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My girlfriend and I are looking to go skiing at the end of January but we're a bit unsure of where to go or who to go with.
Does anyone have any experience of dedicated ski holiday companies? Thinking we'll be better off booking as a package as neither of us have skied before. She has a couple of friends staying in Tignes at the time we'll be going but by the looks of it it's not that suitable for complete beginners. We don't mind where we go really and we've got a couple of days booked at Chill Factor in Manchester.
Cheers!
You may want to check out http://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/the-stw-ski-snowboard-thread-the-2016-2017-season
If it's your first ski holiday then a package makes sense. Not the cheapest way to do it but they'll keep you right. Neilson are usually pretty decent in my experience.
Tignes isn't UNsuitable for beginners. Go with your pals, you'll have more fun
Yeah you'll be fine in Tignes. However I'd recommend Morzine - plant the seed to go back there in the Summer where the misses can enjoy the lake and the pool ect and you can go biking.... and the fact that theres a serious amount of greens / blues for you to both get carried away on. Logistically easy to get around too and a nice town in Winter.
I'd recommend staying with someone less generic and more family run like "Treeline Chalets" or "More Mountain" you'll have an amazing time and be extremely well looked after. If you want to do it cheaper have a look at "The Rude Lodge" it's self catering bunked accommodation. Or have a look at their catered chalets which are also good.
Billski is a really good ski instructor in resort too but I'm sure the chalet companies can also recommend!
I was in Val d'Isere at the end of Jan two years ago and a lot of the slopes in Tignes were in the shade until mid afternoon and therefore very cold. It was unusually cold when I was there though (-20c).
You didn't mention a budget but Club Med is worth a look. They're not cheap but everything is included even ski lessons and a lift pass. You'd still need to rent or buy skis though...
I'd skip the big resorts as you won't get the benefit as a beginner. Italy is very nice and much cheaper than France generally. Has some very charming resorts. Austria has the best apres-ski if you care about that sort of thing. Andorra is another one to consider. The all inclusive thing can work out much cheaper than DIY but some are pretty pricey for what you get.
First up, decide if you want a skiing holiday or a winter holiday with skiing. The former is where the main focus is skiing and so the resort choice is based on that. The latter is where skiing plays a part but not the main one, you also look for other activities.
Under normal circumstances I'd suggest Austria, Obergurgl maybe or Solden. Pretty places with good beginner skiing and excellent tuition available. Scandinavia is worth a look too, you won't get 100's of KM of piste but there's more than enough for a beginner.
However, if you have friends there, head to Tignes. It's not a textbook beginners resort but there's enough there to not give any problems. Plus skiing is a social thing for many and meeting for a vin chaud after a long day on the slopes is a great thing to do.
Check out [url= http://skifix.co.uk/ ]SkiFix[/url], they're a small British company based in Austria who'll create a package for you and really look after you. Very reasonable too.
Have a look at "Bura Snow", they are in La Rosiere which seasoned pros will sneer at as being too small, but has more then enough for beginners to be getting on with.
You book your flights, then they organise transfers, ski & boot hire, lift passes, lessons, and your in a catered chalet.
Was a few years ago when we went with them but they were ridiculously good value for money
Don't go for your first ski trip in January... it'll be cold and will probably snow.... 😀
But I'm not really joking .... you'll have a MUCH better experience later in the year end of March/first week of April when you'll have a better chance of some sun.
Resort wise get somewhere that you can ski in/ski out ... lugging whacking great big ski onto a bus or hiking with them 1/2 a mile up the road to get to the ski lift is a pain in the backside ... which will be hurting already from the all falling over you'll be doing ... 🙂
Have fun
Always enjoyed Sauze D'Oulx - huge area, lively village (still seems to have a bit of a hangover based on previous reputation - we always found it nice enough) and great skiing to be had for all levels.
Tignes looks good, although I've only been in the summer so limited snow. Again, busy, happening resort to spend time in.
Go the whole hog and book a trip to Whistler - might as well spoil yourselves early!
Are you anywhere close to the real snow places in the UK? Getting the basics before you go will make things a lot easier
Ro5ey - Member
Don't go for your first ski trip in January... it'll be cold and will probably snow....
But I'm not really joking .... you'll have a MUCH better experience later in the year end of March/first week of April when you'll have a better chance of some sun.
Couldn't agree more. First timers need that magical combination of sun and snow rather than falling for the January trap.
Tignes would be absolutely fine. There will be plenty you can do. The only thing that possibly makes it unsuitable for beginners is the huge amount of skiing you won't be able to do.
Some of the smaller French resorts re good for beginners too - Flaine, Valmorel, Valfrejus. If you think you might fancy somewhere other than a "pure" custom built ski resort then perhaps Austria or Italy would be good for you. Selva/Val Gardena in the Dolomites is nice.
The wife and I went to Zakopane a couple of years ago. Flight to krakow was cheap, bus to zakopane was a couple of pounds and accommodation there was really well priced. We tried some skiing... It was fun but not really our bag, I'd do it again though. Some really nice winter walking around the area. Couple of days in krakow at beginning and end.
Was a cheap way to give ski a try.
Food and beer was amazing.
For an operator try Crystal Ski. Have been with them twice and managed to find some good bargains.
If you are taking lessons in the UK do the one/two day intensive course and practice on your own after. Don't do the spaced out lessons. Get as much practice in as you can before you go, it will make the holiday much more enjoyable.
Tignes will have plenty of ok slopes for you, but I have to say it has some of the iciest runs I have ever experienced. Book plenty of lessons to have while you are there. If you want to venture further up the slopes the instructors will be able to tell you which slopes do not get icy. If it was me I would go straight over to Val D'Isere where they actually have some trees. The resorts are connected, but you may have to pay more for your lift pass to get there.
The only thing that would put me off recommending end March/April is that if it's very warm the conditions can be quite tricky/heavy going to ski for experienced skiers, let alone beginners.
Jan/Feb has a greater chance of good/easier skiing conditions. Don't worry about large resorts/ski areas as you'll ski very little of it.
Tignes and Morzine are great but a tad £££pricey these days. I had a few (and i mean a few) quid spare this year and went to Bulgaria with Crystal....it was cheaper than staying at home IIRC 🙂 snow was good, slopes weren't too busy, accommodation was good and food was awful (was all inclusive but ended eating out 5 out of 7 nights).....i'd do it again but France defo better!
It seems ski holidays are much more acceptable to STW than Porsche Macans. Both equally obnoxious in my view. I mean, flying thousands of miles adding to global warming just so you can have someone look after you and pamper you before and after you slide down some hills in a way which will amuse you? How bourgeois.
OP have a look at the Where to Ski and Snowboard website, read up on beginner resort recommendations
The tip about early March is a good one for some sun - just check school holiday dates which be obvious by sky high prices
Also you might look at say Austria - its more picture post card than big French resorts (I love Tignes/Val btw) and the big resorts are a bit wasted on beginners. If you can do a few snowdome sessions it will really help kickstart your holiday
Enjoy. If I could only do 1 foregin holiday a year it would be skiing
Oh and one more thing.... probably the most important.... go snowboarding instead 🙂
Excellent stuff!! Will have a good look at all the places that have been suggested and try to get something booked soon. Suspect that if we end up in Morzine then we'll be booking a summer trip for us to go back biking!
I'll reiterate what I said earlier. Whilst January and Tignes are not a perfect beginner combo it's really not bad at all and those factors are more than outweighed by being out there with friends. Having others around in the evening, to meet up with at lunch, to offer some advice/gentle ribbing all helps the enjoyment of a trip.
Go out with friends, have some beers and do some skiing (get lessons, DO NOT let a friend teach you), you'll have a hell of a time.
I mean, flying thousands of miles adding to global warming just so you can have someone look after you and pamper you before and after you slide down some hills in a way which will amuse you?
I used to go self catering - by bus.
What do you do for your holidays Mr Superficial?
I mean, flying thousands of miles adding to global warming just so you can have someone look after you and pamper you before and after you slide down some hills in a way which will amuse you?
Correct. It's awesome, you should try it, it might cheer you up.
What do you do for your holidays Mr Superficial?
I go snowboarding 😆
I bloody love it, it's fantastically decadent. I always feel slightly guilty about carbon footprints and feel sorry for those people who never get to experience a snow holiday, but one of my many abilities / character flaws is being able to completely ignore those doubts when I'm having a good time.
For the record, I'd probably enjoy driving a Macan too. I'm only pointing out the inconsistency that pervades the forums - Porsche bad skiing good.
Sorry for slight thread hijack OP. I agree with pretty much everything said already -
going with friends >> going alone (but don't let them teach you)
March > January
Tignes is nice. Typically full of youngsters, maybe not as grown up as, say, Val d'Isere. If you were snowboarding, the morning ice might be an issue but for skis not so much.
I love skiing, but have no idea what a Porsche Macan is! I did, however, spend a day in Stuttgart in the summer and chose the Mercedes museum to visit over the Porsche, take from that what you will.
Echoing what Jambalaya said.... no holiday is ever as much fun as a ski/ snowboard holiday. Not in my experience anyway. I mean... you HAVE to get up early, but you don't really mind.... you spend most of the time knackered but that's ok... the snow and scenery are just amazing and different every day... you meet people and have a good rush/ laugh on the slopes... drink and food everywhere.. and you generally come back fitter and with more skill than when you left! It's also really hard to be in a bad mood up in the mountains. For anyone who hasn't tried you really are missing out.
If you've not skied before imagine mountain biking in the snow with uplifts and cafes everywhere (serving alcohol) what's not to love? Probably why it's popular with STW-ers.
id get a nice package job, one where everything is included, lessons, passes, equipment, everything - otherwise the endless laying out of cash becomes disheartening! also, youre gonna be cold, tired and sore after a day on the slopes so you will really appreciate a nice chalet or hotel to retire to with good food laid on, open fire and a hot tub! Club Med are good!
Been having a look around and what I can find the price is around £900pp including lessons and equipment hire. Is this a reasonable price? Sorry for the 'newbie' question...
Some resorts take Fatbikes you know....
We did similar. Id never been on a snow holiday. girlfriend can ski already so we both went to learn to board at the same time. booked it with Crystal. Went to Serre Chevalier in March. Stayed in a chalet. First couple of days it snowed. then it was super warm and sunny the rest. Had lessons too. cost us about 1100 for both of us. There are deals about!
There are people on this forum with more experience than me in these matters, but I would recommend going to Austria over France for your trip. I'm actually going to France twice this season, but Austria is a bit cheaper and has fantastic places to eat on the slopes, very friendly and provides a great all round experience. Check out Inghams.
£900 pp can be great value or not depending on all the usual factors. I'd shop around, look at which places offer ski in ski out, which is a huge advantage ( distance to lift is a big factor) and as previously mentioned, how suited the resort is to beginners.
Go with UCPA/Action Outdoors. Accommodation is basic, think youth hostel, food is good, tuition is great, kit is ok and they cater for all levels of ability. And it's a considerably cheaper than most places.
Been having a look around and what I can find the price is around £900pp including lessons and equipment hire. Is this a reasonable price? Sorry for the 'newbie' question...
That's not too bad at all. Skiing is not cheap but that's a pretty good price.
What are the dates you've got quotes for? And what resort?
£900 is a fair amount when not going during school hols.
The week is from the 22nd January. The days before we're in the lake District for a birthday so can't go earlier. The £900 was the price for a week in Marmaray.
£900 per person including kit hire and lessons isn't too bad. I've never heard of the resort though and the internet doesn't throw much up either.
Skiing is the most horrifically expensive thing to do for short periods of time each year, and yet I still love it.
IS Marmaray an actual resort? Because I can find nothing of any note on it.
Not sure if you've decided against Tignes but having been a beginner in Val d'isere and linking across, I'd suggest somewhere else.
Whilst there are plenty of easier graded routes, they are often have extended flat sections after a steep bit so you end up going balls out to get the speed up for the flat bits or having to walk! Not ideal for a beginner compared to some resorts with 10km plus blue routes to build up confidence.
Never heard of Marmaray. Maybe you mean Marmara? Marmara isn't a place. It's a hotel brand name used by TUI /Thomson. Only ones in ski resorts seem to be Valfrejus (don't know anything about this) and Monetier Les bains (is this part of Serre Chevalier?)
Do you know which one it is?
Yes never heard of Marmaray.
Got a bit confused, Marmaray is one of the chalet's with Bura Snow in La Rosiere. They have emailed me today offering £50 less per person. Very tempted now as it comes in around £800 including lessons and equipment hire for the week!
Here's an alternative to look at from a team that offer lessons and you'll be in a group of other standard skiers which makes it more fun.
[url= http://www.skivo2.co.uk/package-prices/ ]here[/url]
The main tour ops fly to Andorra and Italy on Sundays, so they're the places to look for a comparison. I checked out Andorra (Soldeu) with Neilson. £1,300-ish all in (chalet board, ski hire, beginner lessons). I've skied the area before, perfect for beginners and early intermediates. Andorra is quite well thought of for tuition.
Is that £800 each or £800 total for both of you, if the later then I'd say that's a great price!
That's £800 each. I'd have booked already if that was the price for both!!
You could have a look at SnowTrex. We were very happy with them last time when we went to Chamrousse, France.
Ideal for beginners, but may be a little limited for the more experienced skier/snowboarder.
Our 9yo daughter loved the ski school and was attacking the reds by day 5. She also recorded the fastest time out of the three of us when I put my phone in her pocket. I was having problems keeping up on the board.
Wife learned in Tignes and managed to ski a fair amount of the resort in the afternoons. The apre-ski was good too.