 Poster: A snowHead
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Having just returned from our first ski holiday as a family, I'm trying to narrow down my choices for next year. Budget is a big concern, as is ski school quality and travel time versus costs. Thinking of driving, most likely first week of April, but possibly February half term.
Which resorts in France or Austria would be quiet, budget friendly, convenient layout for tag team childcare and easy to reach?
Budget of £1 - 1.5k for SC apartment, close to slopes/lift/ski school. Pool would be a bonus.
Best resorts for beginner kids and high quality ski school?
Kids will be just turned 3 and 5yo. 5yo has skied one week and progressed well. Younger child will only need an hour or two of snow play with a dabble at skiing. I want ski school to be fun and low pressure, small group sizes.
In an ideal world, resort should give a good mix of easy progression runs for 5yo but also good on piste challenges for us. I'd prefer a mix of open and wooded slopes, for bad weather days.
I'm mostly thinking northern French Alps or Western Austria, as easier to drive to. Currently looking at See/Kappl, Serfaus, La Rosiere.
Basically, suggest me some resorts that might fit the bill! Likely driving down, probably first week of April with good ski instruction, quiet pistes, and convenient access to slopes but not too expensive.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 9-04-22 15:23; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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For half term Samoens is a good budget option, but you've got to bus/drive to the gondala each morning. Can recommend ZigZag ski school.
Easter is much cheaper and less crowded, wherever you go. We're just on our way back from Flaine, which probably ticks most of your boxes. Flaine has a difficult access road so best to have winter tyres for the drive up/down though if the weather anything like this year!
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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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I would go for Easter - much less crowded, warmer, long days, unlikely to hit major traffic or snow complications if driving. But that means being careful about altitude and aspect of slopes. there have been a lot of relevant recent threads.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks both. I think Easter is the better choice. I've been to Les Carroz in April but not looked at Samoens. Will add that to the list.
I've looked at other threads but they mostly suggest the very high altitude resorts, which will be busier and more expensive. I'd prefer a lower budget option. Went to Les Saisies this year and really liked it. Although lower runs were shut, there was plenty of varied skiing. Only faff was the hike to ski school with my eldest, who wasn't able to ski down to the ski meeting point until the end of the week.
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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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Went to Les Saisies this year and really liked it.
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I'll be in LS with family the first week of Easter 2023. It's not the ideal resort, but the family won't go anywhere else - the kids remember so many holidays and are totally dedicated to the "Chocolatine" with all its delicious cakes and chocolates.
Having said that, however, I don't think you'll find other resorts crowded at Easter - for the French, the season is really over.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Driving is probably best option for Saisies. Only alternative is expensive private transfer. Though if you are near uplift a car is not a lot of help in-resort.
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@carettam, I like La Rosiere but would take Ste Foy every time for your criteria, and very specifically for the "tag team" element of parenting, plus pool etc. Look at apartments Etoile d Cimes to sample it. The village has everything you need to help a young family just enjoy the week.
Cost wise, easy journey, plus the tag element, also consider Val Cenis Llansvillard as great for families. Large public pool though rather than in apartment building. Really good range of slope choice too.
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With young children driving is probably much easier than flying. No trying to keep them occupied in the inevitable queues for checkin, security boarding etc., no carting tones of luggage for them and you through airports, no hassle arranging transfers. With driving just put every thing in the car (remember the children) and set off. Keep swapping drivers until you get to the resort. If your children are like my son they'll just sleep all the way.
We are in Les Arcs at the moment. The drive our friends house in Ashford took just over 12 hours door to door. I expect to get back to Birmingham in about 15 hours. So faster than your flight.
Cost wise if you are driving it makes only a small amount of difference if you go half term or Easter. The tunnel may be a bit more, accommodation a couple hundred euros more, but fuel, food, tolls, lift pass, ski hire and probably lessons will be the same. It's the crowds that make the difference. The last week in Les Arcs has been very quiet and I expect even the Easter holidays coming up will be quiet. This year I don't think the school holidays start until after Easter, but the French don't, as a rule, go skiing much in April anyway.
For me given a choice between the half term and Easter I'd take Easter every time, especially if you can get away on Good Friday, or even join the convoys heading south overnight on Maundy Thursday.
Where to go: for me it would be the high purpose built French resorts; an apartment in the Tarrentaise, book it for 2 weeks and come and go midweek, for example leave Easter Sunday or even the bank holiday itself. Since there is a lot of vacant accommodation in April I suspect the Immobiliers will happily agree to a 10 day booking or so, after all a 3 day booking is better than none at all.
Sorry I cannot offer any advice on ski schools our sone was happy enougth in ESF group lessons.
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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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book it for 2 weeks and come and go midweek
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this is a good idea if you can manage it - doesn't fit in with ski school timetables though.
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No one is going to be surprised when I ask you whether you've considered Switzerland? Perhaps a satellite resort? For example, our apartment would be CHF 1450 a holiday week (£1,200) - 68m² two bedrooms, underground parking, heating included and unlimited hot water, balcony views, <10m walk from main village lift. 50Kms locally connected to 200kms of Verbier. Village at 1500m with local summit 2200m and Verbier's 3300m. Not pushing our place specifically, but just giving you an idea that CH may not be any more expensive than a premier French domaine. 8½ hours drive time from Calais. In my experience, I've found that the ESS Swiss ski school instruction is generally better than French ESF.
As mentioned, most immobiliers will have owners on their books who may be happy to take a discounted 2-week booking: you just have to ask - most wesbsite booking systems won't reflect this as an option.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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Try Puy St Vincent 1600…not sure what drive would be. Fantastic for children that age. Just returned from end of March/early April trip. Could not recommend higher for
Children. We went with Snowbizz but lots of people there independently and directly hiring apartments.
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| pam w wrote: |
| Driving is probably best option for Saisies. Only alternative is expensive private transfer. Though if you are near uplift a car is not a lot of help in-resort. |
just to point out freezing rain and snow on the road to les Saisies this morning. I'm not sure even people with winter tires were able to get up but maybe someone who has been driving today can confirm - I decided not to go out based on the conditions.
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You know it makes sense.
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The apartment mentioned by @Pejoli, is not 1.7 km from the ski school.
The skischool meeting point is less than 800 from the Roc Belle Face.
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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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Yes pam w we loved the chocolatine in Les Saisies. I was very impressed by the area overall, and so quiet on piste. We saw more walkers than skiers.
davidof The drive out of Les Saisies was interesting. Saw several motorists having trouble with the conditions.
Thanks ski3. I had vaguely thought about Val Cenis. Just looked at Ste Foy and it looks ideal. Great for tag team childcare but interesting skiing for the grown ups to. This goes to the top of my shortlist!
johnE I'd half looked at Les Arcs, but seems a waste to go to such an extensive area when we'll be tied to ski school pick up for the kids and tag teaming childcare. Will be better for us once both kids can go into several hours of ski school each day.
laforet I'd not like at CH resorts, assuming they're not very budget friendly. We want minimal/no waking with small kids with all the ski kit. That was the one negative from this years holiday. A 5 minute walk as an adult took 15 minutes for my 4yo. Ski bus didn't really help much either. So looking for cheap resort with accommodation very close to lifts and ski school.
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Poster: A snowHead
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ust to point out freezing rain and snow on the road to les Saisies this morning. I'm not sure even people with winter tires were able to get up
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You just never know when chains will be needed.....  Not everybody can just choose not to go, if they have a plane to catch.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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With small kids, accommodation within easy reach of the ski school meeting place is a key, top priority, holiday requirement. Much more important than so much else. Apart from getting them there to start the lessons, being able to easily get back to relax and feed them cheaply saves energy and cash. I was often able to transport kids back and forth into lessons in Saisies by car - but you need a spare adult for that. One time, taking two small girls back to the apartment, I just couldn't get the car, with its four good winter tyres, up to the apartment. I'd jettisoned my box with chains and other emergency equipment that morning, to fit a whole family and all their gear into the car. So I had to abandon it, next to a couple of French guys trying to dig their car out, walk two tired little girls up the road, in a blizzard, leave them with a hot choc, watching the TV and under strict instruction not to do anything daft, then go back down, carrying the chains and a shovel, and get it back up into the garage. Praying that the kids, who were really too young to be left without an adult, had done nothing daft that I'd have to explain in court. I was exhausted - and cursed myself for having not just shoved the chains under the drivers seat.
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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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Playing snowballs to keep them going
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Grandparents can be useful on a ski holiday - gives parents more ski time.
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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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@carettam, we have stayed in Ste. Foy twice and everything is really convenient. We used the MMV Etoile des Cimes which is very close to the ski school meeting places. Our grand daughters, who were just 5 and 7 at the time, were dropped off at ski school by one or both of their parents and we generally picked them up at lunch time and took them up the mountain to meet up for lunch. It would have been very easy though to whizz back to the apartment to feed them there. They used ESF the first time and no complaints about that but they were booked with SnoCool in December 2021 when we were all going again— but they didn’t make it due to getting Covid at the wrong time. We rattled about in the rather large apartment. There is the usual parking underneath, just squeezed with our roof box, swimming pool, and a small supermarket, ski hire etc.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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we generally picked them up at lunch time and took them up the mountain to meet up for lunch.
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those useful grandparents again! We took my Mum on our first family ski holiday, self-catering in Austria. She helped look after the 4 year old, and cooked lunch for us all (we were all in ski school). I cooked supper. She used to love walking along to a café where she could have coffee and a cake and watch the little ones on the beginner's drag lift. She loved reading, so entertaining herself was no problem. She had a lovely time and her presence really added to our enjoyment of the holiday too.
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pam w Unfortunately grandparents are not an option for us. We usually go with another family, so we have adult company and ski buddies.
pamski That accommodation looks great. We stayed with MMV this year and found them to be good. Good to hear that ski schools, including ESF, are good. I'm leaning towards evo2 as I like the sound of their set up for 3 year olds.
This is why I love snowheads. Ste Foy looks perfect for us at this stage of family skiing.
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If you're on a budget (who isn't?), I think you need to be looking at the overall cost of accommodation AND lift passes, rather than setting a budget for accom and then potentially paying full whack for a lift pass.
Have a look on Sunweb where the cost of both combined will be significantly cheaper than if booked separately.
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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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i dont know you budget, but take a look at Serfaus Fiss Ladis...Avoid Ladis and search somethin at Fiss or Serfaus
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FAQ
