Which mountain resort is best for beginners?

The best mountain resort for beginners is one that has a large, gentle practice area with carpet lifts, a ski school with places available, and a safe path to the next level. These are three requirements that surprisingly few resorts meet all at once. Sälen, Idre Fjäll and Björnrike in Vemdalen do so; Åre and Riksgränsen only do so to a limited extent, despite being larger resorts.

Furthermore, beginners are not the same as children. An adult skiing for the first time has different needs to a five-year-old, and a resort might be excellent for one and only average for the other. Here we look at the differences, and why accommodation near the beginners’ slopes plays a bigger part than you might think in the first week.

Quick comparison: the contenders for the best mountain resort for beginners

Here are the most popular destinations for first-time travellers:

• Sälen: several separate beginners’ areas spread across four resorts, the largest number of ski school places in the country, and long green runs on which to practise skiing over a decent distance.
• Idre Fjäll: Compact and well-organised, with a short distance between accommodation and the training area.
• Björnrike (Vemdalen): an unusually even and long stretch of beginner’s terrain, considered by many to be Sweden’s gentlest mountain.
• Kläppen and Branäs: small and easy to navigate, but with fewer green runs to move on to.
• Åre: There are good beginner’s areas in Björnen and Duved, but Åreskutan itself is steeper and the resort is more spread out.

What ”beginner-friendly” actually means on the slopes

Marketing claims that all gentle slopes are beginner-friendly, but when it comes to the slope itself, there are four key factors. The gradient must be even enough for you to glide without accelerating out of control. The slope must be wide enough for you to take wide turns without colliding with anyone. It must end in a flat landing area where you come to a stop naturally. And it must have a lift you feel confident enough to use. If any of these four elements are missing, your first day will be a bad experience, regardless of how many runs the resort has in total. So look at the size of the beginners’ area, not the resort’s total number of kilometres of slopes.

The lift system – carpet lifts, anchors and chairs

The ski lift is the most common reason why a first day’s skiing goes wrong. A moving walkway, or carpet lift, is the only one that works without any prior experience: you simply step onto it and stand still. The T-bar lift requires technique and costs many beginners both patience and bruises, whilst a chairlift requires you to be able to slide off at the top. A resort that has several carpet lifts spread across different areas – not just a single one at the bottom station – is therefore significantly better for beginners. Sälen, Idre Fjäll and Björnrike all have this layout. Do check the resort’s lift map before you book; you’ll see straight away which areas are designed for learning.

Ski school: group size, language and booking status

The ski school is where the large resort really pulls ahead of the small one. More instructors mean more lesson times, more ability groups and a better chance of getting a place, even if you book late. In smaller resorts, places for the school holidays are snapped up well in advance, and latecomers are left with either private lessons or nothing at all. Always ask three things when booking: how many pupils per instructor, how long each session lasts, and whether there are separate adult groups. It is precisely the availability of adult groups that makes the biggest difference between locations. See how Ski school and childcare on site is set out in Sälen.

The width and gradient of slopes – common pitfalls

There are two recurring pitfalls. The first is the green run, which passes through a steep section in the middle – technically still green, but in practice a point where beginners get stuck and have to walk. The second is the transport sections between areas: flat stretches where you have to plough your way through, which is exhausting before you’ve got the technique down. A large ski resort has more of both, which is why a smaller, more compact resort sometimes offers a better first week. Ask at the ski school or at the lift ticket office which run is completely free of surprises – they’ll always tell you, and their answer will save you a day. Read more about beginner-friendly slopes in Sälen.

Adult beginners versus children learning

Children learn through play and repeated practice, can cope with falling over and have a low centre of gravity – they need a small area, short sessions and a teacher. Adults learn through understanding, have longer arms and significantly more respect for speed, and, above all, need a wide slope where no one is watching. This means that a resort can be perfect for children but mediocre for adults: a small children’s area with a carpet lift and play figures is not a good place for a thirty-five-year-old to learn to turn. Look for resorts that have both a children’s area and a separate, larger beginners’ slope. We’ll go through which area in Sälen is best suited in which area is best suited to beginners.

When a small town beats a big one on its maiden voyage

A small resort often wins you over on your first visit, and it’s worth saying so straight away. At Kläppen, Branäs or Lofsdalen, you can see the whole resort from your chalet window; you can’t get lost, the distances are short, and you avoid that feeling that everyone else knows more than you do. What’s more, the crowds are easier to manage, and the prices are lower. A large resort only really pays off when someone in your group wants to ski more, or when you’re planning to return the following year and need more terrain to explore. If this is your first trip to see if skiing is for you – choose somewhere small, nearby and cheap. If it’s a hit, go for a big resort the following year.

Summary – how to choose the best mountain resort for beginners

Ask about three things: ski lifts, the width of the practice area and the number of places available at the ski school each week. If the answer is ‘yes’ to all three, the size of the resort matters less. If you’re a mixed group where some are beginners and others ski black runs, choose a resort with a wide range of slopes – in which case Sälen is hard to beat, as all levels are catered for within the same lift system and you can meet up for lunch. If everyone is a beginner and it’s your first time, choose a small, nearby resort instead and spend your money on ski school rather than lift passes. The best mountain resort for beginners is quite simply the one where you get the most time on your skis – not the one with the most runs. If you’d like help finding a house right next to the beginners’ slope, please do get in touch. Suitable family cottages in Sälen are located near all four facilities.