Best Ski Resorts for Beginners

Méribel is an ideal resort for those wanting to learn to ski, with its very own “mini pass” giving learners access to all of the beginner slopes. This resort has two separate nursery areas, eight green pistes and 25 blue pistes, as well as a wide choice of ski schools ready to help you learn the basics or improve your technique.

In 2016, millions of euros were put into the beginner skiing area of Mottaret, one of the two designated beginner areas along with Altiport. It now has a drag lift, magic carpet and a ‘Zen’ zone, so beginners can practise their technique away from the crowds.

Once you have covered the beginner areas of Méribel, skiers also have the option to explore a total of 48 green and 135 blue runs across Les Trois Vallées.

With over half of Courchevel’s 150 km of local slopes classified as green or blue, skiing in Courchevel is ideal for beginners. There are five villages to base yourself in, but the main nursery area at 1850 is at Pralong, located at the top of the village near the Altiport. You'll find a number of Courchevel chalets located here including Chalet Les Sorbiers and Chalet Totara. This area has a number of free ski lifts and a ‘Zen’ area too, making it a great place to build up confidence. In the other satellite villages, there are also small yet satisfactory nursery areas close to the lift bases with Courchevel 1650 being the next best area for beginners.

Courchevel also has an extensive choice of ski schools, ideal for helping you to make those first turns and progress further up the mountain.

With village-based nursery slopes and a family-friendly ambiance, Les Gets is the perfect place to learn how to ski. Close to the arrival point of the Chavannes cable car is the ‘Mappy’s learning area. Consisting of two magic carpets, a snow cable and a rope tow, you can start your skiing journey on four gentle slopes. The area is accessible for pedestrians too so parents can come and cheer on their offspring's first turns on snow.

There are also ‘fun’ slopes for children and adults alike to enjoy. These include the Indians’ ski run through the forest with tunnels, buffalo-inspired décor and photo opportunities. The run also has its own sound system for a more immersive experience.

Beginners can learn to ski with complete confidence in Villars-sur-Ollon. Just a stone’s throw from the centre of the resort, the Palace run in particular is an ideal place to start skiing. A “sit-down” ski lift and magic carpet take you to the top of the gentle snow-covered slopes where you can begin to master your technique.

After building up confidence on the nursery slopes, Villars has plenty of long, easy runs to progress to. These are reached via cog railway from the village so you can enjoy the breathtaking views as you make your way up the mountain to the Bretaye area where a bowl of cruising blue runs awaits.

With 52 km of blue slopes, Kronplatz offers beginners wide pistes and a set area in which to practise their technique. Runs are in close proximity to each other with the majority of the lower slopes of Geiselberg being blue.

There is a children’s safety park for those between 6 and 14 years old to practise their technique and beginners can also make use of the five ski nurseries, nine ski schools and 42% of beginner runs.