ski resorts . He loves it but comes home and rubs his knees and falls asleep on the sofa. He can keep up but only because he’s twice her weight, which is a serious advantage on a downhill 😂 We insist on skiing with his parents every year, so we get a chance to be middle of the pack. MIL finally hung hers up a couple of years ago at 75, but FIL still lives to see how much faster our youngest is every year
I’m a Sunday afternoon skier. I love to pootle around the byways and occasionally stop and take a pic of blue sky and an interesting tree. I didn’t learn until adult (dh taught me and yes, I cried. But I got over it fast.)

Lovely to hear from someone who has kept a good sense of humour about it all! You paint a colourful picture. I think I'll enjoy being a Sunday afternoon fair weather blue run skier. Just need to convince DH of that!

Serre chevalier
several green long runs 7 km thru trees and blues as well as plenty red and black for the others

If you’re willing to go further afield I’d look at Colorado resorts. Winter Park and Breckenridge could be good options, and the transfer would only be a couple of hours from Denver.

Recommend montgenevre. I did a season there and taught a lot of intermediated on long cruisey blues. Perfect for intermediated. Also if your husband wants sauze you can get the "Milky Way" or via latta lift pass and he can ski from montgenevre to sauze du. So can you, it's not a difficult route, just long. We used to ski over there with a large intermediate group and get there by lunch, have lunch there, ski in sauze all afternoon and get a cab back to monty.

Monty is also cheap, quiet and quaint. In my season I only once queued for a lift (Boxing Day - special event on and the neighbouring resort had little snow so had bussed people to ours)

Happy to dm with more monty insider info.

Thanks Gin that sounds just what we're looking for.

Another plus for Montgenevre is as it's so close to the Italian borders, there's a definite Italian influence on the restaurants rather than wall to wall tartiflette. Plus I think you can get a cab to Claviere actually in Italy if you fancy for dinner.