 Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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HAT! Not had. Duh.
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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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One of the best places that I've been with what seems like a great set up for kids is Golm in Austria. The guy who runs the ski school is really involved and I know a lot of German families travel there. It is quite small though.
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Quite small is totally fine - we are laaaaazy these days. I'll look it up, thanks Elizabeth.
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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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Never been before, but this February half term I am going to Abetone. Flights to Bologna. It may be good. It may not. But it's new to me and therefore an adventure of sorts.
There are a lot of small resorts that won't be flooded with Brits at the British half term (and therefore won't double their prices). Some are bigger than others.
Look at Slovenia. Nassfeld in Austria (but not the best resort for young absolute beginners)
Look at resorts in the Maurienne Valley in France (Valloire / Valmeinier / etc)
Kronplatz / St Vigilio in Italy
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Aha, it's in Montafon - have always wanted to go there.
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Thanks JohnHSmith. Funnily enough Abetone was one of the places we were looking at. Purely for reasons of price. My cousin (who lives in italy) goes there every year and her family really rate it.
Slovenia I've been to a fair bit and the lack of budget carriers going there now makes it more £££ unfortunately.
Kronplatz I will look at, thanks.
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| Quote: |
There are a lot of small resorts that won't be flooded with Brits at the British half term (and therefore won't double their prices)
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It's the tour operators that double prices - I'm always surprised that the resorts don't put up ski pass prices in busy weeks.
Valloire/Valmeinier a good option - not flooded with Brits but plenty of French families at that time.
Abetone is tiny, but looks rather nice. Sounds like a Welsh mining village.
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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 am biased against french resorts for no particular reason  Everything always seems so.....expensive. Especially the lift passes in respect of children. But i will have a look at Valmeinier.
Maybe we should give Abetone a go... gotta work out whether there's any childcare though.
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| Quote: |
But i will have a look at Valmeinier.
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Valloire is more convenient and has more character.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Have you thought of the Easter hols? Lots of schools break up about the 4th April - plenty of places will still have good skiing then, nice long days, warmer - great for kids.
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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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robertsnerys, Well, for starters, driving will cut the travel cost if you are happy to drive. Montafon not a bad drive, and personally I'd head for Gargellen - contact their tourist office for accommodation offers http://www.gargellen.at/ - they don't have the same half term madness that you see in some French places or the prices.
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Isola 2000 flying into nice, then hire car for 1 hour, chance of cheap flights. V French but I've really enjoyed a couple of weeks there.
Or some where like les orres. Fly into nice then train to embrum. Think only one English tour operator goes there. On my list of places to go back to. Did my first season there in 96' and really enjoyed it. Only us 20 Brits in resort apart from our guests!
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You know it makes sense.
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Driving.... well, we considered it for about, ooh, a nanosecond. I don't get how it works TBH  Surely, you get through the baby and toddler stage, reclaim your nights' sleep, and then you spend the first night of your holiday awake and driving down an autobahn/ autoroute?! Eh? Shurely some mistake?!?!?! Joking aside, welllll..... I suppose we could consider it again.
I do know I'm a real pain and difficult to please.
Isola, will look at that one too Tim.
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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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robertsnerys, I guess it depends where in the UK you are starting from. I tend to leave late pm on the friday and get as far as Luxembourg and check into the Ibis Luxembourg Sud or I stop at a Brussels Airport hotel. Then just get up early and drive in daylight on the saturday. So, that's your night's sleep sorted.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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robertsnerys, The UK February Half Term is in low season for most non-Tour Operator places and you should be able to get a good deal if you avoid the usual haunts of the Brits. The other week you quote is the single most expensive week of the season - New Year's week, forget it!
Take a look at Radstadt in Sportwelt Amadé region - if you are going by car the journey could not be easier and there are masses of hotels and small pensions that will be looking for custom. Try getting in touch with flangesax as they live there. Their Pension is sold out for one of the Half Term weeks, but they will know plenty of other people with free capacity. Plus there are so-called "Pauschal" offers which not only have all the accommodation costs included but also the ski pass. Couple that with the free ski passes for your children and you may be quids in.
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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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robertsnerys, One option, if you would consider going to France, is to fly to Nimes and then drive up to the Alps from there. It is around 3.5 to 4 hours drive to many resorts in the French Alps and is usually pretty quiet on the roads until you hit Grenoble or Chambery.
Basic flights are currently £98 return from Luton going out on the Friday night, coming back the following Sunday morning. You could book a night in a motel either side of your Saturday to Saturday apartment booking and be on the slopes by 9am on the first Saturday missing all the traffic and then have a leisurely ski on the last Saturday before travelling back to your motel near the airport.
Not sure where you are based in the UK so it is a bit difficult to come up with sensible flight options, but even if you have a bit of a journey either end it is probably a lot easier than driving all the way.
Plenty of resorts in France have free lift passes for children under 6, La Plagne and Les Arcs do, and there are plenty of smaller resorts in France not populated by the British tour operators. It is the Paris school holidays that week in February so will be relatively busy but it is likelier to be less busy than New Years week which looks like it will be heaving this season.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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| Quote: |
The UK February Half Term is in low season for most non-Tour Operator places and you should be able to get a good deal if you avoid the usual haunts of the Brits.
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Samerberg Sue, you mean in Austria, presumably? If our half term week is low season in non-tour operator Austria that's most definitely where I'd be headed.
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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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robertsnerys, this is a bit out of left-field but if you are serious about not worrying about the size of the areas have a look at these 2 areas that straddle the German-Austrian border close to Salzburg: http://www.alpenplus.com/index.php?id=5, basing yourself in Bayerischzell OR I've just been told about this place: http://www.hauswildbach.de/ in Reit in Winkel which is part of the Schneewinkel area. they have just opened and it could be a good bet for the type of place you are thinking about.
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pam w, I think even in France it is the least populous areas that are on holiday that week (Feb 15th) isn't it? There will always be some parts of Europe on Half Term in February but the most densely populated ones with the type of wealth that also encourages ski holidays and therefore pushes up prices locally, maybe not. Austrian, Baden-Württemburg, Bavarian and the Rhineland states will all wait until Fasching which is 3 weeks later this coming season. Fasching being the name given in German speaking areas for Carnival, i.e. the week containing Shrove Tuesday /Ash Wednesday
All I'm saying here is contact the resorts and look at the High Season dates on the ski passes or contact Tourist Offices to find out when their various seasons are. From the prices I've seen in resorts for next season, the beginning of February is an excellent time to go skiing. If I remember correctly the price for a family (HB, 2 adults and a child in a 5* hotel including ski passes for 6 days) start at 1500 Euro for all three! That hotel is ski in/ski out by the way if you exclude crossing the road to the lift and pistes
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Cachette hotel in arc 1600 meets most of the requirements but sadly because it offers very good childcare it is popular with families (very popular) which rules it out.
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I'll mention Vallandry, purely as I'm bored at work and it looks like I'm working if I'm typing away.
Fails as is in France and will be busy as is a BIG resort, being linked to Les Arcs. But there are a few hotels, Tom Pouce nursery will look after kids and let them do some skiing, the runs above Vallandry are generaly quiet as everyone heads off to Arc, it has more of a village feel than other areas.
Driving I recommend with kids - but not overnight, take the Friday as well of you can
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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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Boris, What route do you use ? do you stop off overnight? I am sure you have mentioned this elsewhere, but currently looking at the map and working out best options, ie Friday 6.00 chunnel drive to Lyon, stay somewhere ( tips anyone) then get to resort before lunch and the crowds. Any advice please, have always flown previously .
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blahblahblah, channel tunnel to France then Reims/Troyes/Dijon/ we then stop just outside Chalon-sur-Saone Friday night. Early Sat is Lyon bypass/Chambery/Albertville/Moutiers/Vallandry
Overnight is at Les Charmilles in Lux - Google should find it.
This gets us, including supermarket shop in Albertville, easily into resort by lunchtime. Are always in apartment with tea on the go and a drink in hand watching the crowds down in the valley by 5.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Boris, Brilliant, that is very helpful. Thank you for that. 
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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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robertsnerys, can you get them headphones?
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think even in France it is the least populous areas that are on holiday that week (Feb 15th) isn't it?
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It's Paris that week, unfortunately. The Worst of The Lot.
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You know it makes sense.
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robertsnerys, We had a portable DVD player which had a headphone socket. It played DVDs (obviously) and also played CDs including story CDs. We got a 'headphone splitter' - no idea what it is really called - from Maplins or a similar electronics shop. It had an input socket to plug into the DVD player and two other sockets for two sets of headphones to plug into. Well worth it.
We would also try to break the journey with an overnight stop at a place where we could spend a day. You could look at that as a day less skiing, but we chose to look at it as a day out, which allowed the skiing to take place in the first place. We are in the North UK so our stopping places won't fit your timetable, but we spent a very memorable overnight stop and next day with the children at Ypres including the 'Last Post' at the Menin Gate, on the way back from the Maurienne Valley. But we were sailing the next evening from Zeebrugge. I'm sure you could find a place like Reims / Somme Battlefields / etc
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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 have been looking at this company, http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/ski/travel.htm, with a view to using the train to get to Val Cenis Easter 2015, we are all booked up this season they seem to have plenty of choices of travel, and they have the accommodation we stayed in this year, with outside pool, sauna and steam room, http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/ski/val-cenis/apartments/les-alpages-de-val-cenis.htm
My only problem is getting to London or Ashford.
We spoke to people who had used Snowcoach, http://www.snowcoach.co.uk/index.php?id=1&pid=0&mpg=home, and they were more than complimentry about the food in the Alpazur hotel, and they do childrens ski deals, clubs, menus etc
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Poster: A snowHead
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Bartezki, Peak Retreats come highly recommended, extremely helpful, very well run company. Can't you take the train from Leeds to London/Ashford?
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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: |
Driving I recommend with kids - but not overnight, take the Friday as well of you can
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As mentioned on many other threads the opposing view is: definitely overnight. On account of the kids will sleep and not require entertainment. Only works if the driver(s) are comfortable driving through the night. If there are two of you driving for many it's not an issue. If one, it often is, although I know someone who has done it a few times.
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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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| Layne wrote: |
| Quote: |
Driving I recommend with kids - but not overnight, take the Friday as well of you can
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As mentioned on many other threads the opposing view is: definitely overnight. On account of the kids will sleep and not require entertainment. Only works if the driver(s) are comfortable driving through the night. If there are two of you driving for many it's not an issue. If one, it often is, although I know someone who has done it a few times. |
Layne to be fair, there's probably an even split of SHs on overnight/ NOT overnight.
We travel by day. It depends on the individuals concerned. For me I would not like to drive in bad, wintery conditions and in the dark as well. Many french roads are not well lit. Also I have one child so no backseat squabbling to worry about, and he is an excellent traveller and will happily cope with the full journey in one day. Other kids may not travel so well so for them night time may suit better. I don't think you can prescribe 'definitely overnight'; it's very much an individual choice.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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sarah -- It would be an extra £90+ pp approx  (I am a Yorkshireman you know)
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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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Bartezki, ok 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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sarah,
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| Layne to be fair, there's probably an even split of SHs on overnight/ NOT overnight. |
Absolutely that's why I mentioned it. I didn't want the OP to take Boris view as a given.
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there's probably an even split of SHs on overnight/ NOT overnight.
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I think that's right. In my case I can sometimes manage overnight, sometimes not. It's partly a matter of weather - if there's freezing fog, for example, I would abandon any plan to drive overnight and look for a hotel. It also depends a bit on the last few days before leaving - I'd not set out to drive overnight if I hadn't been able to "bank" some sleep beforehand.
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And for the record I wasn't teh first who suggested an overnight
But agreed it what suits you - our kids would be unlikely to sleep overnight, I have to. I like a nice meal and a few vinos as well
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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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| Boris wrote: |
| I like a nice meal and a few vinos as well |
Me too, start the holiday off on the right note
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Boris, me too. Just sorting our Christmas trip.
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FAQ
And by cheap I mean £700 for all four of us 
