 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi snowheads,
I know there's lots of info on family skiing in France, but I am still confused and in need of advice.
I plan family snow vacation in France second week of January. I have three kids (6, 4 and 4), so we plan the following: I ski in the morning, get back for lunch, spend 2-4 hrs on the snow with kids on some easy runs. The older one can ski green and easy blue runs, the younger two not yet. We don't plan ski school or day care because of the language (they only speak Slovenian so hard to get care there) so my wife will stay in the village with them during the morning and switch with me in the afternoon.
So, a place with some good skiing, but also some easy skiing (drag lifts etc) very close to the village. So, any suggestions? I read of Alpes2Huez, Les Deux Alpes... I read all good about Chatel, but worry hassle with lunch get together on the snow. Thanks!!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Les Gets is perfect for families, really accessible to easy greens / blues yet some decent red and black skiing in the same area. The lift set up is great for beginners as you can get a good way up the mountain for some easy runs and meets a bubble further down if they don't fancy the blues back down to the village. Loads of drags / magic carpets / rope pulls and a little place called indianna park (or something like that) which a great for kids.
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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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Have a look at Val d'Isere. Easy access to the green bunny slopes for the children, and fast access to good skiing up higher for you and your wife. There's the big pool complex for when the weather is bad with the kids, and plenty of other outdoor activities to investigate too.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Risoul. Lots of easy runs. Very child friendly. Easy to get together for lunch. All runs lead back to the resort (pretty much). Ski in-ski out in some of the apartments. Someone on here may know of some French ski instructors who speak Slovenian (I am always amazed what the Snowheads come up with).
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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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| dobby wrote: |
| Risoul. Lots of easy runs. Very child friendly. Easy to get together for lunch. All runs lead back to the resort (pretty much). Ski in-ski out in some of the apartments. Someone on here may know of some French ski instructors who speak Slovenian (I am always amazed what the Snowheads come up with). |
By far the best resort for children I've come across. Great sweet shop on the main street too.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@cameronphillips2000, yeah. Kids loved it. I preferred the bar on the piste front which sold lots of local beer at not-stupid prices.
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Great, thanks for these suggestions. I will look into them. Forgot to add: good off piste skiing would be a great bonus  How is it with off piste in Risoul?
Thanks
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@Chevagi, I didn't go off piste much. My nephew did a season there and he said that there was plenty of off piste. Plenty of trees too, if you like that sort of thing.
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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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Off piste at Risoul is fabulous. Loads above the tree line and a wonderful larch forest. Larch grows further part than pine making it great for skiing.
I don't know anybody who hasn't skied there and loved it.
I should really keep it quiet.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Great, thanks to all. I will really look into Risoul then. It appears just perfect for such a family time.
@dobby - also thanks for the link to the instructor. However, instructing is not vital as back at home they will have classes once per week or so.
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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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@Chevagi, excuse my confusion. Does the wife ski? Will she be skiing with the children in the morning?
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I wouldn't go to Val d'isere if you will be swapping child care duties at lunchtime
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You know it makes sense.
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We hired a great place privately. It sleeps up to ten on two floors and is right on the main street. I probably have the email contact somewhere if you're interested. I think it was about 1800 Euros for half term week.
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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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For second week of Jan Sainte Foy is a great choice. Went there several times when my kids were younger. Fantastic off-piste too. Can recommend http://www.auberge-montagne.com/
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Poster: A snowHead
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Not posted for ages, but thought I'd pop on here to also recommend Risoul. Perfect for what you describe, plus plenty of interesting skiing for when you're child-free.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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defo a thumbs up for Ste Foy with little ones......under 7 the lift pass is free. Our two learnt there from age 3
second week of Jan will be very quiet,............perfect.
if you are self catering there are several appts with a swimming pool that the kids will also enjoy.
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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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@Chevagi, if you go to Risoul make sure that you ski the Homme de Pierre sector way on the right of the piste map. Notable for some lovely blue and red runs with no one around. Also notable for a rather long drag lift which should be avoided if you want any more children....it's a ball breaker.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Layne, yes my wife skies, but after lunch we will either be swapping child care so she gets to ski on her own or will take them all skiing some easy tracks. Did I read correctly the learning area for kids and beginners in Risoul doesn't require skipass?
Anyway, @dobby and others, thanks for the advice. I just booked a week in Risoul
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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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| Chevagi wrote: |
@Layne, yes my wife skies, but after lunch we will either be swapping child care so she gets to ski on her own or will take them all skiing some easy tracks. Did I read correctly the learning area for kids and beginners in Risoul doesn't require skipass?
Anyway, @dobby and others, thanks for the advice. I just booked a week in Risoul |
Yes you did. There is a free yogurt pot gondala thing that rises out of the main area. The only downside is that, if your kids are young enough, you might have to go to the hypermarche and buy a roll of string and fifty pots of yogurt and make a ski station around your apartment. Ours was so successful, it grew exponentially and the two stoery apartment looked like a scale model of the 3 vallees by the end of the week.
I'm sure you and your family will love Risoul. There is a great sledging area at the bottom and the blue run from the top of the mountain is easy enough for kids on their first week. I don't know anybody who's been there, of any ability, and wanted to go back.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I don't think you got that quite right, @cameronphillips2000, 
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| Chevagi wrote: |
| @Layne, yes my wife skies, but after lunch we will either be swapping child care so she gets to ski on her own or will take them all skiing some easy tracks. |
One adult taking 3 kids of 6,4 and 4 out skiing will be difficult bordering on impossible IME. I have two, a bit older now so no problem. But skiing with them when they were 4 & 6 was bl@@dy hard work. You need eyes in the back of your head and plenty of patience. The skiing was OKish, if they didn't fall over, go in opposite directions, want the loo, down tools (frequent) but getting on and off lifts was just as precarious. For that reason and for the reasons of safety and sociability we skied as a family most of the time. What you can do is have an adult split of temporarily, to tackle something more challenging or ski off piste, on a run by run basis. If they ski regularly the kids will soon be able ski anything anyway so the restrictions recede fairly quickly over time. Just my pov.
Oh, and sometimes we'd split one adult, one child because the eldest would ski a little quicker and have a longer day.
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Replying to my own post. Of course ski instructors do it all the time (take out a group of children). But they manage that is because they have some magical string that keeps the whole group in a line snaking down the mountain. Which they then take off at the chair lift so that they can one by one go through the ski school gate to be plonked next to a poor unsuspecting adult to ride to the top, whereupon the string is reattached. Parents have no such string and the kids know you will pick them up, whereas an instructor won't.
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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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Wouldnt you be beter off putting them in ski school? That will give you a few hours each day to do what you want. And next year they will be skiing better and you'll have more options. After ski school you ski with the 4 years olds for an hour or two, and the wife the 6 year old. Ski on nearby pistes, swap over from time to time, meet at the bottom or the top ocassionally.
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Well the thing with ski school. They do not speak French nor English. And the twins are quite small for their age. So school is not a priority, spending time together is. Back at home we live half an hour from the ski resort and go there often. So this winter they will have private lessons once a week or so. I do not dare teach them, but we can have fun on the easy slope.
The older one had such lessons last year and can ski quite nicely already, so she will either be skiing with me or mom, for 2-3 hrs. That is enough for her. For the younger two it is more about having fun on the snow... What I want is a relaxed family vacation on the snow, some skiing, sledging, skating, swimming 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I think that sounds terrific. So many parents seem to want their kids to be somewhere else for much of the holiday.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| I think that sounds terrific. So many parents seem to want their kids to be somewhere else for much of the holiday. |
If you were in my house this afternoon with wars breaking out between my 15 and 12 year old over cakes you would just leave them on the mountain next holiday....
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Oh yeah, @chrisb, send the teenagers to ski school.
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You know it makes sense.
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Why does it always have to be France? How about Kransjka Gora, or another resort in Slovenia, since there would not be any problem with language, either for day care or for instruction.
I would have thought that it would be more important to instil a love of skiing in the children at their early age, and put off seeking personal gratification until they are older.
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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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@nigelg, that's a bit uncalled for 
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Poster: A snowHead
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Yes it is, but will respond anyway. Why France? I haven't yet skied there and my work takes me to Lyon for a week. Also my wife and I have season passes for Kravavec ski slope almost on our doorstep so we don't feel the need to ski all day long when on a vacation. I prefer kids get lessons at home with a friend, a ski instructor, very good with kids and reasonable with price. This is my way of instilling love of skiing (watching Tina Maze also helped in the past years). It worked so far with the older one.
And my English is just poor enough to not understand the bit about personal gratification.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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| Chevagi wrote: |
| I read all good about Chatel, but worry hassle with lunch get together on the snow. Thanks!! |
If you stayed in the village in Chatel there are...
- gentle slopes including a beginners area at the top of the Super Chatel gondola, plus access to the whole of the PdS for better skiers
- a restaurant at the top of the lift and another nearlby, plus several at the bottom of the lift at village level.
It's a bit of a schlep to get out to the Pre la Joux part of chatel via the navette, but there you have all of the above, plus a 3km long green run, "Belette" on the piste map.
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