 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi I know this is advance planning but we would like to take our 6 yr old daughter skiing for the first time Feb 2009 half term week and are looking for other families to share the trip with for company for us and our daughter and to keep costs down. We live in North so will fly from North but are quite flexible on the location/ accommodation etc.
I am a lower level intermediate skier and my partner he is an intermediate higher level boarder we are in late 30s early 40s.
thanks
Margaret
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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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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We usually go with one of the family friendly companies and just book the room/s we we need in the chalet. We have found the other folks in the chalets are mostly in a similar situation and happy to chum up for skiing. And with a family friendly company there should be plenty of other children for your daughter to play with. I would suggest picking a chalet size not too big but big enough that there are maybe 5/6 families. You should be able to ask on booking wether the rest of the chalet is a mixture of separate bookings.
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margareth, welcome to Snowheads. I don't see how going with other families would keep costs down - the only way to do that, really, is not to go at half term! There are some threads on the arguments about taking kids out of school, and the legal position, which you might find interesting (use the "search" facility to find them). Personally, with a 6 year old, I wouldn't hesitate but I know that opinions about this vary. I always got taken out of school for holidays, and I took my kids out of school too, and it didn't do us any harm!
If you don't find the right families to do a joint trip with, there are loads of very family friendly companies which do catered chalets, which would be a good bet - company for you and your daughter, lots of them with child care available. Not cheap, but there are a number about, and again, there are plenty of threads about them.
There are several threads about taking grandparents too - not a bad idea (I am looking forward to teaching my grand-daughter, now 4, to snowboard).
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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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Hi Margaret,
We took our two at age 4 and 5 to La Tania (linked to Courcheval) with Ski Magic (catered chalet) . It worked really well for their first time skiing. There was another family with similar aged kid there and it meant that we had the company that we wouldn't get in a hotel or self-catered app and could enjoy eating our meals in a relaxed way while the kids spread out in the chalet rather then trying to keep them under control in a restaurant.
however it is really expensive and half term the prices are huge! I think that sharing self -catered accom with other families would work just as well, so long as the kids get on.
We took them the first week of the season first time it meant that they only missed the last 2 days of xmas term and we got a really cheap deal with SKi Magic. last time was Easter in Tignes, brilliant weather but bit slushy slopes. In Tignes next to the Marmottons Ski school Le Lac there was a practice slope with a free chair lift which made it easy to take the kids up and down when they decided that they wern't going back to ski school!
I would love to join up with you some othe time but half term 2009 will be out for us as we have planned to get married on 21st feb and go skiing on our own for a honey moon!
My daughter Jay is 6.5 and my son Nathan is just 5. I am an intermediate skier and my hubby to be is an intermediate Border.
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| pam w wrote: |
| margareth, welcome to Snowheads. I don't see how going with other families would keep costs down - the only way to do that, really, is not to go at half term! |
for example, by booking a whole chalet for exclusive use, the p/p price often works out much cheaper than the standard p/p prices for booking individual rooms.
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| Quote: |
| sharing self -catered accom with other families would work just as well, so long as the kids get on. |
it's extremely difficult to find really big places to rent, for self-catering, and when you do, they're often not very conveniently located. I have just spent some time on the internet looking for somewhere for a family party for Christmas. I did find a big chalet (6 double bedrooms) in Les Gets, which worked well with 11 adults, but it was a case of driving to the slopes. A place big enough for 4 families, all with children, slopeside, would be very, very, hard to find.
I have booked whole chalets in the past - got a "group discount" but it wasn't a huge amount cheaper.
I agree self-catering is the cheap way to go, and with small children I think it's ideal. I've done two small families, sharing a gite, which was great. But ski accommodation is a different kettle of marmottes.
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I suppose everybody has different pricing structures, the chalet we have booked for easter 09 worked out 20% cheaper by booking it for sole occupancy, not to be sniffed at - only problem was that after trying to find the 19 or 20 people to fill it we soon became over subscribed and have left some people disappointed ! OOPS.
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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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agree with the comments on not doing half term. If you absolutely can't pull daughter from school then look at easter (depending when it is)
I'd recommend snowbizz in Puy St Vincent. They have a very well structured english ski school and evening kids club so daughter will make friends easily. Accomodation is well maintained self-catering units and all part of the same block including kids club, ski school meeting points, shop and lifts.
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cherrub,
thanks for your reply and have a great half term next year on honeymoon!! I have discussed all comments with my partner and it looks as though half term Feb 2009 is to be avoided due to cost and being too busy so if you and your family are thinking of going on the slopes next year other than your honeymoon either around Xmas or Easter time pls give me a shout as we would love to meet up with you.
Margaret
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Thanks for all replies all comments have been really useful and given us plenty to think about
Cheers
Margaret
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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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margareth,
Will get back to you after have sorted some partners to go with us March the 8th-10th driving to alps, I suppose you can't arrange to get away with out the kids for a week? 
From reading other threads it looks like it is worth trying to find enough people to take a whole chalet, Ski Magic offer places from £309 per person with free child places. Nedd to check out school dates for next year. Unless anyone is up for xmas away?
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cherrub,
Cannot get away again this year without daughter, shame. Xmas away could be an idea like you say taking a whole ski magic chalet sounds good. School hols for us the christmas term finishes 19 Dec.
My direct e-mail address is:
Margaret
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