 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi,
Does anyone know of resorts offering free lift passes for children (specifically under 8s)? I've googled wildly and a couple in Austria have come up ... If I'm going to justify my skiing next year it's got to be as cheap as I can get it yet still a realistic drive from the UK with two smalls.
Thanks for any help you can give
tor
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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tor, Look at Switzerland they are very good for that. Zermatt is free for kids born after 2001.
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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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Colin B,
Hi Colin thanks for that - just not sure about then about the resort cost - isn't Zermatt meant to be v expensive?? Plus, if possible, I want to drive to keep the costs down as much as I can. Perhaps I'm looking for the impossible 
Tor
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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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tor, Check out some of the other Swiss resorts, somewhere like Nendaz perhaps.
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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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tor, Zermatt might be free for kids lift passes - but you would need to sell the kids to be able to afford the adult passes! 414SFR for 6 days 
I believe some Austrian resorts are both reasonably priced and do good value kids passes, but since we don't take kids I can't help with specifics.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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tor, La Rosiere offers kids free skiing on certain dates, check out www.larosiere.net for details.
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Colin B, Will do thanks Colin
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RobinS, Thanks too - I'm not convinced I'll be getting the cheapy holiday I'm after in Zermatt  Yikes at the cost of the adult pass!
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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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davidl, Thanks David - I had a look but after 17th April only so don't want to risk a week of donkey trekking on the slopes if I can help it! I am grateful for all these suggestions though
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tor, Lots of Austrian resorts have free passes for children under a certain age. Later in the season they also have free passes for up to under 15/16 year olds as well.
Take a look at the Family offers for the Sportwelt Amade area for example in Salzburgerland:
http://www.alpendorf.com/ski-packages-winter-offers.html
I think a fair few resorts in Switzerland offer similar passes.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Samerberg Sue, Thanks so much for the link Sue - off to have a look now and figure out how driving would be ....
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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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| tor wrote: |
| Does anyone know of resorts offering free lift passes for children (specifically under 8s)? |
Sometimes it makes no difference.
Add up the total cost of your family's lift passes, divide by the number of family members and that is the "real" cost.
If you get free passes for your kids and pay shed loads for the adults you could end up paying more anyway.
Also, take time to read the lift pass company's policy on who can buy "free" kids passes. Some resorts say 1 adult to 1 kid, others say 2 adults to 1 kid, some resorts are (to be polite) a little less generous.
The total cost is all that maters.
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Wayne, Thanks - good point very well made  maybe that will make my search a heap easier ... wish there was a definitive site for listing ski pass prices ...
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You know it makes sense.
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tor, ski amade charge from age 6. The third child in the family gets a free pass. Also, from mid March, all kids get free passes when one adult buys a pass. Have a look at this link.
http://www.skiamade.com/en/vacationplanner/specials/easterfamily.htm
Driving is also good. The in-laws have just driven over in 10 hours from Calais.
Hope that helps.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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4 Valleys, Verbier, etc is free for those born in 2004 or later. I assume that would include a Nendaz only pass which would make a reasonably priced trip, loads of cheapish SC accommodation and not too far to drive to.
When I took my daughter to Zermatt in 2008, she was 13 and her pass was half price. The price of our passes together was still far cheaper than a large french resort where she would have paid full adult price. Accommodation and eating out, we didn't go for the luxury end, was also quite reasonable.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Wayne is right, add up total cost, look out for family passes, buy 3 get one free offers. But in the end, it's total cost that matters. We skiied last year in the Mont Blanc area and I reckon we'll be skiing there alot from now one, as their family pass is the same for any number of children under 18, as we have 4, their family pass is great value. Their peak season pass was I think 600 euro for a week last year, that would be for 6 in the family, but we got an end of season deal for a smaller area in the valley and I think we paid 350 euro for the week for the 6 of us instead. Still 600 euro for 6 in a huge ski area, you just can't beat that price, or would be hard to beat.
If driving, use ViaMichelin or something similar to get an idea of driving time, the nearest to Calais kms is not necessarily the nearest in hours and minutes.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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We went to Puy St Vincent last year (with Snowbizz) and the lift passes were £115 per adult, and £95 for kids aged 6 and over. Under 6 were free. When I researched it was the smaller resorts which gave the cheaper passes, or you can buy a local pass in a larger ski area. With kids, there's no point in forking out huge sums of money to get a pass covering a large area when you have to be able to get back after 2-3 hours skiing.
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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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Obergurgl in Austria, free for 8yrs and under. Also great apres-ski for children in Nederhutte; mine just love being given blow up guitars and being allowed to dance on the tables in their ski boots!
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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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tor, If you are looking at overall cost I would definitely look to Austria - it is an easy drive to for example Salzburgerland, no tolls to whack up the cost like France, lift passes are generally reasonable, you get good accomodation for a moderate price, eating on the hill is not too expensive, and if you go self catering, because they are "real" towns and villages shopping is quite good for food to cook for yourself to keep costs down.
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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,
If you're just looking at the pass prices have a look at Sainte Foy - their passes were free for aged 7 and under last year and I assume will for next year too.
Good luck!
Heather
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Whistler also offers free passes for kids, if you buy their early-season discount tickets (before Nov 15th).
The last couple of years, Mrs A and myself (who have no kids) have received these which we've given away.
I realise this might not be a "realistic drive" - but anyone else who's in Whistler the same time as us in 2011 (from 24 March) might want to take advantage of our charity!!
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| Acacia wrote: |
| Whistler also offers free passes for kids, if you buy their early-season discount tickets (before Nov 15th)... |
Not as stupid as it might at first seem. Many North American resorts have incredibly generous policies toward children. Not only are lift passes often free: in the past I've also enjoyed free acommodation, free equipment hire and free meals. A few years back I bagged some cheap flights to Big Sky and the child discounts were so wide-ranging that our overall holiday costs were actually lower than anything I could find in Europe.
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tor, lots of places do family rates - eg 2Alpes discounts 10% for two adults with minimum two children (must be your own children, no carting your nephews/nieces/cousins along). Look for the family deals.
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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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Went to Claviere a couple of years ago and kids under 8 were free. This was different to in Montgenevre about a mile down the road where they were only free under 6, even though if you bought the joint pass you were all skiing the same area.
I loved the idea of our 7 year old, who was quite happy on anything you point him down, red/black/moguls/off piste - skiing for free! It's the yorkshire woman in me!
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Just did some research on Italian resorts, and the Dolomiti superskipass, that includes Sella Ronda resorts ( Selva Arabba etc.) and Cortina is free for under 8s.
Edit : Sorry , just saw the driving from UK bit now 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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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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We went to Risoul with Erna Low this year and will be doing so again next year. Free lift passes for kids 11 and under with each adult pass certain weeks (we went early April). Not bad for highish altitude (Risoul is 1850) and 180kms of piste with plenty of patrolled tree skiing as well. The resort is cheap as well. We loved it.
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