Best resort for a kid at Christmas?

A snowHead

My son age 6 has decided he would like to ski over Christmas this year but we don't want him to miss the Christmasy feel that he would get at home.

Does anyone have any recommendations - Europe / USA / Canada - I'm open to all suggestions.

And any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks snowHead

A snowHead

Saas Fee in Switzerland is beautiful, traffic free, snow sure and has a great nursery slopes area. You could do far worse. www.saas-fee.ch. good luck Smile

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Not sure there is a ski resort anywhere in the world that doesn't feel at least as Xmassy as Manchester given snow, trees, xmas lights etc. OK maybe Flaine doesn't.

If you go to the US or Canada you can also usually find a Bond film marathon/The Great Escape/The Sound of Music on TV channels. wink

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Austria does Christmas brilliantly, Xmas markets and very decorative and child friendly. Not sure which Austrian resort would be best for Xmas though regarding snow cover - others would be able to advise but maybe somewhere like Obergurgl or Ischgl

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

waterskibabe, Any place you will go to will be magic. I would give the same proviso as fatbob, and give Flaine a miss. Our place is purpose built but it is not a stark as Flaine, and a very special xmas awaits your son.

Have fun!!!

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Thanks for all the advice

I've been looking through the Ski Bible and loads of brochures and have short listed to

Alpe D'Huez
Les Arcs - 1950
La Plagne

I've heard fab reports of La Plagne but the book warns of queues and states 'dangerous amounts of people on the slopes!!!' - Quite worrying I felt. Anyone know anything about any of these?

Thanks for your help! Smile

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

We were in LP last Christamas and it was fun, no queue's at all except one afternoon when everyone seemed to be right over the back (lost the piste map) and it was a bit of a squeeze to get the lift back up and over but this was quite late in the day and it was a beautiful blue day....

and we were just milking it for all it was worth, everyone was doing the same Toofy Grin

.

There were lots of people dressing up and the slopes were relatively clear, not over crowded. Heaps of terrain for 1 week even with the link to Les Arcs down.

We stayed in LP 1800, in a catered chalet which was great, however 1800 is a bit awkward and not partucarly ski convenient. If we went again it would be to stay in one of the higher "villages" which are far more ski convenient.

Going for Christmas again this year too but going to Austria, we have three "kids" but they are a bit older than your son.

At 6 years old how about Lapland? Enjoy.

Greg

After all it is free

northantsred,

Thanks for the info Greg.

Looked at Lapland but not large enough ski areas - Even at 6 my lad is pretty good and really keen - it's been drumed into him since birth!!!

Will have another look at La Plagne then because that was the only bad thing I could find on it! Will be sure to avoid 1800 though.

Enjoy Austria - another country I have yet to visit! snowHead

How about Sainte Foy in France? Very traditional stone/wood resort, quiet slopes (no lift queues, even at Christmas), great skiing and snowboarding. They do a good job of Christmas - toboggan runs and stuff for kids and a full-blown arrival of Santa on his sleigh on Christmas eve!

http://www.whiteroomchalet.com

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waterskibabe, there are part of La Plagne which are even less Christmassy than Flaine.... cosy and picturesque it's not.

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Austria and Switzerland do Xmas with much more gusto than France, and the resorts are generally much prettier. If you need to go to France try Val D'Isere, Megeve, and Valloire are all proper villages that make some effort, but still not aswell as Aust/Switz (IMHO).

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With it being early in the season we are after somewhere pretty snowsure and after the last couple of New Years in Morillon which have been a bit dodgy we want to be sure we'll have good conditions.

stevomcd, Saint Foy has got a good write up in the bible but is not a vast area which puts me off slightly??? Maybe a spot we should try for my girls weekend though!

pam w, You are obviously a font of knowledge so which areas of La Plagne am I best to avoid would you say?

JimSearle, I've yet to try Austria or Switzerland but am looking forward to Zermatt in January hopefully on the annual 'Child Free Week!!!'

Thanks for all your advice Little Angel

stevomcd, Just checked out the White room - looks great - will save to My Favourites for future.
Many thanks

You know it makes sense.

waterskibabe, we've ski'd over Christmas for a couple of years now - our kids are 7(twins) and 5. We cheat slightly and have Xmas at home the week before with full dinner etc and family presents. Then Father Christmas visits us in the ski resort with a few presents on the day itself.

Works well in my view - also have the joy of having Christmas over and done with while everyone else is still running around panicing! You just need to remember to write Santa a note to let him know where you're staying

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

A snowHead

waterskibabe, I don't know La Plagne that well at all, having only ever spent a week there. Certainly not a fount of knowledge. In terms of "Christmassy" Plagne Centre is probably the worst - huge great slabs of buildings. Bellecote was pretty grim too, if I remember rightly (it was a while ago....) Belle Plagne seemed quite nice, with some more human scale buildings and very convenient for skiing. There are some attractive apartments there called, I think, Les Montagnettes, with fires etc - some of them quite big. We didn't stay there (we stayed in Plagne 1800 on a last minute Ski World cheapie, excellent value). I was looking round for future holiday options for a family group and wrote in for a brochure and they've been sending them to me ever since. Having now bought an apartment, however, I don't suppose we'll ever visit them - and the prices were high, when I glanced in their brochure this year before consigning it to the recycling bin. I don't think you'll find Christmas as crowded, in general, as New Year and Belle Plagne should certainly be snowsure.

A snowHead

Hi waterskibabe (and thanks for your email!). Just to reply to the point about Sainte Foy being a small area. Agree definitely, there are only 4 lifts so it can never be described as a huge resort. Personally, I'm just over the whole "megastation" thing. Heaving crowds, chopped-up, icy pistes and half the runs just seem to be to get you to the other half (Val d'Isere is particularly bad for this, I really don't rate the on-piste riding there, although the off-piste is superb). I've never felt the need to ride a different run every time, I'd rather ride good runs a few times over!

Here in Sainte Foy, there are only 20 or so runs, but they're all excellent quality. Nice, consistent gradients, not to wide, not too narrow, often tree-lined. The configuration of the lifts also means that there are large off-piste areas between the runs even before you start looking at the epic stuff further afield.

For anyone coming on holiday for us, we also include 2 days out to Tignes, Val d'Isere, les Arcs or La Rosiere for those who just can't live without clocking up the miles! Very Happy

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

stevomcd, Ssshhhhh - I'd prefer it to stay quiet, and I'll see you in December (and January, March and maybe April....)

By the way, have you been taking marketing tips from the good people at Tracks in La Rosiere? Maybe over beers in the Monal ? wink

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Guvnor, Hear, Hear!

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

Guvnor: No, I'll just try anything! Little Angel

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pam w, my respone to waterskibabe, was to explain to her how the resort and slopes were at christmas nothing more. I do agree LP is not the prettiest place in the alps(architecturally), it is however full of good ski terrain and it is quite vast. Most purpose built french resorts are full of stark and ugly buildings, but surely the skiing is what we go for and fun can be had on any hill?

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

Thanks all for the advise.

I have finally decide to go for Les Arc 1950. - Hopefully the right decision!

Will definately be trying Ste Foy in the future.

See yeah on the slopes snowHead

After all it is free

I was just reading this thread and my first tought of your choices would be Arc 1950. I prefer les arcs to LP. I thought LP was pretty grim, although some decent skiing, you should be able to ski over there for a day on the Arcs pass. Arc similar architecture EXCEPT 1950 which is really nice.

Have a great trip, i may just see you there... Very Happy

Libertine, Thanks for the message - it sounds perfect and I'm counting the days already!!!

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Have never been there at Xmas, but if if your budget will stretch I dont think you could beat Arc 1950 for your 6 year old.

It will be the most Christmassy place south of Lapland (apart from the Trafford centre of course)

Lets go to the Alps for Xmas and make it LARGE as they say in Manchester, be warned it will cost you LARGE. Razz

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Best resort for a kid at Christmas?

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