Megeve At Christmas first time ski family

[Remmy123]

we have been given a quote for Megeve flying on the 27 December, I wanted to ask on here if this resort is good for families who haven't skied before?

Two teens went with the school and one 8 year old. The holiday company suggested we get an instructor just for our family which I though was a good idea

the other quote we had was at Alpe d'Huez which was slight more expensive.

any thoughts welcome

thanks so much

… sorry posted too soon.
ADH or Flaine likely safer options that time of year although plenty of families do go to lower resorts and have a good time

@abricotine thanks I'm not sure why I rejected ADH either someone on here must have said something about it?!

I don't want to run the risk of it being rubbish as I've been saving hard for this but feel like I'm going round in circles really!

We skied in Megeve last year and gorgeous as the village was (shops/people watching), the resort is just too low to ski.

We skied February this year in Le Gets.. snow was crap so we had to drive to Avoriaz where it was great especially the higher slopes.. however a friend is currently there and the snow’s now gone.. all green.

There have been huge dumps in the Alps overnight thankfully! But at this time of year it never lasts that long sadly!
OP I think someone may have said above that ADH does not have good tree cover. This is useful if the weather’s bad as it improves visibility on the slopes and it also looks nice. But it in Europe at least, on the whole, the tree line is often quite low so resorts with lots of trees might suffer if snow is poor that year.
Aside from that — it’s never an exact science — ADH looks to me like a good place to learn with loads of greens and blues to move on to. Assuming your accommodation is conveniently located. Ski in ski out is not much use for beginners so you want somewhere a short walk from the lesson meeting point if possible.
I have friends who went to ADH for years and years and their kids learned there but I have not personally been. The other place you can look is Italy which has a reputation for excellent slope preparation early season.
snowheads is a good place to ask as well as there is a lot of knowledge there! They will generally suggest smaller lesser known resorts for learning and also to travel with an operator your first time.

No comments on those particular resorts as I’ve not visited and we aren’t beginners so a lot less dictated by easy links/access to greens etc, but something struck me here which is running the risk of being rubbish.

Skiing is a holiday that is very dependant on the weather. Almost more so than any other holiday, in that the weather you need to set up good skiing and the weather you really want to be out skiing in are polar opposite (whiteout heavy snow vs blue skies and sunshine). You do need to emotionally prepare for the fact that you could get a weather week from hell where high mountain lifts are closed for days on end. With that in mind low level nursery slopes might be something you want to consider, and experienced people will likely say snow can be unreliable etc, because it is if you are a regular skier relying on links in mega-resorts but for true first timers almost all big resorts will get enough artificial snow on a village nursery slope in Dec/Jan. You are less likely to have the current problems of excessively warm temps because January is notoriously dark and freezing vs March, but it could still be strips of artificial snow to form pistes wherever you go. We ski somewhere regularly where you can ski in the summer. Pros train up on the glacier in Summer months, but even then come March the lower village runs can be slushy in the afternoon. Over Xmas they hold up much better.

As a beginner I’d say access to village nursery slopes and minimal faff (though be wary of ski in/out and check it will be suitable for you. No good if it’s ski in/out onto a red/harder blue run) but also really in week 1 you don’t want to be schlepping your gear 500m to a bus to stand on a bus to schlep another 500m to the beginner lift, and back again at the end of the day, especially if self catering and you want to pop in at home for lunch. Also important is a good range of non-ski activities for when you get tired (and you will) should be high up your list to look for. What these activities are will vary family to family. We like walking even in terrible snowy weather, and hate swimming so a big indoor pool isn’t a selling point, but for others pools, ice rinks, bowling alleys etc are important.

Hey OP, I live in Geneva and have explored some of the local resorts. I love Combloux (next to Megeve) - it's stunning, the most beautiful charming resort. Lots of green, blue runs, wide easy slopes, beautiful chalet restaurants on the mountain, my favourite resort ever!. I skied there 2 weeks ago and it hadn't snowed for 2 weeks before that, it was hard packed snow, icy, I saw people being helicoptered off the mountain after stacking it on blue runs. But I felt safe on the blues because they're quite flat. I do think at Christmas time you have a pretty good chance of snow. I was in Morzine at Christmas, we had snow. If you were going in February I'd say go somewhere snow sure. I went to Morzine at Feb half term this year and it was absolutely terrible. Warm, raining, no snow, packed.
I'd really think about what you're looking for. I personally don't like big, heaving, ugly resorts like Morzine, Avoriaz, Flaine or Chamonix, i dont want folie douce, big queues for the lift or people bombing it down the slopes pissed. I prefer something charming, more French, beautiful views, not crowded, easy to get round. Love Combloux. La Clusaz is very beautiful and charming. Gondola lift from centre of town takes you up to the beginners area and a beautiful view, accessible for pedestrians, restaurant with amazing view. And then in the village centre they have daily entertainment over Christmas, shows, music. Les Gets feels very English, and a bit more upmarket than Morzine, it's more compact too, I like it. But again it's not high up.
If you can go anywhere maybe look at Val Thorens, Val D'isere, Verbier for higher resorts if you want to be snowsure. I personally think at Christmas time you'd be alright.
Saint Gervais and Les contamines are next to each other and worth a look. Les Contamines I love for skiing but no idea what the village is like. It has a great set up for beginners though, and stunning views. Big playground on the mountain in the snow for the kids. Snack bars on the slopes as well as restaurants.
Les Carroz is meant to be lovely but I've not been there yet.

Thanks so much for the very informative information it's so helpful - I will do some further research based on recommendations.

a small resort is good, I wouid hate anywhere too hectic I'm fairly anxious when I'm with my kids always expecting to lose them etc so a chilled resort wouid be ideal!

Heading to megeve over the Christmas holidays with a large family (all over age 15). Will you please give me some restaurant recommendations?