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Whats your favourite family friendly ski resort

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Looking for inspiration for the next bank balance depleting holiday. 8 and 6 year olds, both competent skiers for age (they're happy on blues and reds and I'm happy for them to be skiing on them). Preference would be smaller or less busy European resorts however larger resorts which work well for relatively young families would be fine also. Where have you been this year that you would go back to?
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Westendorf. Haven't been this year but holidayed there around 6 times as a family in my teenage years (friends that we went with had been going for another 5+ years before that). Wouldn't change anything about it, other than removing the gondola from the blue 111 and putting the bus back wink
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Chatel in Portes du Soleil. Close to Geneva, familyfriendly athmosphere and slopes that suits all types of skiers.
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As a family we all learnt to ski in Meribel. Very fond memories. Also a friend of mine took his family to Puy St Vincent at Christmas & said they had a great time.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thought Le Grand Bornand was a great resort for kids. Not perfect for really young ones as not huge amounts of slopeside accommodation near the learner areas in Chinaillon but if they are a bit older its easy enough to get them to the lifts and lots of friendly terrain to go at. Not been there in half term but been there over new year and it was a lot less busy that I was expecting.
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@ac505,

Places we've skied with the children in no particular order:

ADH (staying in Oz-en-Oisans) - highly recommended but it's not a "less busy" resort
La Norma - recommended - smaller and probably falls under the category of less busy
Paradiski (staying in Les Coches) - our "go to" resort - lift pass is expensive but you can always rely on it for early/late season skiing and the variety of terrain available is huge and lot's of fun places to take the kids + snowparks, etc.
Les Contamines - smaller, great snow and slopes but some steep drags not appropriate for children and many feel downloading in the cable car is preferential to the one run back down
3V (stayed in Les Menuires) - OK but not smaller or "less busy"
EK (staying in Tignes) - switched here early season when first option (Les 7 Laux) didn't open. Not small or less busy.

Les Gets is a place I haven't been that seems to be well thought of for families.
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Champoluc very family friendly and both less busy and better vfm than France. If it's for next year we have a fine apartment opposite the main gondola snowHead would do a SHs price.

www.ski2.com operate there and appear to provide a very good service (also running to Les Gets this year).
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
For us La Rosiere (tarantaise valley) has been a great family resort. Not big (though the village has grown a lot since we started there) and we've always found it very family friendly.
The link to La Thuile, Italy (if not closed by weather & you don't mind a longgg drag) provides some variation and more pistes - not to mention our favourite piste side dining (no clues as its hard enough to get a table).
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Whilst there are hotels there I wouldn't class it as a resort. The village of Forstau (ski area called Fageralm between Radstadt and Schladming) is a fantastic ski area for families and younger skiers. They've tried really hard to put in some little touches to make the area for younger visitors.

Little themed ski ways off the piste with signs to follow. A run with little slalom stubbies to test the skills. A speed schuss. Boardercross. GS run...

It's very pretty too.

It would only keep you busy for a day, but it would be a fantastic day.

Any of the other villages around the area would be great. Schladming, Radstadt, Flachau, Wagrain...
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Alta Badia in the Dolomites, I've not actually ski'd here with my family but was the first place I visited that I want to return to with them. Good mix of pistes but you don't get the blues the wind down in between red and blacks. It's also on the Sella Ronda and near Hidden Valley for some exploring. I stayed in Selva so can't comment on the accommodation. I'll hopefully visit with Family next season.

I'm off to Andorra with Family tomorrow (half term), expecting to spend most of the week skiing Arcalis, not big area but quiet and has a good mix of easy pistes and easy freeride (not for kids). Not much accommodation in Arcalis so we're staying near La Vella and driving each day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Kappl
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
We love Courchevel for the kids. Great gentle skiing. Pretty expensive though. Out of school holidays it can be very quiet.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
Obergurgl - snowsure, great lift system, plenty of cruisey blue/red pistes for the kids, quiet village with little traffic, lots of good hotels (plus Esprit go there if you want to go the family friendly TO route), reasonably short transfer from Innsbruck, good ski school with plenty of British instructors. You get free lift passes for kids up to about 9 I think.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
I loved Oz en Oisans, you can ski directly black on quite hard blues, or take the lift. Nice little town, nice places to eat and child friendly. Alp Dhuex was fab.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
We stayed in the Les Bruyeres area of Les Menuires this year and thought it was a really good spot to stay with our 2, aged 8 and 10. There's an aquatic centre, Speed Mountain luge-on-rails and the ESF ski school, right in the middle of it all. Everything is a max 5 minute walk with a decent selection of restaurants, shops, hire shops and a supermarket. Really compact without the brutalist architecture of the main centre at La Croisette (which does have everything you could want). Easy pistes back down and the Bruyeres gondola to whisk you straight to the top with direct access to Val Thorens and the Meribel valley.

Thinking about it, I think we'll go back again next year!
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
grazzenger wrote:
We stayed in the Les Bruyeres area of Les Menuires this year and thought it was a really good spot to stay with our 2, aged 8 and 10. There's an aquatic centre, Speed Mountain luge-on-rails and the ESF ski school, right in the middle of it all. Everything is a max 5 minute walk with a decent selection of restaurants, shops, hire shops and a supermarket. Really compact without the brutalist architecture of the main centre at La Croisette (which does have everything you could want). Easy pistes back down and the Bruyeres gondola to whisk you straight to the top with direct access to Val Thorens and the Meribel valley.

Thinking about it, I think we'll go back again next year!

That is where we stayed. The gondola opened quite late and a big queue built up at the start of the day, which always bugged me.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Trysil, RadissonBlu Resort Hotel. Truly great facilities (big fun pool, bowling alley), ski in out on the nursery slopes, range of restaurants (ind buffet, pizza and American diner inc in half price deal), range of slopes (really liked the trees between the slopes) and a feeling of travel, parks good for kids, short transfer.

Its my favourite out of all the other ones I've been to with the kids: -
- Courcheval, OZ, Montgenvre, Les Arcs/Peisey, Val D, Les D Alpes and especially Sierra Nevada I'd recommend/go back to
- but not (until older!) Soll (to spread out /ski buses and too red!) or Saas Fee (too red! / limited for early intermediates iMV)
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Hi Wildsmith did you book independently?
Would love ve to stay there but so expensive at half term. However if yiunget food inc might be worth it
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I would second Obergurgl. Took my kids there 5 years ago for their first skip trip and then went back this Christmas. They loved it both times. No mad queues, nothing too precipitous (though either route down from Top Mountain Star isn't straightforward). Sledging in Hockgurgl - "fun", but with Health'n'Safety defying drops if you fail to negotiate some of the hairpin bends. Great food. And of course: Nederhutte!
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
@warbis66, yes - I found it was £1K cheaper to do all the bits by myself. Also forgot () t use the likes of Trivago to make sure I go the best deal (or even ring the hotel myself) possibly a bit more could be saved. Spent the money on an extra day to look around Oslo (VIking Ship Museum was good) - it all meant we got 8 days skiing out of it.

We went at Easter, so possibly a bit cheaper (!) - we saved a tiny bit by having a homemade sandwich for lunch back at the hotel and buying a bottle of rum in duty free on the way.

Just found it was all worth the extra money - I think also some childcare was included in the price (didn't use though). Other holidays are available!
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@ac505, Serfaus / Fiss markets itself a family resort.


Loads of facilities for kids and there is also a complete absence of steaming piste racing-snowplough brits/dutch who are such a menace in many other resorts
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Layne wrote:
@ac505,

Places we've skied with the children in no particular order:

ADH (staying in Oz-en-Oisans) - highly recommended but it's not a "less busy" resort
La Norma - recommended - smaller and probably falls under the category of less busy
Paradiski (staying in Les Coches) - our "go to" resort - lift pass is expensive but you can always rely on it for early/late season skiing and the variety of terrain available is huge and lot's of fun places to take the kids + snowparks, etc.
Les Contamines - smaller, great snow and slopes but some steep drags not appropriate for children and many feel downloading in the cable car is preferential to the one run back down
3V (stayed in Les Menuires) - OK but not smaller or "less busy"
EK (staying in Tignes) - switched here early season when first option (Les 7 Laux) didn't open. Not small or less busy.

Les Gets is a place I haven't been that seems to be well thought of for families.


La Norma had a fantastic nursery slope. Good value for money too.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
under a new name wrote:
Champoluc very family friendly and both less busy and better vfm than France. If it's for next year we have a fine apartment opposite the main gondola snowHead would do a SHs price.

www.ski2.com operate there and appear to provide a very good service (also running to Les Gets this year).


Whilst not cheap, ski2 are a fantastic TO. Great ski school.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
Wildsmith wrote:
Trysil, RadissonBlu Resort Hotel. Truly great facilities (big fun pool, bowling alley), ski in out on the nursery slopes, range of restaurants (ind buffet, pizza and American diner inc in half price deal), range of slopes (really liked the trees between the slopes) and a feeling of travel, parks good for kids, short transfer.

Its my favourite out of all the other ones I've been to with the kids: -
- Courcheval, OZ, Montgenvre, Les Arcs/Peisey, Val D, Les D Alpes and especially Sierra Nevada I'd recommend/go back to
- but not (until older!) Soll (to spread out /ski buses and too red!) or Saas Fee (too red! / limited for early intermediates iMV)


Second that, it's a brilliant family resort. The Radisson tourist centre is the better for facilities, the runs are trickier. The radisson mountain resort has the best green runs I've seen but is isolated. However, probably best to read the other thread about how expensive Norway is.
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 Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Alta badia and spefically the villages of colfosco and corvara.
Alta badia as mentioned is linked to the sella Ronda and about 500km of the Dolomites
But it has the most lovely blues anywhere I have ever been on perfect for beginners
People talk about busy..at half term sometimes we had queue for 2-3 minutes for a lift!!
Amazing restaurants at sensible prices and just chilled Italian. The slopes completely empty at lunchtime
Val gardena is very close but so much more narly than Alta badia
I'm looking to book my third holiday on the trot there, and having skied in numerous places before can't ever see myself wanting to go else where again!
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 snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Lech Smile
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 And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
Wildsmith wrote:
Trysil, RadissonBlu Resort Hotel. Truly great facilities (big fun pool, bowling alley), ski in out on the nursery slopes, range of restaurants (ind buffet, pizza and American diner inc in half price deal), range of slopes (really liked the trees between the slopes) and a feeling of travel, parks good for kids, short transfer.



This!

Trysil is the one my two daughters keep asking to go back to. We did the same with sandwiches at lunchtime at the hotel, there is a medium sized supermarket just across the car park from the RadissonBlu. I guess lunch for the 3 of us came out around £6 a day with fresh bread and fruit bought daily and some bigger packs of stuff like cheese, ham and a jar of loganberry jam bought the first day.
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 So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
My brother and his family like Les Gets - loads of child-friendly pistes and a short airport transfer.

They like Courchevel too.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Niederau is worth a look
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
@ac505, how about Hinterglemm? We always go 1st week in April, snow can be a bit hit and miss but always plenty to do. It's nice and quiet at this time of year as a lot of people head to the higher resorts. Deals to be had because of this, we are staying in the Glemmtalerhof in hinterglemm , a 4 star superior hotel which we can highly recommend , 2499 euros for us, 2 adults, 2 kids in a family suite, half board and 6 day lift passes for us all.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Our 9 and 7 yo daughters started off in mainly French resorts booked via family TOs such as Esprit, etc, done VdI, AdH, La Plagne, Les Arcs and Puy St Vincent. Friends usually head to Les Gets. However, our kids preference now is always Austria. Both Obergurgl and Zauchensee (kinder hotel) they particularly loved and we didn't have any queues even in Feb half term. Usually self-book nicer hotels with clubs, pool and bowling alley or ice rink nearby. Seeing them with eyes as wide as saucers in Zauchensee when they got served their first germknoedel and finding them in sun loungers at the nederhutte sharing a toast with skiwasser was priceless. Always enjoyed wherever I've skied but seem to find that we have more of a relaxed holiday in the Amade, Oztal areas of Austria. Fly into Salzburg, Innsbruck or Munich and easy drive up to resort. In laws go back to Rauris every year, but we prefer the resorts with a bit more off piste for us. We're taking the kids to Saalbach-hinterglemm this year, but Westendorf and Kappl are both on list for a visit in future.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
What I can't seem to find with the Austrian resorts which is abundant in the French resorts is childcare. In France, it's easy to find snow nannies or chalets which have childcare facilities, and not just the ones operated by the big TO's. Can you get accommodation in Austria which have creche and nanny facilities?

Given the age of our kids and the fact that they won't ski all day, having a creche and a childminder/nannt pick them from ski school means that we can get some good skiing in as well. French 1resorts tend to do this better imo.
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 Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
@FrediKanoute,

My experience is that France is really good for children 0-6 but worse after, due to the bulk of the accommodation being self catered or chalets. Seems that tye childcare has evolved into nannies coming to your accommodation or chalets specialising in children.

Conversely, Austria is mainly half board hotels of varying sizes, many of which have free kids clubs from 4/5pm once the kids are older.
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FrediKanoute wrote:
What I can't seem to find with the Austrian resorts which is abundant in the French resorts is childcare. In France, it's easy to find snow nannies or chalets which have childcare facilities, and not just the ones operated by the big TO's. Can you get accommodation in Austria which have creche and nanny facilities?


Just got back from a week in Serfaus, Austria. This resort is all about children and ensuring the all family has a great time. The ski school is apparernly the gold-standard for children (according to them). They have a nursery for non-skiing kids at the main ski school area (mid-mountain) where non-skiing kids can be left for the full day with carers focussing on snow-play etc while the older ones are in ski school for the full day. We've had our 5 1/2 YO ski there for 3 years and she is doing well and our almost 3 YO skied this year and loved it. As parents we felt totally comfortable leaving them in the ski school for the full day.

We stay at hotel Bär that is completely child friendly with a fully kitted out child care centre that will look after kids from 8am to 9pm daily. They will feed them do arts and crafts and play with them. They also get kids to take part in a show (if they want to) which they perform on the final night. There is also a small nursery slope in front of the hotel with magic carpets where they have 1/2 day lessons for the tiny ones and the hotel will drop them off and do pickups as part or their care. There is also a sister Hotel Loewe in town which is part of the same Kinder Hotel group. Not the cheapest of places to go but the quality of service and professionalism comes at a price. They book up well in advance.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
I'm intrigued by the idea of a family friendly resort. We've always found that the one we're at always seems the best of the available options. In fact I think the only ones I wouldn't recommend from the last 5 years are GlenCoe, Glenshee and Nevis Range. Just because you can't plan in advance.

Puy St Vincent was of course the best because it had Snowbizz.
We were very cautious about going anywhere else after that, but bit the bullet and did Arabba when they were 5 and 7 yo. We worried for ages about the fact that there weren't any blue runs at the resort and that it would be too hard. They loved it and learned loads.

Ortisei when they were 7/9 was also good. Excellent ski school and Susi Alp to play on.

St Anton last year was even better as 8/10 year olds. Loads of interesting slopes to go on, and reasonable ski school.

St Anton again this year was great. NO ski school for them as the budget wouldn't stretch that far. Fair enough the ski bus in the morning/evening was a bit of hassle, bit given a choice with that or nothing they were happy.

Assuming your kids and you are fairly resilient then most ski resorts should be fine. Fair enough, if you have pots of money then get a hotel on the slopes, but you'd be surprised what they can cope with.
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Come to Australia Toofy Grin

You said money wasting... NehNeh
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Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Courchevel 1850.
Serre Chevalier.
Zell am See.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
red 27 wrote:
@ac505, Serfaus / Fiss markets itself a family resort.


Loads of facilities for kids and there is also a complete absence of steaming piste racing-snowplough brits/dutch who are such a menace in many other resorts


Just back from there (Serfaus) and would second this. Not too busy, very few Brits, variety of runs although the blacks tend to be a bit boring - short and straight, but good snow cover and plenty of cannons. We stayed near the church and used the Dorfbahn underground railway to get up to the lifts. Could be a bore if you miss timed it though.

There are toboggan runs from top of main gondolas from Serfaus, rail based toboggan, zip wire, Fiss Flyer and Sky Swing give non skiing activities.

Ours was an independent trip and I'm not sure if any TO's go there from UK.
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@knackered knees, We were also near the church last week. We gave up on the undergound train a few years ago as the queues were quite long at peak times/ Our hotel had Mountain Buggy push chairs for guests to use and we were able to walk to the main godola which took around 10 mins - we kept out ski gear at the depot up the mountian. We found the depot company excellent as on days we finsished down the bottom (with shoes in ruck sack) they would hapilly transfer our skis and boots back to the top depot for us to pickup in the morning. Really enjoyed skiing the reds on the face between Serfaus and Fiss.
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Ozboy wrote:
@knackered knees, We were also near the church last week. We gave up on the undergound train a few years ago as the queues were quite long at peak times/ Our hotel had Mountain Buggy push chairs for guests to use and we were able to walk to the main godola which took around 10 mins - we kept out ski gear at the depot up the mountian. We found the depot company excellent as on days we finsished down the bottom (with shoes in ruck sack) they would hapilly transfer our skis and boots back to the top depot for us to pickup in the morning. Really enjoyed skiing the reds on the face between Serfaus and Fiss.


@Ozboy We didn't bother with the depots as our apartment was opposite the Dorfbahn station Smile
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