Skiing with large family and old grand parents

A snowHead

Hi, for some reason I'm arranging to go next year on Boxing Day with my brother and sister's families and our parents who are in their 70s and not that sturdy. There'll be 6 skiing adults and 9 kids of varying age (8-21) and then the 2 oldies. They've never been to the mountains in winter so we want them to see it. As we'll be skiing during the day, we need to go somewhere where they can keep them selves busy. I was also thinking of a hotel as we may kill each other in a Chalet. Does anyone have any good suggestions? I was thinking Chamonix as it's a good sized town bit ski areas are quite spread out which could be a pain.

A snowHead

Jonesj, what kind of things will they need to "keep themselves busy"? Icy pavements can be a real problem for older people who don't feel steady. We took my mother on a ski holiday but she didn't go out on her own - a group of us got together and took her up in a gondola for lunch in a mountain café (this was the Mont Chery gondola in Les Gets) and on sunny mornings she loved sitting outside a café on the other side (where we could drive her up) so she could have a coffee and a cake and watch the skiers. But then she needed help to get back to the car and back to the chalet. It wasn't very cold, but she couldn't cope with a whole day outside.

We rented a place with 6 en-suite bedrooms, and although she wasn't up to cooking an evening meal for everybody she did enjoy making some cakes, scones or similar for the "apres ski tea", when she was at home during the day. She was a great reader and happy to spend a fair bit of time alone in the chalet, looking out at the mountains.

She hugely enjoyed the sociable evenings, including some daft games (Articulate etc) played after supper. She would not have wanted to go shopping (she hated shopping), still less to a spa and she wasn't up to mountain walks, even on prepared tracks.

To make it a really good holiday for them you might have to give up some ski time - for example to help them to get up the mountain in a gondola and join the skiers for lunch. Or to take her somewhere where she can watch the kids going through their paces, sit with them with a drink, etc etc

If they would be OK in walking boots, doing some walks on prepared (pisted) tracks, perhaps using ski poles for additional stability, you need to find somewhere with a reasonable variety of those. But unless they are up to winter walks in the UK that's improbable.

If they are going to get out and about at New Year, which tends to be quite dark and cold, they'll obviously need really good outdoor clothing.

I don't think my mother would have enjoyed a holiday in a hotel nearly as much - the sociable evenings, starting with people coming in for tea and enjoying her cooking, then pre-supper drinks, then 11 of us round a table for a long sociable dinner made the holiday for her. Being in a large hotel lounge and dining room simply wouldn't have been the same. So, if you don't want to self cater, a catered chalet used exclusively for your party might be well worth considering.

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

Perhaps I should add that my mother was somebody who had done quite a bit of camping, travelled around France in a camper with my Dad in retirement and was therefore used to "making her own entertainment", reading, doing crosswords etc. Anywhere with "entertainment" laid on would have given her the willies. She'd almost certainly have killed somebody, if not herself, if forced to go on a cruise. wink

But for other people that age a week at Warners and getting dressed for dinner is bliss. Only you know what kind of thing they'd enjoy.

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We have done a trip away twice with extended family including my parents, brother, sister, niece, nephew. Both times we took over a catered chalet (the lovely Nickski) in La Tania. My parents are a bit younger in their 60s but got pedestrian lift passes and spent their days going up in gondolas, drinking coffee and eating cake. They really enjoyed the social bit of being together for a big meal. In 3V there are free buses running between Courchevel and Meribel if they don't drive. Ditto on the walking boots and a walking pole. We went over the Xmas week so could enjot a proper family Christmas together which I don't think would have worked as well in a hotel

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

The last two years we have, like Pam hired a large apartment for us, our grown up sons and their partners, and my elderly Aunt (90 now) I tried very hard to find somewhere with a lounge/bar for her to use on the premises and failed! Last year at Les Arcs 2000 Chalet Altitude did have those facilities but they were not used during the day which is when she would have liked company as we were out skiing! She would not venture outside without our assistance but still enjoyed herself. Our location meant we could 'pop' back for lunch as some of us chose to do and also meant she could look out onto the ski slopes.

This year there will be just the 3 of us so I have booked a catered chalet. The chalet have been very helpful sorting out a room with ensuite shower rather than bath for my Aunt. Much as I love cooking it will be very nice to have someone else do it for me Very Happy

I have not had that luxury since before my eldest was born!

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Thanks everyone. Great advice. Personally, I'd rather a large chalet but I live 'away' whereas my brother, sister and parents live close and have a family business so I'm not sure they're that keen on being in the same house as each other for a whole week! They're an argumentative bunch at the best of times. My parents are fairly mobile but not up for walks but we were thinking of somewhere where they could sit at a restaurant and we meet up and give them a chance to see the little ones ski.

After all it is free

Consider some of the Swiss resorts which have cable cars that give easy pedestrian access to the mountain. Davos would give you lots of options. Also Zermatt. Lots of great hotels in both.Or Wengen and they could get the train up to meet you at lunchtime.

Jonesj, would they be able/willing to get up the mountain in a chairlift which takes pedestrians, or a gondola? If so, Chamonix could be a good location but it is a disjointed ski area and if they are not going to want to potter round in Chamonix itself as well as get up the mountains, there wouldn't be much point being there. It can be rather dark down in the valley, depending on where you are and there could be very little snow down at valley level. On the other hand there aren't many places where pedestrians can get up in a lift and sit and admire such spectacular scenery. The Jungfrau area is one obvious competitor - lots of places they could go on the trains, if they are sufficiently independent.

If you are looking at a holiday in a hotel Austria might be a better bet - you would be able to get good hotel recommendations here and there are lots of pretty villages which might suit them better for pottering round having coffee and cake whilst still giving the chance to get up a lift into the mountains. But that New Year week is a very busy (and expensive) week everywhere. Loads of lift queues and restaurants rammed. Is that the only time you can go?

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My FiL took up skiing when he was 70, my parents were skiing until age 78 - so the obvious answer is book them ski lessons wink

To echo views above, decent walking boots so they can get out and about and maybe join you up mountain for lunch

We found the seperate apartments were the best solution, as it gave us all some space, but could also meet up in one in the evenings. two smaller apartments was also a lot cheaper than one large chalet

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"Not that sturdy"

Key.

What Pam says.

Bear in mind also that we'd hope for it to be bitterly cold and icy everywhere at that time of year.

I hate to say that Chamonix really doesn't suggest itself to me. There's little to do in winter that's not sports oriented. Train up to Montenvers for example, but that's nowhere near skiing.

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I'd second DCG's suggestion of Wengen, as the grandparents can take the frequent trains from Wengen up to Kleine Scheidegg to meet with the skiers for lunch (and take in the superb views of the Eiger Monch and Jungfrau mountains), and from Kleine Scheidegg also get down by train to Grindelwald (they could also get out part way down to Grindelwald at Brandegg where there is another good restaurant where they can meet up with the skiers). They can even take the special train excursion up to the top of the Jungfraujoch (pick a good day weatherwise), although when they get to the top they may want to move slowly and get adjusted to the thinner air! Many UK tour operators go to Wengen.

You know it makes sense.

Jonesj, if you stayed in Les Gets at, say, the Marmotte hotel in the village it is right opposite the ski lifts and gondola so the parents could wander around the village where there are plenty of bars, coffee shops, shops etc and then they could take the gondola up to the Chavannes area and meet up for lunch or a drink. Someone could always ski down to the village to escort them up the gondola till they get the hang of it.

We took my father skiing with us for quite a few years to Niederau in Austria where we stayed at a gasthof which was right at the bottom of the slopes and Dad used to enjoy watching the skiers from his balcony, the children would repair to the hotel for lunch with Grandpa when they were in ski school, along with other children that they met who all called him Grandpa and he loved that. His job also was to get the large table for us all to enjoy our drinks at 4.30. He would get invited onto the locals table even though he couldn't speak a word to them - he would only emerge from the hotel though when he had someone to take his arm as he was very tottery on his feet.

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

You're making them sound sound like they're 200 years old, isn't the 70's the new 50's? I am sure they will get around just fine, get some spiky 'plate racks' for their shoes/boots. They will love being with the family, all together, I'm sure you're all have fun.

A snowHead

northernsoulboy, did well, loved it, still does, but gave up at 75 after heart attack, not while skiing!

I do realise that skiing at this age does require a reasonable level of fitness, which both my folks and FIL have, but sadly various other ailments mean that insurance is prohibitive for them

A snowHead

Swissie, the OP knows his parents, and says they aren't up to going for walks. Some people are fit and active in their 70s, others aren't. But the suggestions of spikey things for the shoes is a very good one - they'll feel far more secure with them.

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

How about Bagneres de Luchon in the Pyrenees:

http://uk.luchon.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bagn%C3%A8res-de-Luchon

Interesting low-level little town to potter round with working old-fashioned thermal baths. Gondola to the ski area drops right down to the middle of the town.

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This is great thanks. Wengen looks good. Does anyone know of any good Italian resorts, I've heard the mountain restaurants are good.

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I can only think of places in the USA that will tick your boxes, really I wouldn't call your break a ski trip , rather a trip to the snow, and forget unison, it won't happen with the age group and amount of folks you have there is nowhere on earth that will satisfy them all.

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My wife doesn't ski, so for family holidays we tend to choose places that have stuff to do other than skiing and ideally with accessible restaurants near to the slopes so she can watch the kids. We visited Saas Fee in Switzerland a couple of years ago and had a great time. It was very well set up for non- skiers and had loads of stuff to do and see but it is fairly compact so nothing was too far to walk. The skiing is pretty good although not huge, but pretty much guaranteed snow as it is so high, and I took a day trip to Zermatt which was great. The Swiss seem to cater for non- skiers very well, and the gondola/train allowed my wife to get right up the mountain to see the skiing and revolving restaurant at the top.
I am hoping to organise a similar trip next winter for my family, about 11 of us altogether including little kids, grandparents etc and based on our last trip I will probably look at Switzerland as first choice. It's great to see some other ideas on here though!

After all it is free

@Critical_Al, @Jonesj, ...if aiming for switzerland do look at crans montana - very good for families and grandparents...unsurpassed views of six four thousand metre peaks, south facing so tends to be very sunny and that's good for very young ones and for older ones walking, has loads of marked winter walking trails of varying difficulty, has non skiing things of interest such as Swiss model railways museum, good restaurants and the best tea rooms in Switzerland (taillens), has thermal baths at leukerbad (40mins away), amazing new art gallery with restaurant in lens (5 mins by car or taxi), restaurants on the hill which can be walked to ( la cure at aminona, chetzeron from cry d'er, Amadeus from plan Mayen) - and accommodation ranges from up market hotels to dirt cheap b&b and chalet rental in villages such as mollens and icogne). Brilliant ski school with small group size (max 5) is Swiss Mountain Sports in Montana - Yves caillet is the excellent director there.

What about Saalbach/Hinterglemm? Some great mountain restaurants at the top of the gondolas so easy to meet up for lunch. Regular bus between the two villages. Not that high (both villages are about 1000m) so will not be so cold at base and roads/paths may be clearer.

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I would agreed with Big Dave and suggest Saalbach/Hinterglemm. In addition to the bus up and down the valley, I think there is also a Postbus to Zell Am See, which is a nice day trip. There are marked walking paths in the snow and at the top of the Hinterglemm valley you can take a horse-drawn sleigh ride up to a lovely restaurant. Children and adults alike love it! I can highly recommend the Lengauerhof Hotel (www.lengauerhof.it). We have had some excellent holidays there, both winter and summer, and they are particularly welcoming towards families and have loads of family rooms (and great food too).

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I can recommend the Alpine Palace in Hinterglemm. It was a 3 star original hotel around which they have built a superb 5 star hotel. Good prices in the 3 star part (also called the Wolf Wing) and you have access to the 5 star facilities and the superb food. Been there summer and winter for the last couple of years.

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Have taken 2 kids and 2 oldies to la plagne, morzine and samoens. La Plagne and samoens ( particularly sixt fer a cheval) lend themselves to watching the grandkids ski whilst sitting on a deck drinking coffee etc. Both also have great walks. Morzine not so good for watching but great walks in the vallee de la manche, and on top of pleney gondola. As others have said spending a bit of time during the day with your parents walking etc will allow all to make most of the trip.

i would second Bagneres de Luchon. Great architecture, thermal spa and loads of restaurants, shops and bars. Also Austrian resorts tend to be proper pretty towns with more to see and important to consider is, they are at a lower altitude in general, normally below 1000m. My 70 year old parents love coming to my place in Les Arc 2000 but the thin air really takes it out of them and they are both very fit.

You know it makes sense.

ps take a car and rent a large chalet; we prefer the self catered option as it allows flexibility and you don't have to share your space with strangers which for us in the context of a family holiday is very important.

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

@Jonesj, I'm a grandparent . . . Go boil your boll ox . . . Evil or Very Mad

A snowHead

A snowHead

@Jonesj, we took my parents-in-law away with us to Zermatt for Christmas 6 yrs ago at which time they were 78 and 81. We picked Zermatt because it is set up as a pedestrian town, has a lot of non-skiers visiting and is well geared up to get pedestrians up to mountain restaurants to meet for lunch. We stayed in a small "chalet" (actually a seven-person apartment).
We have a much-treasured photo of all of us at the top of the Gornergrat on Christmas Day.
They had also never been to the mountains in the winter and enjoyed pottering around the village using walking poles and those grippy things that you can put on the bottom of your boots.
They are not fit enough to do it now - and that is one of the things that I would advocate - grab the opportunity while they are still able to do it.

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

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Skiing with large family and old grand parents

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