 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi all,
Our daughter turns 3 on the 28th March so we'd like to have a skiing holiday where she comes with us next year instead of leaving her at her grans again 
Are there any places in Europe that time of year that still has good snow and worth skiing or will it mean a trip to USA or Canada to get reasonable snow.
We've also got a 6 year old who's only been on ski's once so I don't want anywhere too icy or slushy as I'm worried it may knock her confidence.
Thanks all,
Chappie
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Chapp1e,
When do you mean by late season? 28 March should be fine in lots of places. My own experience when my children were young was that spring warmth was something they thrived on and slush was not a problem.
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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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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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My own experience when my children were young was that spring warmth was something they thrived on and slush was not a problem.
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+1. That's not late, really, though maybe not the time for somewhere really low. There are absolutely heaps of resorts where you should get good conditions - you need to have slopes with a range of aspects (sunny ones for the morning, more shaded ones for later) and also, maybe, somewhere with a good comfortable gondola ride to high nursery slopes. will you be looking for the little one to ski, or just have fun in the snow? Policies of different ski schools vary
quite a bit.
28 March will be getting towards Easter, which might complicate things a bit. What sort of holiday are you looking for? DIY/package? Hotel/chalet/self catering?
There are loads of SHs with recent experience of taking small children on holiday, so you should get plenty of advice.
Welcome to Snowheads. 
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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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Thanks all,
Looks like we should be ok then as long as we look high.
Am happy to do package or diy so appreciate any recommendations, went to Les Arcs 1600 this year and had a great time but must admit would prefer a more village style location.
Reason we're waiting until her birthday is that we understand she can go into ski school from the age of 3 so would be great if she could start to learn or get some confidence on ski's, not sure how much they do at that age though, my 6 year old already likes to boast to my wife how much of a better skier she is then her 
Chappie
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Different ski schools vary and there has been a huge amount of discussion of this topic. If you do a forum search on some keywords you should find a lot (make sure you look carefully at all the options on the search page - people grumble about it, but it works quite well sometimes, if you tick the right boxes!!
If you want a proper "village" at the end of March, you'd need to be prepared to drive/bus or take lifts up to the snow if the conditions are not great. Which isn't ideal for small kids - it's nice if they can collapse at "home" as soon as their lessons are finished.
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Chapp1e,
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Looks like we should be ok then as long as we look high.
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To be honest you don't need to be that high most of the time, we have been skiing every Easter since the children were about 5 years old (Now 17 oldest) and we have never stayed above 1700m and most of the time a fair bit lower. Nursery slopes at resort level have been open every year though sometimes reliant on artificial snow.
It is nice to have access to reasonable altitude North facing skiing though. In warm years it is good to have a nusery slope up the mountain as well. It can get pretty soft at low levels in the afternoon.
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Want a traditional village, then again I say Vallandry. Ok its purpose built, but a nice stroll out is to take the Bucket Lift down to Peisey, which is very traditional
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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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we've skied till the end of the season (usually about 24 April), in a resort where the top skiing is only just over 2000m) every year since 2003. This year was poor, the weather (though fantastic for sitting on a terrace with a cold beer) was too hot, and there had been little snowfall throughout the year. We could still (just) ski down to our south facing apartment at 1550m at Easter but the conditions were not great and for the first time anyone could remember the resort closed earlier than planned. But that was in mid April; late March is generally great - my favourite time of year. Long days, still a good chance of fresh dumps of snow, the crowds have gone.
But still, if booking a holiday well in advance, I'd aim to go somewhere with skiing a bit higher, if possible.
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I would recommend Oz-en-Oisans. It has an excellent beginner slope with carpet for the 3yo and cable cars for uploading/downloading as required. It's a small "ski station" rather than a picturesque village though, which I'm not sure matches your criteria. It has a nice feel though and we like it all a out. Two kids now 4 & 6, we've been back end of the season last 3 years.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Higher is generally better and I've skied Hochgurgl/Obergurgl, Obertauern, Montgenevre, Flaine, and Avoriaz in mid April and all are usually fine due to the altitude, but I've also skied lower resorts like Saalbach/Hinterglemm in the first week of April and that was OK too.
You could always go sooner and go to a hotel with organised childcare/crèche. We've taken our son (4 in Feb) to the Hotel Riml at Hochgurgl, the Ellmauhof in Hinterglemm and the Falkenstiener Cristallo in Katschberg.
In our experience all were great and used English speaking qualified nannies and generally have a better ratio of nannies to children then we get in the UK, but the best would probably be the Cristallo (we've booked to go back in Jan) and the Ellmauhof.
Mini me couldn't wait to get there in the mornings and when we went for him at lunch, he always wanted to go back even if we were planning on doing something as a family.
If hotels are not your thing, we went to Montgenevre this April for easter and used the ESF Piou Piou club. Look for apartments in the Hammeu d' Obelisk (sorry for misspellings!) part of the village and you can book via TO or do DIY. I've got a friend who lives there with his family and runs a holiday company called go-montgenevre and they organise all the transfers, accommodation, passes, booking ESF, kids clubs etc, but not the flights.
The ESF Piou Piou costs 150€ ish for mornings or more for the full day and the girls were great as they were with the hotel ran crèches. There was always something for the children to do and they put on loads of different activities every day so the kids are never bored, both inside and also outside on the snow.
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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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Depending on what you're looking for (i.e. extra kids clubs after skiing, kids meal times etc), I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Ski Esprit for a family trip. Maybe not the cheapest option but excellent in my experience - although with it being so close to Easter you may struggle for availability as I struggled a couple of weeks ago booking for the 1st week in April. Ended up booking Tignes with them in a chaelt, although we did the Chalet Hotel Annahof in Saas Fee with them earlier this year, but unfortunately this was already fully booked.
Saas fee was great by the way in late March - even had 30cm of fresh snow whilst we were there while other parts of the Alps were still suffering.
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Chapp1e, I can second the recommendation for Ski Esprit. We took our (then) 4 and 1yr old to Crystal 2000, Courchevel last December. The 4yr old was in their kids club and Spritelets on the afternoon. In the Spritelets a member of Esprit staff go with them to their ski lesson, when we went there were only 3 of them in the group (and the other 2 were 3), she had a fantastic time. She also loved the kids club and we desperate to go there from 7:30 in the morning.
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You know it makes sense.
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Hi Chapp1e,
Most 3 year olds will enjoy having a go at skiing and will be keen to learn.
The most important thing, in my opinion, is not to expect too much. At that age the aim should be to persuade them to like skiing rather than to actively teach them something - many 3 year olds spend the week in the snow garden and love it. 2 hours of skiing a day is usually enough, with some sledging or snowman building in the afternoon, but each child is different.
Easter is a great time to go because it is warmer which makes everything much more enjoyable for the little ones.
Happy planning!
Heather
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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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Poster: A snowHead
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We took our first trip to Kaprun, Austria at Easter some 12 years ago, with our 8 and 6 yr old as was. high up and all day ski school for the kids if they are up for that with the option to meet up with them for lunch. First morning was a bit manic as first timers, getting kitted up and getting up the mountain, but thereafter it went very smoothly. We found the kids ski school tuition fantastic and care first rate.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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you could consider Snow Bizz - we went for 4 years at Easter with them when our kids were young and they were great, it's virtually ski to your door, and well priced too, they have only one resort Puy St Vincent which is quite high and used late in the season for the British Ski Championships because it has an excellent late season snow record.
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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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Thanks everyone,
Really interested in the Ellmauhof that Mauddib recommended in Hinterglemm, Saalbach, anyone have experience of the snow here at Easter?
Many thanks,
Nick
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Chapp1e,
No, must admit that I would want fairly detailed resports of whatr April snow is like before choosing other than for a late booking .Although I have never been persuaded that you need glacial heights at Easter, Saalbach is fairly low, and a lot if its slopes are south facing.
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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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I would want fairly detailed resports of whatr April snow is like before choosing other than for a late booking
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+1. The fact that somebody once had 2 metres of fresh powder on April 20th is beside the point, really. In our resort (which I wouldn't recommend for Easter) we have skied every Easter for 10 years. One or two have been epic, one or two (including last year) rubbish and most "Ok but not ideal".
If I HAD to book an Easter holiday now, of the resorts I know, I'd book Tignes or Val Thorens - because ideally you want somewhere with plenty of high altitude skiing, not far from your accommodation. Not somewhere with a few high slopes, possibly a ride away (bus or lots of of lifts) where all the low altitude skiers for miles around will be thrashing around together. But I'm not fond of either Tignes or Val Thorens and would be more likely to wait, and stay flexible. If there is good late season snow - which is more than possible - late March is often much better than Christmas/New Year - you'll have a huge range of choice throughout the Alps.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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On the other hand some of us are very fond of Tignes. There is also a specialist kids ski school (les Marmottons.com) that takes them from 2 and a half. They have various programmes for whichever age group the little one fits in and at that time of the year Tignes will be snowsure.
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Chapp1e,
Remember that for these dates you'll need to head high in Europe but in doing so you will make it harder on your 3 yr old due to the altitude. Tignes & Val Thorens are superb but at 2100m+ in resort you may find nosebleeds / headaches not uncommon. I've suffered as have plenty of others I know.
I would personally look at Whistler. 600m above sea level so no altitude issues in resort, English speaking instruction and the most friendly place ever. There is also other stuff to do once your kids have had enough skiing for the day - cinemas, pools in most hotels, snow castle to play on, etc.
The gondola on Whistler mountain serves a purpose built area where Whistler Kids is based. It also means you can download them on the gondola to avoid the slush at the bottom of the runs rather than risk injury with their tired limbs.
PM me if you want specific info.
Good luck !
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Remember that for these dates you'll need to head high in Europe but in doing so you will make it harder on your 3 yr old due to the altitude. Tignes & Val Thorens are superb but at 2100m+ in resort you may find nosebleeds / headaches not uncommon. I've suffered as have plenty of others I know.
I would personally look at Whistler. 600m above sea level so no altitude issues in resort, English speaking instruction and the most friendly place ever.
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Hmmm, whereas I would not book in advance to a low resort (unless perhaps it had access to high skiing), I certainly don't think you need to be up as high as Tignes / Val Thorens, personally I have always gone a bit lower.
My own experience of being with young kids at that age is I would rather go to a place with a bit of altitude in Europe than have to look after hyper active kids in the wrong time zone in the middle of the night. (Particularly on return when you have to be at work the next day). Though I guess everyone has different experiences.
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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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Thanks Snowmonkey, looking again Canada/USA is probably a bit out of our price range this year so sticking with Europe. Have skiied Whistler before, amazing place and loved it so keento go back.
T Bar, thanks for your advice, altitude of Saalbach is making me think twice at the moment so still looking at slightly higher resorts but that hotel does tick a lot of our boxes. We're thinking of driving across anyway and making a trip of it, I've just checked and Zell Am See is only 20 minutes away so gives more food for thought.
Thanks for all the responses 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Chapp1e, good choice! Which ski school do you want to put the children in or do you already have a package? There are three in resort: two are very good and the third is at best variable, at worst downright dangerous. Shame really as the owner is a damned good instructor.
The other two schools both have qualified kindergarten teachers amongst their Ski Kindergarten instructors. I know both of the schools well and your children will have a ball.
You are in a true ski in/ski out hotel there as well! The Eule is in a perfect location for the first apres Glühwein but be prepared for loud Alpine cheesey music, but it is all part of the fun and games! If the youngest needs to go back to the hotel you are literally only a few steps away as well.
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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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Thanks Sue,
It was one of your previous responses to someone else post that's helped us decide on alpendorf actually!
We're not doing a package so would really appreciate the info on the ski schools and which one to avoid.
Is the hotel as nice as it seems? we were torn between that one and the hotel alpendorf but this one won because of the child care etc.
Can't wait
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Chapp1e, It is a very nice hotel and brilliantly convenient for a holiday with a very small child.
The two schools I would recommend are the Rot-Weiß-Rot who have a huge Ski Kindergaten area at the top of the bubble to the Gernkogl (right by your hotel) and the Ski School Alpendorf (Pirnbacher it used to be called). They wear blue uniforms. Both have an excellent programme for very young children which includes all day supervision including supervised lunch breaks. I know that the Rot-Weiß-Rot school have trained nursery teachers/assistants working for them, including native speaker English ones. I believe the Blue school have the same standard, but I do not know for sure about the native-speaker English instructors. I have a long association with the Rot-Weiß-Rot ski School going back to the 1980s, so I am biased in their direction. My first contact with a ski school in the area was however with the Blue school and I have only ever heard good reports of them since and never seen anything dubious or alarming going on.
I will PM you with the name of the school to avoid. I have all to often seen too many disasters with their instructors to honestly or safely recommend them. I think it is a great shame as I know the senior instructors and they are good instructors, so it is a managerial problem I believe that lets it down.
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You know it makes sense.
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Would agree with Layne that Oz-en-Oisans is a good choice with a 3 year old. The ski kindergarten is located right next to Chalet des Neiges for instance http://www.peakretreats.co.uk/ski/oz-en-oisans/apartments/le-chalets-des-neiges.htm. If you want more traditional in style Vaujany which is on the same ski area as Oz and Alpe d'Huez is popular with families too. Agree that Peisey is a good choice too. As pretty much everyone has said 28/3 is not considered as late season and soft snow is good for little ones so in fact you have quite a wide choice of resorts, in France anyhow.
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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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XPeak, Chapp1e, Has already booked ski in/ski out hotel with childcare! In Austria.
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