Quality ski resort for beginner couple?
Discussion
Me and the missus want to go skiing in January.
I've done it a couple of times and loved it. The missus is a complete novice.
We would like to go to a really nice ski resort but nothing too pretentious. Something that would cater well for beginners and have a few nice places to visit in the evenings.
Anyone got any recommendations?
Also who do you guys go to for your ski insurance?
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Thanks all
I've done it a couple of times and loved it. The missus is a complete novice.
We would like to go to a really nice ski resort but nothing too pretentious. Something that would cater well for beginners and have a few nice places to visit in the evenings.
Anyone got any recommendations?
Also who do you guys go to for your ski insurance?
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Thanks all
ATV said:
Me and the missus want to go skiing in January.
I've done it a couple of times and loved it. The missus is a complete novice.
We would like to go to a really nice ski resort but nothing too pretentious. Something that would cater well for beginners and have a few nice places to visit in the evenings.
Anyone got any recommendations?
Also who do you guys go to for your ski insurance?
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Thanks all
Going by your budget for your first ski jacket, I would heartily recommend a suite at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof in Zermatt, which is a great, but expensive resort. I've done it a couple of times and loved it. The missus is a complete novice.
We would like to go to a really nice ski resort but nothing too pretentious. Something that would cater well for beginners and have a few nice places to visit in the evenings.
Anyone got any recommendations?
Also who do you guys go to for your ski insurance?
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Thanks all
You can shop around for ski insurance on the comparison sites, make sure you get as much cover (for things like helicopter rescue, third party liability in case you crash into someone or something that breaks, and repatriation. You can get this for no more than £20 per person.
I would also buy a purpose built ski jacket/trouser combo - you could probably spend half your jacket budget on a very good outfit.
Otherwise, I'd recommend a resort in Austria for the "authentic" skiing atmosphere and quality (Bad HofGastein, Mayrhofen, Seefeld - there are lots) and I've found recently, provide good value compared to France which is simply shocking at the moment.
Edited by prand on Thursday 30th September 09:05
prand said:
ATV said:
Me and the missus want to go skiing in January.
I've done it a couple of times and loved it. The missus is a complete novice.
We would like to go to a really nice ski resort but nothing too pretentious. Something that would cater well for beginners and have a few nice places to visit in the evenings.
Anyone got any recommendations?
Also who do you guys go to for your ski insurance?
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Thanks all
Going by your budget for your first ski jacket, I would heartily recommend a suite at the Grand Hotel Zermatterhof in Zermatt, which is a great, but expensive resort. I've done it a couple of times and loved it. The missus is a complete novice.
We would like to go to a really nice ski resort but nothing too pretentious. Something that would cater well for beginners and have a few nice places to visit in the evenings.
Anyone got any recommendations?
Also who do you guys go to for your ski insurance?
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Thanks all
You can shop around for ski insurance on the comparison sites, make sure you get as much cover (for things like helicopter rescue, third party liability in case you crash into someone or something that breaks, and repatriation. You can get this for no more than £20 per person.
I would also buy a purpose built ski jacket/trouser combo - you could probably spend half your jacket budget on a very good outfit.
Otherwise, I'd recommend a resort in Austria for the "authentic" skiing atmosphere and quality (Bad HofGastein, Mayrhofen, Seefeld - there are lots) and I've found recently, provide good value compared to France which is simply shocking at the moment.
Edited by prand on Thursday 30th September 09:05
I would say, (on my personal experience) Les Gets, Val d'isere, Courchevel, St Anton or Verbier. The last two are by far my favourite though.
Val d'Isere is my all time favourite and I went with my family to Verbier this year for the 1st time.
We've already booked for next year.
Of the 2, for beginners I would say Val d'Isere. Why? Because the nursery slopes aren't a nightmare to get to on the 1st morning for your lessons - Verbier needs the gondola up, meeting place in the car park next door, etc.
OP: Spend the amount you were going to on that fashion accessory on some PROPER skiing gear instead.
You'll spend most of your time on your arse in the 1st couple of days, so you'd better to have warm, waterproof gear than "all the gear and no idea"
ENJOY!
We've already booked for next year.
Of the 2, for beginners I would say Val d'Isere. Why? Because the nursery slopes aren't a nightmare to get to on the 1st morning for your lessons - Verbier needs the gondola up, meeting place in the car park next door, etc.
OP: Spend the amount you were going to on that fashion accessory on some PROPER skiing gear instead.
You'll spend most of your time on your arse in the 1st couple of days, so you'd better to have warm, waterproof gear than "all the gear and no idea"
ENJOY!
ATV said:
Finally I'm looking at this for a ski jacket http://tinyurl.com/2f5a46n I know it's a bit chavvy but I've always loved the Stone Island/ CP Company jackets and would love the excuse of buying one for skiing and then being able to wear it back here. Would it be a suitable wear for the slopes?
Just to give you a reference point - a top of the range ArcTeryx jacket and trousers, which is some of the best dedicated mountain gear around, will cost as much together as that jacket. A rubberised jacket won't be breathable and won't be designed for use in conditions ranging from winter storm to heavy rain - although it could get you a free entry into the more specialised clubs in certain resorts I ski 3+ weeks a year and I haven't bought the ArcTeryx gear. Instead I spent £350 on a North Face Triclimate jacket and trousers and saved the rest for beers. Money wasn't really the issue.
worthwile going on J2ski forum and browsing about..as it's like PH but just for skiiers.
based on 2010 season. Val d'isere was about twice the price of St Anton for stuff like food and drink. Other stuff (lift pass, ski hire) was similar. [E15-20 for bolognaise in VDI, cheaper over in Tignes]. Depends on how much you want to spend !! based on your experience you would be fine going to much smaller places, which will be significantly cheaper than most of the places mentioned thus far
based on 2010 season. Val d'isere was about twice the price of St Anton for stuff like food and drink. Other stuff (lift pass, ski hire) was similar. [E15-20 for bolognaise in VDI, cheaper over in Tignes]. Depends on how much you want to spend !! based on your experience you would be fine going to much smaller places, which will be significantly cheaper than most of the places mentioned thus far
I've been to Val D'Isere at least once a year for the past 10, and St Anton 4 times in recent years.. I've always found food/drink prices comparable, tho the Euro ahs been making it painful in recent years.
Sure there are some very expensive places to eat/drink in Val, more so than St Anton, but there are also plenty of 'reasonable' priced places in both.
Val D'Isere is a much better 'beginners' resort of the two..
'reasonable' is of course a relative term . Ski resorts are never cheap...
If you budget £1k each, you wont go far wrong..
ps http://www.snowheads.co.uk/ski-forum/
Sure there are some very expensive places to eat/drink in Val, more so than St Anton, but there are also plenty of 'reasonable' priced places in both.
Val D'Isere is a much better 'beginners' resort of the two..
'reasonable' is of course a relative term . Ski resorts are never cheap...
If you budget £1k each, you wont go far wrong..
ps http://www.snowheads.co.uk/ski-forum/
Edited by Nimbus on Thursday 30th September 15:35
as said. Val and Tignes are good for novice skiing.
Tignes le lac has the school right at the bottom next to about 6 lifts so they can get you straight out to suitable pistes.
Heard (but not used) good thing about evolution 2 in Tignes.
In fact Tignes/Val are good for skiing, apres and just about everything
Tignes le lac has the school right at the bottom next to about 6 lifts so they can get you straight out to suitable pistes.
Heard (but not used) good thing about evolution 2 in Tignes.
In fact Tignes/Val are good for skiing, apres and just about everything
VEA said:
No offence but I completely disagree... I find Zermatt to be (these days) the single most pretentious place I have ever been, even the Mcdonalds doesnt feel right.
Don't worry, I completely agree with you! I was gently hinting to the OP that if he was after buying an £800 coat, (that doesn't look much better than Michael Foot's donkey jacket either) for skiing, then he'd fit right in!Mcdonalds in a ski resort? Yuk! Saying that, do they do a Mcfondue?!
I would disagree with Val d'Isere being the best place to learn.
It's wickedly expensive, and a concrete jungle, a pretty dismal place compared to others.
I first went there in 1987, and although it's changed a lot since then (I went back a couple of years ago), it's still got no charm like a lot of resorts.
You could do worse than buy the 'Where to Ski?' book, which has very comprehensive reviews of pretty much every resort in Europe.
As a brief run-down;
Italy - Medium hotels, medium price, poor tuition.
France - Concrete hotels, expensive, relatively good tuition.
Austria - Very pretty, relatively inexpensive, good tuition.
Switzerland - Very pretty, very expensive, good tuition.
Eastern Europe - good if you're a young and impoverished student....
In saying that, Val, Les Gets, Chamonix (to a lesser extent) et. al. are all full of Brits spending 10 Euros on a beer, 25 Euros on a hamburger and having a wonderful time, if that floats your boat, then great. There are better, nicer, prettier, cheaper resorts out there though.
It's wickedly expensive, and a concrete jungle, a pretty dismal place compared to others.
I first went there in 1987, and although it's changed a lot since then (I went back a couple of years ago), it's still got no charm like a lot of resorts.
You could do worse than buy the 'Where to Ski?' book, which has very comprehensive reviews of pretty much every resort in Europe.
As a brief run-down;
Italy - Medium hotels, medium price, poor tuition.
France - Concrete hotels, expensive, relatively good tuition.
Austria - Very pretty, relatively inexpensive, good tuition.
Switzerland - Very pretty, very expensive, good tuition.
Eastern Europe - good if you're a young and impoverished student....
In saying that, Val, Les Gets, Chamonix (to a lesser extent) et. al. are all full of Brits spending 10 Euros on a beer, 25 Euros on a hamburger and having a wonderful time, if that floats your boat, then great. There are better, nicer, prettier, cheaper resorts out there though.
Been to Silvretta Nova in the Montafon Valley, Austria a few times and it was great.
Doesn't really cater towards Brits (never saw or met any there), so might not be your thing.
Good runs in some stunning scenery.
I've been to Alpe Duez too and I would say Silvretta Nova is much better and less touristy in the way that those concretey overcrowded French resorts are.
Doesn't really cater towards Brits (never saw or met any there), so might not be your thing.
Good runs in some stunning scenery.
I've been to Alpe Duez too and I would say Silvretta Nova is much better and less touristy in the way that those concretey overcrowded French resorts are.
Shay HTFC said:
Been to Silvretta Nova in the Montafon Valley, Austria a few times and it was great.
Doesn't really cater towards Brits (never saw or met any there), so might not be your thing.
Good runs in some stunning scenery.
I've been to Alpe Duez too and I would say Silvretta Nova is much better and less touristy in the way that those concretey overcrowded French resorts are.
Most of Austria and Switzerland is the same.Doesn't really cater towards Brits (never saw or met any there), so might not be your thing.
Good runs in some stunning scenery.
I've been to Alpe Duez too and I would say Silvretta Nova is much better and less touristy in the way that those concretey overcrowded French resorts are.
Once you've been to these places, you'll never quite get over how ugly the French resorts are!
I went to cortina a few years ago, and although i wasnt a beginner, it struck me that it would be good for beginners, on one side of the valley is a great beginner area with some cracking bunnyhops etc, couple of nice food shacks, plus the town is very nice too.
There is a good spread of different terrain, wide, steep or through the trees whatever you like
There is a good spread of different terrain, wide, steep or through the trees whatever you like
Personally I don't have and have never had a "skiing jacket" - don't see the point. Get yourself a good quality Gore-tex hiking / mountaineering jacket and layer-up. I can be quite comfortable in an Icebreaker merino wool base layer + Gore-tex jacket, and if it's a bit cold stick on an Icebreaker jumper or fleece. All the layers can then be used for other activites such as hiking, climbing, watching the football etc. Also enables you to moderate your temperature better than having a think skiing jacket on.
For a first trip I would recommend Interski and go to Pila because it has a lot of good green runs for beginners.
They can supply everything including insurance clothing and skis and boots.
The tuition is with English ski instructors and they are very good.
The big advantage with Interski is everything is paid for upfront in some cases food throughout the day and some evening entertainment too.
I went to Courmayeur every year for five years with Interski and had a great time, there are some school trips there as it is their core business but you don't get mixed up with them.
They look after everything for you from arrival to departure.
My first two ski trips were two 10 day trips to lake Louise staying at the Lake Louise Inn and If you think you can afford a bit more I would go there as it is perfect for learners as it has a lot of green runs.
Before you go anywhere you need to get some lessons at your nearest snowdome as it will save you a couple of days at the resort.
They can supply everything including insurance clothing and skis and boots.
The tuition is with English ski instructors and they are very good.
The big advantage with Interski is everything is paid for upfront in some cases food throughout the day and some evening entertainment too.
I went to Courmayeur every year for five years with Interski and had a great time, there are some school trips there as it is their core business but you don't get mixed up with them.
They look after everything for you from arrival to departure.
My first two ski trips were two 10 day trips to lake Louise staying at the Lake Louise Inn and If you think you can afford a bit more I would go there as it is perfect for learners as it has a lot of green runs.
Before you go anywhere you need to get some lessons at your nearest snowdome as it will save you a couple of days at the resort.
Gassing Station | Holidays & Travel | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff