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We love Italy for beginners: lessons are maximum quality, minimum pressure, the ski areas tend to be a lot less busy and life’s generally more about chasing the Dolce Vita than rocketing down the mountain – the prime conditions for a cracking introduction to the slopes.
Then there’s the fact that everything’s cheaper, with private classes for a cut of the usual cost. Whether you’re of the mind that “gently does it”, or you prefer to plunge straight in the deep-end, the following are the best Italy has to offer a beginner.
Italy: Top 10 Ski Resorts for Beginners
Part of the Alta Badia plateau (a well-known softie of a ski area) over 50% of Corvara’s groomers are blues, with an enormous 70km of them to ease you into the sport. You’ll find the gentle Sodlisia just above the village, a favourite for mastering the art on before moving onto the sea of interconnected blues to the left of it. The juiciest perk of having so much friendly terrain is the variety – whether you discover a penchant for open expanses (like those from Pralongia) or tranquil tree-lined descents (as you ski towards San Cassiano and La Villa). For lessons, Corvara Ski School make use of a safe zone close by the Costes da L’Ega camp and their Skikinderland takes expert care of tots over three.
Livigno’s ski schools aren’t the only department spoiling you for choice – once you’ve taken your pick of Scuola Sci Centrale, Livigno Ski School, Azzura et al, it’s a tossup between about a million short sweet blues served by nine lifts from the main resort and San Rocco. And with many (like Pian delle Volpe) separate from the rest of the area, they’re usually gloriously free of speedsters. Because the resort’s a pretty high 1805m at base, the lower slopes tend to stay in good nick all season long, and once you’ve conquered the basics, it’s onwards and even further upwards… The Bella Vista blue has gentle gradients and does what it says on the tin, with amazing views over the Spöl Valley. Learning bambini are in good hands with the kids lessons here, which often take them to the Yepi trail over in Mottolino - full of obstacles and toys to make everything as safe and fun as possible.
Award-winningly wonderful, the Kronplatz stats speak for themselves: 5 ski nurseries, 9 ski schools, over 200 ski instructors and 46% beginner runs which can be 100% covered by artificial snow. They’re also wonderful in practice – thanks to the “panetonne” shape of the Kronzplatz (the name of the mountain, not the actual villages) blues stream down like rivers from the peak, letting you ski as high and far as the best of them, even if you’re not far into your first week. Most runs are long and sunny, providing time to perfect technique and mild conditions in which to do so. If you’re not sailing straight back to the village edges on blues like the Pracken, you’ll be hopping in state-of-the-art gondolas to get you home (some with Wi-Fi and heated leather seats… Just be warned, spend a week riding these and you’ll slightly spoil every “standard” gondola you get in after...).
Many a first plough has taken place in Passo – with tonnes of beautifully maintained blue pistes hugging the town, hotels and bars, so learners don’t ever have far to hike from A to B. The slopes manage to strike the perfect balance between sunny (this is the ‘Valley of Sunshine’ after all), wide (perfect for practicing those pizza turns) and snow sure (hats off to the Presena Glacier and total ski cannon coverage). Start off on the magic carpet on nursery slope 19 (Scoiattolo) at the edge of the town, with fantastic English speaking ski schools, like Scuola Sci Tonale Presena, Ponte di Legno or Castellacio. Then ski the short blue Tre-Larici to get your groove going, before descending long, roomy runs like the Cady Sit.
Cortina’s winning combination of diamond standard schooling and barely busy pistes soon see beginners storming down in the trails of James Bond (this is where Roger Moore races away from baddies in For Yours Eyes Only). Most of the resort’s visitors tend to sun themselves on the restaurant decks anyway, but our idea of the dolce vita’s a little different – like heading west for the Tofana-Socrepes ski area for some of the most scenic nursery slopes on earth. Here a number of gentle blues wind their way down to the bottom (for practice, the Pocol lift serves a couple of wonderfully wide, short descents). A rare find in Italy, a dedicated slow-ski slope in Faloria, on Vitelli lets progressing learners test out a lower red section without interruption.
In quiet, unassuming Flogarida, around half the pistes are beginner level and thanks to recent tidal waves of investment, the lifts serving them couldn’t be quicker or easier to use. Take the Flogarida or Belvedere gondolas straight up to the Family Park at Malghet Aut, where everything’s on the easy side - from the lifts, to the slopes, to the snow park – and there’s also a tubing trail for when the thighs need a break… Conditions are usually faultless here at the mid-station, nearly all the blues being between 1800m and 2000m. Most of those at lower altitudes are sheltered by trees like the gorgeously long and gentle Azzura, which leads 3km through the trees and back to the resort. Another bonus of the lift investment is the connection to Madonna di Campiglio, letting learners spread their wings beyond the local slopes (don’t miss those nice wide blues at Groste). If you’re taking youngsters, better news yet – in recent years kids aged 8 and less have been able to ski for free.
Val Gardena’s flattering blues make it perfect for wobbly learners, and most are blissfully quiet, with the Sella Ronda tempting more experienced skiers out of the local area. It doesn’t get more magical than Ortisei for a first ski resort, which with the 7 Palmer and the 6 Furdenan nursery areas right on its edge, takes good care of those putting on ski boots for the first time. Once steadier on your skis, make the most of the lift access to the Alpe di Siusi area, where easy breezy blues like the 78 Strega and 73 Laurin will more than double your confidence. From there, strike out and see more of the valley, trying your turns on the blues around Selva or making an early attempt at Freestyling at the Piz Sella park. Unless you’re with tots, in which case only the most sugary “Furtaies” will be able to tempt them the children’s Fun Park at Alpe di Siusi.
With over 40% of its pistes blue and magic carpets right on the edge of town, it’s safe to say that novices could do a lot worse than Bardo. The Bardonecchia, Liberi tutti, Nordoest and 04 Ski School ski and snowboard schools here are all English speaking, with some expert instructors to take you out to explore the 3 ski areas: Colomion-Les Arnauds, Melezet and Campo Smith. This is a great place to make the most of Italy’s low lesson prices for a guiding hand in the best directions. If you decide to fly solo, progress from the nursery slopes around Campo Smith and Melezet up the Smith 4 chair lift and onto cruisey blue Chapelle for an ego-boosting cruise back to the village. We love that there are several blues higher up the mountain, so newbies aren’t chained to the resort edge for the week.
Like the village itself, the slopes around Claviere are wonderfully quiet for a first-time trail blazer, and there’s a welcome lack of bottle necks to ruin your momentum. Combined with low, low prices across the board, novices can often get a good deal on lift passes like one-off rides on specific lifts, making this a great place for a first tentative attempt on the slopes, where you won’t fritter your pennies on lifts you don’t end up using. Nursery slope gradients are a few percent higher than the norm, which many have thanked for their lightning fast progression to scenic blue runs like La Coche. This leads back to the resort, delivering you victorious and smiling to celebratory drinks in Café Torino before you’re up and away again (for a Bombardino in slopeside Chalet Monsoleil if you’re anything like us…). Take the blue 90 from Colle Brecia (2293 m) for a proper adventure, a long descent into the neighbouring village of Cesana.
The Cervinia piste map is swimming in blues - with 18 immaculately groomed beginner runs - and it’s no secret that the reds here are also huge softies. Make it your mission to master the short 3.00 back into town or the 8km Ventina red by the end of the week. For your training, we can heartily recommend the mild piste 5 back to town (do like the Italians and stop for a breather and some tiramisu at Frassy Ceasare e Ulla), or taking the lift to Plateau Rosa Testa Grigia for trails (the 87 and 73) into Switzerland. Cervinia dotes on children, with kid’s areas, magic carpets and inflatable features - like the Wild West Zone at Valtourneche, or the highest at Plan Maison - practically every way you look. You can even book onto morning ski and afternoon childcare packages with the Biancaneve Mini Club – a rare find in Italy.
Italy's low prices and famously empty slopes make it a terrific place to get to grips with your skiing, and if the excellent pistes, friendly instructors and low-cost lessons don't do the trick, the Italian mountain food is sure to get you hooked on ski holidays!
But that's not to say the other skiing and snowboarding countries aren't a dab hand at helping learners progress and have fun too. If you'd like to learn to slide in one of the greats, take a look at our list of the World's Best Beginner Resorts.
Italy - best beginner ski resorts
| Resort | Best features |
|---|---|
| Corvara | In the confidence-boosting Alta Badia region, stonkingly scenic blue trails, kinderland for tots |
| Livigno | Multiple ski schools, tons of blue terrain, great snow record |
| Kronplatz | 46% of ski area is beginner pistes, numerous ski schools, ski area often quiet |
| Passo Tonale | Easy to reach blues, snow sure ski area, great ski schools |
| Cortina | Top notch tuition, seriously scenic nursery slopes, quiet blue runs |
| Folgarida | Oodles of easy runs, family park, lots to explore |
| Ortisei | Scenic beginner runs, great nursery areas, fun park for kids |
| Bardonecchia | >40% of ski area graded blue, numerous ski schools, good nursery runs |
| Claviere | Quiet ski area, easy to progress, low cost ski lessons |
| Cervinia | Excellent blue runs, fun kids areas, snow sure skiing |
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