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Summer skiing w/Family

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Hi all,

Been away from the forum for nearly 2 years!!

New job and new little member of the family have not been ski friendly. I now work September to May and I’m looking for recommendations for summer resorts where we can take our 2 year old. Ideally not crazy long flights so kind of rules out Southern Hemisphere.

Our needs have changed, used to be two weeks, studio apartment and as much red wine as possible. Now we need ski school, off snow activities and our own space for little one.

Any ideas peeps..?

~Mac
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
@Mac22, Think you may struggle to find ski schools that operate in the summer.
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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?
@rjs, easiski private lessons in deux alpes?
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@holidayloverxx, Sure, or Alex Chapman. The cost would add up for private lessons over a whole summer though.

I presumed that lessons were for the kid.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Thanks for suggestions. Yes lessons for my son, it would only be a couple weeks not for the whole summer (I wish!). We have normally gone out first week in January for the last 10 years but it doesn’t fit the work schedule now

I can’t do the usual times but refuse to simply stop skiing. We’ve never even looked into June/July options but have always heard people talk about ‘glacial skiing’
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Best bet Zermatt, but it's unlikely there’ll be ski school etc. It’s not like winter,
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It’s possible (events permitting) that Zermatt will be operating. In the Summer the top area is a mass of national teams blasting up and down, coaches shouting into Motorola radios. It would be perfectly possible to find a local coach for a small one, and you would need to get them up first thing, ready for the long journey up, completely wrapped up against the incredible summer solar radiation you get at 11,000 feet. It’s doable, but requires a lot of prep. It would seem very relentless for a young one. We taught ours at the same age, but outside a restaurant in the winter, stopping frequently for rests and hot drinks. Zermatt and other places in the Summer are a bit full on. Is Stelvio still functioning in the Summer?
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
I honestly wouldn't think a glacier at 3000m++ would be ideal learning conditions for a 2 year old, 2 is very young even to be mucking around on skis on the flat in a dedicated kiddie ski area.
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As posted already, it's quite an arduous framework for someone so young. Not impossible, but maybe not as enjoyable as staying in a snow covered village.

Have you considered indoor https://www.snowtrex.co.uk/magazine/holidays-winter-sports/indoor-ski-centres-europe/ as there are some really good facilities in link as additional to other UK based locations. Still counts for the family ski log (you've only to get skis onto snow to count as a "year" you skied Very Happy ) after all.
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At 2 they're not going to know the difference between a Snow Dome in the UK and 3000 metres up in the Alps. Odds are that you'll be able to get to a local snowdome but not to the Alps anyway. And if you can't get to the Snow Dome then you almost certainly won't be able to get to the Alps.
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As suggested here, Les Deux Alpes, is a great summer location. Skiing on the glacier is from early morning until lunchtime. Charlotte and Alex (Tiptop ski coaching) already mentioned. European Ski School teach mainly UK customers too, mix of nationalities, some English, but all with perfect English.

Plenty of other activities for the afternoons. Bathing lake/beach, swimming pools, MTB, skate parks, summer luge, etc. Hiking, etc of course. Climate is great, 30°C max but typically sunny and mid 20's. Very pleasant night time temperatures aid sleeping.
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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.
@Mac22, will skiing in Christmas week be possible? That’s an infinitely better option than summer skiing for a young family.

Summer skiing, northern hemisphere, really isn’t like a normal skiing holiday at an unusual time of year. For a range of reasons the skiing is much more geared towards focused training for very dedicated skiers rather than how you would typically enjoy a family ski holiday. Of course, being in the mountains in the summer can be lovely, and if there are a couple of early starts to enjoy a few runs on the glacier it’s nice to have some skiing as part of a broader mountain holiday. But I think you’re going to set yourself up for disappointment if you are looking for a normal skiing holiday in the summer.
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Mac22,

Mrs B and I worked for instructors for a few years at a local dry slope, including a weekend kindergarten. The minimum age for lessons was 4 but, on one occasion, the slope manager agreed to let 2 (just turned) 3 year olds join my group.

Let's just say it was a very tough hour. Sadly, their comprehension of/interest in skiing and attention span at that age was non existent.* Consequently I think your 2 year old would be unlikely to be able to participate properly in lessons, follow instructions and learn to ski as such. I'm sorry to put a dampener on your plans but I think the "lessons" would really amount to very expensive play sessions in the snow, with a bit of sliding on skis thrown in.

I appreciate how keen you are but would recommend hanging on for a while longer.

*I still chuckle when I remember crouching to hold one of the little un's (in question) ski tips together, explaining about a snow plough shape and looking up to see him gazing wistfully to his right, saying, "I can see a spider...." Very Happy
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
For what it’s worth our two did sessions in “Les Marmottons” in Chatel from about age 3. It was more Crèche than ski school but they did have a very gentle rope tow and qualified instructors. Generally more rolling in snow/building snowmen/painting/lunch/gouter than skiing (short session morning and afternoon).

I honestly dont think most are strong enough or sufficiently directable until about 5.
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 Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
I don't think there's anything wrong with admitting that you want/need to get back to skiing if you can. If your partner really isn't bothered, then I think it's better to be objective and just ask whether you can take a trip by yourself, alone or with friends. Then reciprocate and let your partner take a break away, doing something they want. If you both are equally keen to ski then again, I don't see anything wrong with a long Weekend away - you'll do this sooner or later anyway. Obvs the issue is how well you think your child will cope and whether you can get friends/relatives to babysit.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Zermatt would be lovely, but think of it as an (expensive) summer holiday where you might get a ski in, but not with kids that small.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Quote:

I honestly wouldn't think a glacier at 3000m++ would be ideal learning conditions for a 2 year old, 2 is very young even to be mucking around on skis on the flat in a dedicated kiddie ski area.

This. I have skied (with lessons) on the glaciers in Tignes and Les Deux Alpes in the summer and the environment is demanding even for moderately keen adults. Getting up the mountain is an absolute scrum with sharp-elbowed young racers mercilessly shoving everybody out of their way. The only lifts, once you're up on the slopes are T bars and the queues were generally both long and bad-tempered. It is not a suitable environment even for adult beginners and I doubt very much whether any ski instructor would contemplate a lesson for a 2 year old.

On the other hand a summer holiday in the Alps is delightful and highly recommended. Though at the time of writing the thought of a summer holiday anywhere abroad is not only delightful but also somewhat optimistic......
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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?
you said you work until may... if you can do May - places like Hintertux and Stubai should be open and much more family friendly than the stuff mentioned so far.

I still doubt you will find a group lesson for a 2 year old, even in winter... But individual lessons should be doable. Although imho - unnecessary. While there are a very few kids that manage to learn at that age, most are not ready before 4 or 5 yrs old. My son went on his first ski school at 3 and it kinda worked, but it was with the whole kindergarten group, so he was with all his friends around and even some of his teachers. With my daughter - I put her on skis a few times when she was 2, just to get the feel of being out in the mountain. Didn't even try teaching her anything, she was definitely not ready. Next year was the same - she didn't have the power in the legs to snowplough etc, so we just put the skis for some play in the snow. It was only when she was 4 that she finally seemed ready and we sent her to proper lessons.
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Hmmm ... my son started at 2 and a half, and did much the same as this one:


http://youtube.com/v/Z_F01eV0Iqw

The hockey stick method is excellent, and I also used a single ski pole, held sideways horizontally like motorbike handlebars (point towards me!!), and this got him turning, whilst assuming exactly the right balance position. It gave him an intuitive feel which even now is commented on by coaches.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
The summer skiing in Zermatt is pretty good fun and Zermatt stays lively throughout the summer. If you can go before 30 May the chairlift on the lower glacier will still be running. That area is much bigger – and in my opinion more fun. If you can’t get out then I would wait until July as June is a very quiet month.

There is no problem getting ski lessons. See the link below for the summer skiing with the main “English” ski school:

http://www.summitskischool.com/summer-skiing/
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valais2 wrote:
Hmmm ... my son started at 2 and a half, and did much the same as this one:


http://youtube.com/v/Z_F01eV0Iqw

The hockey stick method is excellent, and I also used a single ski pole, held sideways horizontally like motorbike handlebars (point towards me!!), and this got him turning, whilst assuming exactly the right balance position. It gave him an intuitive feel which even now is commented on by coaches.


Hmmm indeed.

Exceptional - but very unusual at 2. You must be very proud of his intuitive feel. Well done.

How old is he now? Puzzled
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Fifteen now - and although he has been scouted we decided to just have skiing as a skill rather than as a future professional aim. The most amusing incident was when he was about 10, and heading up for a morning with a coach we know. Just a morning for them together in the coach’s free time. When they got on the lift one of the instructors from a different school said ‘ah you’ve got a beginners’ morning’. Matt apparently smiled and said well, have a look when we get to the top....’. At which point Alex nailed the ice-surfaced slalom course top to bottom, on twintips. Matt told me he smiled again and said to the other instructor ‘...nope, not a beginner’s morning...’ - noting that the other guy’s jaw was on the floor. I just don’t know how Alex gets his edges into stuff. We were at Leysin in 2019, and it was ice everywhere. Everyone was going sideways, including the instructors. The only two doing short turns on these slopes were Alex and a gnarly old guy on some fats. That early start seemed to develop something quite special.
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 After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
After all it is free Go on u know u want to!
If you can go in May Stubai and Hintertux can still be pretty great! During the main summer, while you can and do get a couple of great days when the weather works out, there are generally other more fun things to do in the Alps.
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I've been to Deux Alpes and Hintertux in the summer and I wouldn't say either glacier is a place for a 2 year old. What you are looking for is someone to look after your kid whilst you pop for a ski.

That's just my own personal opinion of course Smile
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A compounding challenge with summer skiing is the altitude. If you take a child from sea level (UK) to 3000-3,500m, it's impossible to distinguish tiredness/grumpiness/an off day, from AMS, HAPE or HACE. It's hard enough for adults to make that distinction and there's a reasonable number of documented deaths in adults who've gone from sea level to 3,000m.

When I've taken my kids to high altitude (3,000-4,500m), I used a 2,700m ceiling for first 2 days, adding 300m/day with a lower altitude day every 3. That's a conservative variant of Hackett's advised 500m/day & 1 rest in 3 (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/yellowbook/2020/noninfectious-health-risks/high-altitude-travel-and-altitude-illness), because there's so little data to go on with kids.

Alternatively, go to Landgraaf in Holland. Very big, cheap, you 2-yr old can do some sledging, go on the chairlift (which will be a huge hit), play on the climbing frame, shoot some pool (!) and maybe go down the luge on your lap.
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snowdave - good thought. We have seen some very ill people in Zermatt - last time we were up there for summer skiing (2018) we saw a very ill pedestrian in the top tunnel - clearly rapid onset altitude-induced. And as you say it can be unpredictable and serious. We had a very experienced climber bail on a modest 3000m peak behind us, came out from UK, straight up the hill, and very surprised (both we and him) that he suffered acute AMS well below the summit.
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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.
Stubai, if its not too late in the summer or Kitzsteinhorn, though its high mountain and can be a different experience from winter skiing. Subai is great, as you've got other thngs to do around Innsbruck, if you want to.

As a compromise in the summer, this has been good for something a bit different and alternatives for things to do when the family want a change https://www.snowworld.com/landgraaf/en assuming it opens in the summer. It's an easy drive. Just check that the national race teams aren't training when you plan to go.
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