 Poster: A snowHead
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This post is produced in conjunction with a resort review here No1 son is nearly 10 and No 2 is 11 yrs old.
Well we decided to go for a late-ish booking to Reberty with Silver Ski (warning crap website alert). A 6am flight involved a 2.30 departure from Chez Frosties. An couple of hours kip saw us depart on time for the 1hr 40 min trip to Manchester. Dropped family and luggage off at Terminal 2 and then onto Premier parking. All efficient at departures, bowl of crunchy nut cornflakes and then onto the flight to Lyon. Arrived at Lyon off the plane and SHOCK, bags already on the conveyor belt. Straight out onto coach "we'll be skiing by noon we all thought. Oh no, 2 flight arriving from Gatwick at the same time, one pulled in as we got on one was delayed 30 mins, add to this a luggage problem and we lost 75 minutes.
We had pre-booked (delivered to home) a 6 day ski pass so we had no worries there. Fast transfer saw is in the chalet for 1pm. A look round, quick unpack saw us at the hire shop for 1.30. Closed for lunch  2.00 saw us back at the hire shop, changed and ready to ski. 2.20 saw us beasting the first run. End of a great first day saw youngest son with a hacking cough (where the hell did that come from). 7 Other guests and host then had a few scoops and I ventured from my pit at 11.15 to ask them to pipe down a bit as none of us had slept for what seemed like a week. I tried to appear friendly but the sight of me in my underpants had the required effect
Day 2: we pottered about learning the locality, stopped early as youngest not well. During night youngest managed to heat the room all on his own. Cold towels used to cool him down.
Day 3: Saw youngest back to his annoying best, obviously fully recovered so the 8 of us set of for Val Thorens. After 2 of us nearly getting wiped out by an out of control nutcase we were also trying to plan out trip with the maximum use of enclosed lifts due to a vertigo problem with one trip member. Half way up the Caron bubble the youngest announces he doesn’t feel well. Sure enough the temperature is back. We ski down to the restaurant at the bottom of the Caron bubble for a Hot choccy to see if things improve. 30 mins later no change so I am nominated to take him back, 3 lifts up, 1 down and a short ski will see us in the door. We walk outside and his skis have gone. Some tosser has picked up a set of 140 rossignol bandits instead of some 160 salomon’s, unbebloodyleivable. I think the plan is that me and son will stay at restaurant to see if skier comes back realising mistake and wife and others will head up to VT too see how to get son back to Reberty sans skis. I phone wife an hour later and she is in Meribel having thought I was sorting out. Domestic very closely avoided, but many staring eyes as I throw Nokia to floor and stamp up and down on it.
Son and I catch Cairn bubble back up to VT, I leave son in sunny spot with instruction to move into shade if he gets too hot. Eventually suss out that €7.50will get us back to Les Menuires on the bus. It is about to leave and much running gets me back to son, and then back to the bus. We all meet for lunch in Reberty, son seems OK so we leave him at chalet with a phone and we ski locally. All is fine. Go to hire shop and explain. Man says that had I taken the Salomons then he wouldn’t have charged me €25 as the skis have been handed in at a a Skiset shop in VT by the tosser. When asked if that would have been theft, I get a Gallic shrug. The evening sees Son no 2 start with the same bug. Great.
Day 4: Son 1 insists he is now fine, so we ski down to the Masse bubble. Half way up he starts to moan and announces he may well be sick. Amazing how many Frenchies in the packed bubble understand this. The bubble swings wildly on the cable as they all dash for the far side of the cabin. Door opens and son vomits all over the rubber flooring, getting sick out of the holes cant have been easy. When recovered Mrs FTS takes him back down in bubble and gets 1 chair up almost to the door. He comes out with her mid afternoon and skis well.
Day 5: Son no 1 seems fully recovered this morning, but no 2 is not well. Mrs FTS stays at home as I am leading a trip over to 1650. We have a great day out and stop for lunch at 1.30 at the Bel Air restaurant above 1650. son skis like a god. A lovely day so we decide to eat outside. At the end of meal son announces he his too hot – fever has returned. I have 2 choices – very expensive taxi ride, or ski back. Money and the thought of him vomiting in the taxi decide me on the ski route. We ski into 1850, Verdons bubble up, cable car to the top, bubble down to Mottaret, Plattieres bubble out of Mottaret (what a horrid lift) , ski down Allemande red, les Roc de Trois Marche gondola home. Last bit before the last bubble is an icy mogul nightmare. I ski below him as all his technique is totally gone, he cries all the way from the top bubble and is really struggling. A woman fall above him and cleans him out . They crash into me but I get a hold on his coat and manage to dig an edge in and disaster is avoided. The women is distraught but I explain that it was an accident, she wsnt going fast, the conditions were bad, and besides that he was crying before she felled him. We eventually get home, he sits in the shower for half an hour. The fever has gone and he is quite perky. I feel full of guilt, we shouldn’t have gone so far from the chalet.
Day 6: Son no 1 feels great, but no 2 is not good. I insist that no2 stays at home with me and no 1. We meet for lunch but No 2 stays in bed, No 1 is determined to go out. It is the last day and No2 says he will be fine at chalet with a phone. We have a fantastic afternoon beasting up down Jerusalem and down to St Martin. We phone hourly and he is OK. W eget back at 5pm knackered.
5.45 No2 is sick in the toilet
5.47 We discuss if we should visit doctor as we are due to fly home in the morning
5.52 He starts to pant for breath
5.54 He is fighting for breath
5.54 We phone ambulance doctor
6.00 How he manages, I’ll never know, but he gets enough air for a cough and up comes some horrid phlegm, which eases his fight a bit.
6.01 ambulance arrives, 5 minutes appraisal and dash to medical centre, injections sort out the problem very quickly
To cut a long story short he had suffered a reaction to his chest infection and his trachea started to spasm causing his airway to become blocked. At 5.54 I (and he) thought he was going to die. Without doubt the most disturbing event in any of our lives so far.
The pompiers and the medical staff were absolutely fantastic. I need say no more on this. We had a very lucky escape. Had he taken poorly whilst we were out then our decision to ski and to leave him would have haunted us till our dying day.
I relate this story in the hope that others will take a more responsible attitude when faced with poorly kids on a skiing holiday. Our eldest is a very sensible and mature kid, he is however just as vulnerable as any other young kid. I also relate it to urge other to know exactly what emergency procedures are for wherever you are staying as every minute counts in an emergency.
Sorry for the length and rambling nature of this post.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Oooh, Frosy. Poor all of you in the Snowman family. I do hope that both your boys are feeling much better, and that they are not put off ski holidays in the future.
Thank goodness it was no worse, and you were there when it mattered.
x
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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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Robbie, Sorry should have said. Following the injections and an hour of observations and tests we were given the all clear to fly the next day. Off school for 3 days, but right as rain now.
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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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Frosty the Snowman, Every parents nightmare. Only consolation less than three weeks to your next trip.
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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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You can't guess what's going to happen next. If you have kids who want to give everything a good go, there are bound to be (with hindsight) misjudgements leading to tears (mostly yours, sometimes theirs), and 99 times out of 100 your no. 2 would have been fine (as he was, eventually). Sounds like a nasty few days, but I doubt that others would have done anything very different.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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FTS, good warning, great post.
What you are describing is called laryngospasm I think. Can occur when anything other that air hits your larynx (voice box). The possiblele outcome if not treated as that he would have become unconscious and then his larynx would have relaxed and he would have been able to breathe better - having written this I am not sure how reassuring it sounds!
Reminds me of 19yrs ago when my eldest inhaled a piece of bread in a restaurant and was rapidly going blue. Luckily he was still small enough for me to whip him upside down by his ankles and squeeze his chest - the lump of bread flew out of his mouth like a champagne cork. He was back eating 1 min later!
I also made the same son cry while skiing by taking him (unintentionally) into a blizzard.
So lots of sympathy and understanding to you and Mrs FTS.
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Frosty the Snowman, Jeez ... 
Hope the whole family gets another 'holiday' soon. Looks like you need it.
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Frosty the Snowman, A torrid tale, glad all worked out well in the end. Out of interest did you need/use an E111 at all?
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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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brian
brian
Guest
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Frosty the Snowman, Great that all is ok now. Thanks for sharing with us 
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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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Frosty the Snowman, good on you for doing the course. Two different doctors that I work with have had their children fit on them with a high temperature - and both describe their complete inability to take any "medical" action due to complete blind panic when it is your own child (as opposed to "just a patient"!)
I (I'm also a Doctor) was unable to distinguish between croup and asthma in my own child - also while panicking. Cool objective judgement in a crisis with a loved-one just does not happen (IMHO)
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Frosty the Snowman, great to hear that both sons OK. What a chain of events! I hope your next holiday is much more relaxing and stress free
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You know it makes sense.
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Phew! Now I know why you have been a while telling the tale. hope it was therapeutic getting it down. Thanks for sharing and glad all is Ok now.
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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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Frosty - glad everything ok. I know how very scary things like that are.
Perhaps a lesson to us all in having emergency numbers in mobiles when abroad skiing both on piste and off
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Poster: A snowHead
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Chris Bish, I was fine, but then was telling folks in the office and completley broke down whilst getting to the rough bit. I know folks have been through much worse, complete respect to them.
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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'm useless at diagnosing people that I care about, including myself. As a medical student I spent a couple of very worried days convinced that I had a terrible case of lip cancer.
Frosty the Snowman, I have to agree with Nick L, from the sounds of it, if you hadn't have been there then your son would probably have been a little shaken up but fine. It sounds like either laryngospasm or a mucus plug, both of which are self limiting, although very frightening to witness.
BTW my personal experience of the Meribel resort clinic has been that they do have a habit of overtreating and overstating things.
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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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Frosty the Snowman,
Heart goes out to you, glad all is now well. Having kids = 18 years of worry & 30+ years of penury c'est la vie!
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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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Kramer, do I know you? Did you graduate on the South Coast?
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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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Nick L, I don't think so, but suspected lip cancer is terribly common amongst medical students.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Frosty the Snowman,
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managed to heat the room all on his own
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I agree alpine fevers are more spectacular than home ones. My sympathies are with you. I once had to piggy back my 6 year old back from Avoriaz back to Champoussin, ending up with quads like jelly.
As another doctor I agree objective judgements are so difficult. Kids are keen not to spoil the trip and to join in the fun so decision making is always difficult. As for your excitements on the last dayNick L, Kramer, slikedges, I agree with you all , missed pneumonia in my youngest once, and panicked about a possible orbital cellulitis that clearly wasn'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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A little knowledge can be a good thing 
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Just a short note to thank those who have posted messages of support and encouragement. Looking at my son last night made me realise that we went through a bad half hour, but that was about it. It also made me consider the fact other snowheads e.g PG and Brads Mum, have had and are having a far more serious and worrying time than we suffered. Respect and best wishes to them, and thanks again.
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