 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello all,
Newbie to the site (and also skiing really).
I am hoping to take my young family away over Xmas/new year 2024/25 and looking for the best family venue.
My kids are decent ability, have done many days (including learning/lessons) on dry ski slopes and have been skiing on slopes only once (couple of days whilst in Lapland - I was apprehensive as to whether they would take to the slopes but they loved it and were very capable on less technical runs).
I am looking for a week away with some nice easy runs and some other good things to do off the slopes for my family of four.
All ideas (reasonably priced) welcome.
Thanks in advance
Nathan
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Bettmeralp, whats cooler than having to take a cable car to get to the resort 
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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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@WallyWaldo, welcome!
Others may disagree with this view, but I think for beginners there is no need to go to a large and expensive resort where you will only do 10% of the runs.
We spent a lot of time when our daughter was learning in Poland, its not great for intermediate to advanced, but for beginners, especially if you're looking more for a winter holiday with a bit of skiing it could be a good option.
That said, its nowhere near as cheap as it once was and the early season weather has been poor the last couple of years.
Crystal has some new destinations this year such as Bosnia, which is much cheaper and I suspect Bulgaria may be a viable option too, however all will probably be at the same risk of a lack of early season snow.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Have a look at Arinsal in Andorra. Small ski area linked to a slightly bigger one (Pal). A good progression for early skiers. Excellent instructors there too.
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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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My two penneth....
https://www.snowbizz.co.uk/
Great for younger kids, we had our first family ski holiday there. Pretty good prices (for France). Puy st Vincent is reasonably small but that means it's easy to find one another if the group has drifted apart. Mostly tree lined runs with one large bowl near the top. Very good for beginners and the ski school is very attentive. Apres clubs for the kids and a couple of bars and restaurants in the apartment block and a heated outdoor pool.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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The problem with going at christmas/New year is its early season, so it's risky with the snow. Plus its also really really busy.
You'll want somewhere that has a decent early season snow record/ is high, but then that's where everyone else is going too!
Depending on how school term times work, see if you can get away pre Christmas, or maybe consider Easter?
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Thank you all for the help. I’ll look into these. May well go the week after New Year if less busy and also Easter is an idea thank you! 
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@WallyWaldo, looking at the calendar, as most places will be Saturday to Saturday holiday changeover days, it'll likely be busy in resorts from 21 Dec - 4 Jan, after which it'll quieten down. Most likely that 28 Dec - 4 Jan will be the busier of those 2 weeks.
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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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@WallyWaldo, what @vjmehra typed, "there is no need to go to a large and expensive resort where you will only do 10% of the runs"
Easter is also typically sunnier and warmer.
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@swskier has it. Christmas/NY skiing always hits the Meatloaf problem, you can have snow, cheap, nice but not three outta three. Easter is nice for temperature but in recent years this can also kill it, too warm. If you can manage a week or two after NY, that would be great.
Definitely also you don’t need to pay for a mega resort lift ticket when you’ll only use 1/5 of it. Save that for the future (trust me you’ll need it!).
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| vjmehra wrote: |
@WallyWaldo, welcome!
Others may disagree with this view, but I think for beginners there is no need to go to a large and expensive resort where you will only do 10% of the runs.
We spent a lot of time when our daughter was learning in Poland, its not great for intermediate to advanced, but for beginners, especially if you're looking more for a winter holiday with a bit of skiing it could be a good option.
That said, its nowhere near as cheap as it once was and the early season weather has been poor the last couple of years.
Crystal has some new destinations this year such as Bosnia, which is much cheaper and I suspect Bulgaria may be a viable option too, however all will probably be at the same risk of a lack of early season snow. |
100% this
Nerys & I went to Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina with Crystal last season (March 2023).
Can't recommend it enough.
https://www.crystalski.co.uk/ski-resorts/bosnia-and-herzegovina-ski-holidays/jahorina/
Big caveat is they still allow smoking in public places both indoors and outdoors. It's not crazy though. Most vaping.
Direct flight from UK
Transfer is under 1 hour
Packages with Crystal are excellent value for money including their 'Buy 1, get 1 Free' lift pass offer
More than enough terrain for your ability level
Modern lifts
80% of the slopes have snow making
12km of the 52km of piste is floodlight for night skiing
Food and drink is excellent and significantly cheaper than the Alps
Opportunity to visit Sarajevo
Here's my report
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=164508
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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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| Hotdogger wrote: |
My two penneth....
https://www.snowbizz.co.uk/
Great for younger kids, we had our first family ski holiday there. Pretty good prices (for France). Puy st Vincent is reasonably small but that means it's easy to find one another if the group has drifted apart. Mostly tree lined runs with one large bowl near the top. Very good for beginners and the ski school is very attentive. Apres clubs for the kids and a couple of bars and restaurants in the apartment block and a heated outdoor pool. |
+1
Puy has a remarkably good snow record. The ski school they use is far better than ESF. So good, we went 11 times with Snowbizz.
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Presumably you'd want to be close to the ski lift with your kids?
I'd suggest Sainte-Foy, but Flaine (or Les Saisies?) would also work well. They're all around 1600m, good value, and even in a bad year will have enough snow for your kids to ski at Xmas.
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You know it makes sense.
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| HilbertSpace wrote: |
Presumably you'd want to be close to the ski lift with your kids?
I'd suggest Sainte-Foy, but Flaine (or Les Saisies?) would also work well. They're all around 1600m, good value, and even in a bad year will have enough snow for your kids to ski at Xmas. |
I feel these are great for family, have taken quite a few to them for ski intro etc and always very good! Convenienceof just walk out onto snow and combinedwith excellent gradientin return to village etc makes then so very easy to gain experienceand avoid complications for marshalling a small family both out and back in each day. The requirements of "other" things to do though would make me head for Les Arc 1800, with many other than pure skiing facilities right in village centre (assuming no travel to elsewhere is wanted? ) high enough for decent bet on snow level, it's a get on with it type village with enough ski and non ski activities to get them engaged. No need for more extensive Paradis pass with early skill level either.
OP hasn't indicated a relative budget aim...low, average or more to help us with targeting destinations.
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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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Lots of good advice above, especially about avoiding Christmas/New Year. My kids (and more recently grandkids) never seemed to feel any need for "other" things to do but what WAS good was having accommodation where there was snow on the ground outside, to chuck at each other and slide on. Most resorts will have an area for safe sledging (as opposed to the many unsafe sledging opportunities kids will find). I wouldn't recommend Les Saisies at Christmas/New Year (very busy) but I can't imagine anything my lot would want to do on a week's ski holiday that isn't available there in places like Les Saisies or Puy St Vincent (which sounds ideal).
I'd recommend signing your kids (and yourself?) into ski school, especially if you can get local recommendations. If you do have to pick a busy time ski schools get lift priority, which is very useful (albeit annoying for everyone else....)
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Poster: A snowHead
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We skied 23-30 December this season. Won't be doing it again - Rammed
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Passo Tonale.
High so almost certainly snow sure (village is @ 1850m) with glacier up to 3000m. Plenty of mellow blue runs including a 4km run down to resort. Reds not so tough either. Very reasonably priced (not hard to find a pizza for a fiver) ski school and equipment hire also pretty cheap.
Christmas week is way less busy than new year and usually much cheaper for the same accomodation.
We have skied PT over Christmas and it was fine. The only really busy day was December 26th.
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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'd echo looking at the week immediately prior to Christmas (in 2024, from 14 - 21 December), which we've done the past three seasons, it is normally the first full week many resorts are open and is gloriously uncrowded. So uncrowded in fact that you can quite safely hold off choosing your resort/booking accomodation & lessons until December to have a gander at conditions, which are always a gamble that early in the season. (But I'd suggest getting flights sorted earlier when they go on sale, which will be soon).
Ste Foy is great (went there on a day trip from Tignes last month), small (only 4 lifts: you can't get lost) but a huge variety of terrain. Wasn't there long enough to judge non-skiing activities though.
Have been to Passo as well. Way cheaper than the French resorts. Not the most picturesque (the connected Ponte-di-Legno is another story and is lovely, but is less beginner-friendly terrain: direct access to Passo though, so you could stay there).
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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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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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| Quote: |
Christmas week is way less busy than new year
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I used to say that, but this year people seemed to start piling in for New Year on the Wednesday after Christmas, and there were similar reports from other resorts. People with long experience of specific resorts saying they'd never known them so busy.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Take a look at Val Cenis which is a family friendly and cost effective resort in The Maurienne Valley within easy reach of Lyon, Grenoble or even Turin airports. Some lovely runs including the long green run, escargot, from the top of the mountain all the way back to the village. Plenty of other activities (such as tobogganing) to keep you busy if you take a day off the slopes. We have a place close by so always spend new years week in the area and very rarely queue for the lifts (2 mins is the longest so far).
https://www.valcenis.com/en/
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@WallyWaldo, welcome to 
https://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?t=164759
If you’re not wedded to France, Austria is fantastic. Welcoming people with customer service in their DNA, most speak good English. Easter holidays are usually better for weather, snow and day length. I had my 5th birthday in Hinterglemm & spent full days in ski school.
If you can get to a snowdome before you go you can at least get used to handling the equipment as well as getting some basic technique.
I hope you have a wonderful trip and your whole family gets hooked. It’s the best holiday bar none!
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The thing is, there are lots of good places to go, but few good places to go at Christmas/New Year. It really is the worst of the holiday periods. Busy, expensive, and often the snow is not great, especially on lower runs which are easy to get to and good for beginners. February half term is rammed and expensive but at least there's a good chance of decent snow.
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| The thing is, there are lots of good places to go, but few good places to go at Christmas/New Year. It really is the worst of the holiday periods. Busy, expensive, and often the snow is not great, especially on lower runs which are easy to get to and good for beginners. February half term is rammed and expensive but at least there's a good chance of decent snow. |
February half term is often rammed and expensive in France , elsewhere it s often less rammed depending on when it falls with respect to other holidays, certainly better than NY from my experience.
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Yes, you're right @T Bar. Italy a much better bet at half term because the Brit influx is so much less.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Regarding the aesthetic qualities of resorts (mentioned because Passo is described as not being very picturesque)
For me, what makes a place atmospheric and..I dunno..kind of the reason we're there, are snow and mountains. Ok, Passo is situated either side of a road and the architecture isn't amazing but when you step out of your hotel, chances are you'll be walking on snow and when you look up you see alps. It's breathtaking, and especially if it's your first ski trip this is what you want, right?
For reference I have been to Alpbach, frequently described as the prettiest village in Austria, chocolate box etc etc. It's nice of course (and and very family friendly) but when we went in February half-term there was no snow at village level and due to the aspect you don't really see that many mountains. Lot's of pretty chalets, but a bit of a damp, melted vibe. Had to take a bus to the lifts as well.
Personally I would go high and prioritize snow over everything.
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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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We've been skiing with 3 kids for 7 years now and I'm an over 40 learner too, husband a decent skier.
Best resort so far for kids and mixed abilities was zell am see. Also les gets is excellent but in general Austria cater well for kids and their ski schools are better than French esf in my view.
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Have a look at Val Thorens! Is brilliant for the kids on and off the slopes.
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You know it makes sense.
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I'd also suggest Flaine. If money is no object have a look at Lech.
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FAQ
