 Poster: A snowHead
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Hello
My husband and I love the mountains we are both snowboarders and have visited the alps many times over the years. We also love walking and have done some beautiful walks in Italy and France, I might be mad but we now have a 4-month-old, and we are considering booking a late March trip... we are looking for:
-Ski area (can be very small) but with very close lifts to accommodation (we are hoping to get a few runs in each)
-Drivable - we like to hire a car so we can get about and find some good walks or nice villages/towns to visit.
Any suggestions would be great. Thank you 
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Yes … Vercorin.
2.5 hours from Geneva
Very quiet
Use Swiss resorts hotel next to lift or air bnb
Lovely walks
Sion 25 mins down in valley
Martigny great to visit 40 mins
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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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Excellent suggestion from @valais2, and I second it! It's a lovely small resort with some surprisingly good slopes. Sion is a nice town with some good walks too. Lots of other interesting places to visit within an hour's drive. Also has the advantage of not being touristy.
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Vogel in Slovenia could be a good option with lovely walking (particularly around lakes Bohinj and/or Bled).
You can park for free right by the bottom lift.
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
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| Ray Zorro wrote: |
Vogel in Slovenia could be a good option with lovely walking (particularly around lakes Bohinj and/or Bled).
You can park for free right by the bottom lift. |
Vogel would be lovely - we were there in the summer and enjoyed going up the ski lifts and trying to work out where all the various runs would go. No accommodation close to the slopes though - it would be a short drive to the lift from any hotel.
I quite fancy a winter trip to the area, skiing a different resort each day.
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Ah that’s where Vercorin scores. The SwissResort hotel has nice small apartments at very reasonable cost - great for families with a baby - the lift is literally a 30 seconds walk from the hotel, the skiing is great, and the key mountain restaurant is child friendly and easily accessible from the hotel - 10 min ride up and then straight into the restaurant. Even in a stonking storm you can go from the hotel to the top mountain restaurant without being in the open at all, bar the 20 metre walk from the door of the hotel to the bottom station. This makes ‘baby care co-ordination’ dead easy. It meant we could swap duties and still do significant laps, day after day, with ease. The pisteurs helped with the baby seat into the gondola, Grom1 slept for hours being rocked in the restaurant and seemed to grow rapidly, then easy back to the apartment for lively fun.
Cheap parking.
We had two small ones and really appreciated the layout of Vercorin and, at the time, Aminona in Crans Montana - the latter was messed up however when the Aminona base lift was demolished.
Like Zikomo, we know the Valais resorts like the back of our hand and our recommendation of Vercorin is based on 25 years of experience; it’s not just a casual thought.
Oh…and you can walk down the road to the East and in the circular meadow there see the tamest herd of chamois in the Alps - it’s a real fixture and VERY surprising…there they are every morning - 20-30 wild chamois chomping away with no care in the world
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| WoottonBecs wrote: |
| ... No accommodation close to the slopes though - it would be a short drive to the lift from any hotel... |
I agree, and I know that was a criteria for the OP, but we stayed in a B and B in the woods, just 3 mins drive (10-15 min walk) from the parking area. There were lots of similar places in that area, so I thought they could make it work.
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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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@Ray Zorro, sounds lovely…
What’s the flight time compared with Geneva - I remember with a new born and a two year old the flight time anywhere was a big deal….
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That sounds lovely! I might look into it myself! We stayed in the main settlement on the edge of the lake and walked to the lift along the lake shore, so we didn't see anywhere off the main road, apart from the campsite (which I wouldn't have fancied in the winter!)
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| valais2 wrote: |
@Ray Zorro, sounds lovely…
What’s the flight time compared with Geneva - I remember with a new born and a two year old the flight time anywhere was a big deal…. |
Flights to Ljubliana aren't that long. And the drive from the airport (which is some way north of Ljubliana itself) is pretty short, and very easy indeed. Easier than any ski transfer I've ever done.
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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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@valais2, would Vercorin work for small children who are learning? We liked Graechen but after ski school magic carpet zone there arent a lot of easy blues to transition on to
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Am I missing something here?....are you talking about :
1) Taking the 4-months old in some sort of backpack whilst you are snowboarding?
2) Do you mean you and your husband board separately whilst one of you looks after the baby?
3) A place that has child-minding facilities where you can then go off snowboarding together?
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You know it makes sense.
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Quite obviously 2 if you have had children 
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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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Years ago when we first went with our young daughter (not as young as yours but needed looking after) we went with Esprit, not knowing that we had booked childcare /nannies as part of our holiday. we thought we would be skiing individually for an hour or 2 on our own. We were delighted to find out about he childcare.
Esprit are nearly no more, but there are others that have qualified nannies. We ski’d for years as a family with them after that, even when we didn’t need childcare for our daughter
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Poster: A snowHead
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Same as @sev112 - we used Esprit for a good few years, Jnr1 had his first birthday at a Esprit hotel in Courchevel, and Jnr2 would have been about 7 or 8m when he first went. Sadly this is Esprits last year operating, but others like Ski Famillie do the same kind of service and start as young as 4m.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Glosterwolf wrote: |
| Quite obviously 2 if you have had children |
Far from clear.
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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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Yeah looks like the joke is on me, some people do put babies in child care apparently, sorry.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I've seen young children many times in backpack-type carriers and it makes me wince. You might be the best skier/boarder the world has ever seen but there will also be an idiot who will come from nowhere and wipe you out.
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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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Blimey and there I was thinking it was unlikely for parents to leave a 4 month old, clearly the safer option in some circumstances 
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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I have a 9 month grandson, we don't want him too near the mountains just yet for fear he'll start an avalanche! 
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@Nadenoodlee, …it’s not huge but it has great circuits for young beginners.
1 a simple area served by carpet
2 a great beginners’ area going to a slow drag - safe, wide with different gradients
3 a blue extension
4 a really great long blue - 4km - down through trees to the mid station, gondola back up
5 an exciting 4X and easy snow park for beginners at the top
6 some big jumps which can be as small or big as you want them to be halfway down the long blue
So…not bad
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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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@Glosterwolf,
Good story….our Grom1 was 6 months. She went inside a huge puffer jacket, on gondolas up to the restaurant, bouncy chair too, was looked after by partner while I did laps, then I looked after her while she did laps.
Restaurant was warm, stimulating, and a good place for a long sleep for her, then the excitement of the ride down.
Worked brilliantly.
Same with Grom2 who was two years’ behind, but we also had a manic 2.5 year old Grom1 to deal with….
Terrible story…told to me by a guide and I assume is not ‘urban myth’….20 years ago when child carriers had just come in….local skier took their under-1 in a backpack skiing. The backpack constricted circulation to the legs. They contracted hypothermia. The skier simply thought the child was asleep. The child did not recover.
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Tue 5-03-24 19:53; edited 1 time in total
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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It's a good area for beginners in my view. Particularly the ability to progress to a long and fun blue slope. To be honest we still visit Vercorin quite often it is always a great family day out. There is a chilled vibe and kids are always treated very kindly, so especially if we have less experienced families with us it's a great option.
Plus you will gain the cred points from skiing somewhere noone back in blighty has ever heard of!
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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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Maybe Saint Foy?
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| HilbertSpace wrote: |
| Maybe Saint Foy? |
Also a good shout I would say. Only ever been there for off-piste but it looked ideal for families.
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You know it makes sense.
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Les Deux Alpes? Took my kids here when they were little and stayed in the Neilson Hotel Aalborg based directly on the poma lift served nursery slopes at the base . . . the ski lockers and rental was in the basement which made kiddie logistics a doddle; they also had nannies to alleviate the load for short periods! L2A has easy runs at altitude (at the top) so should be good for March . . .some nice restaurants if you can find a sitter; not sure about driving there however!
Don't think Neilson run this chalet hotel anymore but I'm assuming you can book direct . . .we watched ours skiing up and down happily in full view for hours whilst supping beer from the balcony!
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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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| king key wrote: |
| I've seen young children many times in backpack-type carriers and it makes me wince. You might be the best skier/boarder the world has ever seen but there will also be an idiot who will come from nowhere and wipe you out. |
I've never understood this obsession that there may be someone there to wipe you out. Providing the skier is half decent and can observe other skiers, nothing wrong with it in my view.
Personally I went hill walking many a time carrying babies.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| T Bar wrote: |
| king key wrote: |
| I've seen young children many times in backpack-type carriers and it makes me wince. You might be the best skier/boarder the world has ever seen but there will also be an idiot who will come from nowhere and wipe you out. |
I've never understood this obsession that there may be someone there to wipe you out. Providing the skier is half decent and can observe other skiers, nothing wrong with it in my view.
Personally I went hill walking many a time carrying babies. |
The risk of harming a child attached to you is way higher with skiing than it is walking about. Id be surprised if most insurers would cover it.
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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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| T Bar wrote: |
| king key wrote: |
| I've seen young children many times in backpack-type carriers and it makes me wince. You might be the best skier/boarder the world has ever seen but there will also be an idiot who will come from nowhere and wipe you out. |
I've never understood this obsession that there may be someone there to wipe you out. Providing the skier is half decent and can observe other skiers, nothing wrong with it in my view.
Personally I went hill walking many a time carrying babies. |
We are talking about skiing and boarding not just walking around. So you've never fallen over whilst skiing/boarding or been knocked over? Lucky you!
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I occasionally stumble when walking. If I'm skiing gentle runs carefully I am no more likely to fall than when I walk, there are a bunch of skiers out there who are so much better than me it's ridiculous. Nothing is zero risk but a high level skier with a decent backpack is probably no more risk than when they pick up their baby and carrying them up or downstairs to go to bed.
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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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@Rae, …within striking distance of Vercorin there is the great art gallery at Lens (40 mins)
https://worldartfoundations.com/foundation/fondation-opale-3/
And also great galleries in Martigny (40 mins)
….and with a tiny one, of course the amazing railway journey over to Argentiere from Martigny (take a passport for the change at the border) - get off at Argentiere and lunch in the hotel Dahu. Considered to be one of the greatest railway journeys in the world - I agree.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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@T Bar, My youngest was 5 when he first went so probs heavier than a toddler - I thought I'd try 'reins' Nordic style but after an hour found it much harder than it looks; I was fitter then but the leg burn built from constant snow plough stops to the point of dangerous and not being able to stop
Best way is the continental style IMO - wide stance, poles held in front and at waist / child level so they can basically grab in front of them like a bar and ski between your legs but under greater control . . .easier for them / you to bale if necessary!
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@Belch,
I think I skied side by side with my daughter holding a pole horizontally though when she was around 3 though it's over 20 years ago now so I do remember the details
We all survived I remember nearly decking and arrogant English ski instructor when he said my daughter shouldn't be on a slope when he nearly crashed into her. 
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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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@valais2,
That looks great. 
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| king key wrote: |
| Glosterwolf wrote: |
| Quite obviously 2 if you have had children |
Far from clear. |
Very clear...the OP said they were hoping to have some runs each
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FAQ
Love the idea of somewhere quiet and chilled.