First time family trip advice - April 5th-12th 2014

A snowHead

Hi,

I've read lots so far but now I have a few questions if that's ok.

We are looking at a family trip next year. Has to be in school holidays and can't do Christmas / New Year.
Looking at driving as in Kent and have 4x4 with winter tyres and driven in France many times.

Originally looked at Feb 1/2 term at Ste Foy,but now thinking April 5th -12th and Les Arcs 1950. Children are 9 & 11.

Questions I have so far are

1) is Les Arcs 1950 a snow sure resort at this time in April. I know we can go higher from here but we would also like to have snow in the resort etc

2) is there anywhere else we should consider ? ( would like traditional style resorts and looking at ski in / out and self catering)

3) Should we book though travel operator (eg Erna Low) or are we ok looking for private accommodation and get euro tunnel separate ? - any pros /cons either way ??

4) do we need ski passes now(before we go) if we put children in ski school ? Or should we wait till we are there to see how many days needed ?

5) on ski school - is morning enough for children or should we look at 2 x 2.5 hrs sessions

6) is traffic likely to be bad in or out of the resort in early April as this still seems a popular time ? - that put me off Feb half term. We might have an option to leave Sunday 13th if we book privately plus this gets us 7 days skiing.

Many thanks
Nick

A snowHead

Hi Nick

We've just booked something similar for that week, but flying/car hire instead of driving and it's our third week with 6 and 7 year olds. I would say that LA1950 is a pretty solid place to go-we've just booked Val Thorens because we got a good deal on lessons, ski pass and apartment hire but would have been more than happy with it-we've also done Serre Che and La Plagne at that time of year. I would say north facing as just as important as actual altitude at Easter. We much prefer self-catering as a family (eat what you want, when you want and in your boxer shorts if you want, can't be bothered making conversation with strangers) but lots of people will recommend chalet for convenience on your first week skiing. We booked the apartment privately through the resort website (who also offered us a lift pass deal) which was much cheaper and larger than the operators but do your research first with regards to location, size, convenience and potential noise! Would leave the lift passes until you get there, you don't know how much you'll need them. Some schools offer a package including beginners lift pass. We've thrown the money we saved at 2 hours private lessons a day, not massive amounts more than group lessons and reckoned that's where to spend it for the first few times and the girls got bored in their group lessons last year. I think that week is not peak Easter weekend but it's not going to be especially quiet either.
Planning is almost as much fun as the skiing!

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Don't know Les Arcs but, frankly, you can forget "traditional" resorts in mid April; you need to go high. 1950 is pretty high! I gather 1950 tries to be traditionally in a Disney kind of way! Lots of people here who know Les Arcs can give you specific advice - in mid April slope aspect is more important than sheer altitude. It's spring skiing though, will probably be pretty hard/icy first thing, after an overnight refreeze of the previous afternoon's slush, and then slushy later, depending on aspect. But it's a great time to ski, nonetheless.

The obvious other contenders are Val Thorens and Tignes. Neither is remotely traditional but they are probably a bit more snow-sure.

Erna Low and Peak Retreats are good companies - good quality accommodation - but also quite expensive. You might find something cheaper booking privately and you don't need the expensive "Flexi Plus" ticket on the tunnel. Either method should be fine. Check what parking arrangements there are - and check very carefully where your accommodation is, relative to the ski school meeting place.

Presumably you parents have skied before? Kids ski school in France is usually only half a day. They might be dead keen or they might prefer not to ski a lot in the afternoons, especially if the snow is getting slushy. The ski school will advise what passes the kids need. If the budget allows they could do some beginner lessons in a snowdome before you go, then they could go to a more advanced ski school class and be able to do more with you in the afternoons.

No, traffic is not likely to be bad - nothing like half term. But Sunday travel always better than Saturdays, in and out of ski resorts.

Welcome to snowheads, and family ski holidays. Very expensive business.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

mooney058, try "ski tout compris méribel" on google.fr You'd need to be booking accommodation as part of the deal, too, as snowhound did. It's low season in France and there are probably deals about though I've not looked through those results in detail.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

Thanks for the quick replies.
I'm a little concerned now about April skiing. Yes it's cheaper / quieter but if the snow is not great then it sounds like it could be a false economy..... Or am I reading too much into your comments re north facing / slush and ice etc.

After all it is free

Converse, Are you all first timers or can you both (parents) ski? That late in the season afternoons are hard work for less experienced skiiers. (Actually, they are hard work for experienced skiiers as well, but the addicts forget the pain Smile

)

Does it have to be school hols? At 9 and 11 they won't miss much if you take them out of school for a week. 1/2 term will be busy everywhere, but the snow is generally nicer all day. We usually try to avoid half term and take the kids out of school for a late January/early March week. Better snow and less busy.

You could never realy know - April this year was fantastic because snowfall was exceptional. If snow is good, you would enjoy it. But it could be slushy indeed if snowfall is below average. I would vote for Feb for the first time, but that just me. For the first time you would not need many runs - why not try St Foy (myself going there for the first time this coming Feb - so no first hand experience yet, but read lots good about it). Did try a very nice small Alpbach resort in Austria - briliant memories as my kids started to enjoy skiing there after a few tries in mega resorts (Tignes, Ischgl etc).

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

I haven't been to Les Arcs late season but it looks a good bet in terms of altitude (and I much prefer it as a resort compared to Val Thorens). We went to Les Arcs 1800 many years ago and really liked the Les Arcs ski area as it has a good variety of runs including some pretty tree lined ones.

If this is your first family ski holiday I'd definitely suggest booking via a self drive tour operator. We regularly use Peak Retreats and would recommend trying them (or for Arc 1950 their subsidary Ski Collection who offer a similar service plus a price match re: other operators). For self drive in school holidays it is definitely worth getting the package with the Eurotunnel flexi plus. We travelled out on Good Friday last year and the roads were busy (it is Belgian school holidays too) but the only queues we encountered were at the peages in the Lyon to Chambery area. You could avoid them by getting one of those Peage doofer things. You could also check to see if there are any tickets left on the direct Eurostar. Ski Collection could book these for you or you could pay for accommodation only and get them yourselves.

Would also suggest Montgenevre for that week but it is a longer drive.

There is the likeliehood of skiing the slushy stuff at the end of the day as others have said. However the plus side is that the lifts are open longer and the runs are less crowded.

For a school holiday week I'd suggest booking ski lessons in advance. We always book our children into morning lessons and spend the afternoons skiing as a family. If your children are beginners you could look for a lessons plus lunch club option to give yourselves a bit longer to ski. (some resorts offer this).

We have always bought lift passes in advance but you can buy them on arrival. If your children are beginners there might be a cheaper lesson plus lift pass option.

snow reports

mooney058-we got it by chance. The apartment we wanted was on the VT website and I emailed to confirm price etc and then they told me they were offering 20% off lift passes. VT also has enough mileage for my wife and I to have a good blast around whilst the girls are in lessons but the single VT pass is cheaper than larger resorts which the girls don't need.
Re. conditions, we've found April great for family skiing, far better than Christmas (like you, half term doesn't come onto the radar for us)-although ours are smaller than the OP. North facing and high means you don't get that much slush as long as you think about where and when you ski during the day.
I would look at Belle Plagne as well-went there last year-small, high, north facing and very ski in/out-everywhere is near to the ski school meets-which as already mentioned is really important. Accommodation maybe a bit cheaper than Arcs 1950. Oxygene operate out of there and we thought they were good and very affordable-extra 50 euros for two hours afternoon lessons every day, for example. They do a package including pass for beginners.

Converse, Welcome to Snowheads.

As others have suggested, you could also look at Austria. You'll need somewhere fairly high, but most importantly, you need somewhere with north-facing slopes. So as an example, if you consider Saalbach-Hinterglemm-Leogang, Saalbach is a risk in April as the main slopes face south, whereas Hinterglemm and Leogang have lots of north-facing slopes that keep the snow for longer.

Leogang would be a good choice if you are all beginners, as the teaching slope is at the top of the mountain, rather than down in the valley, so you get the fantastic views at the same time as you learn. As your children are 9 & 11, they won't need the 'kinderschule' stuff (with cartoon characters etc) that is aimed at the very small kids and is located in the valley. The children also get free lift passes for the week (after 15th March) when the adults buy a weekly ticket, so you've already saved €200. You should be able to find a good-sized self-catering apartment for around €500 - €600 or a good B&B for not much more. Use the Tourist Office website for options and book it all yourself. As you have a car, ski-in / ski-out might be less of an issue if you are happy to drive 5 minutes from your accommodation to the lifts, where there is ample free parking.

In terms of drive-time from the UK, it is about the same as to Les Arcs (approx. 1150km / 12 hours from Calais or Dunkirk) - but you'll save €160 in French road tolls.

You won't need to book anything else (ski school, lift passes, skis etc) in advance - this will be a quiet week in resort.

Actually, for the week you've chosen, you probably don't need to make any decisions until March, as by then you'll be able to see what the snow conditions are like in the various countries/resorts. You can then book with a much greater degree of certainty. I don't think you should be booking an April holiday in September - but it's fun researching the options.

You know it makes sense.

Converse, I can't see where you say it has to be France. There are a few trad villages in other countries with the height you are looking for e.g. Obertauern (Austria) Obergurgl (Austria) Saas Fee (Switzerland) Cervinia (Italy). There are others. The Swiss resorts will be more expensive.

April 5th to 12th is not super late and most seasons these and many other resorts will have good snow remaining, often some of the best conditions of the season and frequently better conditions than Christmas due to accumulated depth. The problem arises in a bad year if snow has been scarce and has started to disappear. It is, however, very unlikely you'll not have some decent snow though maybe not around the village unless winter conditions prevail which is not uncommon.

Spring snow conditions are often written off but while the pistes are often hard in the mornings it's great fun. Snow is always changing anyway.

Driving DIY holidays are great fun but after you've accounted for everything not always cheaper. Work everything out and compare.

It's nice to ski with your kids and if it's there first time, by later in the week you'll enjoy seeing their progress and skiing around with them. A lot depends on how involved you want them to feel. I often see kids put in ski schools for long periods as a way of giving couples a holiday with the kids tagged along (not suggesting this is you for one minute) When my kids were small many years ago, we would ski with them as much as possible. Their nostalgic memories of those times is very rewarding and they are all still incredibly passionate about the sport and extremely accomplished.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

We went a week later to Belle Plagne last season beginning of the week there was still incredible amounts I snow around (must get around to finishing the TR I started and put a few piccies up. We had planned on St Anton for that week but our TO decided to finish in that resort a week earlier and moved us. It was getting slushy in the afternoons especially lower down but I was recovering from hurting my knee so we ended up stopping about 2pm most days due to me hitting the agony point - we could have just gone and stayed higher. We didnt end up going over to Les Arcs side because we didnt want to venture too far and then find I was in too much pain to get back. We are again going the week later than you are talking about to les Deux Alpes flying out in 13th April. My fingers are crossed for the week (but mainly due to fact that I have hurt my knee when and I am currently awaiting MRI results as to what I have done to it. I am sure you will be fine.

A snowHead

A snowHead

Obertauern has developed like ALL ski areas but I hardly call a village that dates back to Celts and Romans purpose built. Saas Fee certainly isn't. There are lots of places that are traditional in their routes with good snow if you look for them.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Early April is a normally a good time for Les Arcs. I have been there a lot at that time in the last 10 years and the skiing has always been good. Since this is not a holiday the resort should be quiet (not even the orthodox easter) I would expect no trouble with traffic, but one year we did have to put snow chains on in Bourg for the drive up.

My specific answers to the questions are:

1/ You are very likely to have snow in the resort. Since a piste runs through 1950 they will push snow into the resort if there is no natural stuff. I was in Les Arcs in late June this year and the pistes were almost complete. But you can never guarantee anything regarding weather.

2/ I do not know what a traditional ski resort is. Skiing only became "mainstream" in the 1970s so I suppose Arc 1600 is about as traditional as it gets. You could also add Tignes and La Plagne to your list, but for snow sureness and ski in ski out 1950 is about as good as it gets. You could also try Vallandry as the beginners area here is very good. You will probably need to get the lift down, however.

3/ Low season and late availability are often cheaper using a tour operator, flexibility is often easier doing it yourself. If you are self driving and using self catering there is no real difference. If you do it yourself you will have to find the skihire shop etc yourself, whereas the TO rep will take you to the one where they get the biggest cut. The rep will also try and sell you things thoughout the week.

4/ Though there is a discount for buying the lift passes now the kids will not need them on the first day so I suggest waiting until you get there and see what the ski school says.

5/ I would think morning lessons alone would be fine, then ski together in the afternoon. There are some nice gentle areas above 2000 and the cascades run to Pre st Espirit is very enjoyable. Though there are no green runs in Les Arcs (they do not use that classification) there are plenty of easy blues. On his 3rd day on skis I took my Nephew down to Pre st Espirit, up Combourcier, down to the trans arc then back down to Arc 2000. It took most of the afternoon, but he loved it.

6/ Unless there is very heavy snow, and there often is at that time of year, then the drive from Bourg st. Maurice should take about 30 minutes. A 4x4 with winter tyres will be a bit of overkill for the drive. It is possible that you will be encountering temperatures in the 20s if you drive down during the day.

I will now annoy the Paradiski regulars here by saying "do not bother with a full paradiski lift pass and only get one for Les Arcs"

One further point - lots of factor 50 sun block.

You need to Login to know who's really who.

johnE, +1 to the sun block and don't forget you your chest. We dutifully did the sun block on our necks and faces, but as it was hot hubby had unZipped his jacket which exposed some skin just above his tabket on his chest which was sunburnt by the end of the first day. We are just not use to that being exposed so missed it.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I wouldn't sweat going in April. We went in one of the worst years ever. Trip report here and they did a great job keeping all the links open. We stayed in Les Coches at 1450m and carefully managed artificial snow meant we could still ski home. Having said that our kids were a lot younger than yours and so less fussy! And the skiing was tough at times with plenty of slush to contend with. I've been at that time of the year several times and I doubt they'll be such a bad year for a while. Your only other option as others say is to take your kids out of school.

I always book using the in resort accomodation search facility. Sometimes that links through directly to an owner or to a local agency. As mentioned earlier the British booking agents tend to be more expensive.

1950 does like nice but I reckon it will be more expensive than the older villages in the ski area.

I think others have covered most other things.

You'll need to Register first of course.

Converse, Hello. I loved Arc 1950 in April 2012. The village runs were a tad slushy in the afternoons, but it was a very warm, sunny week . Most pistes were open and well groomed. Loved the skiing on sugary spring snow in a light jacket.
I had big panda eyes. Ultrasun was definitely my friend that week!

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

johnE, Second the Les Arcs lift pass. I've yet to take the Vanoise Express after 7 weeks of skiing Les Arcs.

After all it is free

Converse, Don't overcomplicate this.

Most places will have decent snow then. In 2011 the Alps had a terrible season for snow. One of the worst on record, I believe. Even so, we still had a great time skiing with the children in Les Arcs.

Traditional resorts are lovely, but there is a great deal to be said for purpose-built modern resorts. Less walking, less catching buses, more snowsure etc.

Ideally, you might do full day's ski school for the first few days and then they can duck out in the afternoons later in the week.

Thanks everyone for the feedback so far. It's a minefield of info so given we are close to getting our heads around Les Arcs 1950 I'm tempted to say we will stick with it as a choice given the reassurances so far....but will look to delay booking anything just yet.

In terms of parent ski ability - we've both been skiing before but many years ago. We will all do some practise in the UK before we go but would private lessons for the 4 of us as a family make sense ... Or is it like riding a bike and will we adults cope ok with a refresher in the UK ?

Thanks again
Nick

*Ski* the Net with snowHeads

Converse, You could do either. The school in 1950 is very good in my experience (Spirit - evolution 2 for private lessons).

snowHeads are a friendly bunch.

Personally I would not do a family private lesson. They are often the lessons I dislike teaching more than any other. You'd be surprised at the tensions that can surface admittedly more so with kids a bit older and they often turn out to be a big compromise with noone actually really getting the best out of them. Also the approach to teaching kids can be quite different. To me it's a bit of a poor decision for optimising your time. Think about why ski schools offer adult and kids classes, not mixed.

You will have retained muscle memory that will fairly quickly get you moving around again. Depending on how long ago it was, you might find the skis a bit different but they are easier not harder. Do get some tuition though, either here or there. It's a hobby horse of mine but you'll have so much more fun if you actually know what you're doing. Get fit as well if you're not already. A ski trip can be a great focus and it's never too early to start. You'll love Arc 1950.

snow reports

Converse, (interest declaration: we own an apartment in Arc 1950. )

We shall be there that week (and probably the one after). Snow conditions may be 'variable' if you are looking to travel the domain but frankly, there will be enough, more than enough to be going on with. We've been during the Easter holidays for at least 7 of the past 9 years, and there's never been a day we couldn't ski.
And yes, no need for the Paradiski pass.

1950 gets a rep for being "Disneylike" - if by that people mean architecture that doesn't look like a Stalinist block, a planned layout to give views and vistas at each turn, (and there are in fact two pistes that run through the village for genuine ski-in/ski out), is car-free, daily / early evening street entertainment for free for the kids and families, high quality accommodation, easy access to everything and well signed: then they're spot on.
And the village is celebrating its 10th anniversary this winter (as is Paradiski as a whole) so expect even more freebies.

If on the other hand they mean generally overpriced restaurants with occasional French attitude... they're probably right too. Embarassed

(although looks like we're getting some new ones in for this season - Jose at La Bolee has sold up for health reasons - he's going to concentrate just on his emporium down the hill - and there is a rumour that it's "under new management" at Mama Rosa)

But Georges' Wine Bar is good - and frequented by the many Brit owners and their kids. Look forward to seeing you there.

AR

Converse, Definitely worth doing a course (or two) on one of the dry slopes you have in Kent or even better if you can get to one of the indoor domes.

You know it makes sense.

Thank you all so much for the insight and advice - we shall go for Les Arcs 1950. Very Happy

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

This year we did Tignes Val Claret that week in April (6th to 13th) We did all in driving for £1500. Except driving (petrol and tolls)costs. That was for 2 adults and 3 kids. Apartment was dire but could have slept 11 so everyone had their own rooms through interhome but booked through booking.com. We paid 75 euro for parking, 75 euro for a locker and ski school for the two beginner kids and lift passes for 4 days for all. Snow was brilliant. A 5 minute walk to slopes/locker/ski school. We went with evo 2 which was a bit more than ESF for ski school but worth it. Sherpa supermarket a bit pricey but not excessively, restaurants and bars vary hugely in cost (lunch for 5 one day with a beer for the adults 50 euro another place 40 euro a head even for kids) Check carefully on deals as you can save a fortune!

Help!!

First time family trip advice - April 5th-12th 2014

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Resort Reviews and Trip Reports