The most important step in learning to ski is choosing a ski or snowboard lesson programme which is right for you...

There are a number of different ski and snowboard schools in our locality offering lessons ranging from ski school for beginners through to private off-piste clinics.  Choosing the right operator and type of lesson for your skill level and abilities is vital to ensure that you get the most out of your holiday!  The information provided below aims to help you make this choice by explaining the different lesson options and the different schools available. We are very happy to talk to you in more detail about your specific requirements - just give us a call or drop us an email.

Beginners

Lessons - Complete beginners may wish to consider attending one of the ski schools on offer in the area.  This is a fun way to learn with other people of different nationalities and it can take the pressure off the learning experience.  The French ski and snowboard school ESF are the traditional choice for ski school  and there are ESF schools in all our resorts, although we usually use the school at Montriond-Les Lindarets. However if you prefer an English-run school you may wish to consider the slightly more expensive Avoriaz Alpine Ski School, which has smaller class sizes, although the access lift to this ski school is slightly further from our chalets.

Nervous beginners, or those who want to learn as quickly as possible, may prefer to choose private tuition on a one-on-one or small group basis.  You can generally book private lessons in 1 or 2 hour slots, for the morning or for the whole day and the cost of this will vary between operators and according to the time of day (e.g. a 2 hour private lesson for 1 will cost from between €84-€140).

Lift pass considerations - If everyone in your party is a complete beginner and you wish to minimise your costs, you could consider learning to ski at the local St Jean slopes.  The cost of a local adult lift pass - giving access to 35kms of skiing - is €104.40 for 6 days, as opposed to €208 for the full Portes du Soleil area pass and the ESF here is very good.  Alternatively, you could choose to learn in Les Gets and purchase the Morzine-Les Gets pass - ask us for more details on their beginners lessons and lift pass package.

Intermediates

Lessons - For those who have skied for at least one week, you have the option of either attending ski school in an intermediate level class, or taking private lessons. 

Lift pass considerations - We recommend that lower intermediates either purchase the full area pass (particularly if they are skiing in mixed ability groups) or the slightly cheaper Morzine-Les Gets pass.

Advanced

Lessons - For advanced level skiers we suggest that you will benefit the most from private lessons, or by joining one of the specialised "clinics" run by Avoriaz Alpine ski school e.g. classes run last season included "Learning to Carve" and "Introduction to the Park".

Guided tours - While our chalet hosts are more than happy to spend a few hours showing you around the slopes, if you wish to go further a field, or spend time off-piste, you may also wish to consider hiring a qualified ski guide for the day.  This can cost as little as €50pp for a full-day tour of the Portes du Soleil!

Lift pass considerations - We would recommend that you purchase the Portes du Soleil lift pass as this will allow you to access full ski area.

Click the logos below to go directly to the web-sites of the main ski schools that we work with.