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Young Family Short Trip Early Jan Where To?

 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Greetings. Looking to do a 3/4 night trip 1st week in Jan, family of 5 , kids aged 8, 7 and 3.
Obvious risks with weather etc but just wondering if there is a stand out choice between Alpe Dhuez, Les Menuires, and La Plagne (if La Plagne which village)? Any advice welcome.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Unhelpfully, I’d say they are all poor options. Longish transfers, weather-exposed roads and resorts, not ideal for early jan/young kids/short trip.

Any of Les contamines, Les Houches, st gervais, Grand Massif, portes du soleil (Les carroz, samoens, morzine), etc would be much better at that time for a group of that nature.
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@snowdave, very helpful thankyou. But would you not risk poor snow cover at some of said resorts at that time? I suppose the very nature of this sport is uncertainty.
Thanks again
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I don't think this would be the best time to go with children that age and this season first week of January will be a peak week I think. Could you go mid March? I would also do a full week if possible then the kids will have time to progress in ski school etc.

I'd agree with Snowdave that there are more suitable resorts. If you stick with January Montgenevre would be a good option as it has plenty of tree lined skiing and is family friendly. Les Carroz or Morillon in the Grand Massif would also be possibles. In the Tarentaise the Peisey Vallandry area of Les Arcs would be a good base. Sainte Foy is very family orientated and has tree lined skiing.
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I'd not point at anything being wrong with the above choices but feel there's better attributes available to fit your precise criteria.

Flaine https://en.terminalneigetotem.com/ couldn't be more convenient if it fits your cost.

Very good snow record and hard to rival location sitting right in (as in walk in and out of the boot room like the amenities are in your garden convenient) which is hugely attractive with small family group. You really don't have to travel anywhere to access anything you'd expect to do. Close to Geneva too if that's your routing, or not bad drive.
It just maximizes all that you'd need for short family trip.
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Thanks Snowymum.
Due to budget and work commitments a short trip in Jan is probably all we can manage. I am well aware the timing and duration isn't ideal but feel it's better than not going and worth a try.
Many, many families holiday for xmas/ newyear so surely weather/conditions will be very comparable?
I will look into your suggestions. I've been chamonix a few times and like it, so Les Houches may be a good option as you have cham on the doorstep if weather stops play.
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@ski3, Thanks. Looks great.
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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!
@Brooky, I’d say (with no empirical evidence to back me up!) that you are running broadly similar (and fairly low) risks of bad weather disrupting travel/skiing at high resorts, as you are poor snow disrupting skiing at lower resorts. If we say that’s a wash, then you’re left with better weather (early jan can be brutally cold at altitude - enough so that getting a 3yr old outside might be impossible), shorter transfers and lower costs as advantages of the lower resorts. For a 3/4 night trip with young kids, that’s a huge advantage.

As @snowymum, says, through choice I’d probably go later with young kids. March and April are great times for them.
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@Brooky, Les Houches may be a good option.

https://www.maison-jaune.com/ personal recommendation and literally on the slopes. Very friendly and knowledgeable about the whole area.
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Andorra
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@snowdave, sounds like a very reasonable, sensible conclusion. I will take note and look into suggestions.
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@Brooky, I agree with others that for a short break you want an easy trip especially with young ones. You don't need a big resort. Assuming you travel via Geneva (good selection of airlines making it easy to book to suit) there are some good specific suggestions above. My experience is that by the beginning of January most places will either have snow, or been able to make their own snow, even on the lower runs you would mainly want to use.
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@Brooky, Since you mention budgetary constraints, there's a big variance in age for free kids ski passes. This often isn't something people take into account when looking at prices- they focus on flight/accommodation when the ski pass could be more than either of those. Italy and Austria seem more generous than France in this respect.
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 You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
@Brooky, The difference between a 4 night stay and a 7 night night stay would be minimal. The travel costs would be the same, if self catering the accommodation and food wouldn't be much more, lift passes get cheaper per day the more days you ski. So budget was I would always be inclined to go a for a week. However, I do note that you say there are work constraints which if insurmountable clearly trump the budgetry aspects.
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@Brooky, when you say "1st week in Jan" in January what dates are you looking at? The way things fall this year with Christmas and NYE things are less regimented than normal. That could potentially work in your favour.

Just an aside, one of the beauties of going Christmas week is there are often (always?) two bank holidays so only 3 days off work.
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 Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
Weather wise I've been to ADH, 3V, Paradiski, Les Contamines, Tignes early season. The worst early season in the last 20-odd years was why we ended up at Tignes. We were going to go to Les Sept Laux (smaller resort) but it didn't open and so we switched to Tignes last minute. But other than that it's been a mixed bag with some years great, some years poor. But with snow cannons and access to anything above 2000m you would be fine - so personally I wouldn't sweat it from that point of view. It is true to say it can be highly beneficial to have access to skiing below the tree line early winter when it can be bleak and poor weather. For that reason I've been to Les Coches more than anywhere else at Christmas. Later season days are longer, stormy days fewer, storms tend to blow over quicker... but it's luck of the draw. And we've got by whatever the circumstances.
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 Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Another less headliner in big name terms, https://en.prazdelys-sommand.com/ very close to Geneva with convenient on the snow accommodation, really relaxed and great cost wise. Good places to eat and significantly lower pass costs for the whole family.

Pra de Lys to stay as preference over Sommand as larger village with more choices for commerce etc, but both ski the same area and lifts so no difference from that perspective. We've, family two children, skied there a few times in formative ski learning years. Great times each visit.
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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?
What level of skiing are you looking for? Do you need ski school/ creche or childcare etc?
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With kids that little you need to think of lessons / childcare options. You are very unlikely to be putting vast numbers of miles under your belt everyday. In Les Carroz, for up to 3 there is - https://www.lescarroz.com/en/day-nursery/ - after that the Club Piou Piou is excellent - https://www.esf-uk.co.uk/ski-school/araches-les-carroz/- Piou-Piou location near the ski school drop off/pick-up for the older ones and where the telecabine is for your daily uplift. Plenty for you to do yourselves before heading back to collect after ski school. An hour from Geneva or 7/8 hrs form Calais and tree lined if weather is poor but plenty of links and options to ski to other resorts - Flaine etc.
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 Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Thanks to all. Some great suggestions and advice.

I am a reasonable intermediate, comfortable on most pisted runs, love exploring an area, but also happy repeating runs if needed to stay close to ski school etc.

The wife is a cautious beginner, but enjoys easy blues and nothing out of her comfort zone. She's not too fussed about skiing but enjoys the whole experience and a family holiday in general.

2 older kids have done a week in Austria late Jan 2020 and both loved it. My daughter progressed out of the nursery area onto blues by end of the week but her younger brother didn't quite progress as far (largely due to missing a couple of days with illness).

I suppose I would expect the 2 older kids in ski school in the morning, whilst I ski alone and my wife explores the village/resort (therfore needs to be a reasonable size with a bit going on) with our 3 year old.
Then perhaps the 3 year old could have the afternoon in a club/childcare whilst the rest of us ski as a family.
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@Brooky, Les Gets
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 Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
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@Brooky, Given the profile of the group I'd go to a smaller ski area rather than ADH, 3V, La Plagne. Someone like Ste Foy maybe.
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