Learning to Snowboard in the French Alps - Complete Beginners Snowboarding Holidays | the Last Resort IS NOW CLOSED FOR BUSINESS

Learning to Snowboard

Learn to snowboard holidays in La Clusaz and Le Grand Bornand – French Alps

If you’re feeling a bit daunted about the prospect of organising a snowboarding holiday for the first time here’s some information that might help you, along with details of our complete learn to snowboard packages.

Is it the Right Resort for me?

Grand Bornand is an ideal beginners resort with perfect nursery slopes and plenty of well groomed greens and confidence building blue runs. If you’re with a mixed ability group there’s also plenty for the experts to go at both in Grand Bornand and La Clusaz.

Lessons – Private or Group

Snowboarding - David Machet

A difficult choice – group lessons are ideal if you want to meet people and have someone else around for moral support. They tend to be cheaper as well.
Private lessons on the other hand are more flexible and better focused to individual needs. And if there are 3 or 4 of you they don’t work out that much more expensive than group lesson.
Some people like to get a head start and have a few lessons on a dry slope at home. This can be a good idea but plastic slopes can be painful to fall on (and you will fall!) so try to get to a Snowdome with real snow if you can it’s much more lifelike! Try the Tamworth indoor ski dome or the Xscape snow dome in Milton Keynes and Castleford near Leeds.

Fitness

Anyone with an average level of fitness can learn to snowboard, but you will have to be prepared to fall over and at first you may get a few bruises.
Of course the fitter you are the better. So if you can get a little exercise before hand you’ll progress much more easily. See our Ski and Snowboard fitness page.

Clothing

If your not sure about clothing you can talk to us on the phone for advice but here is a list of essentials -

Ski gloves or mittens
Warm hat
Ski/snowboard jacket or wind and waterproof jacket
Ski pants or waterproof over trousers. If you can afford specialist snowboard pants they’re better as they have reinforced waterproof knees and bum (you’ll do a lot of sitting on it!)
Good quality goggles or sun glasses preferably UV Category 4
High factor sun screen. At least SPF 20 (we use SPF 60)
Ski socks – non cotton and thin. Modern boots are very warm and comfortable, thin socks allow you to get a better fit. “Tube” socks are a definite no no as they create ridges around the ankles

It’s best to use the multi layered approach with a thermal under layer and a couple of fleece layers which can be stripped off if you get too warm and a wind/waterproof outer shell.

Last Resort Learn to Snowboard Holidays

If you go for our “learn to snowboard” package we’ll organise everything for you including:

Booking lessons
Equipment hire
Lift passes
We’ll even take you to your first lesson

Snowboarder - David Machet

All you need to do is get to Geneva and we’ll take over. We meet your flight, and bring you direct to the resort (the transfer is normally less than 1 hour).

On arrival your lift passes will be waiting for you and after you have settled in to your accommodation, you will be taken to the ski shop where we will help you select boots and skis. Normally we try to get your equipment organised on the day of arrival, if this isn’t possible we’ll collect you in the morning help you select your equipment and take you to meet your instructor.

What’s it going to cost?

OK let’s be honest a ‘learn to snowboard holiday’ isn’t cheap. You need to take into account – lessons, equipment hire and lift passes – but we will make sure you don’t spend more than you have to.

We have 3 and 6 day packages including lessons, liftpass, ski and boot hire plus our “hand holding” service.

See the prices page for details.

Accommodation

We have a range of apartments and chalets available to for 2 to 16 people and for all budgets.

Self Catered Apartments

Great for couples, small groups and families, we have our own spacious, fully equipped apartments for 2 to 11 people. Have a look at the Self Catered Ski Apartments page.