The Best Beginner Ski & Snowboard Resorts

Passo Tonale

(Resort height - 1121m - 3016m)

Great for...

Snow sure

★★★★★	Beginner
★★★	Intermediate
★★	Advanced
★★	Off-Piste

Beginners

★★★	Snowboarding
★★★★★	Snow Reliability
★★	Apres-Ski
★★	Extent

Good value

★★	Mountain Restaurants
★★★	Scenery
★★	Village Charm
★★	Non-Skiers

WHY IT’S GREAT FOR BEGINNERS
Passo Tonale is a fantastic ski and snowboard resort for beginners and those who want gentle, snow sure and well groomed slopes.

The slopes are split over 3 areas and the best area for beginners stretches along the main road that passes through Passo Tonale. These slopes are served by a series of lifts and the runs are all easy blue and red runs, and all fairly short which makes Passo Tonale ideal for beginners and those looking to progress.

There are a couple of schools operating in Passo Tonale offering skiing and snowboarding tuition to all ages and abilities. The Tonale Presena Ski and Snowboarding School has group  and private lessons, the other school offering tuition is the Ski & Snowboard School Ponte di Legno Tonale, again offering group and private lessons.

Alpe d'Huez

(Resort height - 1860m - 3330m)

Great for...

Beginners

★★★★★	Beginner
★★★★★	Intermediate
★★★★	Advanced
★★★★	Off-Piste

Extensive area

★★★★★	Snowboarding
★★★★	Snow Reliability
★★★★	Apres-Ski
★★★★	Extent

Intermediates

★★★★	Mountain Restaurants
★★★	Scenery
★★	Village Charm
★★★★	Non-Skiers

WHY IT’S GREAT FOR BEGINNERS
Alpe d’Huez has a great nursery area and selection of green runs directly above the village so it is ideal for beginners and first timers. You can access these runs directly from Alpe d’Huez via the 1st stage of the DMC gondola or via the Romains chair lift from the village of Les Bergers.

In the Signal sector there are blue runs that take you back down to Alpe d’Huez and these would be a great starting point for braver beginners. From here if you are feeling like exploring there are further blue and red runs that lead down to Villard-Reculas, these are more challenging and a bit longer too.

There are a few ski schools in Alpe d’Huez to choose from. The ESF (Ecole du Ski Francais) is the local French ski school, there are also a couple of ski schools geared specially for the British market. British Masterclass is one such school and the other British aimed ski school is Stance.

Flaine

(Resort height - 700 - 2561m)

Great for...

Snow sure

★★★★★	Beginner
★★★★★	Intermediate
★★★★	Advanced
★★	Off-Piste

Beginners

★★★★	Snowboarding
★★★★	Snow Reliability
★★	Apres-Ski
★★★	Extent

Intermediates

★★	Mountain Restaurants
★★★	Scenery
★★	Village Charm
★★	Non-Skiers

WHY IT’S GREAT FOR BEGINNERS
Flaine has a variety of nursery slopes that are situated close to the village ideal for beginners, there are also other green and blue runs nearby when you are ready to progress further afield.

The gondola in the centre of Flaine whisks you up to the top of the bowl, here you can access a variety of blue runs including the Serpentine, Belzebuth, Zeolite and Cristal for some comfortable skiing. If your legs still have the energy you can also try out the Les Cascades (a long 14km blue run) that takes you down to the village of Sixt, from here you will need to catch the bus back to Samoens.

Also the Desert Blanc chairlift gives you access to more blue runs that take you back down to Flaine. The nearby slopes of Morillon, Samoens, and Les Carroz are all fairly extensive and should also be explored if you have the time.

There are a number of ski schools serving Flaine including the ESF (Ecole du ski Francais) and the ESI (Ecole de Ski Internationale) they offer ski and boarding lessons for both children and adults, group lessons and private lessons too.

Sestriere

(Resort height - 1350m - 2823m)

Great for...

Beginners

★★★★	Beginner
★★★★★	Intermediate
★★★	Advanced
★★★	Off-Piste

Extensive area

★★★	Snowboarding
★★★★	Snow Reliability
★★★	Apres-Ski
★★★★★	Extent

Intermediates

★★★	Mountain Restaurants
★★★	Scenery
★★	Village Charm
★★★	Non-Skiers

WHY IT’S GREAT FOR BEGINNERS
The slopes are split over 2 areas – Sises and Motta. Sises caters well for beginners as it has some nursery slopes along with some gentle blues to progress on to. Higher up there are more red runs but lower down the mountain you will discover a few blue runs to practice on. You can access Motta from Sises via blue runs but Motta is more challenging so best to explore when you’ve mastered a few basics.

There are a couple of ski schools in Sestriere offering skiing and snowboarding tuition to all ages and abilities. Ski School Sestriere offer group and private lessons, Ski School Vialattea again offer group and private lessons in skiing, boarding and freeriding.

Cortina d’Ampezzo

(Resort height - 1224m - 3243m)

Great for...

Village charm

★★★★	Beginner
★★★★	Intermediate
★★★	Advanced
★★★	Off-Piste

Intermediates

★★★	Snowboarding
★★★★	Snow Reliability
★★★	Apres-Ski
★★★	Extent

Scenic

★★★	Mountain Restaurants
★★★★★	Scenery
★★★★★	Village Charm
★★★★	Non-Skiers

WHY IT’S GREAT FOR BEGINNERS
The largest area in Cortina d’Ampezzo is Pomedes, accessed directly from the village. Beginners will love this area as it consists mainly of long confidence building blue runs that can be explored after progressing from the nursery slopes.

Tofana is also worth exploring which is the highest area in Cortina d’Ampezzo and also Mietres too which has its own selection of blue runs.

If you are looking for ski or boarding tuition then you do need to make sure you request an English speaking instructor when you book. There are a few schools to choose from including the Cristallo Ski School and the Azzurra Ski School, both offer group and private lessons and some instructors are ex professionals too.