Which resort for children's tuition

A snowHead

My back is aching from a week of skiing nursery slopes with a toddler between my skis (some of it backwards even.) I have a place in a small resort in Switzerland and my daughters send the grandchildren out for their "annual ski holiday." The trouble is that it is not a big enough resort to sustain group lessons through the season, and even at peak period group lessons tend to be in French and the non-French speaking children get ignored. So far I've got three of them up to basic snowplough, turn left, turn right, and stop. But there are another three to follow (or more, for all I know!) I am seriously thinking of paying for the whole clan for a week (or even two) next winter in a resort where they would get group lessons in ENGLISH SPEAKING SKI SCHOOL. It would have to be in the school holidays. In some ways North America works. But my experience of N Am is that the accommodation isn't necessarily near the lifts, and you need a car. I would want to avoid that additional stage of herding them all into hire cars, parking and unloading at the lifts. I was thinking of Andorra.

Any suggestions? Specific resorts, specific accommodation, tips on booking for a party of, say, twelve? Can you negotiate with operators? Can you tie it up well in advance? Self-drive is feasible. But flights not ruled out. Tour operator or DIY? I get some travel concessions as a travel industry pensioner; one of the daughters works for BA, so flight costs are not necessarily a deal-breaker, but otherwise cost is important.

I think that a week of proper ski school instruction (the group experience is so much more effective with children than merely telling them what to do) would lay a good foundation for all the descendants to get much more out of their annual visits to "Grandpa's snowy home."

A snowHead

Would also be interested in recommendations - my daughter having had a really bad experience 2 years ago with ESF has refused to ski since - she fancies trying again next year (will be 7 then) and instead of returning to les arcs (or Lech as we had hoped) we are planning the holiday around where we can get really good ski lessons for 6/7 year old. - Everything open main criteria is English Ski school (not English speaking) ideally a female instructor and I was thinking private lessons to build her confidence.

I have contacted Charlotte at easiski - you might also want to try her I hear she is very good.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

Les Gets, lessons with BASS. Book early.

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Hmm. There was a thread recently about a terrific children's ski school - where was it? Austria somewhere? My experience of kids group lessons in BASS Les Gets was good, but that was yonks ago.

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

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rob@rar, sarah, thanks to both of you. Please keep it coming. I am book-marking this thread.

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After all it is free

planeurge, why not get your daughter to get them a course in a fridge? Ours went from nothing to pretty confidently skiing blue runs on their first day by having a course of 4 lessons at Cas then a couple of 2 hour sessions of practice.

But as far as ski schools go we also had a poor experience with ESF at age 5 so gave up for a bit, but then 5 years later went to Avoriaz and had lessons with Freedom2Ski. Highly recommended - confident on reds and even the occasional black by the end of the week.

When we first learnt it was at Mayrhofen. We went for two weeks, and did ski-school morning and afternoon. We could ski pretty well anything on piste by the end of that holiday. Is all-day ski-school a speciality of Austria? Do Snowheads have opinions about its efficacy? Probably not for toddlers, but the nine year old needs improving on his rodeo-style, wide-stance, rapid descent over the jumps with one hand in the air, and the five and six-year olds could cope with it too.

We never went back to Mayrhofen. The memory of hour-long queues for the first cable car in the morning put us off.

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planeurge, North America can work - Whistler - and DD had her first lessons there. The resort setup is like a European resort and you don't need a car. Thye downside is the 9 to 10 hour flight and 8 hours of jetlag but we won't talk about that! However, DD has also had lessons with British instructors at BASS in Morzine and LGS in Les Gets and they have both been great.

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Catherine Pouppeville in Flaine has a very good reputation and is fluent in English. I believe she is therefore very popular so like the others recommended above you would need to book early.

http://www.skicat74.com/english-version.html

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planeurge,
Agree withgeetee,

Fernie is a great place to learn. Good for little kids aas they have group lessons for very youg kids which not all ski schools have.

On hill, ski-in ski out accomodation. Great runs for aspiring skiers, there is an easy chairlift called deer which services a load of lovely tree lined greens and lots of little runs within the trees

planeurge, Another for Whistler - great instruction and a walk anywhere resort if you choose accommodation sensibly.

I love the trackers that they put on all the kids so you can see their ski tracks online that night and talk about what they have been doing and see it on the map. Not to mention a great place for you to ski. BA Direct flights from Heathrow (only) are ok if they are flying as the do tend to strike on School holidays - not been any for awhile so not sure is steam is beginning to boil or maybe they have got staff relations licked. Maybe your Daughter would know better. Air Canada flights get in earlier, so time to get kit organised before sleeping, they are all shut if going on BA. However it does mean you go back later and we managed to get 5hrs skiing in on return day before dashing off to the bus.

The jet lag was no problem to ours as it certainly made sure that they were up and at them for the first lifts, with a few hours to spare. Shocked

You know it makes sense.

Serfaus, rated as one of the best, if not the best, resort for families in Austria. Not that many Brits there but heard loads of the instructors speaking to kids in English.

Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:

planeurge, I have seen Catherine Poupeville on the slopes in Flaine a few times, the kids with her seem to be having fun and skiing very nicely, so worth looking at.
Also have a look at Soldeu/El Tarter in Andorra, most of the instructors are UK/Irish or antipodeans, and teach the Canadian method, I have had adult lessons there, also after having had the bad side of ESF playing follow the leader with 14 others ( it was half term but still crap, asked for and got my money back after the 2nd morning Very Happy

) Best hotels in Soldeu the Sport groups 2 locations at the gondola station.

A snowHead

Austria Austria Austria or Austria

Of course someone will be along in a minute to suggest Austria

A snowHead

Another reccomendation for Charlotte, http://easiski.com/ (not the .co.uk one, different company). My 8 year old had a great time with her last Easter.

Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?

I don't think Charlotte does teenies.

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But would sort the 9 and 7 year old

Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.

I'm trying NewGeneration for my daughter at half term. I have done a lot of research and spoken to people who have used them and they seem to be highly recommended. They are based in a few resorts. Here is their web page http://www.skinewgen.com/

Help!!

Which resort for children's tuition

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