Resort advice

[Elizacat]

Hi, new to skiing, only been once up to now and trying to book a last minute get away in February. I wanted to try and keep it cheap and Les Houches keeps coming up as very reasonable. Friends we are going with are trying to push for Valmorel which is considerably more expensive. Not really sure why but they have mentioned altitude and snow, but all the reviews I’ve read about Les Houches are really good and it say it’s a lovely place to ski.

Has anyone got any opinion on it/ experience with either place? Are they justified in pushing for Valmorel? Is Lea Houches rubbish, poor snow etc?
Thanks!

Are your friends also new to skiing? I've not been to either but I wouldn't want to go to Les Houches because it's tiny. Which is totally fine (and probably a bonus) though if you're a beginner. There would be little point in you paying the premium for a ski pass to a massive resort when you'll barely scrape the surface of it. If your friends are decent skiers though I can see their point about wanting to go somewhere larger.

Les Houches is tiny, really low altitude so the snow quality is going to be iffy which will make the skiing harder, quite a few of the pistes go down to 1000m so probably a high chance of closures due to lack of snow which will leave even less skiable area so boring for experienced skiers but most of the pistes are reds or blacks so it’s not beginner friendly either. It looks more like a place locals would go for the day or somewhere you’d stay because it’s cheap but would plan on driving/getting the bus to the better bits of Chamonix every day. Valmorel on the other hand would be a decent choice for a group of any ability.

I’ve been skiing for years and would never recommend chamonix to a beginner. To be honest it’s not my favourite place although others will disagree.

on your first trip you want easy access to pistes and a limited area. What would be the price of your lift pass there?

I’ve not skied Vslmorel but have heard positive things and would expect it to be a much better place for a first trip.

I haven’t skied either but low altitude and tiny are always bad options for skiing.
Alternatively try Les Arc. Just came back from Arc 2000, which was amazing for skiing. My eldest says Arc 1800 is better for the apre ski etc and still great for snow cover. Lots of runs to chose from.
Avoid low down resorts as snow cover is an even bigger issue these days with the changing weather patterns, and small resorts are awful once you start improving - you want to spread out on to new runs but can’t. I think they only work for complete newbies.

I personally love Meribel* as you have Val Thorens and Coucheval to pop over to, although I found the snow cover is worse (March ish) than it was 20 years ago. Feb should be fine.

*edited to add I know Meribel isn’t cheap! However I think you’re throwing money away on a tiny, low altitude resort…

As pp, Les Houches is low and tiny, and separated a bit from the rest of the Chamonix Valley. It's where local go rather than holiday makers, there's not loads there.

I learnt to ski on a mixed ability holiday. We stayed in Argentiere, and all went off to the different ski stations* around Chamonix every day on the ski bus - our party included some mountaineers and ice climbers too.

Argentiere is a small village but has bars and a few restaurants. The skiing there is good for beginners, and as the week went on I ventured further afield on the ski bus as I gained skills and confidence.

*there are several ski stations around the valley, at different heights, so can cover a range of abilities. Also benefit from a range of weather conditions. It's been a while since I went to Cham, but the lift ticket used to cover the bus and all the stations except the Aiguille du Midi, which you wouldn't be going to as a beginner anyway.

agree with the Les Arcs suggestion: 1800. 1950, 2000 all good. High enough for guaranteed snow and easy access to pistes. As beginners you really don’t want loads of effort getting you and your gear to the slopes each morning. And if someone’s had enough, it’s easy there for them to call if a day and go back to accommodation. 1800 best for apres ski, but there’s enough at 1950/2000, which are very close (50 metres obviously!) and linked with a gondola.

Thanks so much for the replies and very useful information! It’s much appreciated 😊

All taken on board and has made me feel much happier about the Valmorel destination!

No they’re not new to it, they’ve been skiing regularly, about 3 times a year, for about 5 years. So I take your point about it not being great for them and it makes sense why they might no want to go there!