 Poster: A snowHead
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Looking at Chamonix area for Feb HT with the kiddos (4 and 6 years old)
Was thinking of staying at Le Tour to be close to the nursery slopes. Does anyone know if any of the ski schools do kids group lessons meeting at Le tour or do we need to head up to Argentiere for meeting point?
We will have a car but I am presuming parking will be horrific at HT?
Also, am I missing something, the accomodation seems remarkably good value around Chamonix valley at HT?
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Where are you seeing the good value accommodation - TO, airbnb, agency?
Critical thing with kids of that and especially at HT when it's busy is to be staying somewhere close to the ski school meeting place.
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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 skied Chamonix before kids came along and found it very disjointed and hard work to move around, lugging everything. Never been on my list to do with the kids as I prefer to keep skiing easy and simple with the least amount of whinging. But others may have tips to keep life easy!
Is it because you really want to go there, or because of the good value accommodation - and what do you consider good value (if people can get an idea of price then you will get more advice!).
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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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| jmsgld wrote: |
Looking at Chamonix area for Feb HT with the kiddos (4 and 6 years old)
Was thinking of staying at Le Tour to be close to the nursery slopes. Does anyone know if any of the ski schools do kids group lessons meeting at Le tour or do we need to head up to Argentiere for meeting point?
We will have a car but I am presuming parking will be horrific at HT?
Also, am I missing something, the accomodation seems remarkably good value around Chamonix valley at HT? |
We’ve skied half term in chamonix for about 20yrs - since before our kids were born. They learned to ski at le tour and Argentiere. It’s, in some ways, a surprisingly good place for them to learn. However, it’s not a particularly popular family resort so is less expensive at HT than many other places.
Yes there are ESF lessons based out of le tour. The le tour and Argentiere ESF are one and the same, but there are specific lessons held at le tour. It has the best nursery slopes in the valley, with the added advantage that you only need to buy a “la vormaine” ski pass which is much cheaper.
Parking will be bad, but that shouldn’t matter to you, because you’re going against the flow if you use the busses. As long as you arrive in the afternoon/evening you’ll get a spot to leave your car for the duration. The challenge is parking at le tour or Argentiere between about 9.15am and 2pm, or in chamonix itself at almost any time. From le tour there are direct buses to Argentiere and Cham centre.
I would check where the accommodation is in le tour - some of it may really be Monroc, in which case you’ll need to drive or bus the last km up to le tour. There’s not much accommodation actually in le tour itself near the lift.
If you can face the extra expense and he has availability, I’d massively recommend paying for private lessons with Nico at https://mountainschoolchamonix.com/. He is exceptional, particularly with kids.
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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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@jmsgld, what @snowdave, said. Also, Evasion2 operate out of Le Tour/Vormaine as well and they've been pretty good when we've sent folks their way.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks for the replies, very helpful.
Have booked a little place 4 min walk from the ESF meeting point in Le Tour.
Accom criteria were <£3k 3 bed self catering for a week in HT with an easy commute of ski school ie <5 min walk or easy parking closer... Wasn't looking for skiing for me as I haven't skied properly for a long time and lost all my avalanche gear in a house move a few years back, but definitely ground work for a few years time!
We went down the private lesson route last year, but after the 1st day realised that a 3 year old and 5 year old are at completely different levels from the off and so ended up with an instructor each from day 2 which was a little too extravagent for my liking. I went all the way through ESF as a kid and think it gives a really solid technique basis to build on later, plus they get to mess around with other kids of differing language etc...
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You’ll have a great time. I’ve never understood why people think kids carrying gear to the lifts or catching a bus is a big deal.
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| Quote: |
lost all my avalanche gear in a house move
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@jmsgld, I presume it wasn't switched on?
PS you do know there's nothing near you in terms of bars/restaurants/shops?
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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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Trying to be anywhere on time with young kids can be a nightmare, keeping it as simple / short as possible is just a good idea generally.
Yes, aware there is just a single restaurant in le tour, suits us fine as we tend to eat out for lunch and then have dinner at home as the kids are in bed by 8. Presumably there is somewhere for fresh bread in the mornings, can pick up the rest down the hill.
Wasn't my house move, hadn't realised I had left a load of stuff at my dad's house, only realised when I was browsing facebook marketplace and a couple of pairs of my old skis came up for sale... He gave me everything he had left but was cagey when I described the avalanche gear, suspect it actually sold, and probably for peanuts...
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| Quote: |
He gave me everything he had left but was cagey when I described the avalanche gear, suspect it actually sold, and probably for peanuts...
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Well I do have sympathy with parents whose kids treat their houses as dumping grounds for all the old stuff, tired teddies, Scalextric sets and the like which they can't be bothered to look after themselves, but flogging the stuff without warning is a bit much. 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| jmsgld wrote: |
We went down the private lesson route last year, but after the 1st day realised that a 3 year old and 5 year old are at completely different levels from the off and so ended up with an instructor each from day 2 which was a little too extravagent for my liking. I went all the way through ESF as a kid and think it gives a really solid technique basis to build on later, plus they get to mess around with other kids of differing language etc... |
I think group lessons for young kids are a great idea. The only comment I would make is that ESF group lessons at half term can have very large groups indeed. Personally I might investigate ski.schools with smaller class sizes.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
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He gave me everything he had left but was cagey when I described the avalanche gear, suspect it actually sold, and probably for peanuts...
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Well I do have sympathy with parents whose kids treat their houses as dumping grounds for all the old stuff, tired teddies, Scalextric sets and the like which they can't be bothered to look after themselves, but flogging the stuff without warning is a bit much. |
It was the guy that my dad sold his house to that was selling it, my dad didn't even know it was there!
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Well, it sounds as though you and your Dad were equally switched off. He left a pile of stuff, including several pairs of skis, in his house when he sold it and you weren't aware the place was being sold.
Is your partner a good organiser?
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You know it makes sense.
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| T Bar wrote: |
| jmsgld wrote: |
We went down the private lesson route last year, but after the 1st day realised that a 3 year old and 5 year old are at completely different levels from the off and so ended up with an instructor each from day 2 which was a little too extravagent for my liking. I went all the way through ESF as a kid and think it gives a really solid technique basis to build on later, plus they get to mess around with other kids of differing language etc... |
I think group lessons for young kids are a great idea. The only comment I would make is that ESF group lessons at half term can have very large groups indeed. Personally I might investigate ski.schools with smaller class sizes. |
Yes, I have heard reports of huge groups with ESF, I think they list their maximum as 12 kids per instructor vs 8 for Evolution 2 ski, but I don't think evolution have a meeting point in le tour?
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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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| pam w wrote: |
Well, it sounds as though you and your Dad were equally switched off. He left a pile of stuff, including several pairs of skis, in his house when he sold it and you weren't aware the place was being sold.
Is your partner a good organiser? |
Yes and yes!
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Poster: A snowHead
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| sbooker wrote: |
| You’ll have a great time. I’ve never understood why people think kids carrying gear to the lifts or catching a bus is a big deal. |
+1
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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@jmsgld, At least historically, Evo 2 kids lessons meet at the old panda club in Argentiere. They sometimes then bus them up to Le Tour for lessons, which means a 3hr lesson is about 60-90mins of actual skiing. For an absolute beginner <6yr old, Evo2 has its own small slope, but as soon as they graduate beyond that, Argentiere isn't ideal.
ESF can end up with big groups, and at half term for younger kids I wouldn't be surprised if it was 12 in the group. Afternoon lessons are typically less busy.
One options is to mix and match a 3 full or 5 half days, and 2-3 private lessons each. ESF Argentiere private lessons are, IME, relatively cheap vs elsewhere in France, at E65/hr.
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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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| jmsgld wrote: |
Yes, I have heard reports of huge groups with ESF, I think they list their maximum as 12 kids per instructor vs 8 for Evolution 2 ski, but I don't think evolution have a meeting point in le tour? |
My c. 8yo self did a week in a 2* class of 30+ in PSV, admittedly with three instructors, but all that meant was that the instructors took it in turns leading while two hung out together at the back, leaving us to snake down one behind the other, not really knowing what was going on or what we were meant to be doing. 'Instruction' was limited to being told what to do at the start of an exercise & assessed at various points (which weren't always clear to us) on whether we did it. No one spoke a word of English.
We'd gone with Snowbizz (I think it was the only package trip we ever did while I was a child), so I have no idea why we kids were all in ESF classes rather than the small-group English-speaking lessons provided by the TO.
That's just one experience from more than 30 years ago, so I make no claim that it's representative of how things were then, less still of how things are now. But it's also one on which I've heard enough variations over the years to be sure that it wasn't a complete outlier.
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