les duex alpes or alpe d'huex for beginners

A snowHead

I am looking to plan next years ski holiday and our friends who have never skied before we have narrowed it down to 2 places in France, we also have a 4 year old each, and thoughts on which of the 2 resorts are better for beginners snowHead

A snowHead

or anywhere else but we have told that these 2 places are best for kids snowHead

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jase2472, I'm out in LDA the week of the 24th. It will be our first visit and we have a 4yo and a 2.5yo. I'll give you a full report from a parent's perspective when we get back but from everything I've heard LDA is fantastic for kids. snowHead

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Leis, where you staying in LDA snowHead

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Interesting. Neither would feature on my list of 'good for kids' or beginners....LDA is a large and busy town, including a busy road and while nursery slopes (and teaching Wink

) are great the move onto real runs can seem a bigger deal that it should be as the rest of the skiing is all up a gondola on so 'up the mountain'. Alpe D'Huez is just built on the steep so I would think lots of hard walking for the kids if you get the accomodation wrong, I don't remeber seeing anything particularly child friendly but that said never been here with a kid so maybe I just didn't notice the kid stuff like I would now (my friends 6 year old has been coming with us the past 4 years)

Personally for kids+beginners I'd go Les Arcs (traffic free mostly, nice kids ski garden, lots of sledging possibilities, easy slopes, short transfer if you go by train), Avoriaz (traffic free, v. easy green through town for the kids to play on, plus horsedrawn transport which amuses them, short transfer from geneva), Val Thorens (easy green run alongside the whole resort so you can let the kids 'out the back' to play + numerous easy blues for the adults to move onto once they get the hang of it all - snow sure).

Places I haven't been but that I would think might work: Montgenevre - looks very quiet, lots of easy runs, no idea how it's fairing in the snow lottery this year though; Flaine always seems to get a 'good for families' point in the ski guides? We've considered both in the past but not made it there yet.

Sorry, thats probably not helped has it Embarassed

aj xx

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a.j., agree regarding 2Alpes - don't see it as particularly child-friendly. ADH is better, though as you say I'd be careful about location. However, it has lots of nice accessible beginner area, and plenty to do other than skiing (sledges, trampolining, ice rink, two pools, table tennis etc etc).

If looking at TOs, your best-located hotel would be TOPS/SkiPlan's Beausoleil - ski in/out, right on the beginner pistes.

Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...

its just what neilson say about best place for kids them 2 places or Geilo but i think that might be to cold for the kids, we like Andorra but not sure about kids kindergartten snowHead

After all it is free

jase2472, look for the P'tits Montagnards (at bottom of linked page) symbol in info for French resorts, this is awarded by the French government, and indicates it's suitability for children. La Rosiere, Belle Plagne and Serre Chevalier (but choose village and accommodation carefully) are the three resorts I have skied in with my kids, particularly BP when they were smaller.

http://www.serre-chevalier.com/Hiver/fr/enfant/glisse.php4

Out of those 2 I would choose Alpe D'Huez, went there twice when kids were smaller & it was ideal, best not to stay in town centre, perhaps Les Bergers area for easy access.
Nice gentle starter slopes & a huge range of more challenging slopes snowHead

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jase2472, my first ski trip was to Alpe d'Huez, and I would say it is good for beginners with some reservations. It does have a very large area of green runs suitable for developing skills, but these are very variable - they range from something with almost no gradient to runs that in other resorts would be graded blue. It also has one green run that is a green run except for about a 10 metre stretch that is very steep - there were always piles of bodies at the bottom of that bit! However, for progression it is reasonable - there aren't a lot of blue runs as I recall but a fair number of reds, that are in many cases indistinguishable in difficulty from blue runs. Plus some of the green runs are steeper than others, so you can move from one to the other as confidence improves.

We didn't use a ski school there so I can't comment on that. Folks are right - the resort is built on the steep, although there is a little bucket lift that carries you up to the main lift station in the morning. We stayed in a "ski in ski out" but to ski out you had to be able to do a red run, and to ski back you had to be able to do a bit of off piste that wasn't easy. So I didn't do that as I was a beginner then although I could cope with it now.

It isn't picturesque, and there aren't any trees in the main resort itself. There is a superb outdoor ice rink and swimming pool 'though. We stayed in a nice chalet next to the red kite (the 1km marker for the Tour de France stage). If you like cycling, the route up is fascinating, with many of the bends featuring the names of stage winners. I'd say not bad for beginners.

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I would second a.j.. One problem with both resorts (mentioned quite a bit in recent threads) is fairly crowded pistes with lots of faster, but not necessarily very skilful, skiers. Several reports of nasty collisions. I would have thought there were a whole range of better places. Being able to "play out the back" is very important for kids - they need somewhere they can go and potter around in the snow without it being a big expedition. That would be possible in many places - more a function of the accommodation than the resort. For example we have stayed in a catered chalet in La Rosiere which had a super garden for kids to potter around in, make snowmen, little toboggan runs etc. La Rosiere is good for kids too. So is Les Gets, with an excellent (but expensive) British ski school with small groups at all levels. Val Thorens ticks some boxes but if it's cold and/or windy it's pretty bleak and cheerless. I've not been to Valmorel but that seems to get good reports for kids and beginners because it has a completely separate beginner area which is not flashed through by the boy racers all the time (particularly unnerving for adult beginners; 4 year olds wouldn't notice until they got clobbered). Our resort, Les Saisies, is brilliant for families and beginners, with lovely scenery, gentle slopes and no crowds at all outside French school hols. But ski instruction for beginners in groups is only in French (though private lessons are cheaper than most). The wider Espace Diamant area has a range of challenges for better skiers including some fantastic red runs and some accessible off piste. I'm sure you'll have lots of other suggestions too. Some of the Tour Operator ratings of resorts are bizarre and should be taken with a pinch of salt. For example Alpbach is rated as good for non skiers (or was, when we went) but it's a tiny village - albeit very pretty - but with absolutely nothing for non skiers except a few restaurants and bars, and all resorts have those. Les Saisies is a roaring metropolis compared to Alpbach.

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I'd of said go for ADH out of the two. At LDA you'll be stuck in the valley or if you go up, the cat track/green down is actually quite narrow and by the end of the day it gets very scrubbed out, a sort of narrow and shallow half pipe.

ADH, by the end of the week, you've got a much better chance of getting around a bit. As others have said, you do want to be near the lifts though.

its not so much important being near lifts the most important thing is that the child care is very good so the 2 girls are happy then as every parent nows it makes your holiday that bit better, if anyone has anywhere esle that they recommend i would be be grateful snowHead

You know it makes sense.

A number of parents have posted about particular Tour Operators who are good at providing child care - some make a feature of this. Getting adults and kids to ski schools on time can be quite difficult, and they have people to help do this, and pick them up afterwards etc. Not the cheapest TOs, but would make a big difference. A catered chalet specialising in child care would be good, so you could relax and have a sociable meal in the evening but be on hand if kids are awake and unhappy. They'd have others to play with, too. Some ski schools have "kindergarten" ski classes for little ones, with a bit of skiing, a bit of playing in the snow, and a bit of playing inside, which would be a good formula for confident kids happy to stay away from parents, with strangers. The best part of ski holidays for little ones is often just pottering round with parents, tobogganing, snowball fights (as long as they are throwing them, not on the receiving end) or just poking the snow with a stick. 4 year olds can spend hours poking the snow with a stick. In fact, so can adults. Just watch any group waiting for a ski bus by a snowy bank...

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

jase2472, we booked through Crystal and are staying at La Brunerie which has inhouse child care. I've heard mixed reports about Crystal but Easiski knows the guys who run La Brunerie and say its good. As I said, I'll give a full report when we are back on the 4th March.

A snowHead

pam w, reminds me of my three last New Years morning. Once they'd regained consciousness, and seen the fresh snow they couldn't wait to get out-----------------and make snow angels!! Very Happy

A snowHead

Leis, cheers for that snowHead

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jase2472, As promised I have posted a trip report under Resorts but wanted to let you know my experience of Crystal, La Brunerie and LDA from a family point of view. They were Brilliant!!!! LDA has great beginners slopes but the majority of them are at the foot of the mountain and are serviced by button lifts. There are a couple of greens up the mountain and I did one or two of them but not all of them. From a raw beginners points of view I thought personally that most of the areas I went to up the mountain were more for intermediate and most definitely more advanced skiers.

Crystal and La Brunerie were great. Obviously staff change every year but we found this lot to be extremely helpful, nothing was ever too much trouble and they were all very friendly. The food was amazing - both the adults and the kids meals. On nights that they had something our kids wouldn't eat, they would happily supply chips and beans if they had them.

The family room was basic but clean and had everything we needed and didn't feel like a closet. You walk in and they had bunk beds, the top one had a rail around so the kids couldn't fall out and our 4yo had no problems at all. Opposite the bunks are a refurbished loo and bathroom which were more than adequate. You then walked through a door into the main room which had two single beds (which could be put together), a telly, a table and two chairs and a lovely balcony overlooking the mountain!

The childcare was superb!!! We have a 4yo and an almost 3yo and they were together in one of the three childcare rooms (babies, up to 4yo and kids). They had two adults to themselves most of the week. The other days there were only 2 additional kids. They basically got one on one attention and the girls were fabulous. When the weather was good they took them onto the slopes for sledging, snowman making, snow angels and snow ball fights. They took them around town on bus trips and the like. On bad weather days they have such a great range of toys and every day was a different craft or two planned.

There was a shop right next door to the hotel which was also a godsend for those bits and pieces you invariably need and/or forget.

All in all, I would recommend LDA and Crystal and La Brunerie to anyone purely based on the childcare and standard of food let alone the skiing. Yes its a commercial tour operator and one of the cheaper ones at that, but we were very pleased. The only thing I would not recommend is group lessons through the ski schools - there are just too many people. Private lessons with Easiski would be my first choice, for either adults or children. My second choice would be private lessons through European Ski School - just not groups!!!

Here is a link to my photobucket album which also has photos of the room as wellas the mountain as well as our ugly mugs - the guest password is "bushwick" . . .
http://s68.photobucket.com/albums/i18/leisadoeslondon/Les%20Deux%20Alpes/

I hope I've helped in some way but am happy to answer any other questions you might have. Enjoy snowHead

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Nickski, If the kids are 4, why would you want them to go up on the mountain to ski when there's more than enough in the village?

Actually I think LDA is quite child friendly, but might not necessarily be my first choice if the kids were not skiing. I've found the ESF kindergarten quite good on the whole. I heard a couple of really nasty horror stories about the ESF kids classes in ADH this year - very disappointing, and the recommended Brit instructor with them has now left. Sad

a.j., There's anew green run since you were here, down through the Petit Plan. Very nice and easy, comes back on the last leg of the Chemin.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Leis, cheers it looks a good place will look into prices for next year snowHead

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les duex alpes or alpe d'huex for beginners

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