Hi there. My wife and I have been off the slopes for the last 3 1/2 years due to having kids. Our kids are now 3 and 1 years old respectively and we are keen to go to a European resort in March 2009. Any suggestions for family friendly resorts (or apartments in a resort if people can get specific)? Also, is 3 1/2 too early to try and get my son in skis?? Thanks for your help, Colin.
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
colinbrichards, welcome to snowHeads
I would have thought 3.5 a bit young to do any more than a bit of playing on plastic skis, going down between your legs on a flatish slope for half an hour (though some have been known to manage more). Aim for less and treat any more as a bonus - enjoyment and fun is the key and they can have as much fun sledging and playing in the snow.
The biggest decision you have to face is child-care.
Will you take it in turns to ski/childmind, use a resort based creche or go with one of the dedicated family tour operators that take their own nannies?
Many on here (including myself) rate ski esprit of the family tour operators, but they aren't cheap unless you hold out until the last two or three weeks for a late-deal (and then the prices are good). I would have thought that with the credit crunch, there will be some good late deals this year.
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?
colinbrichards, 3.5 yrs is borderline. My eldest now 7 didnt take to it and it actually put her off the following year. My youngest was just over 3.5 this March and he picked it up and loved it. it depends on the character of teh child and also how physical they are. My advice on resorts? well most are pretty good but i like oz en Oisans when we ski as a family and we have stayed in the des Neiges apartments. Feel free to pm me for more details
We have used a number of family orientated tour operators which organise childcare and ski lessons etc. and I can reccomend ski esprit (they do lots of resorts in France, Austria and switzerland), snowbizz (only go to Puy st Vincent in France- but it is a great resort for kids but terrain is limited but that doesn't seem to matter so much on a family holiday!). I can also reccomend premier neige (they go to Sainte foy in france which is again a nice small resort)
I hope this helps
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
fizz, Fair play to little Morgan! Great to see it, a natural!!!
As far as resorts go, I would thoroughly recommend Peisey-Vallandry in the French Alps. Its a small resort and very family focussed, but you can easily access all the Les Arcs terrain or should you fancy it a trip across the big lift to La Plagne.
THere are plenty of companies who will offer you chalets - either self-catered or catered and there is also a Club-Med hotel if that's your thing.
We've used and I would recommend the Tom Thumb nursery for our daughter - from age 2 to 4 and it was fine. Is French run but all speak English. They also take the kids to the beginner slopes for a short taster session on skis, which for our daughter was an ideal way to start at nearly 4.
I think 3.5 is a bit early for proper lessons, but you may also like to consider a few short private lessons with either New Generation or Darentasia who both have schools in the town. I would avoid ESF for young kids there myself as we had a bad experience, but they have been fine with our twin boys this year (7)
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Then you can post your own questions or snow reports...
Quote:
a European resort in March 2009
colinbrichards, welcome to Snowheads. If you go to France, avoid the first week in March which is peak holiday time. Mid month should be good. [b Ray Zorro[/b]'s points are important ones to consider. You need to think about what kind of holiday you want - a family holiday in the snow, with main objective to ensure the little ones enjoy it, whilst you and your wife grab a few hours skiing here and there, or a holiday with max time on the slopes, and intensive child care. That will affect which resorts, and what sort of accommodation, make sense for you.
After all it is free
After all it is free
colinbrichards,
Welcome to snowHeads
When our children were 3-4 we put them in with a kind of ski creche where they did a bit of skiing on gentle nursery slopes with travellator style lifts and a lot of playing around in the snow or indoors in bad weather. The resorts we used at the time were Whistler and Lech. I'm sure there are many with similar arrangements. They seemed to enjoy it a lot and did not have to have full ski lessons which would probably be a bit much for some children of that age though others will probably relish them.
PS Have also been to Puy St Vincent mentioned above and agree that it is a great family friendly resort. On Austrian lines I stayed in Kappl last year and was really impressed by the look of the childrens facilities there, though we did not use them as our kids are now a bit older.
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.
I am hugely biased but would recommend Les Gets as a great family resort. Esprit, as mentioned above, are there and so are we (Ski Famille). You don't need to go down the chalet route with all in childcare though. Plentiful good value apartments and family friendly hotels too. There is a resort creche but realisticsally a high proportion of the other kids are liekly to be French.
Ray Zorro, I suspect holding out for late deals could be risky this year. Most operators are reporting very strong early bookings (and not through gritted teeth with a fixed grin!) and anyone worried about demand will have shed any marginal capacity. There will of course still be deals, but you may have to compromise on resort and/or property more than you'd like. 2009/10 on the other hand could be a very different story!
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Ski the Net with snowHeads
Our creche week dates have just been decided - takes place in San Cassiano, Alta Badia (Dolomites) week of 28th March. Kids taken care of six days from 9 - 5 (and you can go and see them any time you want as chalet on the piste, or join them for lunch where they get taken at the top of the mountain as gondola just down from us). Ski school in San Cass won't take kids until they're 4 (although will take younger for private lessons) but the creche keeps them entertained.
If you would like some details PM me - we've not got details on our website yet.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
Thanks to all of you who have replied so far - some really good tips and leads for us to follow up. Many thanks again (also for such a nice welcome)!
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.
colinbrichards, you could take a look at La Rosiere it has the Famille Montagne certification and there is a really good creche, Les Galopins which takes children from 18mths to 12 yrs. I suspect you will have more issues with your youngest rather than the 3 yr old. ctskifam, is quite right, you don't need to go down the Ski Espirit/Mark Warner route, there are a lot more French skiing than English and they invariably use the child care facilities in the resort, chalet holidays are not widely used by the French.
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
So if you're just off somewhere snowy come back and post a snow report of your own and we'll all love you very much
David L, you remind me of someone for some reason
You know it makes sense.
You know it makes sense.
Quote:
they invariably use the child care facilities in the resort,
Not necessarily. Very often they use grandparents, in conjunction with spending much more time with their kids than many British parents seem to want to do. Maybe because the average French parent is a more able skier than the average Brit parent and more than capable of dealing with small kids on the slopes, taking them up drag lifts etc (something I felt ill equipped to do when mine were small). In small French resorts there are loads of small children but not necessarily any "facilities" and also, many French family holidays are done on a shoestring and they don't pay money to other people to look after their kids. They seem to have a completely different attitude to family holidays. (Our local restaurants and shops were grumbling last season that people weren't spending money). It was lovely, in the mountains this summer, seeing so many families walking together, even quite little kids with tiny walking boots, tackling gentle walks, seemingly enjoying themselves, especially when there were wild raspberries to be picked.
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
We first went when E was 4 and 2 months and he managed the full 6 days of lessons with an ESI ski school (they start lessons at 4 as opposed to ESF who start at 5). However they started them off straight onto draglifts so thier progress was limited really for the first week. I would think that 4 would be the lowest that I would consider and then only if the child was particularly active and enthusiastic.
However we went with some friends at Easter to La Tania and they had a (barely) 3 year old who was booked with lessons with ESF. They had a ski garden with a magic carpet and I think this was the best way for them to learn, much better than any form of drag lift. In addition to booking the ski lessons he was also booked for all day child care so didnt go to every lesson (I think he did 2 or 3 days) so you have to really play it by ear.
But it is really a change from the skiing holidays of the past. Much more time will be spent sledging, building snowmen or generally mooching about then you might have done before, even if you get childcare it is nice to get the kids out into the snow however it may be. But be careful on forcing them to ski if they dont want to, I have been to lots of ski lesson drop offs where the kids have been screaming and not wanting to go to the lessons and this can be really heartbreaking, I feel that what you really dont want to do is to force them and then put them off skiing for life, it is a holiday for them too
Cheers,
Peter
Poster: A snowHead
Poster: A snowHead
fizz, that vid is fantastic... I hope and pray that my little one takes to skiing like that!
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Certainly agree with the advice about not forcing them - let them go at their own pace. We still have the sledging etc as well. Luckily all the kids love it and are scarily good - this is them just above the mid-station in Les Arcs. At time the boys were 7 and daughter 5
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?
Best bit of advise - get an apartment right on the slopes so you can take them back for a warm up and rest.
Again I agree the most important thing is not the push them too much.
Our first hol with my son (now a super skier aged 6) was pretty hard work and we only skied separately but he really enjoyed it and got the skiing bug which was the most important bit.
As soon as they are old enough get them to the local dry slope - at my local one they have kids club every Saturday which is fantastic and you'll really feel it's worth it when you hit the slopes.
FAQ
Poster: A snowHead
