Where to learn to ski? The resorts for beginners
For a first ski holiday, what matters is not the size of the ski area but the room given to green and blue pistes: gentle, wide slopes where you can string descents together without ending up stuck above a red. We counted the pistes of each level on the OpenStreetMap map of every resort, and kept those with at least 5 green pistes and two-thirds easy runs.
The ranking puts the share of green pistes first — the best sign of a resort built for learning. The 53 resorts selected break down as follows: Northern Alps (20), Southern Alps (15), Massif Central (7), Pyrenees (4), Vosges (4), Jura (2), Corsica (1). The village altitude is shown: lower down is often less cold and less expensive, but the snow is less reliable early in the season.
The day pass price is the one on the resort’s official price list, where we have read it. As a beginner you do not need the whole ski area: many resorts sell a cheaper “beginner” or “nursery slope” pass, to ask for on the spot.
Click a column heading to sort. Resorts with no reading stay at the bottom.
| # | Resort | Range | Green pistes | Easy pistes | Pistes | Village | Day pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | La Stèle | Massif Central | 12 (86%) | 100% | 3 km | 1,250 m | — |
| 2 | Chambon-des-Neiges | Massif Central | 21 (66%) | 91% | 18 km | 1,157 m | — |
| 3 | Les Rousses | Jura | 12 (63%) | 89% | 5 km | 1,105 m | — |
| 4 | Les Estables | Massif Central | 10 (63%) | 88% | 6 km | — | — |
| 5 | Brameloup | Massif Central | 6 (60%) | 80% | 14 km | 1,268 m | — |
| 6 | Font d'Urle | Southern Alps | 29 (59%) | 80% | 16 km | 1,389 m | — |
| 7 | Selonnet | Southern Alps | 24 (56%) | 70% | 21 km | 846 m | — |
| 8 | Le Mourtis | Pyrenees | 15 (56%) | 74% | 14 km | 1,411 m | — |
| 9 | Le Cambre d'Aze | Pyrenees | 26 (53%) | 71% | 26 km | 1,640 m | — |
| 10 | Semnoz | Northern Alps | 11 (52%) | 71% | 16 km | 1,475 m | €18.50 |
| 11 | Saint-Léger-les-Mélèzes | Southern Alps | 32 (51%) | 83% | 31 km | 1,076 m | — |
| 12 | Sainte-Anne-la-Condamine | Southern Alps | 8 (50%) | 81% | 17 km | 1,824 m | €26.50 |
| 13 | La Stass' | Northern Alps | 7 (50%) | 79% | 5 km | 1,598 m | — |
| 14 | Le Planolet | Northern Alps | 7 (50%) | 79% | 5 km | 1,085 m | — |
| 15 | Prabouré | Massif Central | 6 (50%) | 75% | 6 km | 1,276 m | €15 |
| 16 | Thollon-les-Mémises | Northern Alps | 31 (49%) | 73% | 22 km | 1,600 m | €25.50 |
| 17 | Poli | Vosges | 19 (49%) | 67% | 28 km | 850 m | — |
| 18 | Le Chinaillon | Northern Alps | 36 (47%) | 78% | 61 km | 1,300 m | — |
| 19 | Chaillol 1600 | Southern Alps | 12 (46%) | 81% | 11 km | 1,600 m | — |
| 20 | La Croix de Bauzon | Massif Central | 5 (45%) | 91% | 10 km | 1,364 m | — |
| 21 | Plaine Joux | Northern Alps | 9 (45%) | 75% | 11 km | 1,360 m | €25.50 |
| 22 | Monts Jura | Jura | 14 (44%) | 75% | 21 km | 900 m | €38 |
| 23 | Prat Peyrot | Massif Central | 7 (44%) | 75% | 9 km | 1,420 m | €26 |
| 24 | Frère-Joseph | Vosges | 14 (44%) | 72% | 12 km | 900 m | — |
| 25 | Larcenaire | Vosges | 14 (44%) | 72% | 12 km | 820 m | — |
| 26 | Col du Rousset | Southern Alps | 11 (42%) | 69% | 16 km | 1,247 m | — |
| 27 | Ghisoni-Capannelle | Corsica | 6 (40%) | 80% | 3 km | 1,670 m | — |
| 28 | Molines-en-Queyras | Southern Alps | 14 (40%) | 69% | 23 km | 1,625 m | — |
| 29 | Champ du Feu | Vosges | 5 (38%) | 69% | 5 km | 900 m | €21 |
| 30 | Bonneval sur Arc | Northern Alps | 16 (36%) | 77% | 31 km | 1,800 m | €32 |
| 31 | Ancelle | Southern Alps | 32 (36%) | 74% | 44 km | 1,364 m | — |
| 32 | Ceillac | Southern Alps | 5 (36%) | 71% | 8 km | 1,644 m | — |
| 33 | Aussois | Northern Alps | 31 (36%) | 74% | 43 km | 1,500 m | €34.50 |
| 34 | Autrans-Méaudre en Vercors | Northern Alps | 7 (35%) | 80% | 18 km | 1,018 m | — |
| 35 | Col de Romeyère | Northern Alps | 7 (35%) | 80% | 18 km | 1,069 m | — |
| 36 | Saint-Véran | Southern Alps | 14 (35%) | 68% | 30 km | 1,756 m | — |
| 37 | La Pierre Saint-Martin | Pyrenees | 17 (33%) | 80% | 25 km | 1,635 m | €43.50 |
| 38 | Hautacam | Pyrenees | 9 (33%) | 67% | 12 km | 1,500 m | — |
| 39 | La Grave | Southern Alps | 12 (32%) | 78% | 55 km | — | — |
| 40 | Le Chazelet | Southern Alps | 12 (32%) | 78% | 22 km | 1,783 m | — |
| 41 | Le Granier | Northern Alps | 5 (31%) | 75% | 6 km | 988 m | — |
| 42 | Hirmentaz | Northern Alps | 18 (31%) | 69% | 25 km | 1,088 m | — |
| 43 | Les Habères | Northern Alps | 18 (31%) | 69% | 25 km | 941 m | — |
| 44 | Lans-en-Vercors | Northern Alps | 11 (30%) | 78% | 25 km | 1,400 m | €24 |
| 45 | Réallon | Southern Alps | 8 (30%) | 67% | 12 km | — | — |
| 46 | Le Désert d'Entremont | Northern Alps | 5 (29%) | 71% | 7 km | 1,150 m | — |
| 47 | Valmorel Le Grand Domaine | Northern Alps | 15 (26%) | 75% | — | 1,400 m | €56.10 |
| 48 | La Forêt Blanche | Southern Alps | 23 (23%) | 70% | 71 km | 1,660 m | — |
| 49 | Puy-Saint-Vincent | Southern Alps | 22 (22%) | 77% | 75 km | 1,600 m | €39.50 |
| 50 | Les Aillons-Margériaz | Northern Alps | 8 (21%) | 82% | 25 km | — | — |
| 51 | Termignon | Northern Alps | 5 (20%) | 76% | 30 km | — | — |
| 52 | Col de Plainpalais | Northern Alps | 10 (19%) | 73% | 34 km | 1,173 m | — |
| 53 | Les Deux Alpes | Northern Alps | 18 (19%) | 68% | 220 km | 1,650 m | €66 |
Frequently asked questions
Which resort should I choose to learn to ski?
Those with many green pistes and an easy ski area: La Stèle (12 green), Chambon-des-Neiges (21 green), Les Rousses (12 green), Les Estables (10 green), Brameloup (6 green). All of them have at least 5 green pistes and two-thirds easy runs.
Do you need a big resort to learn?
No. A beginner skis on a handful of pistes; what matters is that they are gentle and wide. Among the easiest resorts, 47 have less than 50 km of pistes, and often cost far less.
How much is a lift pass in a beginner-friendly resort?
The cheapest adult day pass recorded in this selection is €15 (Prabouré). Most resorts also sell a beginner pass limited to the easy pistes.