 Poster: A snowHead
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Firstly, what a great forum. I have read lots of posts on here relating to my problem but so far none have been exactly the same.
I'm planning a ski holiday for 2 families both with 2 kids aged 9 and 6. I'm a good skier but no one else in the group is. We are hoping to drive to a resort and hire an apartment or chalet close to the centre to be walking distance to a ski school. The trip is planned for Easter 2012 (planning well ahead I know) and we want to book accommodation fairly soon so we can then start planning all the other bits. Easter is quite early next year so we are looking at starting the holiday on the 1st April for a week.
So the burning question - where to go? It has to be fairly close to Calais and have good snow in the areas that the easy skiing is in. I had decided on Les Houches but I've heard mixed reports about the skiing in April, especially at the lowest levels. Further up in Chamonix looks better for snow but I'm not sure if it is so good for learning - especially for the kids. It is quite steep up there! We are planning on splitting the drive over 2 days but even so, around 9 hours driving is about the limit. The DS batteries might go flat otherwise!
Any help would be much appreciated. Also, any advice on what to do with the kids would be very welcome. We are planning on signing them up for half day lessons but what can they do in the afternoon? Will the ski clubs look after them all day for us?
Many thanks
Chris
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Hi Chris, welcome to Snowheads
As many early bookers have discovered this season there's no such thing as guaranteed good snow, certainly lower down, although snow cannons do help but fluctuating temperatures can make for icy conditions.
My advice for Easter (early or late) would be to head high if going to the Alps, somewhere like Tignes comes to mind as fitting the bill and having easy access to beginners slopes if France is your bag 
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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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chriswg, welcome to Snowheads.
First, nowhere worth going to is near Calais - and a 45 minute difference here or there really isn't a big deal, on such a long drive.
Like Roga says, you need to be in a resort with access to high altitude skiing (though quite often conditions in early April will be fine, even lower down). I think some resorts will be straightforwardly shut in april - check their websites.
When you say "hire a chalet or apartment" are you thinking of catering for yourselves? It's quite difficult to find places big enough for 2 families - they exist, but tend to be pretty expensive. You might not pay much more for a catered option, if you shop around a bit.
As for the kids, in Austria ski school is often all day - but generally just mornings or afternoons in France. If you want the kids looked after all day you might be best looking at tour operators who specialise in families - will take kids to ski school, pick them up, organise them etc etc etc. You don't know how they'll take to skiing, obviously. If they're dead keen, ski school all day might suit them, but it's tiring at first. Stuff like toboganning, building snowmen, playing snowballs, is fun to do together and if the kids are not too keen on skiing that's your best bet if you want them to come home thinking that winter holidays are fun!
One other resort to look at, in France, would be Val Thorens (personally I wouldn't go for anywhere in the Chamonix Valley, including Les Houches, with your party (very few places will be within walking distance of a ski school)- and yes, Les Houches in April might be a bit low. Far more convenient, and nearby, if almost entirely devoid of character, is Flaine.
If you are the only good skier you might consider taking lessons too - somewhere like Tignes you could get some really top notch tuition. Might be a bit lonely, otherwise, just pootling around on your own.
Another fairly obvious resort suggestion is Val Thorens. More likelihood of super convenient ski in/out places there than in most resorts.
There will no doubt be other suggestions coming along.
However, if you are looking to rent from agencies in France my experience is that they won't even start thinking about next season till June at the earliest. They go into hibernation when resorts close in April.
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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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Welcome to 
Personally I dont feel you need to go as high as Tignes to get decent snow in early April. I have been over the Easter holidays for the last 10 years or so and always had reasonable snow and generally very good snow without going that high.
I reckon a decent array of Northish facing slopes is at least as important as height. A few trees can protect the young ones from the elements which can be more of a problem than lack of snow. I wouild not go somewhere with only low altitude skiing though.
Many ski schools will have child minding services, though with the ages your children are they may prefer all day ski school to being minded in the afternon whilst you are skiing.
If you have a car being close to the slopes with your accommodation is not so essential as you can drive if there is a car park nearby.
Several friends with children have been to La Thuile in April and really enjoyed it. It is through the Mont Blanc tunnel from Chamonix so should not be an excessive drive. The slopes are North & East facing with a beginners area in the village and good gentle skiing higher up if the village skiing is not so good.I believe the Planibel appartments are very convenient for the slopes, though the time I went I was in a hotel a litlte further away.
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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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pam w,
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It's quite difficult to find places big enough for 2 families - they exist, but tend to be pretty expensive. You might not pay much more for a catered option, if you shop around a bit.
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Not sure about that, when we first started skiing as two families we used to look for two adjacent appartments which worked fairly well. Nowadays we go for one large one as they are often cheaper and you get more living room.
(Might not be the case peak season in France but certainly at Easter it has worked out well, as well as Austria in feb)
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Nowadays we go for one large one
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Yes, that would be much better - room to all sit round one table. There are some good ones near us, in fact, very nice and close to piste, but they're well appointed and not cheap - and I wouldn't recommend the location for April, booked well in advance, though we've never had any problems.
For a first holiday, with everyone including the cooks trying to learn to ski, self catering for two families could be a bit of a mission (though I am an enthusiastic self caterer).
Two families, 7 people, shared our 2 bedroom apartment at half term but they were hard up and it was a bargain at £150 for the week. 
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You can drive from Calais to Austrian resorts in 11 hours straight - and I'd recommend there over France; we've taken our 6 year old twice - the ski schools are open all day and they get lunch, the instruction is excellent and pretty good value. Last year we went to Bad Hofgastein in April, self-catering, and got a great apartment and great snow.
I'd suggest several sessions at your nearest dry slope for the beginners too - don't waste precious time and money on the slopes learning how to do the basics...
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chriswg, I've been over easter with this company many times, from when my kids were about 3 onwards.
If you want they will collect the kids from ski school and look after them, or they have also met us at a pre-arranged place after the kids have had lunch and we've skied with the kids.
http://www.familyfriendlyskiing.com/
recommended company and the location is great for learning, and being north facing usually has good snow.
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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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I'm going to Les Deux Alpes, for the 5th year running, in April. Always had decent conditions, in fact last year there was too much snow, we got some almost every day in fact 50cm one day.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Have a look at the Zugspitz Arena in Austria.
1. At the northeren end of Austria, just over the German border, it is about 9 hours drive from Calais.
2. No Motorway tolls (guessing this will save about £100 on a return trip)
3. Great skiing for beginners, especially recommend the resort of Berwang, and furthermore the Hotel Thaneller, but self catering options available aplenty.
4. Guranteed skiing high up on the Zugspitz in case of poor conditions lower down, good bues and reds but nothing overly challenging up there.
5. If you have a car you will be able to easily explore the different resorts.
Fantastic family friendly place.
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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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I'd have thought the new village at 1950 in Les Arcs would be a safe bet. Not the nearest resort to calais but otherwise fits your requirements.
Montgenevre is very snow sure and has good ski schools. LInked to Claviere and the milky way. Some accommodation is ski to and from the door but the beginners would probably need to take the ski school bus the first few days. There is a budget hotel opposite ski school but we prefer the new self catering appartments slightly out of the village. It tends to be a lot less busy than the more well known resorts and this has been an important factor for us when our children have been learning to ski.
If you want childrens clubs etc. you might be better off going with one of the family skiing companies like family ski company, snow bizz or ski famille.
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Wow that a lot of great suggestions, thank you all very much. The general consensus seems to be that Chamonix isn't the best for our needs but there seem to be some excellent alternatives if we drive a couple more hours. My ideal scenario involved a big chalet with roaring log fire and a balcony with a hot tub overlooking Mont Blanc. Unfortunately we are trying to keep costs to a sensible level
I love the idea of a catered solution but everything I have seen has been ridiculously expensive to add this on. The thought of having to cook for 8 people after a long hard days skiing isn't great.
I can see another day being spent looking at the resorts suggested above. I went to Tignes on a school trip about 15 years ago. All I remember is we were 15 but the Wobbly Rabbit would serve us! Is it still there? I think I remember our accommodation was above Club Playboy.
Chris
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