 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi All
I was wondering where people would recommend for a first family ski trip with young children.
Looking for somewhere with lots of safe unchallenging beginner / blue runs. Kids (4 & 8 ) and wife will be sking / taking lessons and I will be snowboarding (I can do hard reds).
Will be going during school holidays so the cheaper the better.
Where would people recommend for a first family trip.
Cheers
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@oafc0000, looking to fly (from where?) or drive?
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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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@oafc0000, As it's the first time skiing for your wife and kids it's maybe worthwhile looking at some of the learn to ski packages which the main Tour Operators sometimes offer. As it's it in their long term interest to get more people into ski holidays they sometimes arrange special deals with the local ski schools.
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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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Manchester fly 😀
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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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@oafc0000, if you're going in February half term, you don't have to worry about snow on the pistes at any altitude. My preference is for Austria, because of the atmosphere, a bit of apres and quality of lessons. There's a huge list of resorts that are suitable.
If you want to keep costs down in school holiday time:
1. Drive
2. Find your own self-catering accommodation
3. Stay in a smaller resort and drive to larger ones nearby
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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| oafc0000 wrote: |
Hi All
I was wondering where people would recommend for a first family ski trip with young children.
Looking for somewhere with lots of safe unchallenging beginner / blue runs. Kids (4 & 8 ) and wife will be sking / taking lessons and I will be snowboarding (I can do hard reds).
Will be going during school holidays so the cheaper the better.
Where would people recommend for a first family trip.
Cheers |
If you're going school holidays and the cheaper the better particularly with young children I would choose the Easter holidays. The resorts are cheaper, they are a lot less busy and the kids can play in the warm sun in the afternoon whilst you have a well earned beer.
Lots of resorts work well for this option my own preference is not to choose to high a resort which remain very popular at Easter but to go somewhere with North facing slopes so it doesn't get slushy too early .
Two places that we enjoyed with younger children at Easter that fit these criteria were Val Cenis and Serre Chevalier , there are loads others.
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Champoluc?
Certainly not suggesting France if Feb 1/2 term.
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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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Sauze d'oulx is perfect for family skiing
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@oafc0000, I would highly recommend Esprit for skiing with a family that age, especially for their first time. We have done a number of holidays with them during Easter school holidays and due to this sometimes being quite late (we flew out on the 16th April) this season we have limited ourselves based on chances of getting best snow.
This year we went to their place in Val d'Isere and had a fantastic time. Previously we have been with them to Gressoney, St Anton, Courchevel and Belle Plagne.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi @oafc0000,
I took my family away last this year for the first time on a ski holiday during the feb mid term break.
We went to Niederau in Austria which was perfect for us.
I booked flights, accommodation and transfers separate which worked out an awful lot less expensive than a tour operator.
My kids where 4,6 and 8 when we went and they had an absolute ball and it was amazing how quickly they picked it up.
We have booked to return in 2018.
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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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I would agree with something along the lines of what @peter2512, suggests.
There are literally scores of nice small Austrian resorts which would suit your family needs. In fact some of them even don't charge for the nursery lifts.
If it's their first time they don't need lots of terrain.
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Anywhere in the PdS is going to give you more blues and occasional reds than you could point a ski pole at.
No where is cheap at half term.
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You know it makes sense.
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At one level, your requirements are remarkably easily met many places.
Short walks to skiing advantageous.
I'd be thinking Italy or Austria (maybe Andorra?).
Esprit a good idea but I think it would add £s?
Alternative activities also good.
Aviemore? That's where I learned, did me no harm.
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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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Livigno?
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Poster: A snowHead
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@oafc0000, looking at Esprit website they are offering
Selected Deals
Family Price
19/12/2017
Manchester
2 Adults & 2 Children (2-10 Inc) Any Available Room
Was:£2472
To Les Get
Alternatively second Easter school holiday week is relatively affordable.
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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 go Christmas or Easter. Not New Year, and not half term. The "quality of lessons" depends more on the ski school you choose than the country you go to. The key requirement is small groups and both Austrian and French resorts have some BIG groups, especially in school hols.
Having help from an outfit like Esprit would make it all a lot easier - if your wife is a beginner she will hopefully be able to carry her own skis, but not the kids'.
If doing a holiday without minions to take kids back and forth to lessons proximity of accommodation to the ski school meeting place is (in my not inconsiderable experience) absolutely KEY.
And to keep costs down, having self-catering accommodation very near is optimal, because feeding and watering a family at lunchtime is not only expensive but unrewarding if kids are fussy.
Be careful of accommodation claimed to be "ski in/ski out". It is unlikely to be so for beginners. Buses are grim with small kids, too.
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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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As this is the first family trip, I'd really echo what others have said about using a family operator. We've used Esprit and Family Friendly Skiing, and would heartily recommend either for reducing the amount of stress involved in getting kids to and from lessons and generally making sure that they have a holiday they'll want to have again.
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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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Another vote for Esprit. Not the cheapest option, but they do take out a lot of the stress of a skiing holiday with kids.
We went with Esprit to La Rosiere for our first trip "en famille" and have very happy memories. I was very wary before this trip, as I thought skiing with a 4 yo and a 5 yo would be needlessly hard work, but it was actually a very relaxing holiday. The hard work came on the next trip where we skied with the kids in the afternoon rather than utilising the child care. This was physically very demanding but very rewarding, once aching limbs had been medicated with Esprit wine!
We also have happy memories of Esprit trips to Courchevel (twice), Peisey, Saas Fee and Belle Plagne!
Folk we met on Esprit holidays spoke well of other family friendly operators too.
EDIT - Just realised that our first trip was 9 years ago. Where has the time gone?
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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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| Quote: |
If doing a holiday without minions to take kids back and forth to lessons proximity of accommodation to the ski school meeting place is (in my not inconsiderable experience) absolutely KEY.
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"ski in/ski out". It is unlikely to be so for beginners. Buses are grim with small kids, too.
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Yep, all of that. Lunchtimes particularly important. Also, a 4 year old won't be skiing for very long any given day, (if at all...)
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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 Esprit. We've been the last 4 years with them with small kids and both wife and I are very experienced skiers. I personally would avoid Les Gets prior to January. It's snow record at that time of year is suspect in my experience. Go somewhere snowsure if you are looking pre Jan. The esprit resorts that would work well at this time are Obergurgl, Courchevel, Val D'Isere would be good options.
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If "the cheaper the better" really matters - have a look at SuperDévoluy. We've been three times with snowtrex.com - their thing is self catering accommodation including lift passes. It's the cheapest way I've found of skiing as a family, with a good amount of piste to play with at half term. Lessons are limited to ESF or ESI, and it'll be hit or miss with instructors' English as it isn't that popular with us Brits - that said, our boy got on fine at six, eight and nine.
The resort itself isn't pretty, but none of the accommodation is far from the slopes. There are half a dozen restaurants, a handful of bars, and it claims 100km of piste.
I sometimes think this is the only thing I ever post about on Snowheads, but I'm not on commission, and I really do think it's the a pretty good option for a bit of 'cheap' skiing as a family. Last time we went at half term (a couple of years ago), we managed to get accommodation and lift passes for three of us less than £1k (and < £400 at Easter, though snow's a real gamble then, given altitude/location).
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@UkuleleDave, nice to have a bit of variety 
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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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@oafc0000, My #1 bit of advice is to go at easter. It's nicer, warmer, lighter and cheaper. And there is more snow.
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Sorry its took so long to reply to this thread but life got a bit complicated and my attention diverted for a while. Thanks for all the fantastic information. Certainly going to consider Esprit. Thanks all!
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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@oafc0000,
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Will be going during school holidays
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Which school holidays? Recommendations could be very different depending on whether Christmas, New Year, February or Easter. 
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FAQ
