Best ski resorts for beginners
We all have to start somewhere when it comes to skiing and it can be quite daunting when thinking about where to go as a beginner. You’re already worried about the actual learning part, you don’t need to worry about whether there’ll be any runs for you too! Here are some of our best ski resorts for beginners.
Flaine
This is possibly a lesser-known ski resort (if we asked you to name 3 ski resorts, we don’t think Flaine would be on there!) but we really think it should be more known! Flaine is a resort within the Grand Massif ski area that is really great for beginners and families. The ski area gas around 265km of piste (140km of which are in Flaine itself) which means that you won’t get bored without being too daunted by the size of the area.
Flaine has a good number of green runs (around 7) with the Grand Massif area itself having around 42. There are also a strong number of blue runs too (around 26 in Flaine going up to around in 60 in the full area).
A great perk of Flaine is that there are actually beginner lifts at the bottom of the mountain that you don’t need a pass to use! This gives you total beginners the chance to have a play around and then buy their ski pass on the 2nd day or so.
Flaine is effectively a giant bowl with all runs pretty much coming back to the same place which makes it safe and easy for beginners who may not be too sure on reading a piste map just yet (don’t worry, it can be tricky!).
One of our favourite accommodations in Flaine is Les Terrasses d’Eos and you can read more about it here.
Les Arcs
Les Arcs is made up of 4 different areas Arc 1600, Arc 1800, Arc 1950 and Arc 2000. All of which are basically ski-in/ski-out (some accommodations may not quite be but you wouldn’t be far from) which really helps with beginners. In Arc 1800 you’ll find designated beginner areas great for starting off. There are also designated “Ski Tranquille” areas designed for those skiing at low speeds, where you can really build your confidence without worrying about people zooming past you - exactly what you want from one of the best ski resorts for beginners!
They have recently reclassified some of their runs and added 10 more green runs. Whilst there may not be as high a number of green runs as you would maybe expect from a resort we’ve named as one of our best resorts for beginners, we don’t think that the wide range of wide cruisey blues should be ignored. There are some nice short ones to get really comfortable on before progressing to slightly longer blue ones.
One of our favourite accommodations in Les Arcs is Arc 1950 Le Village Apartments, and you can read more about them here.
Val Thorens
Val Thorens is such a great resort and while some may be surprised it’s made it onto our best ski resorts for beginners due to it’s reputation, it really can cater for anyone – beginners and advanced skiers alike. The local Val Thorens area pass gives you access to 150km of piste which is more than enough room for beginners to get a real feel for skiing without being constricted to the same 10 runs over and over, or there being so many that they feel overwhelmed.
Most of the resort is either ski-in/ski-out or very close to the slopes or a lift, which makes it much easier when there are beginners in the group. There are plenty of wide slopes with a gentle decline giving beginners a great chance to get used to skiing and finding their feet.
The majority of green runs are located around the centre of resort, with the blues then a little further out and the more advanced pistes being further out/up. This means that beginners don’t need to venture too far and worry about getting too tired (or giving up!) too far from home.
One of the best things is that magic carpet at the beginner slopes – no one likes trying to master a drag lift when you’re starting out (or at any point if your skiing career actually…).
One of our favourite accommodations here is Cheval Blanc due to it’s amazing ski-in/ski-out location leading right down to the beginner area making it a great option for beginners! You can read more about it here.
Those are 3 of our best ski resorts for beginners, and the great thing about most of them is that they can also cater really well for more advanced skiers so if you have a group of mixed abilities (which we’ve written a whole blog about here) you’ll all have something! Drop us a message to chat through any requirements for your group, we love talking about ski holidays so are more than happy to offer advice.