Skiing suggestions for a complete newbie. No idea where to start…

I can't help with places to go but Get fitter skiing uses different muscles to cycling.
Get some more sessions in at the snow dome

More snow dome for sure. Then half term in Austria, somewhere like Zell-am-See. Not half-term is better but assume you’re restricted to that. Also, there’s a skiing thread on here - https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/the-stw-ski-and-snowboard-thread-2022-2023-season/

As a newbie, you certainly won't need a big resort, and it sounds like you're going for the skiing, rather than the après ski...
So I'd look at somewhere off the beaten track, it'll be much cheaper and less busy - our local resort (Port Ainé in the Pyrenees) is small, but has a good snow record, has a ski in, ski out hotel and use generally empty during February half term (no half terms in Spain, and it's mostly locals who ski there)
I'm sure there are plenty of other small resorts across Europe that would be similar too...
Skiing is never cheap, but it doesn't have to cost main resort peak prices!

I always suggest Austria for newer skiers. Its quieter than France and the snow is good.
Obergurgl would be my suggestion. Book a package and let someone else worry about the organisation.

I don't know what it's like now but for an off the beaten track.
melchsee frutt is where I used to go the locals were quite horrified in a friendy way when they realised we were English.
Small local resort that my dad's boss used to visit when work based him in Switzerland

I don’t think it really matters terribly where you go, as long as you book in for beginners lessons at the resort where you are. Every place I’ve skied has huge teams of ski instructors taking everything from total beginners to experienced skiers wanting to develop.

And most decent sized resorts seem to have green and blue slopes aimed at beginners beside the reds and blacks for the most adventurous.

Ive skied at Chatel (france) and Villars & Verbier (Switzerland) among others. All 3 would be fine for beginners providing you get yourself into a ski school.

Oh and the dream of gliding down a beautiful slope under blue skies should be perfectly realistic after about a week of so of lessons. But be warned - you made well be addicted once you do learn!

Look at Italy for easy skiing under blue skies.
Sella Ronda area would be perfect.
Half term will be expensive and busy. Try and avoid it if possible. Avoid France in Feb if you dont like queues for lifts.
1st week in march is usually a good bet.
Get lessons at snowdome to avoid getting stuck in group 1 with the typical bunch of overweight, unfit brits who cannot even get up when they repeatedly fall over.
One legged squats will build up the correct muscles.

It’s probably more about going where lessons aren’t going to be crowded out. As you say half term I’d avoid France. Wherever you go choose a school that has a maximum of no more than 8 students per instructor. The option of a private instructor is there but it’s expensive and group lessons are part of the fun to begin with.

I always suggest Austria for newer skiers. Its quieter than France and the snow is good.

And I always ask which Austrian resorts have better snow than say Val Thorens or Tignes? And how busy resorts are depends on where and when you go. When the Germans are on holiday Austria is the noisiest skining in Europe. 😉

Start in your garden. For this you will need these alien things on your feet called ski boots and skis. The boots will be cheap, fairly supple and comfortable (all ski boots are uncomortable but within this constraint they will be the least miserable you can find). The skis will be short and not too wide, they will not look like water skis. You get used to having them on your feet. You'll shuffle forwards backwards, sideways and turn in circles. Hop up and down with your skis on, lean forward and backwards, hop up and down standing on one foot. When you can do that type "ski de rando conversion" into Youtube search and learn to do that.

When you're really happy with having skis on your feet, head for the snow dome for a few lessons if there's one convenient.

When people ask which resort is good for beginners a better question would be which resort is bad for beginners? And my answer is I haven't been to one for over a decade. Beginners are the bread and butter of ski schools and to some extent resorts, they've invested. My local resort has covered converyor belts for beginners, then easy to use chairs to access easy to ski pistes as people progress. That's Gourette a fairly small Pyrenean resort. Junior is an ESF instructor there and teaching 52-year-olds makes a nice change from kids which make up most of his business.

Go where you fancy and where you can afford. Have a look at the snow records because seasons are getting shorter. Gourette has gone from 5 months to 3/4 in the 30 odd years I've been skiing there, Even the Alpine resorts are often short of snow early and late season, especially the lower ones. Avoid local holidays but the nearer to mid February you can go the better.

I haven't skied now for 25 years but from memory.....

Feb half term will be busy in most places but chances are snow will be good, however do check snow records.

Andorra always was good VFM; also has lively apres ski. With a 16 year old, that's tricky, you don't need the roaring night clubs maybe but a lively bar after the last run of the day where you can get a beer and a laugh with the crazy dutch is still fun.

On that - check piste maps.... one early trip I did was to Val'disere which is an upside down resort, with the easy slopes higher up. It meant to ski back to resort meant reds or blacks, which were a bit beyond me at that time.

French ski school was always supposed to be the best if that's part of it, but I'd go for lessons at snow dome to get 'good enough' and then just make it up.... YMMV

I missed skiing for a couple of years due to a football knee injury and really missed it. When I started again I didn't have the knee to do tougher moguls and off piste any longer, but there is a definite pleasure in cruising. So as well as ski to resort, make sure there are some good long blues and reds, ideally a bit higher up with mountain restaurants so you cruise around and then get for a coffee and enjoy the scenery. Think gravel rather than DH....

Last thought - ski or board? I only learnt to ski and then tried a day boarding, never got it, fell over a million times, hated it. Boarding was however way cooler (but then carving ski's and the like came in and caught up a bit).

Have you thought about Easter? It's a lot cheaper and the snow should be OK at the higher resorts.

Loads of good info above. About the only bit I'd disagree with is the idea that Germanish resorts get just as busy as French ones at half term. I don't think this is true.

The key bit of info you haven't given us is budget. That is the crucial question. If you're proper wedged up then just book a package holiday to somewhere reasonably high or east ( Francophiles claim better snow due to altitude, Teutophiles claim better snow due to longitude). But I guess that will cost you around ,£3k+ all in. ( for 2)

If you're not loaded then it gets *much* more complicated. We skied as a family of 4 at half term at premiere resorts for around 10 years and never paid more than £700 each all in ( and I mean *all* [ skis instructor, guide, beer, taxi, flights, transfers, pass, food, accommodation, etc]) But it is a lot of effort and probably not possible with rising costs.

So if you want to chill, and have the readies, then book a package.

WW3 notwithstanding, almost all resorts would normally have built up a guaranteed base by February, so location wouldn't be such an issue. BUT with power rationing and droughts etc you may find snow making is turned off. In some places this isn't an issue but for places like the Sella Ronda who rely entirely on Kunstschnee some years it could be a nightmare.

In general terms skiing is much betterer for mileage, flat slopes and crappy hard snow. Boarding involves much more falling over ( *much more*) but if you get good fresh snow then it is mind blowing.

Either way you should be travelling loads of runs after a week.

Ah yes instructors. We found Italy streets ahead of other places for the kids. Just in a different league. Our son cried his eyes out when he found out he couldn't invite Stefano to his birthday party the following August. The instructors he used in Austria early on were just bored Dutch girls putting zero effort in. Just steer clear of ESF if you do go to France. ( I appreciate that is stupidly subjective :-))

PS, if you do board then take your mtb knee and elbow pads and buy some wrist protectors ( and maybe impact shorts)

+1 For Easter.
Quieter, longer days, steady weather.
I never had a bad week at Easter.
You do get less of those cold crisp clear days that you get early season but especially for learning Easter is a great option.
Get down the indoor slope a few more times but definitely get booked up for half day (morning) lessons in whatever resort you like the look of.
Skiing is great, I love it! I hope you do too!
*Edit, Easter could be buggered by what the generalist said about restricted snowmaking though, hadn’t heard of that possibility. Bugger!

+1 for Dolomites - Sella Ronda is glorious, chilled vibe

It’s not a given, mindful that it’s a costly holiday, but it’s something I sort of need to get out of my system after so long.

Do it....

Riding's the source. It'll change your life. Swear to God

If you have the the time/money I would do a few blocks of lessons before you go, try and get to an ok base level/familiarity, it would mean you could do so much more when you are over there.

Just steer clear of ESF if you do go to France. ( I appreciate that is stupidly subjective :-))

sneaked in in an edit. 😉

Junior like every other recnetly trained-in-France ski instructor has a "diplôme d'état de monieur de ski", it took him 6 years. Before that there was a brevet d'état which was pretty much equivalent. Nearly all the instructors are self employed except a few who work for UCPA or holiday companies. So which ever school you go to the instrucotrs have the same training and work to the same methodolgy, it's a book half an inch thick called the Momento du Ski in France. Italy and Austria have slightly different styles but are equally rigorous.

From those three countries if you have an instructor aged under about 45 you can and should get excellent tuition whichever ski school they work for. Language skills will vary, most will have some English, here in the SW they usually speak pretty good Spanish but poor English, in the Alps better English.

As well as being instructors they're human beings. The usual rule #1 applies: don't be a dick and above all don't be a dickish parent if you have kids. The lousy weather, that's not the instrucotor's fault. The fact you sent your kid underdressed in sponge-like C&A ski wear, that's not the instructor's fault. That your kid never walks anywhere, never rides a bike and is given a medical note to get of school sports so is totally unfit (and fat), that's not the instructor's fault either. And yet the instructor is out there for 8 hours in the same lousy conditions picking up you over weight unfit lump and doing his/her level best to keep the kid happy and motivated and skiing.

And some days a charming 52-year-old rocks up, listens, learns, cracks jokes, tells intersting stories sitting on the lift in glorious sunshine without a breath of wind and life's great.

One thing to think about w Easter skiing, is snow quality. Its often warmer so the snow can get a bit slushy and heavy in the afternoons, and icy in the mornings when it refreezes overnight. Not much fun when you're learning.
Better snow conditions likely mid-season.
Go to a higher resort with good snow, where you are close to the skiing and nursery slopes, eg Tignes, Val d'Isere, Obergurgl.
If you stay low the snow won't be so reliable and you may spend time on lifts having to go higher to reach the good snow.

If you've done one/a few "taster" sessions here and can do a basic snowplough, I would recommend booking a private instructor for both of you - you will both progress much more quickly than in a ski-school. Cost might be double what a ski-school would charge though. You will also get lessons together which might not happen in a ski school.

(We grouped with another family who's kids had been put off skiing by bad experiences in ski school and booked a private instructor between us for all 4 kids for several years running - one of the best things we ever did. Between us, the cost was ~ the same as ski school. This was at Alpe D'Huez which is excellent for beginners (but there might be cheaper)).

Avoid le deux alpes
Not a beginner friendly resort. Obergurgul is high and is known as oberbrrrrrgul as it can go really cold.
Bulgaria, maybe if your on a tight budget. Then there is andorra or kransje gora.
Some of the southern Austria resorts are lower, smaller, cheaper and still get good snow.
Still think italy is best for absolute beginners. Find one with 100km of runs minimum. Short transfers are goood if you can find one less tjan 90mins say.

I've been to Les Deux Alpes twice in the last five years. There's a conveyor with a tunnel, free beginner lifts and a load of suitable pistes as skiers progress. It's fine for beginners (débutants). It gets five stars as a beginners' resort:

https://www.skiresort.fr/domaine-skiable/les-2-alpes/appreciation/debutants/

I went on a school trip about 25 years ago and again about four years ago. Did a day in the snowdome which got me happy with snowplough and just about parallel turning. Then went to St Anton, which was vvverrryy pricey. Did a half day of private lessons there which brought me along massively and enjoyed the rest week and managed to ski all the same slopes as the people I was with, albiet at my own pace. Biking is helpful as it gives you some awareness of your body and weight and stuff as well as (hopefully) a sensible attitude towards risk and assessing your own ability to do stuff. The most alarming thing about it was coping with other people and not the slopes themselves.

Would 100% budget for private instruction as that was a massive factor in me enjoying it as much as I did. Was told before going that St Anton was not that beginner friendly and that the Dolomites would be a better bet, but it was late season and they wanted to go out drinking lots, for which it was pretty good.

Find one with 100km of runs minimum.

Very weird. Why would you say this?
In my experience, the metrage of pistes is completely irrelevant to the fun/satisfaction had ( once you get beyond Yads Moss size of course)

I would say an intermediate 100km plus would be good.
For the OP and his lad anywhere with a gradient, lifts, a qualified ski school and snow would be ideal. Things like language preference would be better reasons for against a place.
See what you can bag from an operator for a package. It will be much easier if you have a bit of help in resort. Finding hire gear, passes, lifts etc. It would give you a bit more headspace to have fun and enjoy the skiing. Hold your nerve and find a late booking? Do your lads school half term dates match other parts on UK? Bargains(relative) can be had if they don’t align.
I would go initially with a group lesson as said above it would be more fun if you are with a bunch of other learners. Don’t be afraid to ask to move class or upgrade to private though! Ask before you commit to booking though.

Because skiing the only blue run in the resort over and over and over and over again gets tired very quickly.
100km plus will, might, should.. Get you half a dozen blues, a couple of greens and then a few reds and maybe 1 or 2 blacks.

Les Deux Alps. The only resort which has a queue to gp down in a lift.
Fine for intermediate or advanced, not good for tired, cold teenagers

I would look at Tignes - high so guaranteed snow, dozens of runs of all colours and much of it is skiing from your door. Avoid neighbouring Val d'Isere as the options to get to the resort at the end of the day are long, bumpy and crowded red or black runs, or getting a cable car down. Also worth considering are La Plagne and Les Arcs which have lots of long open blue runs. I really enjoyed Courmayeur in Italy - its a bit more scenic than the large French resorts. I would suggest going as early in the year as possible as if you like it you will want to go again immediately - which is what I did when I first skied at the age of 40.

My favourite country for skiing in so far is Austria. I’ve also been to Frnace, Canada and Switzerland.

Soll is probably a good choice of resort for you. It’s not to fancy expensive and has lots of blue / red runs.

The resort I went to in Switzerland (Grindelwald) was quite a bit pricier and I don’t remember being blown away by the skiing.

St Anton in Austria is a good party resort but unless things have changed I wouldn’t recommend it for beginners. A large amount of the runs had some kind of bumps on them and the ‘family run’ was the only easy run back to the village and it got manic.

Les Arcs in France was nice - plenty of skiing for beginners and intermediate. Found it quite expensive and a bit sanitised nightlife wise vs Austria and Switzerland.

Canada was very expensive and exceedingly cold. We went to Mount Tremblant - lovely powder snow but spent the week with a scarf wrapped round my face to stave off the cold.

Because skiing the only blue run in the resort over and over and over and over again gets tired very quickly.
100km plus will, might, should.. Get you half a dozen blues, a couple of greens and then a few reds and maybe 1 or 2 blacks.

Meh. Never given that side of things a second thought. Many of the best days skiing and boarding have been in absolutely tiny areas, frequently with only one or two lifts. As long as there's a lift then the only factors of consequence are the quality of snow and the quality of company*. The number of marked trails is an irrelevance.

* OK, so the weather is also key, and a lack of crowds. 🙂

Les Deux Alps. The only resort which has a queue to gp down in a lift.

You and your inappropriately dressed cold teenagers are determined to diss the place. 🙂

Queues to go down? Artouste for everybody on a busy day, Cauterets too, the resorts are accessed by gondola. The gondolas for glacier skiing in the Summer - people camp out in sleeping bags waiting for the lift to open queues are so bad to go up in the morning, any resort with a beginner zone high up.

What with climatic change resorts are obliged to move their beginner zones up the hill, and if people can't ski green/blue or sometimes even red then they have to take the lifts back down, if there are a lot of them there will be a queue. Hundreds of people skiing, the lifts/conveyors stop, they all head down at the same time.

Edit: true that, thegeneralist, we had a great day skiing in Hautacam, tiny and there are only antiquated button lifts. Perfect weather and snow, no queues, great day.

Actually i will have to apologise.
There is another resort where you have to queue to go down.
Avoriaz. There is a long steep lift that takes you up from a car park up a vertical rock face. You have to download there ad well
But there are heaters and mulled wine for gratis so it's not so bad.

Went through this a few years ago (early 40s)

At least a full day at the snow dome first. More if you can cope with the boringness of it. Its nothing like real skiing, but it does get you familiar with the mechanics.

Be generally fit. As a biker, you'll have a headstart here, but make no mistake - you will fall over a fair bit and standing up again and yomping up hill to find your missing ski at altitude will take it out of you. Having a good sense of balance and good mobility and conditioning will turn a lot of potential sit-downs into "ooh that nearly went wrong" moments. (You'll be surprised at the number of skiiers of all ages who just .can't. get up without help)

Not sure if this holds true for everybody, but there were 4 of us started together - once we got to the point of being able to control the skis, my ability to read terrain like an MTBer and not being afraid of the hill suddenly let me ski harder stuff almost immediately compared to the others. There's a lot of skills that cross over, some bits very much don't!

We had a group private instructor who got 2 of us onto reds after a couple of lessons. After that, it's largely about (like bikes) getting the miles in and skiing with people better than you who can coach you on the go.

You will feel absolutely battered after the first 2 or 3 days. After that I find it eases off - but we always take a foam roller and do a stretching session in the evenings to keep the legs moving.

Resorts - personally I like Les Arcs/Peisey-Vallandry. Plenty of blue options, but reasonably high, so decent snow. I'd avoid leaving it too late in the year - dealing with nasty and changeable snow conditions is another level of faff on learning to just stay upright! Austria (Kitzbuhl) was beautiful when we went, but it's quite low, so the snow was a bit average.

Early mornings and late afternoon are the best times to be out if you just want to ski. The first lift run also gets you the prime freshly bashed cordruoy, which with some sunshine gives that

unrealistic vision of gliding down a smooth piste with glorious blue skies above

feeling.

2 things to be aware of - end of the day in the honeypot areas, the snow can get proper shagged and bumped up which can get really intimidating for novices (and bang goes any hope of smooth gliding!).
Flat light/cloud is horrible. Very easy to lose complete track of everything and have your inner ear play nasty tricks on you. Its' the same for everybody and there is no answer to it. Expensive poncy goggle lenses help a bit, but only a bit.

Otherwise it's ****in' amazing and my bank account hasn't been the same since.

Thank you all for taking the time to reply and advice. I might make a start with some package tours anyway, just for intel and price. I’m not minted by any means, but “carp diem”, as a friend of mine says.

Based on my experience ( based in Germany so mainly go to Austria) the ski resorts I think are good for beginners are
Serfaus-Fiss-Ladis ( a high resort so there is snow from the car park and lots of long wide blue pistes with even pitches with access with gondolas or chairlifts aa drag lifts can be difficult for beginners)

Saalbach-Hinterglemm ( again long wide pistes and gondola access and a huge ski area including Leogang and Fieberbrunn.Another ski area you can ski down relatively easy pistes to get to your car. Not cheap though as it’s one of the top ski resorts for rich Germans)

Zillertal Arena. ( another huge ski area. The best part for beginners is Gerlos. Again wide pistes and a or chair lift access access and a lovely blue Piste back to the base station. The town is over 1000m high so has permanent snow through the winter months.)

I’ve never been skiing in Italy but have some German clients who only go there as they say the pistes are better prepared and the weather is better. As others have said the in winter holidays the resorts are packed so if that’s the only time you can go then the bigger resorts mean less queuing at the lifts. If you can manage just before Xmas the pistes are generally empty ( most come after Xmas to the new year but you run the risk of crap weather plus it gets dark at 4 pm.

Thread revisit time….

So, a pretty crappy 2023 so far with Mrs R and I losing our mums within three days of each other.  Impetus went, and is eeking back, but now all five of us, beginners and we are considering a Christmas break as neither of us imagine being in the party mood come Christmas.  Super duper expensive though?

I can’t recall ever being more uneducated and intimidated about booking a ruddy holiday in my life….

I’ll put the white wine down and reread this thread tomorrow.

Christmas can be a bit sketchy a time to go as if it weren’t for the holiday weeks of Christmas and New Year, few people would choose to go skiing that early as snow can be unpredictable.

That said, you can usually get a pretty good week in so long as you expect lift queues in most main resorts (depends where you go I guess) and of course inflated prices.

I’ve lucked out before at Grand Bornand for a Christmas week but it only snowed the day before we arrived; on 24 December it was grassy fields.

The generally accepted principle is go high to resorts with high altitude skiing, or at least access to it. So places like Tignes, Val D’Isere, La Plagne, Verbier usually come up.

If have a few more details about what you want from the week pop them in a reply; do you want nightlife or just skiing? Self catering or chalet half board? Fly or drive?

I wouldn’t book a Christmas skiing holiday until December when I knew what the conditions were going to be like.

Ski resorts without snow suck.

Edit, but as above really

In an entirely mercenary way, come to Breckenridge, CO and take lessons with me. (As in I'm the instructor not a joint lesson!) Assuming the weather has been cold enough snow making will have been taking place since October. There's nice beginner skiing out of The Village at Peak 9. And you get to have a proper Rocky Mountain Christmas. Not cheap though.

Go ski in a fridge before you book anything.

If you want good skiing at Christmas go high, Obergurgl should have snow.

Can only see skiing get more expensive as the climate change progresses so ski now while you can.

I learned in Les Arcs many years ago in the days of Ski Evolutif. Leas Arcs was one of the few resorts to use it. My beginners' class included Duncan Goodhew's mum. Honest. She was definitely into her 50s so don't let age worry you. My main exercise before I went was wall squats. I had a couple of goes on Rossendale dry slope so if you have a snow dome or similar available use that.

Over the years I used ESF from beginner through to intermediate group lessons and then private 1 to 1. I always found them very professional and good fun.

Agree Sella Ronde is fabulous area though how much you would see on your first week I'm not sure. I particularly enjoyed Meribel, Tignes and Valmorel. Flaine is OK for a beginner but ugly (doesn't matter if you're there to ski). I had a surprisingly good week in the small resort of Valfrejus but there were 6 of us in a chalet with a guide to ski with every day.

Start in your garden. For this you will need these alien things on your feet called ski boots and skis.

This would suggest to me buying your own boots and skis. Don't. Hire in resort. Buy the cheapest clothing you can, repurpose other outdoor kit as appropriate and get a package deal, self catering, ski hire and group lessons included.

Yep, package not self planned would be my advise too. They will help you be in the right place at the right time and reduce stress.
Destination, you are all learning, you don’t need much, it’s got to be quite bad for beginner slopes to be shut. It is nice to be in the mountains at Christmas.

Agree with slowoldman. Do a package, consider clubmed or UCPA - lessons included and people to ski with.

Don't worry about a big, well known resort, as a beginner you won't see a lot of it or need 100s of km of skiing. You'll probably need salopettes, some ski socks, gloves and goggles. Helmet, skis and boots just hire in the resort.

Goggles - don't buy ones with just bright sunshine lenses. You will see nothing if the light goes flat. Buy ones with an all round lens, orange or pink tints would be my suggestion.

We have a SOS  jacket and salopettes going spare, size XL and suitable for >6 foot. Black with orange zips...... if that is going to fit anyone, get in touch

Good luck with finding a holiday

For first steps before you go I'd recommend going to your local dry slope (not the snow dome) if there's one nearby. It's outside (not in a grim concrete fridge), has a longer run and although it skis a bit differently so does the hard packed stuff in the dome.
We took our kids to Sunderland a few times to learn the basics this year and a private lesson for two costs the same as one person's entry to the snow dome. The instructors there are all great too. Other dry slopes will probably be similar and friendly. NB they are sprayed with water so not really dry.
As for resort size don't worry about that and Easter is often less busy but you may need to go somewhere higher (so bigger and pricier) but later season is cheaper.
Number of lifts doesn't matter. Our only skiing the last few years has been Wearable and Yad Moss with one lift line each and we go back whenever snow and time allow.

As someone who had a failed attempt at learning to snowboard this year and injured themselves beyond learning on day 1, I think there’s some wisdom in that Colorado offer! If you go somewhere with other great outdoor options and interesting things to do, you can still have a great snowy adventure even if the skiing doesn’t quite work out. Sounds like you want an uplifting break as much as actual skiing?

I absolutely would not go to the US for a first skiing holiday from Europe. It's a long way, it's expensive, the jet lag is a killer (on the way back, especially if you're going for a week), and they don't have the same atmosphere as the European resorts.

Get lessons before you go, ideally to the point of being able to make stem turns (start in a snowplough, finish parallel) as it'll make skiing when you're out there much less tiring, and open up more possibilities for trips to mountain restaurants for lunches etc.

Snow at the beginning of the season is variable. To be honest as a beginner you don't really want loads of snowfall whilst you're out there, because it makes the skiing harder. Also at the beginning of the season the weather can be cold and miserable, later on it's more likely that you'll get some bluebird sunny days. However later in the season (March/April) the snow can become heavier and slushy, which is harder work to ski in.

As a beginner you don't need a big resort, you'll be happy enough with a few easy runs in a smaller resort. Generally as long as the snow is good, I'd choose Austria over France. It's cheaper, generally friendlier, more atmospheric, and the piste grading is easier. There are French resorts that have "green" runs that would be red in Austria, and "blues" that would be black. Val d'Isere for example. Austrian apres ski is better than French apres ski too.

If you've got the money, ski-in ski-out with an easy run to the easy slopes is ideal. Even a short walk is better than getting on a crowded ski bus which is a PITA if you're not used to carrying ski gear around with you  whilst walking in ski boots. It's worth hiring ski lockers near the lift station/ski school meeting point, these may come free if you hire from a shop that's in the vicinity.

As a beginner I'd go for half day group lessons in the morning. It forces you to get out of bed and gets you out on the slopes. It's also great for meeting other people that you might want to ski with.

Go with a package deal. If you don't need child care then I think about 4-6 weeks in advance is probably the best time to book. I'd also try and go somewhere that's a relatively short transfer from the airport.

Haven’t quite read all of the other entries but here is my two penny worth having skied in many places over the years:

If you’re after decent snow I’d avoid Easter and go for higher resorts in the Alps although Austria and Italy would be equally good options.
Pretty much all of the bigger French resorts have decent beginner areas - there really isn’t a larger resort that doesn’t cater for it.
In terms of an enjoyable holiday I would say that a decent catered chalet can’t be beaten, ideally with a proper chef rather than kids learning how to cook. You can’t really beat a lovely breakfast, heavy day out skiing then freshly cooked cakes when you get back followed by dinner and loads of wine, a quick break and then cheese and port before relaxing, going to bed and starting all over again the next day!

No real need to do a whole package as flights to Geneva or Chambery are cheap, plenty of decent chalet companies that you can book catered chalets with and they will happily organise lift passes, equipment and lessons if you want them to. Ski in / ski out is nice if you can get it.
As others have said some time doing the basics in the UK at an indoor centre might improve your enjoyment. Once you’re out there I’d aim for small group or private lessons if you can.

Going to Utah this year for the first time - hoping for the famous Utah powder but I’ll miss the catered chalets of the alps, which America just don’t do at all.

I'll add Sweden to the list. Vemdalen has proved to be a fantastic place for our family to learn and it's not as costly as people assume. Granted the slopes aren't massive but there is plenty of interest, the pass covers 4 areas which all feel different. Skistar.com has lots of accommodation to suit all budgets too. We flew to Ostersund, hired a car and drove ourselves about the place. Self-catering was the way forward and with a 16yo in tow you won't be out to party so the cost of drinks isn't an issue really (buy a bottle in duty free). All the slopes have BBQs lit at lunch time and there are warming huts with hot water points/microwaves etc so lunches are easy and cheap to do yourself. No lift queues.

Pretty much everything worth saying has been said, but if you can avoid using Chambery as your airport i would do that. It's a tiny little thing that isnt designed for the volume of traffic it gets so it can be pretty miserable at the end of the holiday when you're tired, you've been up since 5, and you just want something to eat and somewhere to sit down!

So, is this the new STW 2023/24 ski thread?

Chambery is even worse when there’s a storm and flights start getting delayed.

So, is this the new STW 2023/24 ski thread?

Feels wrong to start it this way, and the capn' needs to start it to be 'official'.

Yep, avoid Chambery at all costs. I’d rather fly in to Geneva and take the longer drive thank you.

We took our kids skiing for the first time this Easter. Drove to Samoens, they had a week with ESF which they loved, and they progressed well. Nice town, slopes far quieter than I'm used to. Accommodation about half the February cost. I think we had one crappy day weather wise but good apart from that. Recommended.

Big fan of Easter skiing. Especially with young kids. Long days, steady weather. Recent years, great snow. Cheaper and quieter too.
Not a fan of flying, if I’m honest.
Last year we drove out twice. About 13 hours Door to door (Bristol to Vanoise area)
I also flew once to GVA and train to Zermatt, 9 hours you couldn’t do it any quicker, everything went exactly to schedule. The difference in time for me isn’t worth the hassle of flying. The Zermatt trip was a bunch of mates for 4 days so driving would have been a hassle for that trip but for a family it makes great sense to drive. Obvs some resorts are closer to GVA so journey times do vary.

the capn’ needs to start it to be ‘official’.

You might wait a while, he's not posting on here and hasn't in a few years

April/Easter skiing in general is great. Went to Val D’Isere at the end of April this year and conditions were pretty much perfect. Resort level snow was mush so wouldn’t have tried to learn down there but up on Solaise was great. This was up on the Val glacier.

My first skiing holiday was at Les Deux Alpes - I thought it was great for beginners. Big open green area and quite a few easy blues. Even got decent lessons from ESF. Had a couple of lessons at Tamworth before we went which was a good idea.

My last skiing holiday was at Courchevel at Christmas 2010 - daughter was doing a season as a chalet host there. Mrs Onewheel did her ACL so we've never been again. Snow was just OK, I think, but there was pretty much nothing until the week before we arrived.

as others have said, resort is unimportant given what you've described. although the bigger the resrt the bigger the hills and the bigger views.

but the two key things i woudl say is

a) get to one of the 'learn to ski in a day' type sessions.  Manchester, tamworth, Hemel etc.  Quite reasonably priced in the summer.  Your enjoyment will be multiplied by getting the basics nailed here before heading to the big hills.  Getting these lessons means you'll have more confidence earlier in the week and therefore enjoy more of your time there on the bigger slopes.

b) choose who you go with carefully.  You need to make sure you take someone who has a similar ability, temperament, and attitude  so you van have fun together on similar slopes pushing each other.  the more of you at the same ability the better.  this applies regardless of your level but ensures you are spending time with other fun people rather than being worried about holding people up etc.

Another massive fan of late season skiing here too.

Slush is great fun for carving on.

Also a big fan of Les Deux Alpes, only thing it's missing is the atmosphere of a pretty ski village.

For progression a week with the Warren Smith Ski Academy is a must and his videos/books are then a handy reminder.

Warrens content is good. I’ve done one of his uk talks on biomechanics.
Basically most things people get caught up on as an intermediate have a root in a lack of motion or flexibility on one side or another.
His vids on YT are good examples.

Kramer that might be the first and last time I’ve heard someone slush…but each to their own I guess!

Yep. Good fun a bit of late season corn. They are still skiing on it in parts of the US!

Starting look at this a little more now and went to the Crystal website for the all-inclusive booking.  It's kinda pricey for Feb half-term (five of us)  so should I maybe look there for inspiration then book independently?  As a newbie is the package of a familiar and established skier going to be worth it?   They don't include kit or passes either....££££

Easter as mentioned doesn't look a great deal cheaper but I'm super anxious of booking the wrong place, wrong time and it being a wash (slush) out.

Also, trying to look at ski-in/ski-out as suggested.

Kramer that might be the first and last time I’ve heard someone slush…but each to their own I guess!

@andylc it's not known as poor man's powder for nothing.

@rockhopper70 no matter what you do it's going to be expensive for those weeks.