 Poster: A snowHead
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Its time for the first solo ski trip with our 2 year old (parents are lined up later in the season for on location childcare...). So looking for advice from those Snowheads who have taken a 2 year old skiing. Looking for options in mid Jan. Previously for the last ten years we have settled into a self drive, self catering apartment in France. Previously piste KM and vertical was the main parameter. However, our newest party member has somewhat adjusted the priority order. So now I am looking for something with excellent english childcare, very close to accommodation, ski in ski out, seperate bedroom for child, preferably in France (or somewhere that let's me run my summer tyres if its selfdrive- apologies in advance to the winter tyre brigade  ). Any good recommendations on companies or resorts/childcare options? Or even the opposite companies or places to swerve!
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Welcome, and best of luck with this. I can't tell you where to go, but I will mention this: plan on the pup getting sick on day 2 or 3. Hopefully not, but both of ours usually did. Ski area daycare = petri dish. So go hard right from the start, in case it ends early!
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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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Find your childcare first would be my tip.
We ski in Morzine as we have an apartment there with our now 6&2yr olds.
We hire a nanny to come to the apartment. They are incredible and do so much fun stuff with them- the kids are always sad to see them go!
Now the older one goes to ski school she also does the late morning pick up.
Its not cheap but a lot cheaper than hotel/ chalet companies with childcare.
Nannies we have used: Morzine Childcare, A Range Nannies, Cheeky Monkeys, Alpine Resort Nannies.
Also LOTS of good dine in options with out cooking. Take aways, meal kits and drop off dinners ready to pop in the oven means no self catering hassle if you dont want it and having a car means stocking up at the huge supermarket on the way in to town is easy enough. Or click and collect to save even more time.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Esprit ski look for their BAT weeks. maybe all booked up now though
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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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@Skiyeah, are you still looking for an apartment with separate independent childcare, eg French managed? Or a company that specialises in childcare for the UK market, which may mean a hotel room instead?
Personally, with a 2 year old I'd go for the latter, but both are available.
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We used https://www.skifamille.co.uk/ a couple of times in Reberty (just down from Val Thorens). The childcare was very good, and the chalets were ok if a bit basic.
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Can I also recommend Family Friendly Skiing in La Tania (https://www.familyfriendlyskiing.com/) we used them a couple of times and were very good. Enjoy it while you can the "cheap" in term-time rates.
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@Skiyeah, For ease, I’d recommend Esprit, child care on site, you have breakfast together, drop kids off, you go ski all day, pick up kids, play til dinner, they have theirs early, put the kids to bed, you have your dinner and relax, while the Esprit staff have someone on each floor listening for any kids crying etc. Esprit will take the kids out in good weather for play and if they are able a bit of pre ski type play on skis etc to get them used to it.
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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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@Richard_Sideways,
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Can I also recommend Family Friendly Skiing in La Tania
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+1, they are good. Unfortunately for the OP, so good that they're virtually sold out for the coming season. A few whole chalet bookings for late March onwards. Or a very expensive one left for Feb half term.
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@geoffknight, +1 for Esprit, if the OP is looking for a travel/accomm/food/childcare package.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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@Skiyeah, don't get hung up on "English childcare" my grandson went into French Creche at 2 and had a great time, he was well looked after and had nearly as many French phrases as English at the end of the week. Kids will just play with kids. Most resort ski schools will offer or recommend a creche, getting families hooked on your resort 'cos your kids are happy campers is a great marketing tool!
If you're driving we've used Sunweb and Snowtrex as they feature smaller resorts (so its nice and easy to head back to pick up the rugrats) always include lift pass in their prices as well so good value.
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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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+1 for Esprit
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Esprit was on the list of places we are looking, just bit of a shock price wise finding options, especially having been an avid bargain chaser of Sunweb for a number of years. I think convincing the other half to go with none English nursary is a bridge too far this time (despite my argument that it never did me any harm). Other one I have found and apparently used when I was 2 is snowbizz in PSV which looks like a great set up but not the biggest ski area. However that might have to be the compromise.
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You know it makes sense.
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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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Esprit worked well when our daughter was that sort of age (and in fact until she was about 10). It was never cheap though - childcare isn't anywhere if it's any good - and Brexit has probably made it more expensive to operate with British staff. At least you can choose a time of year when prices aren't further increased by school holidays. You just have to think of it as investment in the future, our daughter gained social skills far beyond her parents from navigating holiday clubs from a young age, and gained both enthusiasm and expertise as a skier.
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Poster: A snowHead
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preferably in France (or somewhere that let's me run my summer tyres if its selfdrive- apologies in advance to the winter tyre brigade
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There is no requirement to have winter tyres in France, provided you have chains in the boot.
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Other one I have found and apparently used when I was 2 is snowbizz in PSV which looks like a great set up but not the biggest ski area. However that might have to be the compromise.
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A big ski area will be absolutely no use to you if you will be doing your share of looking after the 2 year old. 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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I think the heading is wrong - I think the two year old has the parents in tow 
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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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+1 for both Chilly Powder and Esprit - have used both several time and both of our kids felt well looked after with them.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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+2 for https://www.familyfriendlyskiing.com/
I'd also reconsider mid Jan for a 2 year old, dark early and potentially cold/windy although you could luck out, we always took our kids nearer the end of the season, much warmer for sledging and mucking around outside/up the gondola after skiing.
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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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I'd also reconsider mid Jan for a 2 year old
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six of one, half a dozen of the other - IME it actually worked better earlier and colder than later and warmer, our boys would always wrap up warm in colder trips and still play happily, while later in the season they'd want to take winter gear off then get very cold and wet in the snow melt.
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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 always took our kids nearer the end of the season,
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The 2023 ski plan includes a trip with the grandparents in March. Agree it is a better time for non skiers and kids
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I think the heading is wrong - I think the two year old has the parents in tow
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You are not wrong!
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Quote:
preferably in France (or somewhere that let's me run my summer tyres if its selfdrive- apologies in advance to the winter tyre brigade
There is no requirement to have winter tyres in France
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Hence the reference in the question.
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A big ski area will be absolutely no use to you if you will be doing your share of looking after the 2 year old.
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Depends how successful we are in the childcare outsourcing. Last year we went to 3 valleys and we skied all corners of the area (but that was leaving child with grandparents so need to return quickly was not too much of a worry)
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It was never cheap though - childcare isn't anywhere if it's any good
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I think this is the new reality, and only gets worse when tied to school holidays!
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I'd prioritise getting childcare sorted and compromise on everything else. You either go somewhere with a child care on-sight (apartment with a nanny), Mark Warner type chalet hotel with a creche or a place with a creche VERY NEAR BY. Reason I say that is that you are going to be squeezing in 2 or 3 hours here and there and you don't it to be very easy to rendezvous.
Not sure all of these options still exist but we had success with
a Mark Warner hotels in Courchevel, Tignes
b catered apartment with a nanny in La Plagne (was ski VIP)
c Hotel (Fleche d'Or) on the piste at Bettex (St Gervais) with a 5 min walk across piste to creche
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We have been when our child was 2. We went in January, my favourite time of year to ski. We like Les Gets for family friendly and lots of little things for children to do. We didn't use childcare and just took him with us. Hired a toboggan and towed him about the village and up the bubbles to the toboggan areas, did the playgrounds and the little train.
We started him skiing that year with us on the magic carpet runs (no lift pass needed for those but it is free for under 5s anyway if you want to get them a pass, ours loved going to the gate and making it open with a tune to get on the bubbles). We took it in turns to ski, which I agree isn't very social. We were there with some others too, so we did squeeze a couple of runs in together while we left him at a restaurant having a sleep in his toboggan with others while they had food or a hot chocolate break.
We had been taking him with us since he was a few months old, so it was great to get him on skis and actually ski with him that year for the first time. It is a very different type of holiday if you are used to skiing from first to last lift though I agree but for us it is great to get some family time together. We also try to go for 11 (ish) days each time, that way we can get a decent amount of skiing in while still spending plenty of time doing fun activities together.
We flew that year but have driven with him too, we favour overnight for that while he is sleeping and are doing it again this year (he is 5 now, our school allow 10 days holiday, which is fabulous as we can continue going in Jan so you may want to check this out when choosing a school in the future!).
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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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@Skiyeah, You sound like us when ours were little! If it is all about the skiing for you and Mrs Skiyeah (as it was for us), then suck up the cost and do Ski Esprit. We did 8 years on the bounce until our youngest (of 3) was able to ski all day with M&D. Child care/snow club is great and they do lunch and supervised kids dinner. Equally important is that you'll be sharing the pain with likeminded parents. Far better than being the only couple fighting the witching hour!
Our typical day was drop off at snow club around 8.15. Ski like demons to be as far away as possible for a late lunch and then have a more leisurely ski back for Afternoon Tea. Supervised supper was 6pm and then it's little ones to bed before aperitivo and dinner. They also provide child care for your night out.
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| Nadenoodlee wrote: |
Find your childcare first would be my tip.
We ski in Morzine as we have an apartment there with our now 6&2yr olds.
We hire a nanny to come to the apartment. They are incredible and do so much fun stuff with them- the kids are always sad to see them go!
Now the older one goes to ski school she also does the late morning pick up.
Its not cheap but a lot cheaper than hotel/ chalet companies with childcare.
Nannies we have used: Morzine Childcare, A Range Nannies, Cheeky Monkeys, Alpine Resort Nannies.
Also LOTS of good dine in options with out cooking. Take aways, meal kits and drop off dinners ready to pop in the oven means no self catering hassle if you dont want it and having a car means stocking up at the huge supermarket on the way in to town is easy enough. Or click and collect to save even more time. |
I second Morzine. Caught the 10pm Train at Folkstone and drove through the night (kids slept). Was in resort 8.30am before the rush hour(s) traffic.
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