Returning to skiing after a long break: go back with a hosted group

If you are returning to skiing after a long break and the people you used to ski with are no longer going, you do not have to rebuild the whole thing on your own. Spice Escapes runs hosted ski weeks where you travel with a small group, the hotel and dinners are arranged, a host is there from the first evening, and you can ease back onto the snow at your own speed with ski school or with people at your level.

Going back alone or going back with a group

When you skied before, someone else probably did a lot of the organising. A partner booked the chalet, a friend knew which runs to take, the ski club sorted the coach. Coming back on your own, the planning lands on you at exactly the moment you feel least sure of yourself.

You can book it all independently: flights, transfers, a hotel, hire, lift pass, lessons, then eat alone each night and hope you meet someone on a chairlift. After years away, the risk is spending the first two days nervous and lost on the piste map.

A hosted group week takes most of that away. On a Spice Escapes ski holiday you travel with a group of around fifteen people, and some reach twenty. Most people on our holidays book on their own. The host knows the resort, helps people find others of a similar standard, and sits down to dinner with everyone in the evening. If you want a slow first morning on the gentle runs, someone will usually be glad to join you. If you want to do it alone, nobody minds.

Where to go back: four weeks that suit a returning skier

Every Spice ski week is rated on our own ability scale, from 1 for a first-timer to 10 for an instructor. Where a returning skier sits on it depends on how much they did before and how long ago, so the four weeks below all have ski schools and easier terrain to start on. All of our snow holidays are listed under Ski and Winter holidays.

Baqueira, the Spanish Pyrenees: guided mornings to rebuild confidence

Ski Baqueira includes five mornings of guided skiing in groups of ten at most, which is a good way to come back without having to judge the mountain alone. Baqueira Beret has dedicated beginner areas in both Baqueira and Beret, and Spice describes it as a great choice for anyone returning to the slopes.

The hotel, the Tuc Blanc, is across from the gondola, so you walk out in your boots. It is 7 nights, departing 14 Mar 2027 – 21 Mar 2027, from £1,449, hosted by Rob Thompson. Places: 17 places left. More on the region on our Spain holidays page.

Les Arcs, France: every level, and lessons graded for you

Ski Les Arcs is the week we would suggest if you are honestly unsure where you will land on the scale. The resort has very good ski schools and suits every level of skier, and the lesson grades are clear: Level 1 if you can snowplough and stop, Level 2 if you are moving from snowplough to parallel. Hire is graded too, so you can pick entry-level kit for the first days.

The Hotel Les Mélèzes is a short walk from the slopes, with full board so there is no hunting for dinner when you are tired and a games room. It is 7 nights from £1,509, departing 23 Jan 2027 – 30 Jan 2027, with Lauren Fawkes as your host. Places: 6 places left.

Morzine, France: friendly terrain on your doorstep

For a gentle return, Morzine is hard to beat. Spice rates it five out of five for beginners and for intermediates, and the Pleney pistes above the town are described as perfect for both. Once you find your feet, it links into Les Gets and Avoriaz.

Ski Morzine stays at the Hotel Le Cret, within walking distance of the Super Morzine lift, with a pool and sauna for tired legs and seven evening meals in the hotel. It runs for 7 nights from £1,199, departing 30 Jan 2027 – 6 Feb 2027. Places: 14 places left. Our France holidays page has the rest of what we run there.

Madonna and Pinzolo, the Dolomites: quieter slopes to start the day

Ski Madonna suits a returning skier who wants scenery and a slower pace. The pistes are mostly tree-lined, there are some good beginner areas, and Pinzolo has its own ski area with quieter slopes at the beginning and end of the day. Ski school for the early levels is booked locally at the Scuola Italiana Sci Pinzolo, and helmets are compulsory in Italy, so plan for one.

You stay at the family-run Hotel Pinzolo Dolomiti, with breakfast and dinner every day and a shuttle to the lifts each morning. It is 7 nights from £1,339, departing 23 Jan 2027 – 30 Jan 2027, hosted by Jamie Morris. Availability: Waitlist only. See also our Italy holidays.

What to expect from the first two days

Book a lesson or a guided session for the first morning even if you think you remember. Kit and technique have moved on, and an hour with an instructor saves a day of fighting old habits. After that, ski with whoever in the group is at your level and leave the long red runs until you want them.

In the evenings the group eats together at the hotel. That is where people compare runs and agree who is skiing with whom tomorrow. Our guide on how a hosted ski week works on your own covers the days in more detail, and if you are starting from scratch rather than coming back, read how to ace a beginners ski holiday instead.

Every room on these weeks carries a single supplement or a cost for a room to yourself. Our page on the single supplement explains how it works. If this is your first trip of any kind on your own, our notes for first-time solo travellers and our over 50s solo holidays are worth a read too.

Questions people ask

Will I have forgotten how to ski?

Almost certainly not. The basics tend to return within a morning or two, though your legs and your confidence may take a little longer. A lesson on the first day is the quickest way to find out where you are.

Do I need lessons if I skied years ago?

You do not have to, but most returning skiers are glad they did. Equipment and technique have moved on, and a short session settles nerves and corrects old habits. Every resort we visit has ski schools that teach group lessons from beginner through to intermediate.

What if everyone else in the group skis better than me?

Groups always have a spread of abilities, so you will not be the only one taking it gently. The host helps people find others at a similar level for the day. In the evening, nobody cares who skied the black run.

Is my old ski kit still worth taking?

Old boots that still fit are worth a try, but skis from years ago are usually best left at home. Hiring lets you pick kit graded for your current level and swap it as you improve. Ask us before you travel and we will tell you what the resort offers.

Can I book a ski week with a group if I travel alone?

Yes, and most people on our holidays book that way. You book your own place and your own room, then meet the host and the rest of the group on the holiday. The host is there from the first evening, so you will know at least one face before dinner.

Talk to us before you book

If you are not sure which week suits the way you ski now, the best thing to do is tell us. Rob Thompson, who owns Spice Escapes and hosts the Baqueira week himself, and the team will ask what you used to ski and how long it has been, then point you to the right resort and the right lessons. Get in touch here and we will help you get back on the snow with good company around you.