Alps ok for inexperienced skiers?
Oct 22nd, 2009, 04:06 PM
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Alps ok for inexperienced skiers?
A friend and I have the last week of the year off and want to go to Europe. Two suggestions were Spain and the Alps. We are leaning towards the Austrian Alps and have been assured as long as you intend to learn to ski (which we absolutely do), it will still be fun...but not sure I am 100% sold as the my advisor is a very experienced skier. We are two women, early 30's, semi-athletic, and just love to have fun - eat, drink, shop, sights, we are really up for anything that are 'must do's' for the area we visit. Any opinions or suggestions?
Oct 22nd, 2009, 06:14 PM
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Okay - this is coming from someone who has skied many times but still considers herself a beginner! I am VERY happy on the beginner slopes and have no desire to move "up!" 
We have skied the Alps in Austria and France. Here are my observations (based on our 2 experiences - so by no means universal)....
the positives -
- gorgeous, gorgeous scenery
- many of the resorts have cable car lifts, so you can ride down as well as up - very nice if you don't want to ski but want to meet up on the slopes for lunch or a drink!
- excellent ski schools
the negatives -
- there seemed to be fewer of the easy slopes (the "greens" in the US); most are upper-level beginner and up
- we didn't find that the trails were marked as well as they are in the US, so we sometimes ended up on more difficult slopes by accident (just amazing how far you can travel on your behind!)
- watch your options when you take trails that lead away from your main resort - in short...we ended up stranded at the next town over when the ONLY lift back to the top was broken and we ended up waiting 2 hours for a taxi that cost us 75 Euros to take us back to our starting point! Bad, bad day!
suggestions -
- take advantage of a ski school (or private ski lesson) - to get yourself going and to learn the "map" of the mountain
- don't assume that seeing a 4 year old on a slope means that it's an easy one (my behind got a workout that day!)
- when you see a 4 year old heading toward you at intersecting runs - DON'T try to get out of the way! Chances are that 4 year old will be able to avoid you much better than you could avoid her.....and you won't end up breaking your glasses or wrenching your neck!
We have skied the Alps in Austria and France. Here are my observations (based on our 2 experiences - so by no means universal)....
the positives -
- gorgeous, gorgeous scenery
- many of the resorts have cable car lifts, so you can ride down as well as up - very nice if you don't want to ski but want to meet up on the slopes for lunch or a drink!
- excellent ski schools
the negatives -
- there seemed to be fewer of the easy slopes (the "greens" in the US); most are upper-level beginner and up
- we didn't find that the trails were marked as well as they are in the US, so we sometimes ended up on more difficult slopes by accident (just amazing how far you can travel on your behind!)
- watch your options when you take trails that lead away from your main resort - in short...we ended up stranded at the next town over when the ONLY lift back to the top was broken and we ended up waiting 2 hours for a taxi that cost us 75 Euros to take us back to our starting point! Bad, bad day!
suggestions -
- take advantage of a ski school (or private ski lesson) - to get yourself going and to learn the "map" of the mountain
- don't assume that seeing a 4 year old on a slope means that it's an easy one (my behind got a workout that day!)
- when you see a 4 year old heading toward you at intersecting runs - DON'T try to get out of the way! Chances are that 4 year old will be able to avoid you much better than you could avoid her.....and you won't end up breaking your glasses or wrenching your neck!
Oct 22nd, 2009, 06:51 PM
#3
I've been to a number of places in the alps (Switzerland and France only) and all of the ones I visited had a couple of "easy" bunny slopes that, in my opinion, were a lot better than some of the bunny slopes I've seen in northern California (Mammouth, Squaw Valley, Tahoe). Yes, DO take a lesson -- they have amazing teachers! And if in Switzerland, and you like cheese, aside from the traditional fondue, consider the Raclette.
Oct 22nd, 2009, 07:27 PM
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Thank you for the quick replies (and a few laughs Grcxx3 Yay! That is so what I was hoping to hear, the Alps and ski school it is! Any recommendations for towns to stay in? I was told Saalbach/Hinterglemm...any other suggestions!
Yay! That is so what I was hoping to hear, the Alps and ski school it is! Any recommendations for towns to stay in? I was told Saalbach/Hinterglemm...any other suggestions!
Oct 22nd, 2009, 10:45 PM
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If you've no experience of skiing, I can't see what the point is of comparing the Alps with ski areas in your own country since presumably you've no experience of them either.
It's also downright absurd to generalise about "The Alps", except to say they're all in Europe. Taken together they form overwhelmingly the world's largest, and most ski-ed, collection of ski resorts and there's not a single statement (except "it's in Europe") you can make about one of them that applies to all
Generally speaking, though, most European ski resorts are crap for shopping and "sights" (apart from the mountains). Mountain villages are, almost by definition, remote and getting to and from them for anything else can be VERY time consuming. Shops in almost all resorts are limited and extraordinarily expensive. If such things really do matter to you, you almost always need to plan whole days out of the resort.
They're also, generally, pretty mediocre for eating, unless you like the local "Alpine" food (which many of us do). They're almost all fine for drinking, especially if you choose a resort heavily patronised by British parties. Which requires a taste for British apres-ski (think football hooligans wearing ski boots)
If eating, sights and shopping really, really matter, you should think very seriously indeed about NOT going to a ski resort. Personally, I think you're mad: unless you're seriously committed to learning to ski (and you're not), flying halfway round the world, locking yourself up for a week at the top of a mountain, and spending hundreds of euros on lessons, hiring kit, buying a liftpass and buying cold-weather clothing is an extremely expensive recipe for a week's freezing misery. Going for less than a week is an extremely expensive recipe for a total (and probably more freezing, because you'll skimp on the clothes and boots) waste of time. Going and not committing to six days of at least three-hours' lessons a day is also a waste of time, unless you really, really, really want to feel out of things.
Saalbach is really better for intermediate skiers than beginners. To decide the right place for you if you're serious about this, you should consider a great deal more than the availability of shops. You'll get a good, quick, guide to things worth considering at the "skiing in..." panel at the right hand side of http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/ski...s/default.aspx. Browse lots of countries: not because you're planning a ski trip to Iran, but because the "Pro/Con" bits in each country thumbnail cover just about all the horrors you can find in a ski resort.
Thorough research here is ESSENTIAL. If you decide you don't like London, it's always possible to find something there you DO like - or watch cable TV. If there's something about Sankt Brokenleg that upsets you, you're stranded there for a week, there's only two Austrian channels on the TV, you can't go for a walk, there's no English language bookshops and internet access is €6 an hour from the one computer in the tourist office that closes at 1800. There's always the ski instructors of course - but you've got to pay for the drinks.
If you choose the "ski resort guide" panel at the top left, and select a criterion, you'll get taken to resorts the SCGB think meet the criterion (though their definition of "beginners" is more advanced than mine). Each individual resort guide includes piste maps for most resorts - which you'll find a great deal more reliable than outright nonsense like "there aren't many beginners' slopes in Europe"
It's also downright absurd to generalise about "The Alps", except to say they're all in Europe. Taken together they form overwhelmingly the world's largest, and most ski-ed, collection of ski resorts and there's not a single statement (except "it's in Europe") you can make about one of them that applies to all
Generally speaking, though, most European ski resorts are crap for shopping and "sights" (apart from the mountains). Mountain villages are, almost by definition, remote and getting to and from them for anything else can be VERY time consuming. Shops in almost all resorts are limited and extraordinarily expensive. If such things really do matter to you, you almost always need to plan whole days out of the resort.
They're also, generally, pretty mediocre for eating, unless you like the local "Alpine" food (which many of us do). They're almost all fine for drinking, especially if you choose a resort heavily patronised by British parties. Which requires a taste for British apres-ski (think football hooligans wearing ski boots)
If eating, sights and shopping really, really matter, you should think very seriously indeed about NOT going to a ski resort. Personally, I think you're mad: unless you're seriously committed to learning to ski (and you're not), flying halfway round the world, locking yourself up for a week at the top of a mountain, and spending hundreds of euros on lessons, hiring kit, buying a liftpass and buying cold-weather clothing is an extremely expensive recipe for a week's freezing misery. Going for less than a week is an extremely expensive recipe for a total (and probably more freezing, because you'll skimp on the clothes and boots) waste of time. Going and not committing to six days of at least three-hours' lessons a day is also a waste of time, unless you really, really, really want to feel out of things.
Saalbach is really better for intermediate skiers than beginners. To decide the right place for you if you're serious about this, you should consider a great deal more than the availability of shops. You'll get a good, quick, guide to things worth considering at the "skiing in..." panel at the right hand side of http://www.skiclub.co.uk/skiclub/ski...s/default.aspx. Browse lots of countries: not because you're planning a ski trip to Iran, but because the "Pro/Con" bits in each country thumbnail cover just about all the horrors you can find in a ski resort.
Thorough research here is ESSENTIAL. If you decide you don't like London, it's always possible to find something there you DO like - or watch cable TV. If there's something about Sankt Brokenleg that upsets you, you're stranded there for a week, there's only two Austrian channels on the TV, you can't go for a walk, there's no English language bookshops and internet access is €6 an hour from the one computer in the tourist office that closes at 1800. There's always the ski instructors of course - but you've got to pay for the drinks.
If you choose the "ski resort guide" panel at the top left, and select a criterion, you'll get taken to resorts the SCGB think meet the criterion (though their definition of "beginners" is more advanced than mine). Each individual resort guide includes piste maps for most resorts - which you'll find a great deal more reliable than outright nonsense like "there aren't many beginners' slopes in Europe"
Oct 22nd, 2009, 11:13 PM
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Speaking of skiing in the Alps -- any suggestions for snowboarders? I'm an intermediate/advanced, boarded 6 years and skied 6 years before that. Frequent visitor to Tahoe, northeast Canada [Quebec], Whistler, Colorado, east US coast.
I've read some about the resorts in France, Switzerland, Austria, but never been and am curious.
I prefer resorts with good nightlife - good restaurants, maybe jazz clubs, dance clubs, and of course shopping.
I like slopes that are "blue" and wide open [like Blackcomb].
I hate "green" slopes -- too flat, crowded, and exhausting (no gravity, hard to pick up speed with a board).
I've read some about the resorts in France, Switzerland, Austria, but never been and am curious.
I prefer resorts with good nightlife - good restaurants, maybe jazz clubs, dance clubs, and of course shopping.
I like slopes that are "blue" and wide open [like Blackcomb].
I hate "green" slopes -- too flat, crowded, and exhausting (no gravity, hard to pick up speed with a board).
Oct 22nd, 2009, 11:23 PM
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btw I think skiing is pretty easy to learn -- if you're in good shape (you do other sports on a regular basis) and aren't afraid of heights and falling, you could learn how to basically maneuver yourself in your skis in about 3-4 hours.
You could try to join a group lesson in the morning and then practice on your own in the afternoon.
Now, getting "good" at it...maybe require more work...
I skied for 6 years every winter for multiple days per trip and never really got good at it. Then I switched to snowboarding, and after two seasons of falling hard, cracking my ribs, scratching my helmet due to multiple landings on my head, surgery on my knee, and a couple of other really bad bruises and bumps, I got much better at boarding!
Sounds extreme, I know. ;-)
You could try to join a group lesson in the morning and then practice on your own in the afternoon.
Now, getting "good" at it...maybe require more work...
I skied for 6 years every winter for multiple days per trip and never really got good at it. Then I switched to snowboarding, and after two seasons of falling hard, cracking my ribs, scratching my helmet due to multiple landings on my head, surgery on my knee, and a couple of other really bad bruises and bumps, I got much better at boarding!
Sounds extreme, I know. ;-)
Oct 23rd, 2009, 02:53 AM
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" I think skiing is pretty easy to learn -- if you're in good shape (you do other sports on a regular basis) and aren't afraid of heights and falling, you could learn how to basically maneuver yourself in your skis in about 3-4 hours."
Bullshit.
What you mean is <b> it's easy for you </b>
It's absurd to assume that's true for someone else - especially for an adult who's "semi-athletic" and has spent more than 30 years learning not to fall over.
For a sport like tennis, such an assumption would be merely wrong-headed. For skiing, where incompetence on a European home piste during an end-December Sunday afternoon endangers both the incompetent and the hundreds of others they're coming off the mountain with, giving such advice verges on the criminally insane.
Bullshit.
What you mean is <b> it's easy for you </b>
It's absurd to assume that's true for someone else - especially for an adult who's "semi-athletic" and has spent more than 30 years learning not to fall over.
For a sport like tennis, such an assumption would be merely wrong-headed. For skiing, where incompetence on a European home piste during an end-December Sunday afternoon endangers both the incompetent and the hundreds of others they're coming off the mountain with, giving such advice verges on the criminally insane.
Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:20 AM
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The Alps are fine for beginners and there are more picturesque resorts in Austria, than say France. The ski school is very good there also. Ski school in the morning and then on your own in the afternoon is a good way to go. I'm not the best skier, but I found that my first week was the biggest improvement I made.....you get a sense of achievement. Tbh it's quite tiring and if you want to party in the evenings as well, then you'll not have much time for sight seeing. However I think if you go, you'll have a ball!
Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:25 AM
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I know both the Alps and skiing areas in the Rocky Mountains (New Mexico and Utah).
First, the Austrian Alps will be a good choice for beginners:
- The Austrian Alps are not as steep as some valleys in the Swiss and French Alps (e.g. Saas-Fee). In every ski valley in Austria you find enough slopes for beginners. Usually the ski schools go up to the mountain tops on the third or fourth day.
- The Austrian ski resorts are quite romantic (especially compared to those in France).
- Austria is rather inexpensive.
Second, here are the differences between N. American and Alpine ski resorts:
- Generally, the Alps are much more developed. In the valleys, you find fully developed towns with shops, bars, restaurants, nightclubs etc. All roads are paved and well cleared of snow. Usually, there is good public transportation available for skiers.
- At many places, the Alps are more crowded, especially between Christmas and NYE, and the weeks before and after Easter.
- Weather is a little different. In the Alps, it can get VERY cold on top of the mountains, and it snows more frequently than in the Rockies.
First, the Austrian Alps will be a good choice for beginners:
- The Austrian Alps are not as steep as some valleys in the Swiss and French Alps (e.g. Saas-Fee). In every ski valley in Austria you find enough slopes for beginners. Usually the ski schools go up to the mountain tops on the third or fourth day.
- The Austrian ski resorts are quite romantic (especially compared to those in France).
- Austria is rather inexpensive.
Second, here are the differences between N. American and Alpine ski resorts:
- Generally, the Alps are much more developed. In the valleys, you find fully developed towns with shops, bars, restaurants, nightclubs etc. All roads are paved and well cleared of snow. Usually, there is good public transportation available for skiers.
- At many places, the Alps are more crowded, especially between Christmas and NYE, and the weeks before and after Easter.
- Weather is a little different. In the Alps, it can get VERY cold on top of the mountains, and it snows more frequently than in the Rockies.
Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:28 AM
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I have to agree with flanneruk - skiing isn't necessarily easy to learn, especially for an adult. Plus you've got the uncomfortable boots, skis and poles to contend with.
And the first time I went - I discovered sets of muscles that had obviously never been used before!
Some sort of lessons is critical. Group lessons are fine, but you are limited by the number and ability of people in the group. If you have any extra $$ to spend I would recommend private lessons. We did this for our sons the first time they went (they were 6 and 7) and it was wonderful. Then a few years later we did a "refresher" private lesson for DH and sons.
And the first time I went - I discovered sets of muscles that had obviously never been used before!
Some sort of lessons is critical. Group lessons are fine, but you are limited by the number and ability of people in the group. If you have any extra $$ to spend I would recommend private lessons. We did this for our sons the first time they went (they were 6 and 7) and it was wonderful. Then a few years later we did a "refresher" private lesson for DH and sons.
Oct 23rd, 2009, 03:46 AM
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They are expensive. We only did them for 1/2 day each time - but it was very helpful.
But ski schools are fine, less costly, and (based on what my sons said when they did snowboarding "school") - there is always someone worse than you!!!!
But ski schools are fine, less costly, and (based on what my sons said when they did snowboarding "school") - there is always someone worse than you!!!!
Oct 23rd, 2009, 04:23 AM
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We took the kids skiing in Davos, they loved it(and we went went when it was unusually cold). I thought they had enough beginner type slopes for them and had a few minor falls. The trip hurt my wallet more than anything else.
Oct 23rd, 2009, 04:28 AM
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Regardless of differening opinions on how easy it is, consider that you just may not like skiing. Also, I'm no expert, but have always understood that December may not be great for snow, and has the shortest days. Unless you are planning to travel specifically because you want to ski, I'd advise going somewhere else (especially if you could learn to ski much more easily and cheaply nearer home). I'd go for southern Spain at that time of year - you may even get warm weather in the daytimes. (I have swum in the sea there at New Year.)
Oct 23rd, 2009, 05:42 AM
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After further research, the week I was plannng (after Christmas) is extremely crowded, and all of the moderately priced hotels are already booked. So it looks like Spain! Thanks again everyone for the replies!
Oct 23rd, 2009, 11:39 PM
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flanneruk,
I was just trying to be helpful and encouraging to a newcomer in skiing/boarding. Like I said, as long as one is in good physical shape and not afraid of heights, it's not hard to learn skiing. Why be so pessimistic? I have many friends who are in their 30's+ learn to ski/board and they've all had a wonderful time. Yes, there are going to be falls here and there, but certainly our bodies learn and adapt to new movements and different ranges of motion. It's not impossible to learn skiing if one has the interest and motivation (ok, and money too)!
Your unfriendly posts and authoritarian attitude really crack me up!!
Have a nice weekend! It's 85 degrees F here so I'm certainly going to have a nice one!!
I was just trying to be helpful and encouraging to a newcomer in skiing/boarding. Like I said, as long as one is in good physical shape and not afraid of heights, it's not hard to learn skiing. Why be so pessimistic? I have many friends who are in their 30's+ learn to ski/board and they've all had a wonderful time. Yes, there are going to be falls here and there, but certainly our bodies learn and adapt to new movements and different ranges of motion. It's not impossible to learn skiing if one has the interest and motivation (ok, and money too)!
Your unfriendly posts and authoritarian attitude really crack me up!!
Have a nice weekend! It's 85 degrees F here so I'm certainly going to have a nice one!!
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