 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi
First time poster here. Im looking for some advice on skiing over the Christmas period Dec 21st - 28th 2021.
Ive been boarding on and off for the last 20 years between pre kids trips with the wife and lads holidays thereafter. Our boys will be 10 and 16 and this will be our first family ski trip.
1, Do we throw out the Christmas rule bookend go with the flow, treating Christmas day as a normal day and celebrate on Christmas Eve.
2. Do I need to pre book a meal months in advance to ensure were nt sat in the aparment on the big day / eve with basics from sherpa.
3. Do you have any parenting advice in general to help me make sure the trip is a success?
4. Does anyone have any specific resort experience with Avoriaz at Christmas - is there lots going on or do i need to fill the evenings with skidoos etc?
We are a 50/50 split on skiers and boarders, myself and the youngest are really excited about going away but my wife and eldest seem indifferent about it. Im hoping they are the type that get excited just before they leave for the airport...
I should note I've been to Avoriaz 3 times, the last being 10 years ago and always first week of Jan.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes, throw out the Christmas rule book. Christmas Day is a normal day on the slopes. Christmas Eve is the time for big (and expensive!) restaurant meals. It's not clear whether your boys will be beginners - but if so, it's important to enrol them for lessons. Parenting advice? Don't try to teach them yourself. Do you have accommodation booked?
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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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Loads of things to do at that age - are you driving or flying?
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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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@Bradiohead, 21st is a Tuesday, not sure you’ll find a Tuesday to Tuesday Accomodation- may well be wrong and it’s changed this year with Xmas falling on Saturday
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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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Hi
Thanks for the replies. The boys are 10 16 they have some experience with lessons at the chill factore. Annoyingly they seem reluctant to do ski school they not the holiday club types.
We are flying - Ive booked with Crystal so hope the dates are correct.
+1 for not teaching them. My wife doesn’t take suggestions well and rightly so I’m no expert 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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1) Yes
2) Yes
3) IME people 10% are nuts about skiing and it's all they talk about (hence Snowheads), 80% can take it or leave it ultimately but tag along with the first 10%, and 10% hate it. Period. Note 1: with the last 10% it's hard to tell beforehand. Note 2: Ratio's may be out but you get the general pattern.
4) Sorry, never been to Avoriaz. But I'll see this my family doesn't do much extra-curricular. It's generally ski all done, tea, beer (for me), cakes, shower, cook, eat and drink, board games, chat, chill, sleep - rinse and repeat. But everyone's different and there are options like snow shoeing, skidoo, dog sledging in the day and wellness, gyms!, bars, cinema's, souvenir and gear shops in any decent size resort for those that like it.
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@Bradiohead,
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The boys are 10 16 they have some experience with lessons at the chill factore. Annoyingly they seem reluctant to do ski school they not the holiday club types
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This is a real toughie. If their only previous lessons are on indoor slope (a useful start) the benefits they would get from good tuition somewhere like Avoriaz should be massive.
I can imagine the hassle of trying to enforce lessons and overall that would probably turn out counter productive. The kind of dictatorial parental behaviour that gets referred to at the dinner table or on the counselling couch, 20 years later 
So how to incentivise (AKA bribe) them to willingly commit to learning through tuition? SnowHeads are usually good at this ....
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Might be a controversial opinion but if they've had a bunch of lessons at an indoor slope a week of mileage skiing will do them good.
@Bradiohead, might they be persuaded to do a couple of hours private lesson in the middle of the week to boost their learning?
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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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Consider private lessons as previously mentioned but perhaps go for Snow Park Lessons. My lad and his mate loved it when they were 15, a couple of two hour lessons in the park with a cool instructor. Spent the evenings building kickers outside the apartment and walking up the hill to do them. They were knackered 
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| Bradiohead wrote: |
Annoyingly they seem reluctant to do ski school they not the holiday club types.
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Obviously there's a big difference between ski school and holiday club. If they can't ski to a certain level then they will need some kind of instruction - and the choice will be with professional instructor who has years of experience of making these things fun and enjoyable (generally), or with the parents (and we know how that often turns out!).
| Layne wrote: |
Might be a controversial opinion but if they've had a bunch of lessons at an indoor slope a week of mileage skiing will do them good.
@Bradiohead, might they be persuaded to do a couple of hours private lesson in the middle of the week to boost their learning? |
That said, the route suggested by Layne might work with a bit of a planning. Prior to my nephews first trip, my brother booked them into a series of dry slope lessons over course of 6-8mths prior to the trip (and the odd fridge trip). That kind of approach coupled with a private lesson or two in resort could work well. But they key is getting them to a certain level before they get there.
As for my nephews, I was with them when they finally hit the slopes for their first skiing holiday and they skied fantastically well. Better than many skiers who had 3/4 weeks under their belt. So it can work.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Do I need to pre book a meal months in advance to ensure were nt sat in the aparment on the big day / eve with basics from sherpa.
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Not totally sure about Avoriaz, but in Les Arcs we have found you can book up your Cristmas eve meal (and New Year's eve) on arrival at the resort. Expect to pay a lot more than usual for the meal. If you fancy going out Christmas day most restaurants will be open as usual and fairly quiet. Christmas day itself is more or less an ordinary day. The much more low key Christmas celebrations in France are one of the reasons we prefer to be there rather than in the UK.
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The boys are 10 16 they have some experience with lessons at the chill factore. Annoyingly they seem reluctant to do ski school they not the holiday club types.
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Don't give them the option of not doing it.
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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 think private lessons mid week might be a good shout 1 adult 1 child for each discipline. Hopefully they will find their feet in the first couple of days and then some tuition to help them get the most out of the rest of trip.
I was hoping to take advantage of some improver lessons at the chill factore but post covid they need to make up for lost revenue so can't see there being any mega deals going on over the summer.
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@Bradiohead, that idea is nuts. Get the lessons in early doors. Teaching has really moves on and you have some great ski schools beyond ESF in Avoriaz
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You know it makes sense.
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Tell the boys it's sports coaching, nothing to do with a "holiday club". They'll only have done the very most basic stuff in a fridge, with good visibility, very gentle slope and relatively smooth snow. Will they be able to ride a longish drag lift, or get on and off a chairlift, without being a danger to themselves or others?
At that time of year you will need to book up lessons well in advance. Do some research on which schools are best, book them in for the week, and tell them that if they hate the lessons, they can of course opt out, and do other stuff - or ski/board with you. I'd not let them go off on their own.
If you are doing a non-standard week this might take a fair bit of thought - but will probably be the key not just to this holiday but to their entire enjoyment and attitude. It's quite hard work to start with (yes, I have been a beginner boarder and fallen again and again, and been terrified of taking out people riding a chair with me) and not for the faint hearted. Is it the older or younger boy who's not really interested? Some highly motivated natural athletes with a high pain threshold and mates who are already competent boarders can learn by going out with friends. My son - a good boarder - had a friend like that and said it was the most scary thing he'd ever seen, watching him launch fearlessly down a red slope on his first day. But for most people, lessons are an easier route to enjoyment.
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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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Thats a good point regarding drag lifts etc. my first resort drag lift experience was very different to dry slope or fridge not to mention chair lifts.
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Is it the older or younger boy who's not really interested?
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It's my eldest son who is not that bothered, he has done boarding in the past and enjoyed it. I tried t encourage him to go on the school ski trip ad he wasn't interested either.
@Nadenoodlee I didn't realise there were other ski schools other than ESF, i'll look into that.
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Poster: A snowHead
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| Bradiohead wrote: |
@Nadenoodlee I didn't realise there were other ski schools other than ESF, i'll look into that. |
We used Evolution 2 when we were in Avoriaz and they were fantastic.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Bradiohead wrote: |
| It's my eldest son who is not that bothered, he has done boarding in the past and enjoyed it. I tried t encourage him to go on the school ski trip ad he wasn't interested either. |
My eldest has just turned 16. He has fck all interest in anything these days also. Thankfully on the skiing front he's been going two weeks a year since he was 4 so that is engrained.
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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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@Bradiohead, Billski run very cool kids/young folk lessons and Mint too.
Try and get the lessons Am then you can do other things in the afternoon. Aquariaz is a great spot, theres skidooing just at the entrance to town. Fireworks on xmas eve on the slopes ans a torchlit descent.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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@Bradiohead, I see one problem is your sons' ages. There are going to be few others of the same age in beginner ski school classes, and the 16-year-old in particular is going to be pretty fed up if they find themselves with primary age kids or with beginner adults.
You will probably do better with private lessons for the two of them, which you will need to book in advance. I would start the first afternoon, which gives them a little time to acclimatise to real snow but not enough to get fed up because they feel their skiing is inadequate compared with everyone else the same age. And that idea about briefing the instructor to spend a fair time around the snow parks might work.
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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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Send the 16 year old to party all night with the cool kids and you won't see him during the day. Probably won't need to splash out on a lift pass for him either! The younger one will be easier to handle when their backup had been removed. You're welcome 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Can I recommend private lessons with the Snow Tribe - very cool instructors and do both skiing and boarding
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Thanks for all the recommendations, I've got a bit of research to do. I just hope the foreign travel gets back to some normality before December.
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