 Poster: A snowHead
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Thanks again for the contributions. You are all so quick off the mark!@Origen, I thought those lessons sounded good value too, hence the further investigation. A point I wanted to check was that although a few of you are referring this as a New Year trip, we are actually spending all but one day there in the week after New Year, which I would expect to be very quiet? Have I got this wrong?
I’ve already found reasonable accommodation close to the lifts and the village area, so that’s not a problem. I accept that Praz is a low resort so there is a potential issue with snow quality- we have a get out clause until a week before if it looks dodgy. I will probably put out a thread on the resort link to get further info re PsA but it looks pretty good otherwise and less of a treck to get to than Les Saisies.
@Layne, there is no way we would be going if the costs were anywhere near £10k!  im probably being very optimistic with my £2k budget but, as you say, there are ways of keeping costs down without impacting too heavily on comfort and enjoyment.
@Dave of the Marmottes, I will ponder on the dry slope option. I myself, went way back before my first trip to the Alps and it was fine but I’m not sure it helped or hindered either way. I get what you are saying about sorting boots and getting used to skies etc but on the other hand I wouldn’t want them to find it too tough and get put off the main trip!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
Have I got this wrong?
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remind me of your dates....
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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?
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@EdYarker, that tuition pricing feels about right - ESF Argentiere is €65/hr for 1-2 students, and €75/hr for up to 5. Big contrast to the likes of Courchevel!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
I wouldn’t want them to find it too tough and get put off the main trip!
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Snow is just magic for kids. However crappy, slushy, mucky, scant. And SO much easier than a dry slope. With an instructor just for the two of them they'll romp ahead.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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@EdYarker, the only think I'd add to the above is - and I'm a bit of a repetitive parrot on SH for this one: For experienced skiers, the first time with family, you need to mentally adjust expectations and remember it's not a skiing holiday, but a holiday with skiing.
Skiing holidays come next year...and every year after that. 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@Origen, we are planning to fly out on Thursday 2nd Jan and return on Wed 8th Jan. I was hoping that only the Friday would be busy with NY skiers and from Saturday it would calm down.
If Friday looks too busy for lessons we can do some exploring, sledging and generally relax (look @Arctic Roll, I’m getting the hang of it already)! Hopefully they can then use their 6 x 2 hours in the 4 days remaining.. or just book out fewer lessons altogether.
@snowdave, thanks that’s good to hear.
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| EdYarker wrote: |
| @Origen, we are planning to fly out on Thursday 2nd Jan and return on Wed 8th Jan. I was hoping that only the Friday would be busy with NY skiers and from Saturday it would calm down. |
This is correct. Saturday is "changeover day" when most people don't ski. And after that it will be quiet anyhow.
If you can get the instructor on the Friday then it would be fine as even though it will be busy you will be able to use the ski school lane and the instructor will know where to go for quieter slopes and because he will be giving instruction it will be stop/start anyhow.
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@Layne, ok thanks. That’s what I thought/ hoped. The girls are complete beginners (unless they end up doing lots of snow done trips in the meantime) so their first day at least will be on the nursery slopes, so hopefully pretty quiet there on a Friday anyway.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I agree - that sounds like good timing. The beginner area in PsA is down at resort level. I do think the vastly greater choice of easy runs, and chance of good snow, in Les Saisies would be well worth a bit of extra travelling time on your first and last days. There was little or nothing open in PsA at Christmas (or indeed Easter) this last season. It would get the kids that "up the mountain" feeling in their first few days. But that extra distance would add to cost, obviously.
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@Origen, and there is little accommodation available up there for our dates as you intimated in your earlier posts.
I’ve got a couple of other options available (St Gervais, Morillon, Bernex..) which (in the first two cases) would enable a gondola ride to get up to a higher nursery area, but if the snow is ok, PdA looks like the best fit and most economical for us.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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If there is no snow in PsA then the instructors from there will teach up in Les Saisies, there were ESF jackets from a lot of different places in Les Saisies at Easter.
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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.
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I've seen Flaine instructors in Saisies too - though when I chatted to them they denied the snow was better and said it just made a nice change. Long drive for a nice change. 
How would kids from Praz sur Arly get up to Saisies?
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| Origen wrote: |
| How would kids from Praz sur Arly get up to Saisies? |
I think they were running buses up from the lower villages this winter, they wouldn't need to run a constant circuit around PsA and Flumet so would have buses spare.
There were beginner groups on the slope above the Signal being taught by instructors from all of the Val d'Arly villages.
I was mostly skiing with some PsA instructors in the final week but they were training for the Challenge des Moniteurs not working.
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You know it makes sense.
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| EdYarker wrote: |
@Dave of the Marmottes, I will ponder on the dry slope option. I myself, went way back before my first trip to the Alps and it was fine but I’m not sure it helped or hindered either way. I get what you are saying about sorting boots and getting used to skies etc but on the other hand I wouldn’t want them to find it too tough and get put off the main trip! |
I would say it served my brother and I well as teens. Wet nights herringboning up L'Alp du Tranmere (no lifts in the hardy North) meant we were almost functionally ahead of our supposedly experienced parents by the time we went away for the first time and straight into intermediate class of some description.
I later had a similar experience snowboarding. By the time I'd bruised myself extensively at Spectrum & Silksworth I was straight onto blacks and offpiste when actually hit real snow.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Our family had to put skis on shoulder and walk up the mud alongside the dry slope in the Ayrshire coalfield.
One night, with floodlights and a sharp frost the slope was slipperier than usual. My OH failed to make a turn, went off the edge onto the frosted grass and just carried on until there was a crash. He appeared, skis on shoulder, some time later....
It made men of us. But not much fun for two little girls.
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Poster: A snowHead
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I did a few lessons at Swadlincote dry slope before I went on my first trip to Tignes and had group lessons with Evolution 2.
Largely a waste of time IMO. Just meant I knew how to put boots on, clip into ski bindings and shuffle around in them.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Layne wrote: |
| The only reason I challenged the £10k/£400 per hour is that it's very much at the upper end IMO/IME. I have a whole bunch of TR's on here that detail how I set up our trips and what it costs. We don't buy anything on the mountain food and drink wise but we do generally tunnel over rather than ferry, and toll road it all the way. Just as a couple of examples of how costs can vary for different people based on the preferences and priorities. |
Yeah, I don't do family trips but £10k does sound like a very comfortable budget to me, last new year trip was 2017/2018 for 3 of us and came in under £900 each for flights, accommodation, lift passes and car hire. Obviously that's at the lower end of the scale and would need to add food to that, plus car hire has increased quite a bit, but still think 10 grand is generous.
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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?
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£10K is very generous for a family - no need to spend anything like that, though of course holiday costs are as long as a piece of string. But £2K for four people is a very short piece of string.
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This short piece of string is made up of flights (including 2 x large cases) £450
Transfers £300 (£350 if car hire).
Accommodate £430 (£470 if cancellation allowed)
Lift Passes £470 (based on last year and dependant on how long the girls stay on nursery slopes)
Ski/ boot Hire £350
That comes to £2K The lessons would add another £470 and then there’s, food and expenses in resort, so in total, more like £3k than £2k, especially accounting for the fact that most of those figures are based on last year and are likely to go up..
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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[quote="EdYarker"] @EdYarker
Hi There! I am a ski instructor since 2014 in Cervinia! My suggestion will be investing money for let's say 2 2-hour-lessons and then group lesson for the following days. At that age in two lessons they usually learn to turn on their own and do easy blue runs.
Hope this can help!
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@EdYarker, my 2p-worth. If you can, take them to a snowdome to at least learn how to put on the kit, fall over and stand up. At that age, group lessons may be better because of having other youngsters to have a giggle, make friends, compete with etc. They may even make lifelong friends of kids they can ski with in later years…
Never forget the importance of enjoying it!
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@CatherineVuill, @Gordyjh, thanks for your recent replies. Useful incites.
If we were going for a full week (or even a few days starting on a Sunday) I would go with ski school, but due to holiday prices, the chances are that we would be squeezing in an ‘awkward’ number of days, starting mid week and would therefore unlikely to have the chance of ski school, but having seen the responses I’m relaxed about Private sessions and with two of them at a time it won’t even cost much more from what I can tell.
Snow domes I’m still unsure if and don’t come cheap either. If I was located near one I might be tempted to get them on there but I don’t think I’ll travel hours to get there.
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Are you still looking at Praz sur Arly? If so, I'd definitely rent a car - even getting from your accommodation to the "front de neige" could be a right pain otherwise.
We will be in that area (up in Saisies) the week beginning 21 December. that's the Christmas week. It's the following week (28 December - 4 January) which is going to be the busiest week. To be honest, I'd be more than a bit suspicious about well-located family accommodation for that peak week at £400 - 500.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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@Origen, our plan was to go 3-8th Jan, so missing the worst of the New Year week. I like the look of Praz (assuming there is decent snow that low down) and there are a couple of AB&Bs near the slopes. I agree that car rental would be easiest.
Having said all of that it now looks less likely that we will be able to go after all, which would be a real shame, but the knowledge I have gained here will still be relevant for next year hopefully.
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I’m taking my two children for the first time next year but couldn’t afford a full week in holidays so booked 4 nights in March. Similarly it’s meant I’ve had to book private lessons rather ski school but it was much more expensive than what you’ve quoted! About the same as a week in ski school for 3 days but I think it will suit them much more than group lessons anyway.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Tea_please, I guess the private lesson prices depends on the area (where are you heading?). The Ski School in Espace Diamont seems comparatively reasonable compared to others. I also get the benefit of putting two children together, which would cost twice as much in most ski school lessons but hardly alters the price for private sessions.
Anyway, I wish you luck with your trip and hope that bespoke lessons will pay off.
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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.
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Private lessons for two kids are a good deal. We put two kids aged 5 and 10 in together recently. In theory the age gap was too great - the ski school was dubious, but we knew the kids, and they were fine and made great progress.
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That’s good to know. Mine are 4 and 7 and are doing them together. I think they’ll be ok together and it will be better for the younger one as he settles quicker with his brother there.
@EdYarker, we’re going to Morzine. I didn’t go for the cheapest school but they seemed to come highly recommended. I’m sure it will be worth the investment! I hope you manage to get away.
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You know it makes sense.
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Mine are 4 and 7 and are doing them together
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The difference is that the 7 year old will listen and the 4 year old won't. they'll have fun together.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I’ve found this thread really interesting!
Could anyone comment on how many hours they think ski school is equivalent to private?
I was going to book my two into three half days ski school - 9hrs. Or I could pay the equivalent for 5hrs private lessons instead (Colfosco ski school).
Thanks
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Poster: A snowHead
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@REM1, 5hrs private hands down for me.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Layne wrote: |
| @REM1, 5hrs private hands down for me. |
+1
I reckon at least 3x more efficient, but that's pretty speculative. My son got through about 2-3 ESF badges/week on 2hrs private lessons x 5 days/week, age 4-6.
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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?
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That’s really helpful - thank you!
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