Choosing a destination as a beginner skier or snowboarder can be a tricky task, with much more to consider than simply finding the best slopes or what resorts have the best après ski bars. The French Alpine resorts within the Portes du Soleil and the 3 Valley’s offer a huge variety of options for beginners and we explain why.
Snowboarder’s Paradise
Avoriaz is famous for its snowboarding scene, with a snow park for their exclusive use; meaning that there is the perfect terrain for learning to snowboard without having to battle busy slopes with the rest of the skiers. There are also instructors in the resort that specialise in teaching boarding skills.
Freestyle Fanatics
Morzine and Avoriaz are great for those that want to learn the basics of freestyle skiing, with a large half pipe that gives plenty of space for beginners to experiment with new skills. Alternatively, the resort of Meribel has built two snow parks, with the ‘moon park’ being suitable for novice riders to work on their tricks and moves. The moon park is set over 25 acres and includes rails, tables and half pipes as well as a boarder cross course. The courses for beginners are labelled green and the jumps are equipped with soft landings for practising safely. You can also be filmed on the kickers as a useful tool for identifying improvements.
Back to School, The Fun Way
Hiring a ski instructor is one of the most effective ways of learning to ski quickly, whilst ensuring you are developing the correct technique. Ski instructors will be the most skilled people to teach the basics and direct you to the best slopes for your ability, and an English-speaking instructor in resort is a very useful support. Resorts that provide a great choice of ski tuition include Val d’Isere, Morzine, Meribel and Les Gets with the BASS British ski school operating across all these resorts and across all ages.
Moving On Up
Moving on from the basics to the slopes quickly is another feature to look for when selecting a great resort for learning to ski. It’s a good idea to look at which resorts are popular choices for traditional ski operators, such as holidays to Morzine with Alpine Ski; it’s a popular choice because of the 5 green and 23 blue slopes, enabling quick progression to some of the more demanding slopes. The terrain is formed from gentle gradients and wide pistes, and skiers have the rest of the huge Portes du Soleil area to explore when the basics have been mastered.