 Poster: A snowHead
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Hi, i plan on driving from the south of England to a first time snowboarding trip in the French Alps.
My wife and i will be taking my 5 month old son with us. She will not be skiing/boarding but i will. I was thinking of Meribel due to the fact that others have said that it's good and has a lot of options for beginners.
We'd want to self cater and would prefer a small cottage or chalet over an apartment. We have a budget of 650 euros for accommodation for a week. Does this sound feasible?
We would be leaving from East Sussex so are unsure if Newhaven-Dieppe would be preferable to Dover-Calais?
Is Meribel a good location to have a car?
Could anyone advise on alternatives? We are driving due to the fact that we think it would be more practicable for taking a baby than airports and the associated transfers. If there's anywhere better for driving to or for beginners to learn etc, then advice would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Sorry- posted in wrong section.
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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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Don Logan, welcome to Snowheads.  There are a great many far better options than Meribel, which is not best placed for beginners, by a long way. And if you are self-catering, if you want to be anywhere near the slopes, and have a budget of 650 euros, you can forget a chalet - they cost a whole heap more.
However, that budget will be more than adequate for a nice apartment, provided you steer clear of the French school hols, which are mid Feb - mid March and don't insist on going to the most expensive resorts, with far more skiing than you'll need and high prices for everything.
Tell us a bit more about what sort of thing you'd like, and in particular what your wife would like to be able to spend her days doing, with the baby, and I'm sure we'll be able to suggest lots of far better options than Meribel. It could be pretty lonely for her in an apartment. Does she really not want to have a go at skiing or boarding herself?
Are you a complete beginner snowboarder?
What's your budget for the whole trip?
Sorry about the catalogue of questions - but it helps to ensure you get sensible advice.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Thanks Pam.
Yeah i'm a complete beginner. A lot of skateboarding and surfing in my time though, hopefully that may help? I'll be up for a few hours of lessons on the first day too. I'd like somehwere with the chance to push myself a bit if I wanted to though.
Our dates would be from 9th-16th February. I hope that beats the french school holidays?
We're not worried about staying in expensive resorts and aren't concerned about apres ski. My wife would like to have a few ski lessons if childcare can be arranged occasionally. Other than that, she'd like to spend the days chilling and whatever looking around she can do with the baby in tow. As said, we'll have a car if that helps.
I dont mind a shortish walk to slopes if it helps make the accommodation cheaper. I don know what's considered a long walk to the slopes though.
Hopefully this is enough info?
Thanks again.
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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 may have better ideas but I quite liked Morzine when my children were young. Although we never used the child care facilities, friends of ours did and I believe there is still a very good English speaking nursery there. It is a proper `town` so there`s lots to do other than just skiing/boarding and there is easy access to high snow if you need it at Avoriaz.
There are plenty of apartments which certainly used to be very reasonable off peak, and easy parking at Les Prodains for Avoriaz (again unless the new lifts have altered this?) Parking in Morzine itself can be difficult so do check your accommodation has some.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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Thanks, i've checked out a few apartment options and they all hike up for the week of 8-16 feb. Is this due to school holidays?
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Don Logan, could well be the first week of English Half Term. AVOID.
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Don Logan, French holidays start on Feb 16th this year, so that week won't be super busy regardless of English half term. As a beginner boarder I'd find somewhere with a dedicated board school if I were you as otherwise the tuition is likely to be pants and you'll end up with the usual collection of bad habits.
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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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In Essex half term is the following week, could be half term elsewhere in the UK though.
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Indeed I`ve just been told its half term in Bristol that week for example.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Is half-term in Northants that week 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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Avoid mid feb , school holidays all over Europe , last week in jan , first week in feb I personally think are the best times to head to France, for a first time flaine is a fair bet, around 260km of piste , bit of a concrete jungle of apartment blocks but some pretty good last min deals to be had .
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Thanks, I had a look at flaine and there doesn't seem to be much to do for non skiers.
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You know it makes sense.
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And we'd be gojng for the second week in February, is that likely to be an issue with crowding in resorts and on roads?
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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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Don Logan, main half-terms across UK and France starts 16th - week before you should be ok
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Poster: A snowHead
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Some owners, especially UK ones, have twigged that part of the UK is off that week and raised prices. I've booked a foreign owned apartment in Alpe D'Huez which sleeps 4 inc separate bedroom for under £400 (It's almost double the next week). I don't expect it to be too busy, French and British aren't on holidays although Belgians are.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
there doesn't seem to be much to do for non skiers.
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no, I don't think there is, but Meribel wouldn't be any better. What would your wife actually want to do?
Surely if you take it in turns to look after the baby, you'd both be able to get some lessons in? It's going to be a bit of a miserable week for her, otherwise.
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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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| Quote: |
Surely if you take it in turns to look after the baby, you'd both be able to get some lessons in? It's going to be a bit of a miserable week for her, otherwise.
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A good point. How come you're the only one who gets to have any fun?
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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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| pam w wrote: |
| Quote: |
there doesn't seem to be much to do for non skiers.
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no, I don't think there is, but Meribel wouldn't be any better. What would your wife actually want to do?
Surely if you take it in turns to look after the baby, you'd both be able to get some lessons in? It's going to be a bit of a miserable week for her, otherwise. |
I said in my second post that we'd want childcare occasionally so that my wife can get some lessons. And of course we'd take turns in looking after him. I mentioned thatdI'd like to go snowboarding but have no friends interested or in a position to go. She suggested driving to the alps for a trip and change of scenery.
We'd only do this if there was something else to do other than skiing as she's not that keen on the idea but wouldn't mind a few lessons. Seeing as there haven't really been any solid suggestions on affordable resorts with other activities (walks, museums, towns, swimming pool, spa, etc. I dont expect such a place exists, which is understandable as these places exist due to skiing. Can anyone suggest anywhere to look at or should we just save it for a time when our son is older or I can go with others that want to ski?
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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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A town like Briancon would provide some interest (though still a bit lonely for someone with just a baby for company) but being in the middle of a town usually means being a bit further from the slopes. If you OH is not keen on the whole enterprise you might find it hard to organise something which would keep everybody happy. If you knew another couple with a young baby who wanted to do something similar it could be a lot more fun.
Les Gets is a nice little place (and IIRC it has a museum of mechanical music toys, or something similar) with good skiing and several good ski schools. You should be able to rent an apartment for your budget, provided it's not in the French school hols. A number of snowheads know Les Gets very well and could point you in the right direction. It would be a much better choice than Meribel, I think.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
You'll need to Register first of course.
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My own view is that alpine ski resorts are pretty rubbish places for a holiday if you aren't skiing. Plus a few things you say that make me think it isn't right for you.
"i'd be up for a few hours of lessons on the first day".
To get anywhere snowboarding for the first time you will need to really have a week of lessons. The most common is morning lessons from 9 ish to 12 30 ish. You will not enjoy the holiday if you try to get by without. Plus you will probably get thrown off the lifts if you show you don't how how to get on and off safely.
You also say a budget of accommodation of 650 euros. How much budget do you have for the other ski stuff costs?
A lift pass for you will be 150 - 200 quid. You will have to get your wife some sort of lift pass as well if you do let her go skiing / boarding.
Snowboard hire.
Clothes, helmet, googles will not be that cheap either.
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Hmm, think i'll leave it then. Thanks anyway.
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Just a suggestion but you could consider going to the Alps for a late spring holiday? There are many lovely places to visit and things to do. You might want to drive up to a ski resort and book a couple of half day snow boarding lessons with a private instructor as a part of the holiday . It would mean you could try the boarding but still have a largely family orientated holiday
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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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Hi Don,
I've done this several times from west Kent, spent the New Year week in the French Alps.
| Don Logan wrote: |
| I was thinking of Meribel |
Never been to Meribel so you'll have to take other advice; however, this time we stayed in Le Mollard (Albiez-Montrond) in the Haute-Maurienne, I can thoroughly recommend it for a complete beginner.  It's also well above 1500m so, although we had blazing sunshine every day except one, and we could see plenty of melt-water in the streams, we had good snow cover without any dreaded 'brown patches'. In similar weather, somewhere like Morzine is barely 1000 metres and ime you'd find yourself trekking up to Avoriaz every day. Only thing perhaps to bear in mind about the Albiez-Montrond area is it's very French - we were the only English there 'til the last day of the week. We stayed in a comfortable, if standard, French ski apartment at http://www.hameaudesaiguilles-albiez.com/
| Don Logan wrote: |
| unsure if Newhaven-Dieppe would be preferable to Dover-Calais? |
If you can afford it, I'd choose the Chunnel over even Dover-Calais. In the summer, boating over is a pleasant way of having breakfast; in winter and given you've a good 500-600 miles to cover, the last thing I want to be doing is lurching around on the sea for even an hour-and-a-half, never mind the length of time Newhaven-Dieppe takes. And I don't suffer from sea-sickness.
Moreover, ideally you want the A26 autoroute (cheaper tolls than the A1/A6 alternative that Google Maps will give you), which is off the end of the exit from Calais ferry terminal and a short distance from the French Chunnel terminal.
| Don Logan wrote: |
| We are driving due to the fact that we think it would be more practicable for taking a baby than airports and the associated transfers. |
Depends on what you can afford. We took our son to Switzerland when he was six months old. If you fly with a Swiss airline, you surrender your luggage at Heathrow and you won't see it again 'til your Swiss room.  You've heard the joke in which Heaven is organized by the Swiss? It's true - we flew from Heathrow to Zurich, trained from Zurich airport to the central station, had a leisurely coffee 'til our train to Chur departed, changed there to a narrow-gauge train to Arosa and were picked up at that station by the hotel minibus; as I say, our luggage was at the hotel. On the way back, the hotel wanted our luggage in reception by 10.30 a.m.; we saw it again on the carousel at Heathrow. Moreover, our son travelled in his baby-seat, which could be restrained by a standard airline seatbelt and fitted into a pushchair-type frame - the frame was surrendered at the door of the aircraft, carried in the aircraft hold and returned to us at Zurich airport; naturally, on return to Heathrow, I had to carry my son's baby-seat for bl**dy miles from the aircraft to baggage reclaim. 
| emwmarine wrote: |
| To get anywhere snowboarding for the first time you will need to really have a week of lessons. |
Absolutely. No question. Couldn't agree more. From personal experience, I've done the "one lesson" and the "week of lessons"; the former is an utter waste of money.
| emwmarine wrote: |
A lift pass for you will be 150 - 200 quid. You will have to get your wife some sort of lift pass as well if you do let her go skiing / boarding.
Snowboard hire.
Clothes, helmet, googles |
As a complete beginner, look for a package that includes everything - board hire, lessons, pass, kit (although you might have to provide your own "googles"  ). Even kitting yourself out at somewhere like TK Maxx or Decathlon, you won't get much change out of £150 each; if it turns out you don't like boarding (and it's harder to learn than skiing - yes, I do both), what would you do with the kit?
| Don Logan wrote: |
| alternatives? |
Well, if I've persuaded you that flying with a small baby isn't impossible, how about Finland? Gentler slopes than the Alps, no precipices to fall off, they all speak better English than the French, smaller classes, child-care is fabulous - no need for you and your wife to alternate and ... uh ... snow-sure, which certainly the lower Alps aren't.  Ime and mho, Yllas is the best (we're going again at half-term ) for both beginners and Other Things To Do, Levi is not so good for beginners but ok for Other Things To Do, Ruka is good for beginners if you're both boarding or skiing but limited for OTTD, Sala and Iso-Syote are just good if you're both boarding or skiing - although Iso has the most fabulous hotel on top of the mountain.
Otoh, if you're still set on driving to the Alps, bear in mind you must carry tyre chains; pm or e-mail me if you want any advice on things like where to buy cheap French fuel, Telepeage tolls, motels, etc.
Hth.
Regards,
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I would leave it to be honest too. I know people do take babies to the slopes but for me it would be hell, especially the drive.
Wait until the kid is a little older and you can learn together 
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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In your position I'd choose a small resort good for beginners and accessible by the direct ski train (Sainte Foy maybe?). We took our eldest on the Direct Eurostar ski train when he was 10 months old and it was a relaxing way to travel with a baby.
I wouldn't personally take a baby on such a long car journey but I know others will disagree. Furthermore if it is your first time snowboarding and your baby is waking you at night you will probably be quite tired by the end of the week and maybe the last thing you will want to do is drive back.
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