UKC

I'd be grateful for some advice on what to do and where to go!
I'm alright on skis, at least I was a long time ago and could manage the red and black runs fine. My kids are 9 & 12 and generally don't mind getting stuck in, they have never skied nor has my wife.
I've decided that February half term would be a good time to take us all skiing, somewhere alpine, ideally flying out of Manchester and probably self catering although I love the idea of being cooked and cleaned for.

Where would the sage minds of ukc recommend? I don't mind doing some teaching how to ski but it's also be nice to get the three of them taught asap and avoid the inevitable arguments and upset when it isn't going well. I'm not really into leaving the kids in a 'creche' (eldest hates clubs etc) but I'd like to be able to have the odd few hours out on my own and not worry about leaving the three of them to manage (assuming they can get up and down the mountain without any trouble)...

Thanks

In reply to mangoletse:

Les Contamines is a lovely family friendly resort with lots for all grades ans ability. I took my kids there together with my nephew and niece, when they were learning.

Otherwise somewhere in Austria like Salbach/Hinterglem which is friendly with great apres ski which you all might enjoy.

In reply to mangoletse:

We took my son who was 9 at the time to Les Gets and it was perfect, English speaking ski school and a very beginner friendly area. He really took to it and hasn't looked back since.

The following year we went to Chamrousse, small and not much English spoken but a good area and he was happy to be the only one in ski school that spoke English.

All depends on your budget, we do it for a fraction of the cost by booking an apartment direct and driving out.

Be aware some places offer free ski passes for children in the first levels of ski school and some don't, it can make a big difference.

I would drop wife and son at ski school in the morning and go play for a couple of hours and then accept I would just bimble around with them in the afternoon. It was a great investment as I now love skiing with my son.

In reply to mangoletse:

I'd consider one of the smaller resorts or a linker resort where your wife and kids can get a cheap local pass which will probably be ample and you can get a full area pass.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Second that..

Morzine is hard to beat on that front imho

In reply to mangoletse:

I'd recommend they do a beginners' course in a snowdome at home (if you have one nearby) before the holiday so that they have a head start and can at least do basic skiing from the first day of the trip. Then morning lessons during the holiday so that you are free to ski at your level for half the day and can meet up with them to pootle around in the afternoon.

Trying to teach them to ski yourself sounds like a recipe for family disharmony/disaster and you will probably get frustrated by their lack of ability and the constraint to your ambitions if you stick together all day.

I'd book up your ski-school sessions in the resort as early as possible too, as if you wait until you arrive they could well be completely booked out over the Feb half-term.

In reply to mangoletse:

If you intend to give your kids lessons at half term I'd book them in advance, don't rely on being able to do it once you get there, everyone in Europe with kids will be skiing that week!

If you want your kids to learn to ski well and quickly get them private lessons, if you want time to yourself to go off and have some fun put them in a group lesson. They will learn more in a 1.5 hr private lesson than half a day in a group but you'll have less time on your own. They will also cost about the same.

I'd recommend a ski in ski out resort for a first family holiday when its all new to everyone, its just so much less faff than staying in a 'real' town where you have to get on and off shuttle buses carrying skis.
If you go to France lookout for "Salle Hors Sac" areas which are becoming increasingly common. These are picnic rooms on the hill where you can eat a packed lunch rather than emptying out your wallet for a small amount of food in a mountain restaurant.

In reply to mangoletse:

Check out Pendleskiclub if you live anywhere near. Mon/Wed/Fri 1.5hr eve lessons, just turn up to any. Cheap as chips and will get them going so you can make the most of your holiday.

Taking my youngest daughter there at the moment. Well worth traveling to.
Robb

In reply to mangoletse:

Have a look at one of the Grand Massif resorts (Morillon Flaine etc.) Plenty of cruisy skiing and a short transfer from Geneva.

In reply to mangoletse:

bansko in Bulgaria, a few of us had a beginners trip there and they had a good mix of beginners slopes with one black run for more experienced skiers, quite cheap as its further east and in Feb we had fresh snow every morning. Good for kids too. We booked as a package online with crystal ski

In reply to mangoletse:

Also remember that skiing takes a lot of effort when you are learning, so maybe worth having other things to do for a few afternoons to let the beginners rest a bit. Or lots of hot chocolate stops! It's easy to forget how hard skiing is at the beginning!

As for resorts, Les Gets has lots for learners while having access to the Portes du Soleil if you want it

In reply to mangoletse:

We do the opposite of the main advice here, to go somewhere small, and go to chamonix every year. It started as we went with people who had no interest in skiing so being in a town was best, with lots of other things to do. Now we have an additional little one who had just turned 3 so one of us is looking after him whilst the other skis with the older kids. Not keen on leaving him in a creche at the moment as its nice to have a real chance to spend time together, however, really looming forward to him getting into ski school in the coming years so we can all ski as a group.

When we 1st went the older ones were 8 and 10 and had never skied. They went to ESF and got on really well (they don't speak French but enjoyed it all). Last couple of years they havn't gone to lessons, just enjoyed skiing with us.
1st time we got private lessons with some friends for the adults as I'd never skiied before but the others had (i got a group intro lesson at snow dome before going, well worth it as the 1st day of falling over and being useless is wasted in the alps). Private lessons work out the same price as joining group lessons if there are more than 3 of you.

The advantage of Chamonix is there are nursery slopes in the town for the kids to get straight on and then loads of alternatives if the weather is crap or the kids are not feeling it one day: Ice skating, cafes, museum, gear shops (the kids are maybe less interested), sports centre, Montenvers. Cost wise when we've compared to the other big resorts its similar and we have often found cheap, good central accomodation. Also loads to do in the evenings.

Obvious downsides are queues and hassle to get to other ski areas and sometimes a walk to the lifts with gear.

Would like to find smaller resorts once the little one is able to enjoy ski school or skiing well enough to ski with us.

Whatever you choose have a great time. Skiing with the kids brilliant.

In reply to mangoletse:

Best piece of advice is make sure the accommodation is ski in ski out. Carrying skis any distance with a grumbling spouse in ski boots is the best way to turn them off for the week.

I taught my kids and we all really enjoyed the experience. My daughter is now doing a season in Verbier and those three days I spent one2one with her aged seven with the world's tiniest snowboard remain the amongst the most rewarding days of my life.

But don't attempt this unless you ski/board at a high level*. And your spouse is much more likely to appreciate a professional instructor (for a number of reasons).


*see what I did there

In reply to Badgers:


Chamonix is good for non skiers and great for experienced skiers but its a real bloody faff with non of the areas linking up and all that wandering about in ski boots carrying skis to bus stops and queing (French style) to fight your way on to them. It wastes a huge amount of time and is something you put up with for the quality of the skiing but really not great for a first family holiday, it also tends to get worse weather than most other places.

Nothing beats the convenience of stepping out the front door of your apartment, putting your skis on and sliding down to the nearest lift and skiing back to your front door at the end of the day.

In reply to mangoletse:

Go to a smaller resort ( cheaper lift passes) with ski in and out accommodation. Morzine is sprawling and IMHO not as ideal as some suggest above. Avoriaz would be better. Chamonix is wasted on beginners and getting around different sectors is harder with kids/family. Get English speaking instructor... Andorra seems to have lots.

I personally would go at Easter rather than February half term if I had the choice..... warmer usually and longer days.

Valmorel would suit. Le Corbier... ugly but functional. Valmeinier..OK but you may find few UK operators who go there. Risoul/ Les Orres? There's loads!
Flaine probably one of the more suitable bigger resorts.

In reply to mangoletse:

We took our children from around three years old onwards and have been with many ski families over the years. Here are some possible options and thoughts:

- I would also suggest Easter, usually more sunshine days. Feb half term is great for snow conditions but weather can be off putting if youngsters are not used to winter mountain weather or do not have really good kit.
- Adults take a small rucksack with lots of snacks and flasks for hot chocolate. Picnic packed lunches are a good idea too, provide a lovely break.
- Perhaps consider driving down. ( Obviously this is a less desirable option from Manchester area. From Calais to, for example, Les Gets is about 8 hours. You can take extra fun gear with you and then have a lot more flexibility with resorts. For example; Les Gets is a nice town to be based with great skiing from the village - you can park 1-2 minutes walk from a chair lift / cabin. Within 15-20 minutes you can drive to Morzine or access the high areas of Avoriaz if the snow lower down is not so good. You can also ski into Switzerland. If you want to avoid the crowds then Praz de Lys is a beautiful small and quiet resort about 20 minutes drive way and, for variety, it is not far to Flaine either.
- Excellent snow shoeing ( with lifts to take you high ) can add variety to the holiday. Some resorts also offer ice diving and ice climbing experiences.
- Sometimes booking a larger catered chalet for several families can be a great and surprisingly cheap option. Other children / friends provide entertainment and many of the large chalets will have table tennis, table football, outdoor space for building igloos.
- Sledding and ice skating are available in some / many resorts.
- Strongly recommend booking an English instructor for the children and probably a separate one for your wife, or at least an instructor who is highly recommended by others. Often a half day's instruction, whilst you get some ski time, each day followed by picnic and free skiing with the family works well.
- Above all else, remember the snacks and hot chocolate ( other beverages are available )

In reply to mangoletse:
I took my kids, similar ages, to flaine last year. Lots of easyish skiing to get them started and a nice sized resort.
One drawback is that if the kids are new to skiing and doing lessons, getting out to the wider ski area and back isn't the easiest.
I wanted to take them to avoriaz, but got shifted at the last minute. The main selling point was the huge swimming complex they have. Kids don't really do the apres ski thing yet, so that looked like a good evening option

Edited to fix an autocorrect

In reply to mangoletse:

In my first post I forgot to endorse the recommendations for Easter. A guarantee of longer days and warmer weather or, counter-intuitively, lots of snow. In April the high pressure over Europe breaks down and often brings a big dump on April 15th. Yes it is that predictable. Warm sunshine flows soon behind so enjoy!!

Best late season resort in Europe is Val Thorens which also has the advantage of plugging into the magnificent 3 (actually 4) vallees lift system.

In reply to BnB:


Easter is generally a nice time to ski but its very late this year, so definitely go high - somewhere with lots to do above 2000m.


La Plagne is also a good bet at Easter.

In reply to mangoletse:
with 3 novices you may have to sacrifice your skiing to make it a winner for them. If three happy people go home, they'll want to go again which is the real winner for you. Accommodation with a hot tub / jacuzzi can be little sweetners at the end of a hard day.

But, your sacrifice this year will pay off pretty quick, our kids are now 7 & 9 and will ski red/easy black... not so fast but we can still get around the slopes. In the early days we always tried to find runs with chairlifts avoiding the tows to give their legs a rest. We did lots of little breaks, not always cheap stopping in little cafes etc.. but it keeps the wheels on the wagon, you don't want a blow out and back to the cabin you go. Rucksack full of treats is good for little kids, but I think yours are a little past that now. More likely tell them you can pokeman hunt on skis around the slopes at the top & bottom or each run.

Lessons; we did a combination of group and 1:1, with a group of 3 novices you should be able to get a good price for a private family lesson. Unless you've taught several friends you are unlikely to have the full range of skills and tricks that can get them cruising the slopes without it turning into a feud. It's like teaching your kids to drive I guess.

Selfish skiing, look for the places that have runs opening early a 7am or evening floodlight. Also teach them a few easy ways off the hill on slopes they are familiar with, that way later in the week you can perhaps go your own way for part of it and meet at certain lifts.

Not sure on the Alps, but the Nordic places that come under skistar's umbrella have apps/website where you can track the other members of your family or friends ski passes and see which lift they last used. Makes for an interesting version of hide & seek, or added competitiveness as it also shows how much ground you covered, discounts in cafes & shops for ticking so many different tows or slopes and the winner of the most metres descent at the resort each day gets a free ski service.

In reply to mangoletse:

Sestriere? High enough to get snow, no need to mess around with shuttles and plenty for everyone. If you're good, it's a much bigger area, but the North side around Sauze d'Oulx can get icy.

My wife learnt to ski there - she had 2x 2-hour lessons at Hemel Hempstead and then was in ski school for the first 3 mornings and skiied with me and my sisters in the afternoons. on the 4th or 5th day we went on a bus to one of the French resorts and that was great for her to consolidate, with lovely sweeping green runs - can't remember which resort, though. By the end of the week, she'd done the women's Olympic black run.

In reply to mangoletse:

I would echo the comments of others about putting your family in half-day group lessons or private family lessons. While they are learning you can go off and stretch your legs, and then bimble around with them while they aren't in lessons. If you leave one day lesson-free at the end of the holiday, you can have a whole day with them once they have gained some skills and confidence and depending on how they have taken to it maybe take them further afield.

I would caution against teaching them yourself for several reasons. Just because you know how to ski doesn't mean you know how to teach skiing, and if you learnt a while ago your technique may be out of date. Additionally, your comment "I'm alright on skis, at least I was a long time ago" implies that you may need some time to find your own ski legs again anyway. And as you say, there are inevitable frustrations and disagreements trying to teach people close to you. Giving a few pointers while you are bimbling in the afternoon is one thing, but actually teaching is another.

As for location, I am not sure it really matters. I quite enjoyed Sestriere as a beginner and took my partner there when he was learning. It is cheaper than most of the French resorts too. You should be fine at the time of year you are intending to go, but it is worth thinking about the artificial snow-making capabilities and height of the resort. If your kids are dead set on skiing then turning up and finding there is no snow would be frustrating for them, especially if you do end up in a smaller resort with fewer non-skiing activities.

In reply to mangoletse:

Location aside as there is already some great advice, I'd strongly recommend getting a big chunk of the learning done pre-trip. This will make a massive difference as the kids and your wife will have pre-learnt skills which they then merely need to apply to a more complex environment.

Given that you're keen to fly out of Manchester you must have considered lessons at the Chill Factore? In my experience (from observation and talking to others) the instructors are clued up and get the important skills across properly.

That way by the end of the week they'll probably be nailing the reds alongside you!

In reply to mangoletse:

My thoughts?
1. Go to Austria - direct flights to both Innsbruck and Salzburg from Manchester, infinitely cheaper than France, and don't even think about Switzerland!!
2. Take those who haven't skied before to a dry slope/snowdome at least once before you all.
3. Being "alright" on skis does most definitely not make you a ski instructor!! There is little more entertaining than sitting on a lift watching this disaster unfold Pay for lessons, and keep out of the way
4. Take the kids out of school the week before Easter, and save yourself a fortune - DO NOT ask the school for permission.
5. Have a great time

JW

In reply to mangoletse:

Much advice will come your way and you'll have to sift through it. I agree that you really have to sacrifice your own ambitions for long term gains (ie parenting).
Be aware that ski pass prices vary from resort to resort with often some beginners lifts being absolutely free. Less popular tiny, family orientated resorts have adequate skiing and cheaper prices. Tour companies are unlikely to go there, but with your own car, are a good option. What you save on ski passes you can invest in lessons with an instructor.
Remember that you are going on a family holiday, so keep everyone warm and happy. Anyone can ski eventually, but not everyone goes back for a second week if the first experience0is a miserable one.