Eight of the best holidays for skiers who want to get better this winter

Skis,” Sir Arthur Conan Doyle told readers of Strand magazine in 1884, “are the most capricious things on Earth. One day you cannot go wrong with them. On another, with the same weather and the same snow, you cannot go right.”

For most intermediate skiers – and for snowboarders, too – this observation is as true today as it was 134 years ago for Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes. Yes, the kit is more sophisticated, but making the most of it, and the mountains, involves a commitment to improving skills.

Intermediates can greatly increase their enjoyment of the slopes by making the transition from fair-weather red-runner to being confident in all conditions, regardless of the gradient. After mastering technique on piste, the next step is to take the fun off piste, by learning how to ski powder. It’s hard to beat the sense of achievement that comes from making performance gains on a skills course.

Of course, all of this takes expert help, and it’s important to find the right combination of holiday and tuition, so that going ‘back to school’ is fun. Here’s our pick of the best this season.

Unless stated otherwise, prices are per person based on two people sharing a room for a seven-night stay with half-board accommodation, flights and transfers.

Best for the holistic approach

Verbier, Switzerland

Warren Smith is one of Britain’s best-known ski instructors, with a formidable reputation for improving the skills of everyone from early intermediates to pro freeriders, using a unique combination of technique, biomechanics and physiology. The Warren Smith Ski Academy runs a wide selection of courses ranging from off piste/freeride coaching, ski instructor training courses, and a five-day academy for intermediate and advanced skiers that improves skills and knowledge for skiing in all types of terrain including piste, moguls, steeps and powder.

With all rooms recently refurbished, the Xtra Chalet de Verbier (run and staffed by Inghams) is in a great location on Place Centrale in the popular Swiss resort. It’s a popular base for students on the Ski Academy courses and has a comfy retro lounge, cosy rooms and free Wi-Fi.

Need to know

From £657 with Inghams. Instruction with the Warren Smith Ski Academy costs £469 for five days, four hours a day.

Best for snowboarders as well as skiers

Morzine, France

Skiers and snowboarders who find their progress blocked by errors in technique can get help in Morzine in clinics run by British ski school New Generation. The eight-hour course is split into two sessions on Tuesday and Thursday, with the day off between sessions perfectly placed to practise new skills. Clinics are on two levels: confident skier or rider, and all-mountain. They are not available in peak season weeks.

VIP’s Le Manoir, in the heart of town and close to the lifts, was built in 1790 as home to the local notary. Thick stone and horsehair walls, mosaic and flagstone floors, roll-top baths, towering ceilings, and huge rooms give it lots of atmosphere. It sleeps up to 15 people in five bedrooms.

Need to know

From £1,129 with VIP. Instruction clinics with New Generation cost €190.

Best for getting off the intermediate plateau

Val d’Isère, France

Making the transition from wobbly red run to advanced piste skier is a problem for many of us, while off piste is a mountain to climb. “Every time I venture into deep snow I fall over,” is the familiar cry. Former French racer Pat Zimmer in Val d’Isère teaches much the same basic technique both on and off piste. He argues that if he can get a skier’s basic technique in shape, they can ski anywhere and ski it well.

Zimmer runs intensive three- and six-day technique courses for skiers (not snowboarders) in early December in conjunction with chalet operator Le Ski, and then regularly throughout the season. Three-star Chalet Roc Merlet is a comfortable place to stay, in a quiet, private enclave close to the ski bus stop.

Need to know

From £1,269 with Le Ski including six-day lift pass and intensive tuition and video analysis.

Best for fine-tuning technique

Reberty Les Menuires, France

Les Trois Vallées is one of the best intermediate playgrounds in the Alps, but most people think it’s going to be too expensive. That may be true of fashionable Méribel and Courchevel, but choosing Les Menuires as a base means fewer crowds and a less pricey stay.

The completely ski-in/ski-out chalet Sapin de Reberty sleeps up to 18, with a hot tub and sauna, and serves delicious food. Book by the room or take over the whole chalet. Oxygène Ski School is nearby and instructors fine-tune and tailor their teaching to boost confidence and ability, Monday to Friday, 9–11.30am, in groups no larger than six.

Need to know

From €510, excluding travel, with Powder N Shine. Oxygène group classes cost from €238.

Best for learning ski touring

St Anton and Silvretta, Austria

This ski safari in the Silvretta region, 40km south of St Anton, is aimed at skiers who are confident in most types of snow, with three to six weeks of off-piste experience. It begins with a two-day warm-up in St Anton, honing techniques for skiing and climbing as well as essential safety and avalanche awareness. This is followed by four days of touring through the spectacular glacial terrain of the Silvretta range, staying in cosy mountain huts along the way. Black Crows rental skis are included in the package.

Need to know

Tours cost €1,350, departing on various dates in March, excluding travel, with Piste to Powder.

Best for informal tuition

Mayrhofen, Austria

The original concept of tour operator ski guiding has been largely killed off, thanks to court action by the French government and the ESF, along with the UK’s imminent departure from the European Union. Neilson has come up with a simple solution that is a money-saving boon for improvers – and not just in France.

By staying in any of its Mountain Collection of hotels and chalets in France, Italy and Andorra, guests can take advantage of inclusive guiding and coaching. Qualified Neilson Mountain Experts work with blue- and red-run skiers, while familiarising them with the ski area – and it’s included in the holiday price.

A great place to take advantage of this is in Mayrhofen, which has its own 159km ski area and another challenging 400km that can be accessed with the Zillertal regional lift pass. Neilson’s four-star Chalet Hotel Ferienhof is in a quiet location, 400m from the lifts. It is built in traditional style with wood-panelled walls and ceilings. There’s a wellness area with sauna and steam room.

Need to know

From £785, including free equipment hire, with Neilson.

Best for off-piste lessons

Tignes, France

Some challenging time away from the main pistes enables a technique polish-up on a Snoworks off-piste course in Tignes. Participants must be able to ski easy black runs and have a reasonable level of fitness. Three-hour sessions take place over five half-days in groups of between six and eight. Tour operator Mark Warner provides the accommodation package, at Chalet Hotel Aiguille Percée.

Need to know 

Packages from £699 with Mark Warner. Off-piste courses cost £385 with Snoworks.

Best for a pre-season boost

Kaprun, Austria

Skivolution offer five training weeks in November and early December for keen skiers who want to improve their on-piste abilities. The company was established in 1987 and ran courses in the French Alps before launching an autumn programme in Kaprun, in 2007.

There are courses for everyone, from blue- and red-run skiers upwards, who want to take their technique to the next level. All-day training is in small groups and takes place on the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun, which has groomed pistes of all gradients, empty slopes, easy bumps to learn on, and some off-piste possibilities, too. Tuition is by top-level BASI coaches and includes video analysis and feedback.

Accommodation is at three-star Hotel Mitteregger, in the centre of the resort, with traditional-style decor and a spa area with three saunas and a solarium.

Need to know

From £759 including transfers but not including flights, equipment rental or lift pass with Skivolution.