From my perspective (I live in city at 100m above sea level), this mountain does not seem small and does not seem like it is for beginner skiers.
You had a real winter fairy tale, a winter idyll 🙂
I'm still more for spring and summer.
OK, I like to see such scenes of winter, but from a warm room, with a cup of tea or mulled wine (and I can also imagine myself with a hot cocktail).
They are quite easy. Compared to glaciers in 3,000+ metres, for instance ;)
I love skiing and am hapy my girlfriend is getting into it. Then you can enjoy hot drinks or sauna even more than if you spent all day in a warm room ;)
I listened to the stories of skiers, my friends... Getting up early in the morning, getting dressed and on the slopes as soon as possible. And there, until dusk, by cable car up the mountain, downhill on skis. And just one more lap, one more wire.
Skiing must be loved a lot, it is a physically tiring sport.
I like activities when I bring my muscles to the point of complete exhaustion, but I've only skied once in my life, when I went down a hill in my neighborhood and crashed at the end of the trail 🤕 and then I never skied again.
Walking in the snow, snowballing, sledding and sliding are possible, but skiing on a steep slope is not🙂
Maybe I would dare to get on skis in the cross-country skiing option, but I don't have company for that, nor where to ski...
You need somebody to teach you, it's kinda impossible to learn that by yourself ;) Cross-country skiing is a bit easier, but still, having somebody to at least show you how to is quite handy :)
I think I'm too old for a beginner skier now.
But I would definitely get to Rifugio Valtellina for pizza while walking 😀
My girlfriend also started as an adult ;)