Fancy a winter holiday but never clipped into skis? You’re not alone. Fresh research conducted with the Ski Club of Great Britain shows that half of Brits who have never skied would like to try it. Naturally, young adults are keenest to learn to ski, with 85% of 18–24s, 73% for 25–34s, and 66% for 35–44s.

However, less than 1 in 10 Brits have ever been on a winter sports holiday, versus 66% who’ve been on a beach holiday. Only about 3% of the population actually head to the mountains for a ski holiday each year.

So if you want to try skiing for the first time then Austria is the ideal place. It is a perfect place for beginners to learn, with wide sweeping slopes, beautiful food, and Instagram-worthy panoramic views of the Alps at every turn. There's also high quality food, fantastic apres-ski night-life, and friendly people.

Deals and Beginner Packages 

For winter 2025/26, several ski schools in Carinthia are offering a new course format for beginners aged 14 and over: “Learn to ski in three days – guaranteed.” The promise is simple: if participants can’t confidently ski after three days, they’ll get their course fee refunded. As of late August 2025, ten ski schools have joined the initiative, including locations in Bad Kleinkirchheim, Nassfeld, and Turracher Höhe. 

Siegi Tours specialises in beginner-friendly packages in Austria’s Ski Amadé region, including ski school, accommodation, and evening entertainment. They even offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t learn to ski. 

Crystal Ski runs dedicated “beginner weeks” with flights, transfers, accommodation, and ski lessons bundled together. They’re one of the UK’s biggest ski operators, making things smooth and simple for first-timers. 

Inghams offers beginner-friendly trips with ski school access, lift passes, and equipment hire arranged through their “Learn to Ski” deals. They’ve been taking UK travellers to Austria for decades, so you’re in experienced hands. 

Beginner Friendly Resorts

For adult beginners, Alpbach is often cited as one of the best places to start. Its ski area is compact, unintimidating, and beautifully set among traditional wooden chalets — the kind of picture-perfect Alpine village that looks like it was built to calm your nerves. It also links seamlessly into the wider Ski Juwel area once confidence grows, so first-timers can progress naturally without ever feeling out of their depth.

Another standout is Zell am See/Kaprun, which combines glacier views with slopes that tailor-made for adults taking their first turns, with wide open slopes and modern gondolas that remove the fear of tricky drag lifts. Off the slopes, Zell’s lakeside promenade, spas, and lively après-ski scene make it ideal for combining lessons with proper downtime — the perfect balance of progress and pleasure.

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