 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Just got back from a morning skiing lesson at Milton Keynes, first time and phew, crikey, hard work and terribly scarey (for me anyway as I am such a wimp). I am so glad I did it but it has raised a few questions. I have posted on here before but most of my questions are different (honest). OK, here goes...
We are going to Alpe D'huez, with First Choice and staying at the Petit Prince Hotel. I am doing the Learn 2 Ski course (booked through FC), my husband is just skiing, my daughter (4 years old) is doing the learn 2 ski kids school.
Can anyone tell me how someone would contact me or my husband if it were necessary for our baby in the creche or our daughter in the ski school? Keep mobile phones on at all times? How annoying!
How on EARTH do the instructors watch and manage loads of small kids? Our daughter went today and she tried hard and wasn't too upset but if it wasn't for my husband being permenantly 3 feet in front of her she would have fallen all the time and probably hated it. I know, paranoid mother here and there is probably some ingenious way they do it but I can't get my head around it at all.
How well from experience do tots handle skiing all morning then kids club in the afternoon? I am shattered just thinking about it.
Has anyone done the Learn 2 ski with first choice? Is it near the hotel? Is it all day or just morning?
Ahh so many questions and yes, I could just get there and find out but , like today, I would just feel a whole lot better with a little advice and preparation.
Cheers all.
Oh, and one more thing. Everyone says you get that moment when you think 'Oh I can't do this, I'm just going to cry/ drink the bar dry or watch others for the rest of the week. Well, I had a similar moment after about an hour (pathetic I know but a severe lack of confidence was the problem) am I just going to permenantly feel like this on and off for a week or is there hope for a rather unco-ordinated, rather un-sporty thirty 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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Hi Loobyloo77!
My family is in the same position. The only difference is that we've organised the trip ourselves, and we're staying in Oz en Oisans.
I've been told to expect kids to hate it (hard work, cold, wet, etc) until they are about 7. So, my wife and I are setting our expectations, and accordingly have checked with the nursery that if she doesn't like the skiing she can just spend the whole day in the nursery. I would recommend you check, if you can, that you can do something similar. We've also asked for our daughter to have lessons in the morning, and nursery in the afternoon. If she's tired then hopefully she'll have some shut eye in the afternoon.
From previous experience of leaving our daughter in a nursery you must have at least one mobile switched on. We did get called while skiing, and had to collect her as she was running a temperature.
Kids are very resiliant. When faced with a challenge, when mummy and daddy aren't around, they do fend for themselves well. I think it's called "Tough Love" 
As for your skiing. Relax and enjoy 
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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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Loobyloo77, you will need to keep your phones on all the time just in case they need to contact you.
I would imagine your daughter at age 4 will be in a 'snow garden' enclosed area with other kids of a similar age and one or more instructors. There is not all that much skiing in these gardens, it is more snow play at this age. I could be wrong though. Perhaps someone who has actually put kids into ski school in Alpe d' Huez (ADH) can comment on the set up?? I have just checked the website for the ESF, which is the ski school that First Choice will most probably use, in ADH and it shows a snow garden and a video of it http://www.esf-alpedhuez.com/english/site/frame.php?id_menu=5&id_frame=112 try this link and double click to play the video. Fingers crossed that is what First Choice have arranged for your daughter.
If she is tired in the afternoon I am pretty sure the staff in the club will have the facilities to let kids rest/sleep e.g. a quiet corner with bean bags, books etc. Ask them if she can have a rest if she needs it. If you are not in your lesson in the afternoon you can always go back and take her out of the club and up to the room so you can both have a rest if need be!
Re. your Learn to Ski, I have been throught the First Choice brochure and the info is severely lacking. So here I am making educated guesses having been to the resort. I would guess that your ski school meeting place will be a fair walk from your hotel. ADH is a big, spread out resort. I suspect your ski school meeting place will be at Rond Point des Pistes which is at the top of the resort and from the map your hotel is in the Vieil Alpe area so I would estimate that you will have a 15 min approx walk to/from the meeting place. I could be wrong though and it could be somewhere nearer. Another guess is that I would think your lessons will be morning only for 3 hours. It is quite unusual to do full day ski school. the idea is that you then practise a bit on your own in the afternoon.
Hope this helps a bit and hope that someone who knows for sure comes along soon. My friend will there week of 8-15 with her 3 and 1 year olds, is that your week?
Well done for going to MK and having a go first, you're already over the first hurdle then
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THanks si much for taking the time to reply, both of you, much appreciated. Having had a chat with my daughter she seems really eager to learn and perhaps when we aren't there for her to have a whinge at, she might battle through by herself.
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