Novice safe ski resort

keigcf

My husband really fancies going skiing with our 3 children, 15, 13 and 10. We have never done anything like this before so need a nice place to go to where everything is easy. I also have a major fear of heights so wouldn't go high up on one of the cable cars, house height would be OK. Also resort couldn't have a bus ride from the airport which involved one of those cliff faces you see with the one 1/2 the bus hanging off the edge_pale_ that would scare me to death. I at least want to show him I have tried to find somewhere suitable but need to know were to start looking. Thanks for any advice

mchale

http://www.avoriaz.com/ski-holidays/ski-area.php

pavlovs_dog

as a very novice skier who dislikes unsafe heights, i would say it's a fear you really need to face head on if you are to have any real chance of progressing as a skier.

My first and only experience on the snow was in Brienz, switzerland (meiringen and hasliberg). A very pretty resort with a decent ski school. there is another resort nearby which apparently is even more geared up towards beginners, but i cant for the life of me remember what is is called.

i would recommend you have a go on a dry slope first. You probably wont enjoy it, but when you do eventually try on snow it will seem so much easier, even though it is still difficult (if that makes sense).

another thing to be aware of is that learning to ski is physically exhausting. Nothing can prepare you for how much you will ache. It's very frustrating if you go with people who have any degree of skiing ability because people seem to forget very quickly just how difficult learning can be. I'm assured that once it clicks, it's a hobby for life. I'm just waiting for it to fully click for me!

pavlovs_dog

Not sure where you are in wales, but my dry slope sessions have been in Llangrannog and Fairwater ( Cardiff). Of the two, I'd go for Fairwater if I was paying for lessons. Friendly instructors who seem to have a way of coaxing even the most unnatural and unwilling skiers like me into learning the basics!

keigcf

I don't need to progress far, i'll be happy on the beginners. If there was a nice spa there I could always spend an afternoon in there, resting nicely

keigcf

pavlovs_dog wrote: »

Not sure where you are in wales, but my dry slope sessions have been in Llangrannog and Fairwater ( Cardiff). Of the two, I'd go for Fairwater if I was paying for lessons. Friendly instructors who seem to have a way of coaxing even the most unnatural and unwilling skiers like me into learning the basics!

Cardiff is 70 miles away, Llangrannog off the top of my head would be approx 60

keigcf

mchale wrote: »

http://www.avoriaz.com/ski-holidays/ski-area.php

They look to be building a load of new buildings

scheming_gypsy

You'll have a bit of a problem with not going up in a cable car as you need to get from the resort to the mountain.

Sierra Nevada could be a good one for you.
http://www.sierranevada.co.uk/
http://www.snow-forecast.com/resorts/Sierra-Nevada
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bsr5bMBOV_U&feature=related


It's a few years since i've been so i can't remember exactly how high the cable cars go, but it isn't stupidly high. You've more chance of kicking chimneys than touching planes, and you can even get a gondola that takes you from the mountain into the middle of the town.

It's also one of the few places where you can go to the beach instead of going skiing. It's also half an hour from Granada airport so you're not spending hours travelling once you get off the plane.

Although most resorts are fine for beginners as the mountains have different colour sections, with each colour telling you how difficult it is.



The only bad points that i found were:
1 - nobody spoke English, although we just stayed in Sierra Nevada and it could be more commercial since we went or in a nearer resort.
2 - the day we were leaving seemed to be 'everybody in Spain going skiing day' and we had to run up a hill with all our snowboarding gear to get to the taxi before he hit the one way system. If we didn't make it we'd have had to queue for 7 hours (apparently) for the traffic to move through the town.

pavlovs_dog

personally, I'd shell out for a dry slope session as a family so that you can get a feel for things. Much cheaper for the children to decide it's not for them after spending a few quid for a dry slope lesson then to shell out £000s for ski gear and a ski holiday.

You sound extremely reluctant to get near a slope, presumably because of your dislike of heights. I think you'd be stepping way, way out of your comfort zone going into a skiing holiday (which by it's very nature is going to involve mountains and lifts of various descriptions). Do your self a favour and get some dry slope experience first. Even if you end up paying £100 odd quid for the family lesson and fuel to get to the slopes (there's one in Pembrey too if that's any closer to you?) better to find out cheaply that it's not for you than shell out for a holiday and have a miserable week.

skiing is not a cheap holiday by any means.

keigcf

I know its not for me, its only that he has mentioned it for the last 5 years or so in passing thats its something he wants to do, but now its getting more regular and he's saying whilst our son would come as well as he's 15 and won't want to go on holiday with us in a couple of years.
Thats why I have to find the right resort:)

keigcf

I'm sure the kids would enjoy as they climb up walls, and up a pole on holiday recently and jumped off the top (in harness).
I'll be fine on the slope as my feet would be on the ground:)