Stubai or Meribel?

If you have ended up here then you are split between two quite different courses. While both resorts have a park run by the DC Shoe Company and are home to many pro athletes that is about the extent of the similarities.

Which resort is ultimately right for you will probably come down to 3 key factors.

Duration, Price, your ultimate goal.

The Meribel programme is longer at 11 weeks and runs from January to March meaning that if your dream was to be qualified and work the whole winter as a ski instructor, then this is almost certainly not the course for you. Stubai, on the other hand, is a shorter 8-week programme meaning you need to join the course as a slightly stronger skier. It also finishes at the end of November so would mean you are qualified before the season even starts and free to jet off and teach in Europe or further afield. Japan is a personal favourite.

A ski resort from above

Photo by Thomas Beckett on Unsplash

If you are a little concerned about the costs of the course then Stubai could also be a better option. The benefit of training early season is that costs like accommodation etc are reduced. We are able to pass these savings on to you bringing the total course cost in at £1000 less.

You would be mistaken if you thought these lower costs meant more basic accommodation though. Stubai is home to our dream chalet, with a sauna, hot tub, indoor climbing wall, bar, full-size pool table, full-size pingpong table, retro game consoles, modern games consoles and projector for movies.

On the flipside, the early season training does mean that there are fewer people in the resort, so if getting out meeting new people and dancing on the table at après is more your thing then Meribel is probably going to be a better option. If what you want more than anything is to experience a ski season with the added benefit of getting a qualification Meribel is the place for you.

The old fashioned chairlifts on the tignes glacier

Photo by Rob Bye on Unsplash

So, what about the skiing? Well unlike many smaller Glacial courses such as those in Tignes you won’t be limited to skiing the same 5 runs each day. While the Tignes Glacier hosts 5 lifts (3 of which are Tbars) and 5 Pistes, Stubai has 26 lifts 38 marked runs and over 120km of pistes. That is about the same size as Morzine. It is also home to the world-famous DC Zoo park, a preseason training Mecca for many of the world’s top freeskiers. When it comes to size alone very few resorts are able to compete with Meribel, set at the heart of the 3 Valleys it gives you access to over 600km of pisted runs and more off-piste options than you will have time to explore in one season. As both resorts offer incredible skiing options we recommend making your decision based on the point above before worrying too much about how many Km’s you can ski.