 Poster: A snowHead
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Thinking of taking the 6yr old (skiied 2 weeks so far) and the 3.5yr old (skiied 1 week) for a weeks trip in Early April to get more milage under their belt and some lessons.
Any suggestions what'd be more suitable for them? Are or Tignes? Ideally need wide slopes for them as i know thats what they feel more comfortable. They cope with incline fine. So the Blue v Red distinction on piste maps not helping as can't tell how wide the slopes are...
Any input/advice to help with my decision making much appreciated.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@negativeyardage, when we went to Salen, I was surprised how short standard lessons were with ski school. Don't if that would make a difference to you.
Haven't done Are but Salen the kids stull talk about how magically the whole place felt like.
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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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@negativeyardage, spent so time in Are in Jan. Slopes are generally very wide. Most families with kids seem to end up in the Bjornen area - it's very quiet, very nice pistes and a fun kids run (yes I did it without kids, so what  )
Then the middle bit above Are town again wide pistes but they do get steep. The link over isn't too difficult either way, couple of steeper pitches down to lift bottoms.
Then further over there's another set of drags serving shorter learning runs, a couple of nice reds, and some runs off the top (Hogzon). Most of that wasn't open in Jan as conditions were rubbish but looking at the app pretty much everything is open now including more reds off the top, and a blue track, instead of the steep black. Again, all wide. Even the connecting blue tracks across the resort are really wide.
Then unconnected is Duved with great wide reds, very, very quiet.
Will you have a car? If you're not staying in Are itself, having a car is easier for shopping etc (unless you hotel it) Watching the skiing over the weekend looks like there's been a ton of snow so conditions should be good, certainly better than we had.
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If are you are contemplating Sweden, I would also consider Trysil in Norway which isn't that far away and only a short transfer of 1.5-2hr from Oslo. It is very well set up for kids and the nursery slopes are far beyond the magic carpet plus nursery slope you get in France. Additionally once they graduate there are lots of wide friendly greens and blues. Even the reds as the grades are generally a bit 'soft'.
Both Are and Trysil are run by Skistar who do kids and family skiing very well. It is a much more family friendly feel than you will get anywhere in France. I say that as someone skiing in Les Menuires right now!
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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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Haven't been to Tignes but can vouch for Are as an excellent nursery resort - I went there on my second ski holiday (having vowed never to do it again after my first) and really found my love of skiing there.
I notice pp also mentioned Trysil in Norway - we are going on our first trip there in a couple of weeks' so I can't vouch for it personally but the research I've done would indicate that it's also a nice beginner resort (and also somewhere you might be able to get a bit more skiing done yourselves while the kids are in ski school), so that's also one to consider.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Trysil is a great beginner and improver resort - went there my first week skiing! Particularly loved the mini snow park and ski cross, injected some real fun into lessons.  The runs in the turistcentar area are super wide and mellow.
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| Quote: |
It is a much more family friendly feel than you will get anywhere in France. I say that as someone skiing in Les Menuires right now!
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Ah yes, the Three Valleys - number one resort in France for a cosy, family friendly, feel.
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As someone who has been skiing with the family for 13 years I am never really sure what "family friendly" means.
Anyway that aside, with kids of a young age it generally doesn't make sense to go to a large ski area budget wise unless the parents are going to have the kids looked after all day and use the expanse. That said late season decent altitude does come into play and I don't if Are is budget friendly in any way.
Also worth looking at lift pass deals - different resorts have different age limits for free pass or family group ticket prices.
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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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@Layne, for me aspects that made Salen so famiy friendly were things like the troll run, race sections with timers and the ski through McDonald's the kids were desperate to visit 
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| @Layne, for me aspects that made Salen so famiy friendly were things like the troll run, race sections with timers and the ski through McDonald's the kids were desperate to visit |
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
I am never really sure what "family friendly" means.
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Good point. For me, important things are quiet slopes, everything close together, accommodation (and an excellent cake shop) within easy reach of the ski school meeting place, absence of boy racers of all ages whizzing around too fast and swearing, no drunks, nice gentle toboggan areas.
In practice, on the day, all that ultimately matters is that the kids enjoy their ski lessons and want more. In my experience kids are remarkably tolerant of what adults might consider problems. They love those little crooked tree-root-ridden pathways through the woods and bumpy jumpy bits off the side of the piste. In almost half a century of taking kids skiing I have never heard one complain about narrow pistes! They even put up with weather which has me peering out from a warm café wondering when I have to go and pick them up.
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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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One thing that made certainly bits of Val d"Isere less than child friendly for us was some chair lifts my daughters skis didnt ever touch the snow on exit points.... she had to jump off them. We didn't take her over to Tignes side while in that area.
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@NickyJ, what!? Ski through Maccies?! I'm going to Salen asap.
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You know it makes sense.
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| NickyJ wrote: |
| One thing that made certainly bits of Val d"Isere less than child friendly for us was some chair lifts my daughters skis didnt ever touch the snow on exit points.... she had to jump off them. We didn't take her over to Tignes side while in that area. |
this is not only in Val.
By many skiresort is like this. I ment it with my daughter
However by many (like Warth) the lift personal come and help she, and in others (like Oberjoch) with super 8er chairlift, when i am with my dayghter the bottom under the chairlift get a little bit higher, so she can sit on the chairlift without effort from me. Althouth that is a problem for me (with almost 1.90) because i feel i sit in a tiny chairlift .
But these chairlifts are usually in AUT or GER. In France i dont think there any of them
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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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| turms2 wrote: |
| NickyJ wrote: |
| One thing that made certainly bits of Val d"Isere less than child friendly for us was some chair lifts my daughters skis didnt ever touch the snow on exit points.... she had to jump off them. We didn't take her over to Tignes side while in that area. |
this is not only in Val.
By many skiresort is like this. I ment it with my daughter
However by many (like Warth) the lift personal come and help she, and in others (like Oberjoch) with super 8er chairlift, when i am with my dayghter the bottom under the chairlift get a little bit higher, so she can sit on the chairlift without effort from me. Althouth that is a problem for me (with almost 1.90) because i feel i sit in a tiny chairlift .
But these chairlifts are usually in AUT or GER. In France i dont think there any of them |
So with Salen the vast majority of lifts are drags so no issue with this. No issues with the few chairs that were there with exit for our daughter
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Poster: A snowHead
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Lessons in the Skistar resorts (including Sälen, Åre and Trysil which have all been mentioned on here) are probably 1.5 hours as standard, maybe 2 hours max. It feels s bit short if you're used to 2.5-3 hours in the Alps but seems to work pretty well, especially for younger kids.
I'd say Scandinavian resorts are in general more family friendly than the Alps for a number of reasons. They're generally quieter, so fewer people hooning around out of control. The skiing etiquette is generally better/more relaxed so less lift queue mayhem. The standard of skiing is perhaps a bit higher, since so many Scandis ski from a very young age. There are more "fun" features like the troll runs mentioned above, which kids of all ages love. The possibilities to go off the sides of the pistes into the trees, with very limited risk, are bigger.
Of course there are always exceptions, and also downsides. But for a family with young kids early in their skiing journey, there's a lot to like about the Scandi resorts and way of doing things.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
The standard of skiing is perhaps a bit higher, since so many Scandis ski from a very young age
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I think that's also true of those French resorts which are used mostly by French families, with no British tour operators. In 15 seasons in the Espace Diamant I heard little English (though more in the later years) and saw little or no bad behaviour in lift queues.
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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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The private lessons I've fixed up for 2 grandchildren in France in April are 1.5 hours, which will be quite long enough for them, I'm sure.
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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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| NickyJ wrote: |
| NickyJ wrote: |
| @Layne, for me aspects that made Salen so famiy friendly were things like the troll run, race sections with timers and the ski through McDonald's the kids were desperate to visit |
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Awww, shucks! Booked the wrong resort in Sweden for next weekend!
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