I've seen Sorbothane double strike recommended on various walking and running forums, though I've never tried them myself. I've been thinking of getting some for my 30 year old Scarpa walking boots which have solid soles and no cushioning whatsoever. The Sorbothanes are about £18-£20. I suspect they are squidgy foamy things so might offer some comfort from walking/running impact, but unlikely to offer anything in the way of firm support for ski boots.

It would be worth double checking travel insurance. I think mine said that children must be accompanied by an adult at all times. (Though presumably a 15 year old with an 18 year old would be fine).

Just completed a week at hotel du golf in Arc 1800. Hotel room was small but clean and comfortable. Hotel has an excellent location right near the Vagere lift. The staff in the attached skiset hire shop were very helpful an patient in making sure we got well fitting boots. All inclusive buffet food in the hotel was adequate with a decent selection, but I wouldn't say anything particularly special. There was an option to have one meal in a cheese restaurant (declined as we're not keen on the fondue thing) and another meal in an a la carte restaurant. All inclusive drinks were good but wasted on us as we're not big drinkers. Worst thing was we lost a couple days skiing due to sickness bug that seemed to be impacting a number of people in the hotel at the same time. Not sure if it was food poisoning or norovirus. Overall I probably won't be in a hurry to stay there or in a similar place again - but my overall impression would have been much better if we didn't get ill...

This was very timely having just booked up for Les Arcs in one of the off peak weeks in January and was a huge saving over what I was expecting to pay. Thanks to Alasdair for highlighting the offer. I had some passes from a previous trip to La Plagne which I was able to assign for this. I assume there's nothing more for me to do? They should "just work" on the specified dates and I don't need to go to any kiosk/machine in the resort to validate etc?

The T's and C's say this: Slope, ski run availability and live snow conditions will be determined using data taken from www.onthesnow.co.uk. If www.onthesnow.co.uk doesn’t have any resort information, official resort website/data will be used instead. No other sources will be considered. We'll use the live conditions in the 4 days before you go, not the forecast conditions for your arrival. Thanks all for the replies. My instinct is also not to bother with this and enjoy a week in the mountains walking in the unlikely event the snow is terrible.

I see Crystal Ski have introduced an "extra" tier to their snow promise: https://www.crystalski.co.uk/the-crystal-snow-promise/ The extra option costs £25 per person and must be selected before 30 Nov. Basically if 50% of the runs are closed in the area you're travelling to in the week before you're due to travel, you can change your holiday to another. So the question is, is worth it? Or better to save the £25 for extra beers/food etc. Clearly it depends on where you're going. I'm looking at going to Montgenevre, probably 3rd or 4th week of January. To qualify for the option to move, 50% of the runs in the whole of the Milky Way area would need to be closed. Is Montgenevre sufficiently snow sure towards the end of January that there is no point taking up this option? Is the probability of less then 50% of the runs being closed at that time in the whole of the Milky way area so low that even if the conditions in Montgenevre were a bit ropey, I wouldn't get the option to move anyway? Thanks!

@paulrow, Welcome to SHs :-) How much sking has your father done? Thanks a lot for the welcome and all the responses. Dad started skiing later in life and has been maybe a half dozen times. We're not looking for anything strenuous or challenging. A quiet resort with predominately easy runs is definitely preferred. We'll be using public transport, or most likely do a package deal to keep things simple. This might rule out Les Saises but it does look interesting. Thanks again.

I'm looking to take my Father on a week long ski trip. Probably mid to end Jan 2023. He's into his 80s and still fit and super keen, but perhaps slowing down a little and reaction times and general awareness not quite what they once were. I'm thinking a smaller quieter resort might be appropriate with mainly easy beginner/intermediate runs, easy access to pistes from hotel and ideally not too many crowds or queues so we're less likely to lose each other. Currently thinking Passo Tonale or Pila might fit the bill. Can anyone comment on these, or recommend anywhere else in Europe that might be appropriate? I'd also be interested in specific hotel recommendations. Many Thanks.