Arinsal has been declared a sanctuary for beginners as it’s where visitors come to start their new obsession with winter sports. Novices greatly benefit from the wide, gentle slopes and there is even an allocated area for families and new skiers. Ascend the main gondola in the centre of Arinsal and you will be taken to the Comallempla area which is where the ski schools gather to practice on green slopes allocated exclusively for beginners. You won’t have to worry about any other skiers rushing past as you learn. When you’re feeling confident enough to venture further, travel over to the connected areas of Pal and Arcalis to perfect your new skills!

Other activities:

Andorra is a duty free country so take the opportunity to pick up some gifts while you’re there. There is also a full programme of après-ski events including quiz evenings.

Obergurgl is a fantastic, high resort with a focus on beginners and family skiers. The wide, treeless slopes are perfect to practice your turns and gain confidence before heading further up the mountain for slightly more challenging runs. There are two beginner areas, one in the village centre near the Rosskar chair lift and the other at the bottom of the village by the Festkogel chair lift, as well as a wide variety of slopes to practice on. You can even take the Top Express Gondola over to Hochgurgl for more beginner-friendly blue runs. The Obergurgl ski school has an excellent reputation and all its instructors speak English. 

Other activities:

Have a go at snowshoeing! It’s a lot of fun and you can enjoy the mountain hikes and take in the terrific scenery in deep, unscathed snow.

Whistler is renowned as the best resort in North America, and deservedly so. For those who have never skied before, it is a brilliant place to start as there are nearly 50 easy and gentle slopes around the resort for you to practice on. You can head up the Whistler Village Gondola or the Fitzsimmons Express to the Olympic Station which is the easiest and calmest part of the mountain, made almost entirely of green runs and marked slow zones. It is the perfect place to build your confidence before moving onto blue runs, of which there are over 100 across Whistler and Blackcomb.

Other activities:

Fly high through the trees at 100kmph as you experience one of the world’s most spectacular ziplines or embark on an exhilarating snowmobile adventure through the snowy woods.

Avoriaz sits at the heart of the Portes du Soleil ski area and this traffic-free resort is perfect for beginners. The nursery slope is so close it almost runs through the town, and with multiple ski schools around the resort it couldn’t be more convenient for beginners. The runs are gentle and wide, and no matter which direction you ski there is the option to ski a lovely blue run. The wide Proclou run down to Super-Morzine is especially good for beginners and you can easily get a gondola back up rather than continuing across to Morzine. Le Lil Stash beginners snow park runs alongside if you start feeling courageous enough to try a jump by the end of the week.

Other activities:

As the resort is traffic-free there are horse-drawn sleighs everywhere – taking a trip from one end of Avoriaz to the other is great fun!

Corvara offers one of the best beginner areas in the Dolomites, so those new to the sport will discover the perfect blend of easy slopes, breath-taking views and Italian tradition. The Alta Badia area covers 130m of slopes, 70km of which are blue runs, meaning beginners have plenty of options in this beautiful area to learn and quickly progress. Beginners will benefit from the long, wide flat runs, the majority of which are accessible from lifts starting in resort. Incredible views can be seen at the top of Col Alt before beginners make their way down a number of different blue runs either back to resort or carrying on to explore other areas in the valley.

Other activities:

Take to the ice and enjoy skating to music or get your adrenaline pumping with climbing, or maybe something a little more chilled and enjoy a snowshoe excursion.

Wengen spoils visitors with its beautiful scenery, so you can learn to ski in an exquisite, traffic free village perched high on the mountain, overlooking a stunning valley. There is a large nursery slope in the centre of the village, making it ultra-convenient for getting to your lessons in the morning, then once you have grasped the basics, head up the Mannlichen cable car which takes you from the village centre to the top of the mountain. For confident beginners there is the option to take the mountain railway to Kleine Schiedigg, sporting a fantastic range of slopes with spectacular views.

Other activities:

As if the scenery wasn’t remarkable enough, Wengen offers a range of non-ski activities including curling, sledging and ice-skating.

For more inspiration, take a look at our Ski & Snowboard Holidays pages.