 Poster: A snowHead
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Some chums want to take their (by then) 5 and (just) 4 yo kids skiing at Easter 2007. They were expecting to put them into ski school for half a day. I suggested that a) the kids wouldn't be accepted in many schools and b) the youngest is certainly too young to ski for a solid half day (they're pretty gung ho kids, but even so). I suggested she should look for somewhere with a creche which offers an hour or two's skiing a day. These are common enough in N.America, but I have no idea about Europe.
Can you tell me:
1. Do European ski schools take 4 or 5 yo kids?
2. Are there any European resorts with creches which offer ski lessons for an hour or two?
3. Which Euro resorts are likely to be best at Easter (the high ones, I suppose).
Any advice/recommendations gratefully received.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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IMHO 4 is too young and 5 is right on the border for half day ski school. A lot depends on the leg strenght, fitness, and will to take part of the child. Mark Warner or Esprit can offer the couple of hour in ski school package for tots with childcare. Not a budget holiday however.
Last edited by Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person on Thu 2-03-06 12:18; edited 1 time in total
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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richmond,
1. Yes, my my daughter started at five but my son started at four because he was stronger and had better body coordination than his sister.
2. I've never found one, but my son started with full day lessons. It depends on the child I suppose.
3. For beginners, I'm not sure it matters too much.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Thu 2-03-06 13:35; edited 1 time in total
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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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I think '5 and gung ho' could probably handle a whole morning's ski school. I know Gregory could handle it no problem at 6. U might be right though that the 4yo could find that a little too much (although not neccessarily).
I think most ski schools take 5yo kids and, esp. in holidays, you'll have no trouble finding a ski kindergarten in any but the smallest resorts.
We were in Val-T with our kids in the 2nd week of the Easter hols last year and they loved it there.
There's a kiddies area right next to the town where the little ones are being dragged through hoops etc... all very cute!
For their lessons, we used Prosneige which came highly recommended and proved good: a good place to start http://www.prosneige.fr/en/
We also used Evolution2 in Tignes Val Claret which must be one of the best: highly recommended http://www.evolution2.com/
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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richmond, La Rosiere has an excellent creche, Les Galopins where they take children from 18mths old, some friends of ours put their 3yr old there over xmas, he loved it, they get about 1 1/2 hrs a day skiing also games in the snow, lunch etc, one of the supervisors is English, so no language problems for parents, for kiddies it doesn't seem to matter.
The ESF and Evo2 in the village will also take kids from 4-5yrs, the ESF have a Jardins des Enfants for the Club Loisirs, from 4 -12 yrs old and Ski Pitchounes for 3-4 yrs old and they'll also feed them if neccessary.
Easter is always a great time to ski in La Rosiere, long sunny days, usually and the behinners ski area is right by the main lifts so the whole family can easily meet for lunch.
It's really not neccessary to go to Ski Espirit or Mark Warner, if you want to take your kids skiing, French famllies don't have special hotels/chalets for family skiing, they know they'll be able to find the facilities they want in just about any resort
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Thanks, chaps. I'll pass on the info.
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| richmond wrote: |
| Some chums want to take their (by then) 5 and (just) 4 yo kids skiing at Easter 2007. They were expecting to put them into ski school for half a day. I suggested that a) the kids wouldn't be accepted in many schools and b) the youngest is certainly too young to ski for a solid half day (they're pretty gung ho kids, but even so). |
Depends upon the kids. Okanagan junior was coping fine with 2 x 2hrs a day in ski school with supervised long lunchbreak in the middle, plus a run with us before, and sometimes one after last year at 3 and a half. BUT he's been on skis since before he could walk, and skis every week on plastic, on top of being generally very active/adventurous. Not sure that I'd like to guarantee every 4 year old could do it, but there's no reason not to have a go in a more limited way if the kids want to.
It IS more difficult to find anywhere which will do this in Europe though - one of the reasons we tend to ski mostly in Canada. You could look at Snowbizz perhaps, who do a creche + one hour ski lesson package for 3 and 4 year olds, or look at Westendorf for ski provision for this age.
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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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My 4.5 year old learnt last winter and was skiing all day (4 hours or so anyway) a few weeks later. Probably the only way to know is to try it out.
richmond, in Switzerland, you often find ski kindergartens for 3 year olds for 2 hours in the morning and afternoon. In this they can learn to ski but they can just play if they want to. My local place costs 22CHF for 2 hours. All ski schools here seem to take 4 year olds into normal (i.e. not ski kindergarten) group lessons.
Younger than 3 it can be quite difficult to find childcare here but once you get to 3 it really takes off.
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Okanagan, our kids learnt to ski in Canada too, graduating from creche with lessons to ski school at (just) 6, the youngest Sunshine ski school takes them. Worked brilliantly for them, although I think that they could have managed half day lessons at 5. I'm pretty sure that Canada's not within the budget for my chums.
It sounds as if there a good number of ski creches around Europe, which may well be just the job for the youngest kid. I reckon the 5 yo will cope OK with a half day in ski school; he needs a bit of energy sapping activity, in my experience.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Hi
Just returned from 2 weeks in Chamonix where our 2 daughters 7yrs and 4 yrs attended The Panda Club (Now part of Evolution 2 it seems so may be available elsewhere) They attended 9 till 4.30 for 5 days alternating between colouring etc indoors and skiing / playing out. I was concerned they might not like it as their interests were definitely more toys, make up and music than anything remotely sporting (the elder actually said she didn't want to ski but turned out the most enthusiastic and watching the 4yr old trying to keep up with her off the main piste through the trees was absolutely brilliant!)
It appears 3 yrs is the starting age in the schools I've checked out in France, and that's when our boy will sart. (he was 1 last week!)
Skiing with the girls on week 2 made our holiday. Highly recommended!
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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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Hi
Just returned from 2 weeks in Chamonix where our 2 daughters 7yrs and 4 yrs attended The Panda Club (Now part of Evolution 2 it seems so may be available elsewhere) They attended 9 till 4.30 for 5 days alternating between colouring etc indoors and skiing / playing out. I was concerned they might not like it as their interests were definitely more toys, make up and music than anything remotely sporting (the elder actually said she didn't want to ski but turned out the most enthusiastic and watching the 4yr old trying to keep up with her off the main piste through the trees was absolutely brilliant!)
It appears 3 yrs is the starting age in the schools I've checked out in France, and that's when our boy will sart. (he was 1 last week!)
Skiing with the girls on week 2 made our holiday. Highly recommended!
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Our youngest was 4 when he started. He was strong, fit and gung-ho, but it was too early for him. We had real problems because he was too tired to ski for more than an hour or so a day, but he threw crying fits when his older brother went outside in the snow. Several days we had to take him out of the creche as a result. He's 7 now and a great skier, though, and he's determined to have a crack his first black run this year.
As you've noticed, most European schools start skiing at 5; most North American ones at 4. I think that's probably because Europeans tend to take longer holidays than Americans, and what's fun for a kid for a few days rapidly becomes boring over a longer period.
I'd suggest:
1. Don't worry about skiing for the kids and certainly don't choose a resort on the basis of ski lessons for 4 year olds. At that age, you're probably best to take a few hours out yourself and have some family fun.
2. Think really hard about childcare. The kids won't be happy with a bunch of strangers babbling away in a foreign language and that means your friends will probably need a tour operator's English language creche, to go to North America or to take in in turns to do the childminding.
3. Care more about snow certainty (look at the opinions in the book Where to Ski and Snowboard) than the size of the resort. It's not possible to explore a large ski area if you have to get back to the creche a couple of times a day, so you might as well save your cash.
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You know it makes sense.
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I think too much emphasis is placed on the child needing English-speaking childcare, it's the quality that matters. Of the places we used when ours were small, the English one's were the worst, particularly the usual chalet operators. The best was the Hotel Les Lindars in Flaine(now non-existent or Club Med), although the kids meals weren't the best, Adam loved the French nannies so much he decided not to go skiing.
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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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My two girls started at 4 and 7 - half day morning lessons. I was really nervous on the first day as they immediately got split apart in the group (Isola 2000) but on passing over the group with the 4-year old in I saw her fall over, then get picked up & dusted down by her instructor and shoved off on her way - she was fine and by lunchtime when we met her she had a big grin on her face and was loving every minute. They skiied all morning, then I met up with them at lunchtime, spent an hour or so with them, left them on the nursery slope with mum sitting nearby supervising whilst I belted off for an hour or two to shred the slopes, then met up with them again for an hour or so at the end of the day. Neither of them had the slightest problem coping with skiing all day and loved every minute. The youngest (now 8 years old) is badgering me to convert her to a snowboarder... sensible girl... 
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Poster: A snowHead
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My daughter started at 4 in Marmottons (run by evolution2) in Tignes Le Lac. Did it through Esprit, but only because we got a late deal. You can arrange lessons on their own. She really enjoyed it and the instuctor was English speaking. Advantage with Esprit is they send a helper to the lessons which with 4 year olds is useful.
She is now 5 1/2 and has just done here 1st star in Andorra and still loves it..............
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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