Ask any skier or boarder to list their favourite ski resorts to learn in and they’re likely to include at least one French resort.
With around 170 resorts, renowned ski and board schools plus a great selection of easy green and blue slopes in each resort, it’s easy to understand why!
Here's our favourites - give them a go and we’re sure you’ll be hooked!
Number of green runs:17 Number of blue runs:45
Les Deux Alpes is a great resort to find your snow legs. Complete beginners start on the nursery slopes right down in the town and after mastering the basics, move on to the easily accessible, higher altitude beginner areas. There are even designated green and blue ‘Slow Zones’ all over the mountain so that everyone can build up their confidence.
Our favourite green run – Petites Crêtes: We love this green! Not only are there lovely views across the valley, but the run has a great mix of straights and turns, with a wide straight section at the end where you can really let go! Once you’ve mastered the green Petites Crêtes, you can push yourself by trying the neighbouring blue Crêtes run. How to get there: Takes the Crêtes lift if you’re already in the Crêtes area, or the Diable if you’re in town.
Our favourite blue runs – Signal 1 & 2: Starting from all the way up at 3200m these runs are really open, wide and quite often less busy than some of the other blues. The altitude means that the snow is better than some of the lower areas and the views will take your breath away! If you want to really push yourself, you can ski the Jandri blues all the way from the glacier back to resort - that’s a difference in altitude of 1550 metres! How to get there: Take the Jandri Express 1 & 2
Number of green runs:9 Number of blue runs:72
Belle Plagne is one of 10 villages that make up La Plagne and is a fantastic resort for a first ski holiday. Much of the accommodation is right by the slopes, so once you’ve found your ski legs, you can just clip in and go.
Our favourite green run – Cool Ski: The resort is super friendly for beginners as they've created ‘Cool Ski’ - dedicated beginner areas for building up your confidence. These areas are on easy, wide runs with special signs to make sure you stay on the right track. How to get there: There are Cool Ski beginner areas off the Belle Plagne lift in Belle Plagne and the Ourson lift in Plagne Bellecôte.
Our favourite blue runs – Arpette and Dunes: From the top, there are a number of different blues that will take you back to Belle Plagne, any of which will put a big smile on your face. Or if you’re feeling a bit more confident, take Europe’s longest Funslope! You’ll get a real sense of achievement going over the little jumps, banks, waves and even through a tunnel. Maybe don't try this on day one though! How to get there: From Plagne Bellecôte, take the Arpette chairlift.
Number of green runs:12 Number of blue runs:43
Les Menuires is very family-friendly whichmakesit a great place for children to take their first turns on the snow. There are also some lovely runs for beginners who are already blue-run confident and want to push themselves a little bit further. Whilst you could access the entire 600kmThree Valleys ski area from Les Menuires, beginners and improvers will be more than happycruising the local area.
Our favourite green run –La Violette: This is a real confidence builder and a must for all beginners in Les Menuires. It's wide and open with plenty of room to get those turns down. How to get there: Take the Roc 1 lift to access the main green run in Les Menuires.
Our favourite blue run –Bouquetin: Not only will you be rewarded with great views and a giant wooden bouquetin (great for a photo!), you will enjoy the lovely blue Bouquetin piste back down to resort. How to get there:Take the Masse 1 and then the Masse 2 lifts up to the top of the Pointe de la Masse.
Alpe d’Huez is a beginner’s paradise with a vast expanse of high-altitude, sunny greenand blue runs.There are twomain beginner areas; Les Bergers and the DMC, botheasily accessible from the centre of the resort.
Les Bergers has a slow zonewhich makes it an ideal spot to find your ski legs. Once your confidence is up, hop onthe Rif Nel Express or Romains lifts to open up a whole new world of green runs!
The DMC area also has more than enough green runs to build your confidence. Once you’ve exploredthis area, head off from the top of the DMC 1 lift to join up with greens in the Bergers area.Once you’re ready, put everything you’ve learnt into practice and take the Marmottes 1 chairliftwhere you’ll find the legendary Folie Douce barwith blues leading onto greens to get you back down to resort.
Our favourite green run: There are so many green runs in Alpe d’Huez it would be impossible for us to pick our favourite! Challenge yourself to ski them all – we’re sure you’ll find the one that you just can’t resist going back to!
Our favourite blue run –Couloir:This is a real fun slope with stunning views as you make your way down towards the DMC area. There aresweeping turns with a couple of narrower sections to test your turns. It's one to do over and over again. How to get there: Take and DMC all the way to the top and then enjoy the ski back down the blue Couloir piste. From there, take your favourite green back to town!
Take a look at our French ski deals to explore these runs for yourself.
France is the number one destination for British ski and snowboard holidays, thanks to the sheer scale and range of resorts.
If you're thinking of spending Christmas in a French ski resort this year, take a look at our guide to make sure you pick the right one for you.
Its wide, confidencebuilding slopes, excellent ski and board tuition, superb nightlife and tax-free status cement Livigno as the right choice for beginner skiers and boarders.
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