I went on my first ski holiday in 10 years – here’s the best destination for beginners

OUR chalet in La Plagne 1800 is blanketed in snow as we arrive on a late March morning.

Even more of the white stuff is coming down as we walk into the wood- panelled cabin, past the boot room where we will dry our stuff after a day on the slopes.

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In the main living area, we are greeted by Emma and Sasha, our charming Ski Beat hosts for the week.

They will be on hand to cook us meals, clean our quarters and provide the best bar recommendations.

Our room at Chalet Alisier is snug, but has an en suite bathroom and a large balcony with views of the Alps.

It is at this moment I become the personal photographer to my partner Monica, keen to make the most of the Insta-friendly views across the French landscape.

Half an hour later it is time to collect our kit — and I suddenly get childhood flashbacks to my mum trying to yank my foot free from a stubborn boot while kneeling on the floor of a chaotic store.

So I am pleasantly surprised when we walk into the hire shop — directly below our chalet — and it is virtually empty. We’re in and out with our gear within 15 minutes.

Neither of us has skied for about a decade, so we decide to try out first on the nursery slopes.

As I tentatively shuffle forward at the top of a run of no more than 100 metres long, I have visions of hurtling into the group of kids having a lesson — like an 80kg human bowling ball.

Mercifully I manage to snowplough my way down without anyone getting hurt, but it is clear we need a slight refresher.

Luckily we have arranged to have some lessons and, after two days, our instructor has us flying along.

Dario — a 63-year-old Italian and self-styled mountain man — is a true character. On the slopes, he occasionally takes out his harmonica and plays us a tune.

In the bar later, he waxes lyrical about the mountain lifestyle, proudly telling us he doesn’t own a telly or have access to wifi.

In fact, he seems utterly bewildered as we describe the concept of Netflix.

Days at Ski Beat start at 8am, when we all meet for a cooked breakfast made by Emma and Sasha.

Then it’s layering up, grabbing our skis, and a short trudge through the snow to a nearby ski lift that takes us up to Plagne Centre, where most of the piste lifts start.

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Olivier Allamand

The runs in and around La Plagne are perfect for us — varied in difficulty, with beautiful views and plenty of cafes along the way.

It’s ideal for intermediates, with 72 blue runs to choose from.

After a day’s skiing — fuelled part way through with a four-cheese toastie — we head to one of the many bars for the apres ski, before making our way back to the chalet for around 5pm.

Late-season skiing means we get a bit more daylight to enjoy.

Emma and Sasha always leave us a cake of sorts — not good for the waistline, but good for the soul — which we eat before slipping into the hot tub with a glass of rosé or warming up in the sauna.

With the dynamic duo taking care of dinner too, we even find time to enjoy some of the other apres-ski fun, from a beer-tasting session in local brewery Les Neves to a go at the Winter Olympics’ bobsleigh track.

Dinner is the full three courses and, washed down with a few glasses of wine, never disappoints. Special mention must go to the tartiflette, which I still dream about.

Then we play a game or head to the local pub, La Mine, which often has a live band we can dance to.

It’s usually around 10pm when Darren, one of the other guests, has the bright idea to buy a tray of shots — which we drink knowing the mountain air will cure almost any hangover.

After another shot, we finally decide to call it a night and hope we can still ski the next morning. But, then again, falling over is part of the fun, right?

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