Best Ski Vacations for Beginners: 4 Must-See Destinations

Aiming to try skiing this winter? You’ve got to pick the right resort! Earn your ski legs with gentle slopes, beginner-friendly snow conditions, and world-class ski schools with our list of the best ski vacations for beginners.

Copper Mountain: The Best Ski Vacation for Beginners to Practice

Copper Mountain in Colorado is a beautiful, beginner-friendly ski resort with an abundance of green and blue slopes. While there are still plenty of slopes for experts, skiers can cut their teeth on more relaxed runs across the majority of the resort. However, Copper Mountain has one advantage over many of its competitors: year-round skiing lessons.

Here is a question: what happens if you put wheels on skis? While that may sound like some Wile E. Coyote contraption, it’s a very real thing. Over at the Woodward Copper Barn, you can try out special wheeled skis and snowboards designed for year-round use. The Woodward Copper Barn is an indoor skate and trampoline park that offers indoor training and lessons in a controlled environment. They can help you master your form and get you comfortable going down slopes and over jumps. Ski/snowboard boots aren’t provided, so be sure to bring a pair before you arrive.

Indoor skiing is a great way to get your ski legs, but it’s not quite the same as the real thing. Luckily, Woodward also offers a summer camp with real snow. Students at these week-long sessions will use real skis and snowboards on real snow and will ski down a genuine Copper Mountain slope. Oh, and did we mention this is a summer camp for adults?

While Woodward Copper offers traditional sleep-away camps for kids, it also runs two weeks of adult-only lessons open to the public. These lessons make for one of the best ski vacations for beginners, and include time on the slopes, lunch, and indoor practice sessions at the Barn. Unlike the sleep-away camp, however, they don’t provide accommodations. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered.

Stay At: Village Square at Copper Mountain

Located in the heart of Copper Mountain Village, Village Square is a short walk away from Woodward Copper Barn and the ski lifts. During the winter, guests have easy access to the ski area, equipment rentals, and all the shops and restaurants in Copper Mountain Village.

If you’re taking advantage of the Woodward Copper summer program, or want to visit during the summer, the Village Square at Copper Mountain offers ready access to seasonal attractions, such as the alpine coaster, hiking trails, and lift rides over the mountain’s breathtaking views.

Accommodations at Village Square feature spacious living areas, full kitchens, and king-sized beds. You can look out over the mountain from your enclosed balcony, rest by the fireplace, or chill in the communal hot tub. It’s the perfect place to relax between runs on the slopes.

Steamboat Springs: The Best Ski Vacation for First Timers

Steamboat Springs proudly calls itself Ski Town USA, and it definitely lives up to that title. This resort has green and blue slopes galore, including runs that start at the mountain peak. However, if you’re looking for the best ski vacation for beginners, Greenhorn Ranch is the place to start.

Greenhorn Ranch focuses on what they call terrain-based learning. It’s a sensory approach to skiing, using specially graded terrain to show students how to glide and turn. By giving skiers the ability to experience these sensations in a controlled environment, they’re able to earn their ski legs much faster than they would on a typical bunny slope.

Greenhorn Ranch also helps novice skiers pick up a skill they may not have considered: riding a ski lift. Most of the slopes at Greenhorn Ranch use magic carpet lifts, which are sort of like conveyor belts. Once you’re confident with those, you can practice on a real chair lift. The Greenhorn Ranch Express lift runs at slower speeds to help novices get comfortable with boarding and disembarking. You’ll finish your lessons with a run down the Perfect Slope. This precisely graded, perfectly groomed beginner slope is an excellent place for you to learn at your own pace.

Stay at: Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas

Ski-in/ski-out lodging is the most sought-after type of winter accommodation. These lodgings are located right on the slopes, just steps away from the lifts, so there’s no need to take a shuttle. When you’re ready to head in for some après ski, you can end your run right outside your villa.

Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas is one of these coveted ski-in/ski-out properties, located right next to the ski school and the gondola to Greenhorn Ranch. However, this luxurious property offers much more than just a short trip to the slopes. It also offers three on-site restaurants, a day spa, a heated whirlpool, and the spacious accommodations you can only get from a timeshare.

Heavenly Mountain Resort: The Best Ski Vacation for Beginners Looking for Variety

If you don’t know how to ski, booking a ski vacation can be intimidating. It helps to have some non-skiing activities on the docket so that you have other things to look forward to. Many ski resorts offer shops, restaurants, and other outdoor activities. Still, variety is the spice of life (and of a good vacation), which makes Heavenly Mountain one of the best ski vacation destinations for beginners.

Heavenly is located in Lake Tahoe, one of the West Coast’s most popular vacation destinations. Lake Tahoe is a popular year-round vacation spot, but it really shines in winter. Sledding and tubing are immensely popular, giving those without skiing experience the thrill of gliding down the mountain. Or, you could book a snowmobile tour and spend your day exploring the pristine winter terrain. Though much like the other resorts on this list, Heavenly has a robust ski school program and dedicated beginner terrain.

Off the slopes, visitors can experience Lake Tahoe’s nightlife, including live shows, nightclubs, and casinos. Kids can enjoy indoor minigolf, arcade games, escape rooms, and family-friendly performances. Or you could just relax and enjoy the stunning views.

There is one small caveat to a trip to Heavenly. While there is an abundance of blue slopes, there are only a few green runs. The beginner terrain they do have features wide, gentle slopes, which are great for new skiers, but you won’t be seeing much of the mountain until you’re comfortable enough for a blue run.

Stay at: Marriott’s Timber Lodge

If you want easy access to Heavenly, Marriott’s Timber Lodge is the place to be. This Marriott Vacation Club resort is mere steps away from the Heavenly Gondola, with direct access to the dedicated beginner’s area, and with a short transfer time to the other lifts.

Like other MVC properties, Timber Lodge offers palatial villas with full kitchens, dining areas, a soaking tub, and in-room laundry. However, if you don’t feel like cooking, you’ve got plenty of other options. The dining offering at Timber Lodge is FiRE + iCE. This all-you-can-eat restaurant has a unique “interactive grill” concept, similar to hibachi. Fill your bowl with raw ingredients and sauces, then take it to the central grill and watch the grillmasters combine them into something incredible. The food lends itself to Asian and Italian fusion, but you can make burgers, fajitas, tacos, or just about anything else you can imagine. Recipes are provided if you’re having trouble coming up with ideas.

Park City Mountain: The Most Accessible Ski Vacation for Beginners

Park City, Utah, is home to the 10th-largest ski resort in the world and the largest in the United States. There are over 330 runs here, over 100 of which are regularly groomed. Beginners who are feeling confident enough to try freestyle skiing can try their first tricks at the Little Kings terrain park, which features small jumps, wide boxes, and soft landings.

One of Park City’s biggest strengths is its commitment to accessibility. The nearby town is home to the National Ability Center, a non-profit dedicated to helping people with disabilities engage in recreation. During the winter and spring, the NAC hosts an adaptive ski school at Park City Mountain. The technology on display here is incredibly cool, from ski bikes to special skiing poles designed to offer extra support. The instructors are also trained to guide riders with low vision or blindness, hearing-impaired riders, and riders with intellectual disabilities.

Stay at: Westgate Park City

Voted one of the Top 10 Ski Resorts in North America, Westgate Park City is a luxurious mountain lodge with ski-in/ski-out access and first-class service. The one- and two-bedroom villas, along with the regular guest rooms, offer accessible features such as oversized tubs, roll-in showers, and visual alarms and notification devices.

In addition to the standard villa amenities, Westgate Park City offers two restaurants, a full-service spa, indoor and outdoor heated pools, and on-site ski rentals and equipment repair. Foodies willing to splurge can try the Edge 360 Dining Experience. Guests are seated in an outdoor dome called an Alpenglobe, which provides incredible views of the mountain while keeping guests warm and cozy. Consider booking a late meal so you can dine while looking up at the Utah sky.

What to Look for in a Beginner’s Ski Vacation

Skiing is a sport that takes a lot of practice. You won’t be hitting double black diamond slopes on your first ski trip. But if you’ve never skied before, it can be difficult to know exactly what to look for when picking a resort. So here are some things to look out for when planning a ski vacation for beginners.

It’s All About The Snow

You’ve probably heard skiers and snowboarders talking about powder days, but what do they mean? Powder snow is just another name for freshly fallen snow, the sort that hasn’t had time to get packed down or melt. These fresh snowfalls are beloved by novices and experts alike. Novices will appreciate the soft and forgiving surface, while experts love the smooth ride and high speeds that powder allows.

However, you can’t always have powder. Even at resorts with snow machines, the snow will get packed down by other skiers over time or melt and refreeze in the winter sun. This leads to harsher conditions, which, while still fun, can give beginners trouble. The snow will form into piles called moguls that are difficult to navigate, even for experts.

Most ski resorts make up for this by grooming the snow, creating a corduroy-like surface that’s great for skiing. It’s not as soft as powder, but it’s far more consistent. Corduroy is an excellent ski surface for beginners, but there are a few catches.

Corduroy is only available early in the day, when the snow is freshly groomed and hasn’t had time to melt. So if you want to get some practice in, you’ll need to get up early. Most ski resorts groom their snow every night, so try to find accommodations near the slopes so you can get out before the crowds.

Know Your Slopes

You can tell the difficulty of a ski slope by looking at the colors on its signs. In North America, the easiest slopes are marked with green circles. Blue circles are intermediate terrain. Black diamonds are challenging slopes; double and triple black diamonds are the most difficult. Unlike in Europe, where a standardized system defines what constitutes a blue or black slope, categories in the US are determined by each resort. A green slope at one resort might be closer to a blue elsewhere, if the terrain is just generally difficult.

Nearly every ski resort has a dedicated beginner area, but a good ski vacation for beginners should have a decent number of green and blue slopes. Once you graduate from the bunny hill, focus on green runs until you’re confident enough to give the blue slopes a try.

Lessons, Lift Tickets, and Rentals

Skiing lessons are a great way to learn, but you need to be prepared for some sticker shock. If this is your first time skiing, you probably don’t own any skiing gear, so renting equipment is a must. Very few ski schools provide complementary equipment, so you’ll need to rent some. You can do so at the same time as your booking, though your resort might offer complimentary gear as an amenity.

Then there’s the matter of getting up the mountain. For that, you’ll need a lift ticket, which is like your admission to the ski resort. Lift tickets also aren’t included with the price of skiing lessons, so expect to add that to the cost as well. A few resorts will offer free ski passes to young children, or will offer free or discounted lift tickets to beginners, but that’s far from a guarantee.

This isn’t necessary for ski vacations for beginners, but experienced skiers can look into buying a multi-resort pass. On this list, Copper Mountain and Steamboat are available on the Ikon Pass, while Heavenly and Park City are on the Epic Pass. Both passes are a big investment, but they offer various perks and discounts on shopping and dining. The Epic Pass gets a special shoutout for offering a discounted Adaptive Pass, making Park City even more accessible.

Check the Vibe

You won’t spend all your time skiing, especially as a beginner. Even pros need breaks from time to time. There’s even a special name for those post-run celebrations: après ski, French for “after skiing”.

Accommodations are a big part of the equation. That’s why we recommend renting a timeshare, so you can take advantage of the spacious villas when you aren’t on the slopes. But it’s not just about where you sleep. The best ski vacations for beginners offer activities beyond the slopes.

Many ski resorts are near villages with shops, dining, and live entertainment. Others will offer lodges and chalets where you can rest between runs. Make some non-skiing-related plans for your trip, and have backup plans in place for inclement weather.

Most importantly, you should choose a resort where you enjoy just being. Maybe you love the scenery. Maybe there are non-skiing activities you know you’ll like. Or maybe your accommodations have a hot tub. The important part of any vacation is having fun, so don’t focus too much on your skiing performance when you’re starting out.

Other Considerations

Here are a few other tips to keep in mind when planning the best ski vacation for beginners.

Gear Up

While you can rent skis and equipment at most ski resorts, there are a few things you’ll want to bring yourself. At the very least, you’ll want cold-weather clothes. While you can get a dedicated skiing outfit, the most practical option is to dress in layers. Bring a waterproof shell jacket and pants for the outer layer. Beneath that, add thermal leggings and a shirt, a sweatshirt and sweat pants, and potentially a puffy jacket. Avoid cotton, as it won’t protect you from the cold. You’ll also want gloves and thin socks that won’t interfere with your ski boots.

Beyond the outfit, you’ll also want to bring a way to stay hydrated and energized. Consider getting a hydration pack with an insulated tube. Keep the pack inside your inner jacket pocket to avoid freezing. For snacks, bring high-energy food like granola bars, nuts, and dried fruit.

If there’s one piece of skiing equipment you should invest in, it’s a helmet. Do not skimp on the helmet. Buy a well-fitting, certified snow-sports helmet, not a climbing helmet. They should be ASTM F2040 and CE EN1077 certified, meaning that they meet North American and European safety standards. Look for a helmet that has a Multi-Directional Impact Protection System (MIPS), since they’re designed to protect your head during tumbling falls. Some brands have similar, proprietary features, so make sure the helmet can protect from angled and/or rotational motion.

Don’t think you can pull out your dad’s old helmet either. Helmet materials degrade over time and with use, and a helmet that is damaged or more than 5 years old needs to be replaced. You should also replace your helmet if you’ve had a serious fall, since the damage might not be visible to the naked eye. Remember, you’ve only got one head!

It’s Still Sunny in Winter

Did you know that you’re more likely to get sunburned while skiing than on the beach? Snow is highly reflective, so harmful UV rays that the ground would normally absorb are bounced back toward your skin. Worse, the reflected light will burn weird places, like the bottom of your nose or chin. To protect yourself, regularly apply sunscreen and lipbalm, wear a neck gaiter or balaclava to protect your face, and always wear sunglasses or ski goggles.

Mind the Altitude

Most top resorts keep their accommodations near sea level, but going to high altitudes is just a part of skiing. Some resorts, like Steamboat in Colorado, have green runs that start at 10,000 feet or higher! You may experience headaches, nausea, or vomiting at high altitudes, so bring painkillers, antiemetics, and plenty of water to stave off the symptoms.

Stick to the Trails

While ski resorts can have a sort of theme park atmosphere, you’re still in the middle of the wilderness, with all the risks that entails. Marked routes are groomed and regularly patrolled, and are usually near food, shelter, and first-aid stations. Do not leave the marked trails or resort boundaries as a novice. Backcountry skiing requires a great deal of skill and special equipment, and even expert alpine skiers can run into serious trouble by going off-trail.

Have the Best Ski Vacation Ever With Timeshares Only

A timeshare can come with sweet perks, like spacious villas, ski-in/ski-out access, and world-class amenities. However, buying a timeshare can be a daunting task. It’s a big commitment, after all. So if you’re not ready to take the leap, why not rent instead?

Renting a timeshare gives you most of the same perks as vacation ownership, but with no long-term commitment. Pay once and enjoy your vacation, no strings attached. Timeshare rentals are handy for seasonal trips, such as ski vacations. Fixed-week timeshares are guaranteed accommodations, even if every other room in town is booked. Our marketplace lets you rent directly from timeshare owners, bypassing the seasonal rush.

Save Big on the Resale Market With Timeshares Only

Did you fall in love at first slope? If you want to make your ski vacation an annual tradition, a timeshare is a great way to save money and secure your stay. Skiing not for you? No problem; there are timeshares at popular destinations around the world. You can even use your timeshare to book vacations at other destinations, flights, or even cruises.

Buying a timeshare directly from the developer is expensive. If you’re looking to save money, buying on the resale can save you a lot of money, sometimes up to 50% – 60% off. Browse the ads on our marketplace, and find out how much you can save.