 Poster: A snowHead
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Does anybody know if there are any resorts in the Pyrenees frequented by English families (at least during half term) ? Do any of the ski schools cater for non French speaking children ? Need to find out urgently so very grateful for any quick replies
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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http://www.borderlinehols.com,
is a hotel in Bareges, owned and run by ex-pats Peter Derbyshire and Jude Lock.
Bareges is a small but friendly place on the other side of the Col du Tormalet from La Mongie. We had a great time there about 5 years ago, and my wife was in ski-school with no language problems. The village is not majorly British, but certainly Peter's hotel is!
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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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truffaut, andorra is excellent but I think you may be after French resorts ?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
You need to Login to know who's really who.
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I was looking for somewhere in the Pyrenees with enough charm for the non-skiing grandparents to enjoy themselves, so I presume this excludes Andorra, but maybe I am wrong ?
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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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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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I too would recommend Soldeu over Pas etc
Baqueira is worth a look, Ski miquel are the only tour ops to go there, but they do have their own english ski school. not sure about off slope activitities for grandparents, though, we spent all our time skiing 
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Id say Arinsal over Soldeu, closer to Andorra La Vella, much prettier than Soldeu, some gorgeous hotels, excellent ski school with mostly native english speaking instructors, but all the others speak perfect english too.
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any resorts in the Pyrenees frequented by English families (at least during half term) ? Do any of the ski schools cater for non French speaking children ?
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truffaut, all of them.
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somewhere in the Pyrenees with enough charm for the non-skiing grandparents to enjoy themselves
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As much as anywhere else in France and Spain, Andorra is good/bad for non-skiiers. If you want "charm" charm, Switzerland or Austria are your best bets.
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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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If you have a car, somewhere off the beatan track like Formigueres might be nice. This year I went to Les Angles, which is nearby and quite charming. Though if I ever go to the same area (Cerdagne) I would choose Formigueres or Puyvalador, since Les Angles was a bit too busy, with a little bit of insensitive development. Ski schools weren't a problem, we hired a private tutor which worked out good value for 4 of us. I was told that a bi-lingual french/english group lesson wouldn't be a problem either. If you're driving you can spend a different day in a selection of 7 resorts all covered by the same lift pass.
You can check out their websites at www.formigueres.net and www.puyvalador.com
Cauterets might also be worth a look - www.cauterets.com
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I remember being taught well in English in La Molina in Spain, when I was a kid. The downside was the lack of snow, but I think that was the case for most of Pyrennees that year, so don't know how snow sure it is generally.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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I went to Font Romeu this year. Although all the group lessons are in French ESF/ESI assured me they could do private lessons in English although I did not put this to the test. They were very reasonable at 35€ per hour. Not that many English people there although I think that numbers are increasing due to the Ryanair route into Perpignan.
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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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Colin B - good idea with the private lessons. The holiday companies need the commission from booking kids into ski school, and somehow they have managed to put across the idea that putting kids into ski school for the whole holiday is necessary. There are alternatives, and a few private lessons combined with skiing as a family is one of them. Granted, this means that the parents that can already ski get slowed down for a couple of years, but after that you have kids who can ski with you anywhere all day, and often kids that are better than their parents by the age of 10.
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