With its towering peaks and high-altitude lift access, Chamonix has a fearsome reputation as a resort for extreme skiers and snowboarders. But what if you're a beginner? Is it hard to ski in Chamonix? Chamonix centre has two low altitude nursery ski areas which are easily accessible on foot or by bus. If you're a total beginner, the Savoy nursery ski area is probably the best place to start. There's a magic carpet here basically a conveyor belt in the snow and two drag lifts.
Once you're ready to stretch your legs, Planards ski area has more terrain, several drag lifts and a chairlift. The Savoy nursery ski area has a very gentle gradient. The pistes are nice and wide, letting you practise turns and build confidence before heading higher up the mountain. If you're a complete beginner, you don't need to buy a lift pass - at least not yet. The magic carpet is free of charge, so you can get used to sliding on snow in your own time.
You'll only need to buy a lift pass once you're ready to progress to the drag lifts on the other side of the field. You can get your pass from any of the ski pass offices. Make sure you ask for a beginner lift pass, as these are a lot cheaper than a standard lift pass. Non-skiers can stop here too. The Folie Douce hotel is also right next to the Savoy slope. Check availability at Folie Douce Chamonix. Les Planards is the bigger area of the two nursery areas in Chamonix centre, with drag lifts one short and one long and a gentle gradient green piste to build your confidence on.
Once you're feeling confident on the green piste, you can progress to the longer drag lift. Hop off half way to start making turns on slightly steeper terrain, or commit to the entire slope by riding the drag all the way to the top. Also at Planards, there's also a two-person chairlift accessing a steeper blue piste and a red run. There's a restaurant with a large terrace at the bottom of Planards. Any non-skiers in your group can join you here. Aside from the best views of Mont Blanc in the valley, there's some good beginner to intermediate terrain up here.
To get to the green pistes, exit the gondola and take the 'Funi ' funicular straight in front of you. The other green piste is the 'Retour Plan Praz'. This takes you back to the Plan Praz gondola to descend down into town or onto the blue piste linking back to the bottom of the Parsa chair lift.
