 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all - advice sought please!
Girlfriend's family are going to Club Med Val D'Isere in Feb half term - and have just discovered there is no inclusive ski school for her daughter (4.5 years).
Does anybody have first hand knowledge of decent ski school for a full week of cost efficient, i.e. group lesson with English speaking group of similar age kids, which is easily accessible from the Club Med? Is ESF the only option? Her daughter did Piou Piou last year at 3.5 and can manage a basic snowplough position and stop, but is not turning yet. G/f is a great skier so will want to be able to easily deposit said child and hit the slopes hard for a few hours!
Many 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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I would look at Evolution 2 as giving a reasonable balance between quality and cost.
There are other great schools, but at a cost.
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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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We have always used New Generation (who Le Ski use) in both Val and the 3Vs. Lessons run between 9:00 and 13:30 - this means that your GF will have a blast for a decent chunk of time (which is what my wife and I do before we meet our 2 boys for lunch and a family ski in the afternoon) ... BUT she needs to make sure that the little one will cope with a long morning at ski school.
We are in Val over Feb HT, we booked the ski school places back in August.
Why don't you email them, they are very responsive (info@skinewgen.com).
Good luck.
PS - any ski school stories @Old Fartbag? 
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I can second New Generation. My daughter has used them and they are great. A bit more expensive, but you get more hours in the morning than most other ski schools, which means the kids really get on well. My daughter was 5 when we first used them and she coped fine with the timings.
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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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| franga wrote: |
PS - any ski school stories @Old Fartbag? |
Just one that I can think of....which is more worrying, than amusing.
When my two eldest kids (Boy and Girl) stopped getting any good from ski school, I started booking them a few private lessons each holiday, as they were of a similar standard. We were in our usual place in the apts at the Rond Points des Pistes in Val.
The previous year they had Simon Mc Combe, who was amazing, because he turned the lessons into a whole fantastical adventure, with snow queens, evil goblins and spells that were shouted out from chairlifts.. The kids were spellbound and learned without even realizing it.
This year they ended up with a no-nonsense Auzzi, which was a bit of a shock to the system (to say the least). What you have to realize, is that my son (11 at the time) takes after his mother....if he takes a notion, he will "neither lead nor drive", as they say in my part of the world.
Well he certainly took a notion...one that involved taking an instant dislike to this particular instructor and his no-nonsense approach....objecting to every suggestion as to what they were going to do.
I was in the middle of my own lesson, when my phone went..."It's the ski school here. I'm afraid your son has gone missing during his lesson, but there is now a mountain-wide alert, so it shouldn't be long until we find him." This left me considerably shaken, with that cold, creeping feeling of panic that you feel when a child goes missing.
I was at the top of the Tignes Glacier, so myself and the instructor started making our way over to the Snowfun office.
About an hour later, my phone rang again and said that he had turned up at our apartment, having been helped there by a "good samaritan"....big sigh of relief.
I went to the office and spoke to the instructor. He said they were skiing down to La Daille, when young Master Fartbag fell. The instructor, when he realized what had happened, climbed back up the slope, only to find no sign of my son. He and my daughter then skied down to the bottom of the chairlift, hoping he would be waiting there. He wasn't, so they took the lift up, hoping to spot him, if he was still making his way down.
Well they did spot him, walking through the trees that line the piste, accompanied by an adult. At this stage, all the blood drained from the instructor's face, as he now became seriously worried...especially as he was unable to make contact. By the time they got to the top and made their way down, there was no sign of my son, so he sent out the alert. He was very embarrassed and most apologetic and said he had never lost a student before. He did say my son was being very difficult, but didn't use that as an excuse for losing him.
When I got home, I asked my son what had happened. He said that he had fallen over and the instructor just left him behind. When a stranger came over and asked if he was all right, my son said the instructor had skied on without him. The stranger then offered to see him safely home and this offer was accepted, and the rest is history.
My son, who seemed none the worse for wear, assured us that nothing untoward had happened and he was totally fine. A sobering experience that ended well.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Another vote for Steve Angus here
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More votes for Steve and for The Development Centre in general.
He did great work with a nervous intermediate friend of ours, made my wife do unspeakable things down La Face (like use proper technique again, and not break for wine) and generally pratted about on snowboards while knocking the lazy out of 3 of us.
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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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| Richard_Sideways wrote: |
More votes for Steve and for The Development Centre in general.
He made my wife do unspeakable things |
Are you sure he's suitable for children, they may not be so broadminded.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks Everyone! Gives us something to go on!
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