Learning to Ski in Meribel

Meribel is a ski resort nestled in the Tarentaise Valley in the French Alps and part of the Trois Vallées ski area, one of the biggest in the world. It’s an ideal spot for anyone learning how to ski as it has excellent nursery slopes and plenty of options when it comes to instructors and ski schools.

Beginner’s skiing in Meribel is well catered for, as it has been the take off point for many first timers over the years. Meribel Altiport is the location for the resort’s best-known green run, which is named after the tiny airport it is situated next to. There is a free bus that travels all over Meribel and if you stay on right until the end of the route you will find yourself at Meribel Altiport.

Altiport is not an airport in the traditional sense, more a small landing strip, typically used by two seater planes, so you’re not going to find yourself knocked out by a jumbo jet landing metres away when you’re trying to get up on your skis. In summer Altiport is a golf course, wide and tree lined, which gives good definition to the snow in winter on bad light days. Being slightly out of town it also has the benefit of being mostly free of through- traffic so it’s a great location to learn the basics undisturbed. There are other nursery slopes above Meribel Village and Central Meribel that have these same characteristics and have been selected as nursery slopes because they are less likely to present beginner skiers with problems like ice. Once you progress from beginner status it’s also easy to access the blue runs, which are slightly further up the mountain.

These nursery slopes are where most of the ski schools will come to give their lessons and classes so you can expect to see other large groups of wobbly people struggling up on to their skis and snowboards. When it comes to booking lessons, you can either go for an instructor on a one to one level, or in small groups, or you can join a ski school. Group ski school lessons will normally be ten skiers or under but if you prefer something more personal, the individual instructor may be a better option. If you don’t speak fluent French and will need your lessons in English, this is something you should specify when you book. There are a number of ski schools in Meribel, including the ESF, which has 400 Alpine ski instructors, Magic In Motion, which tends to operate smaller classes and Les Piou Piou Kindergartens, which is run by the ESF and aimed at very tiny tots. There’s also a British run ski school called New Generation, which offers classes as well as private tuition.

As most beginner skiers tend to spend their first few days walking around covered in bruises, if there comes a point where you need a day off from the rough and tumble of the slopes, Meribel also has a great selection of other activities to offer, from a flight in a hot air balloon, to a night at the cinema. There’s also plenty of spa options where you can get a massage to ease those aching muscles and get you back on the slopes, raring and ready to go, the next day.

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