4 weeks early ski with young family

A snowHead

Hi All,

We're thinking of trying to book an apartment/ chalet for 4 weeks from 17th December or so for ourselves and 2 young boys 4 and 6. Dows anyone have any advice for resort choice and a company that can do 4 wk duration rentals? Obviously assuming covid is under control to some extent and we can travel/ resorts open etc! Main concerns are:

1- early ski season, no snow, best bet higher resorts/ Finland but much colder?
2 - is 4 too young for a ski school/ operators with kids club
3- would want to be in town and for ease with kids nr lifts/ ski in/out. ideally somewhere which may have other activities/ places to do with kids, ie swimming pools etc

Thoughts of Ruka ( maybe super super cold and fewer other activies to do for 4 weeks?), Val Thorens, zermatt? have read other gd young family places are : Zell am See, Flaine, Plagne but obviously trying to maximise chances of okay snow? I haven't been to many different resorts personally, mainly Val d'sere, Courchevel, Chamonix and Tignes - no idea if they're good or not for early ski/ young fam./ Would imagine Val d'sere is bit overloaded with partying!?

any help, greatly appreciated.

A snowHead

@noodlehat, welcome to Snowheads.

More qualified people than me will no doubt be along in a moment, but my memory of our daughter that age is that 4 is fine for a gentle introduction to skiing - but creates the interesting demand of a resort where the benign beginner slopes close to resort are open at that time of year and at the same time it isn't so cold your son can't enjoy the experience.

I think that makes France difficult, snow cover isn't predictable in advance for mid-December except in the highest and coldest resorts. Skiing is open most places by New Year however. I have heard good things about Austria for early snow, but you are less likely to get accommodation close to the slopes. I don't know about Finland, but cold could be an issue.

But then you are talking about an apartment or chalet, self-catering I guess, which is much easier to find in France than Austria. No doubt someone will suggest the perfect compromise.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Its xmas, so soak in as much xmas atmosphere as possible.
Markets f street food, gluhwein, krampus runs, st. Nick, sleigh rides, oompah bands, candle light walks, i e skating on frozen lakes,, sledging, etc.
You could travel between resorts quite easily and cheaply in austria. Dont worry they are not slope side. Austria public transport makes up for that!! you will get a much more authentic christmas by staying in more residential areas than tourism traps.
Might be worth looking at st johann, kitzbuhel, zell am see, etc.

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Austria for pre Christmas and Christmas atmosphere.
How will you travel to resort? Hire car? Private transfer?
Kronplatz (Northern Italy) is in the Tirol and the season there starts usually the last weekend in November. It's a funny shaped mountain like an upside down pudding bowl so flatter slopes and beginners areas (including children's park) can be found at the top where you should get good snow at altitude. Access via gondola and return down to the bottom by gondola as well. Obviously this is not within walking distance of the apartment though.
It will be cold in December (especially in Scandinavia) so lots of good warm clothes for the little ones - spare gloves !
The website www.kronplatz.com has a decent selection of accommodation including self catering. Or if you email info@sanvigilio.com with details of what you are looking for (number of rooms, dates, etc) they will send you a list of available accommodation - but check location and distance from ski lift on a map before booking. Or there is an accommodation search facility at https://www.sanvigilio.org/en/san-vigilio-marebbe-italy.htm
For Austria search on www.tiscover.com

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

thanks for quick reply everyone. Yeah self catered and hadn't really considered moving around but could be a good option. Yep with young kids i think other activities and all the Christmas stuff will be a big part of it. Havent decided how to get there, we have a campervan but that might be bit of a slog to drive and snow tyres etc.

Thanks for the links, we'll have a look through all the suggestions.

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@noodlehat, I too would also recommend Austria for this trip, a few years ago we spent xmas period in salzburg for a few days then moved on to fugen (zillertal arena). we really loved it, although my kids were older than yours at the time, they had a blast of a time.

I know you say it is a slog to drive to, but seeing as you are going for 4 weeks, you could spread the journey out there and back, and having your own vehicle with you for that duration, would make day trips/shopping so much more accessible. snow tyres would always be a long term investment, for hopefully more family ski trips IMHO!

in the Zillertal arena, you also have the option of public transport to get you around if you choose, as there is the train line that runs along the valley to various resorts and along to innsbruck, or further afield to salzburg.
Also, i would say a good leisure Centre would be a must (fugen has a fantastic pool complex that we even used on xmas day), as this will give other options on days with inclement weather!!!

my girls are mid to late teens now, and are constantly asking to go back to Austria, and hopefully we will soon before they fly the nest.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

@noodlehat, I'd be thinking about one of the villages on the Sella Ronda circuit in the Dolomites, Italy. The snow making infrastructure is now so comprehensive and well managed that you are almost guaranteed good piste conditions over a large area by mid December. If you have any concerns about the quality of artificial snow, my opinion is that in that area it is wonderful to ski on. Add to that amazing scenery, attractive villages, great food, very good lift infrastructure and, in my experience, good service and friendly local people. You have most of the ingredients for success there. The weather can never be certain but there is a higher probability of more sunny days than in the western alps.

Examples of locations that might suit your family could include Colfosco, Corvara, San Cassiano, Canazei. With your young child I'd avoid Arabba and Selva.
Lots of apartment rentals through both large internationals, like booking.com; possibly better through local village tourist offices. I should think the offer of a 4 week rental would be attractive to many owners.

After all it is free

@noodlehat, 4 weeks is a long time to spend up a mountain so strongly recommend you base youself in a valley with plenty of other options if you get snowed in or blown off. If you want some mobility then actually taking your van as a mode of transport will save you money on Hire Cars or Taxi/shuttles etc. Plus you make the road trip fun too. Pick a city on route you've always wanted visit. Plus 1 for Austria/Salzburg by the way. Beautiful at Christmas time. You are of course planning your trip over Christmas and New Year which are two of the most expensive weeks of the season for apartments so bare that in mind. We did a couple of New Years in our Camper with the kids in St Anton when they were about the same age as yours. Now the van might be a little cramped so we stayed here: https://www.europarcsresorts.de/ferienpark/resort-arlberg/mobilplatz. Each "Mobile Place" has a hut next to it (see photos) which has showers, washing facilities and a drying area so the van stays clean and dry. It is a 5 min bus ride up to the St. Anton lifts. Maybe do that for Christmas and New Year period and then move on to an apartment and different area for the other weeks? In Austria I'd suggest the Ski Amade (obviously) or the Zillertal Arena mentioned above. Happy Hunting.

Help!!

4 weeks early ski with young family

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