Val Thorens is a great destination for those new to skiing. As the highest ski resort in Europe, it boasts reliable snow conditions throughout the season, and provides lots of terrain for beginners to practice on. The resort’s convenient layout means there are lots of gentle slopes near the village center, making it easy for novices to access the pistes without delving into advanced terrain.
If you’re a beginner wondering what to wear, check out our articles on the Best ski pants and Best ski jackets for top recommendations.
Is Val Thorens a good resort for beginners?
Val Thorens boasts a variety of wide, well-groomed slopes with gentle gradients, perfect for learning the basics of skiing. Dedicated beginner areas equipped with magic carpets and slow-moving lifts make the learning process smoother and less intimidating. Additionally, Val Thorens has excellent ski schools with experienced instructors who specialize in teaching newcomers, ensuring supportive and effective instruction.
What makes a good beginner ski resort?
In Val Thorens, the nursery slopes are conveniently located near the village center. Accessing the nursery slopes is straightforward, with many accommodations just a short walk away. Ski schools in Val Thorens typically meet near the main nursery slopes, often at easily identifiable locations like the base of the magic carpet lifts or designated meeting points in the village center. This proximity allows beginners to transition smoothly from instruction to practice and the presence of multiple reputable ski schools provides a variety of lesson options, including group classes and private tutoring, catering to different learning preferences.
Best easy runs in Val Thorens
There are plenty of great runs in Val Thorens that are ideal for beginners. From dedicated learner slopes to long and winding blue runs. Val Thorens may be famous for its high-altitude expert terrain, but there’s lots to get excited about as a learner, too.
Espace junior
This dedicated beginner’s slope is easily accessed from the VT27 Les 2 Lacs gondola. Take the Traversee des 2 lacs, and look for the Espace Junior trail on your left heading back down to the resort. It’s right before the VT Fun Ride and FamilyPark. This gentle, straight run is ideal for linking your fist turns.
2 combes
This green run is accessed from the top of the VT14 Cascades chair lift. Head right off the lift, and look for the sign for Dalles and 2 Combes. Dalles is an easy blue heading back down to town, while 2 combes is a long green that takes you back to the FamilyPark and Espace Junior slope, as well as some other green runs.
Combe de Thorens and Flocon
These two runs are accessible off 2 combes. Before reaching the FamilyPark, take a right down Combe de Thorens, and then either bear right for Flocon, or stay the path down to town. Both finish at the bottom of the VT14 Cascades lift, and make for a good, longer lap.
Corniche
This is the first blue run we recommend you tackle, and is a wide, easy-going run that you can get to off both the VT2 Pionniers and VT3 Plein Sud chairlifts. Head right off the lift and then stay left for Corniche, which links back into the Cascades chair. Or, head right down Plein Sud to ride through town — though this is often quite busy, especially around lunch and the end of the day.
Tete ronde
If you’re feeling ambitious, take the VT13 Peclet gondola to the Glacier de Peclet and then head right, following signs for Tete Ronde. This winding blue trail links into Dalles and 2 Combes, and is one of the longest easy laps on the mountain.
Gentaine
This is a straight blue trail ideal for practicing your turn. Take the VT32 Caron gondola and then head right out of the door and onto Gentain. You can lap this endlessly to get your confidence, and is a great choice for learning to control speed and getting the hang of longer turns.
Genepe
If you find yourself passing the FamilyPark often, you can consider going up the VT21 Moraine gondola, where you’ll find Genepi, a very fun and winding blue trail that you can lap. Or, head up the VT24 Thorens gondola to find Face Nord, a tougher blue, which links back into Genepi for a more challenging lap.
Tips for your first ski trip in Val Thorens
For a first-timers trip to Val Thorens, there are a few things to think about! While most lifts have access to some blue runs, some lifts don’t. The VT33 Cime Caron famously only offers up black and red decents, so keep that in mind before jumping on. The same goes for the VT15 Lac Blanc lift, which is not suitable for beginners.
You’ll also want to try not to drop below the VT32 Caron gondola point as it can be tiring to get back to town. You’ll need to take a series of lifts and runs to get there if you do. The Blanchot and Tetras runs are the ones that can often whisk you further down the valley than you were hoping.
In summary
Val Thorens has lots to do for beginners, and thanks to its high altitude and consistent snowfall, it makes the ideal place to get your first turns. With English-speaking schools, high-quality rental equipment, and a dedicated learner area along with a large network of green and blue runs, there’s no better place to go from snow plough to linked turns.
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