Should we go Skiing?

[georgeclooneyfan]

My dh fancies going on a ski holiday early next year we have never been skiing before are we wise? Our kids are 9 and 7. Wouldn't have a clue where to start looking or what to take into account ie/having never been skiing, where to go, staying in hotels or chalets etc etc. Would be grateful for any advice.Thanks in advance.

[thereferee]

you should definitely go!!!

you and dcs will love it.

how you do it depends on your budget?!

[LIZS]

How early next year and how far do you fancy going ? January is quite cold and days very short. Agree you neeed to think about a budget and don't forget to allow a couple of hundred each for skischool, liftpass (although you may only need a local limited one as beginners)and equipment hire. What else is important to you ? ie short transfer, type of catering,staying close to slopes, other facilities in resort. you may well prefer the security of a package deal to make life more straightforward.

[thereferee]

if budget is reasonably healthy, i'd consider a chalet with esprit.

la rosiere is nice, particularly for beginners and children. we have gone a few times end of jan, early feb and it's been great - good snow, some bright sunny days, few queues at the lifts. (although we have exhausted it now and are going elsewhere with esprit this winter)

a chalet means someone will wait on you - i couldn't have managed without that, my first year! i was so exhausted every day that the family would have starved if it had been down to me to feed us!! and because it's just a big house really, you can leave your dcs in their rooms in bed while you eat in the evening. we have mostly found other people to be very nice - have always booked a chalet with several families in it because i have been worried about the horror of a two family chalet where the families didn't get along, or a three family chalet where the other two have come together and you feel left out!

esprit's childcare is great. and the staff have always been pretty helpful to us in the case of illness, nervous children, lost passports/purses etc, sorting out delays etc.

chalets aren't necessary luxurious, but are generally nice and clean.

you can fly to chambray to reduce your transfer time (lots of vomiting as coach winds up mountain - be warned!), but our experience has been that we are nearly always delayed in and out because of fog...this is a chambray problem i understand!

lots of people put their dcs in lessons/clubs all day, but tbh we want to spend some time with ours when on hols, so ours go to lessons in the mornings, and we book lunch for them (which gives us time to have a grown up lunch somewhere - or just a rest!) and we all ski/sledge/play super mariokart on nintendo ds/build snowmen etc together in the afternoons in addition you get a whole day together at the end of the week...and sometimes we let them skive

our dsc are 8,9,10,11 and this suits us down to the ground...but we are planning a budget self catering version next winter to save money. we tend to have to book ahead in order to get accomodation that will take us all, but you could probably book last minute and get a real bargain!! have a look at their site

[georgeclooneyfan]

Thank you so much for all your help so far, we were thinking of going nearer to March probably have to take the kids out of school stay in Scotland so we don't get time off in February. Not sure if there is enough snow left for March? The kids easter hols here are the first two weeks in April(suppose snow would be gone by then). Have tried looking on a few websites, not sure if my dh would like to share a chalet with other people he didn't know, although someone else waiting on us sounds good to me. Do you know if you can stay in a chalet just with your own family or does this get really pricey? Away to have a look on the Esprit website will let you know if we find something thanks again.

[LIZS]

You can exclusively book a chalet but it costs £££ because you pay for the unused beds and you may struggle to find one small enough still available now unless you book direct with the owner. Esprit used to do at least one complex where you had your own apartment but are catered for collectively, although can't see it listed now, or maybe a larger chalethotel or hotel would suit you better.

We've skied end of March/April in Europe last few years and been lucky, had great snow conditions, with fresh falls while we were there, but it is unpredictable and can be slushy and bare especially on lower nursery slopes.

[missingtheaction]

some of the bigger chalets are more like small hotels - you can get privacy if that's what you want. but being in a chalet with other families can be great for the kids and if you don't want to be chummy you really don't have to. Bigger is better.

ALSO if you have never skiied before then take into account that one of you may well hate it and/or be totally useless, and you will all spend most of the first couple of days falling over on the nursery slopes. you definitely need to be somewhere with decent snow and with an english skischool - personally I hate ESF in france.

You may want to snowboard instead of ski.

If possible go to a snowdome or a dry ski slope for a few days between now and the holiday, have a go at both skiing and snowboarding, choose which to do, learn how to walk in your ski boots, get the kit on and off, and how to get up again when you have fallen over. Will save much agony when you get there.

Enjoy!

[prettybird]

If you are learing to ski I wouldn't go in April. There is still snow - especially in the higher resorts - but the nursery (beginner) slopes tend to be low down and they could be very slushy/non exisitent (although snow cannons would probably keep them covered in a reasonable resort).

We're in Scotland too and we tend to use the half term break in February and take some extra days there to minimise the number of days off school. However, I woldn't advise that for you this year, as that particualr week (if it is the same where you are) is the same week (w/c 16 February) that everywhere - bith in france and England, is taking off so it is really expensive - and would be crowded for you.

Late February/ealry march are porbably good times for you to go. if your dh is not keen on the idea of a chalet, maybe a chalet hotel is a good compromise. However, we have always liked the range of people we have met in chalets - that has been part of the pleasure of the skiing holiday.

I would second La Rosiere. I went there many years ago with a dirend and we both really enjoyed it - and we weren't that advanced.

We now go to meribel in the Trois Vallees - but that is probably more expensive/more skiing than you need.

I have heard good reports of Andorra for beginners too. Good English speaking ski school and reasonable prices.

[Anna8888]

If it is the first time for all of you, go to Club Med outside the French school holidays. There will be something for all of you and it will be "all inclusive" so you will know up front just how much £££ you are letting yourselves in for. And if you find you don't like ski-ing, Club Med will have other activities on site.

[TheSeriousOne]

Def. go - it's great.

I'm taking DS for the first time in February and he's only 6 months old (now, he'll be 8 months old when we go!) and that doesn't include the fact I skied for a week when 5 months PG last week!

PLEASE don't go to Andorra. It is REALLY horrible. I wouldn't go back there if I were paid to do so.

If you can stand the flight, go to the US... But otherwise, stick to France or Italy - I'd recommend La Plange or Cervinia (Cervinia is where I'm taking DS - loads to do, other than ski) and you can go to Zermatt too which is a good day out.

[TheSeriousOne]

Last YEAR

[subtlemouse]

Lots of positives on this thread, so for what it's worth - Don't go! It's a)expensive b)cold c)an incredible faff - carrying huge quantities of kit (even if you hire it you still have to cart it about) d)really boring - get up mountain, slide down mountain e)if the kids don't like it, you're stuck f)if anyone injures themselves, you're stuck g)you spend immense amounts of time getting from where you're staying to where the mountain-bit is h)the altitude gives you gratuitous nosebleeds

OK, I hated it - but my DH and DS loved it!

[TheSeriousOne]

to be fair, I get nosebleeds with altitude too... doesn't put me off going up to stupid altitudes which probably doesn't make me sound too clever

[janinlondon]

From Scotland you could get to Norway easily, and they will have snow in March. Geilo is a fab first timers resort, and they are absolutely brilliant with kids. Instructors all speak perfect English, so no problem with kids not understanding what they are saying. If you fly into Bergen or Oslo you can take the most spectacular train trip up into the mountains to get there. Plus other activities available like husky sledging etc to keep the kids amused. And on the Geilolia side where the ski school is you can leave all your gear overnight in the locker rooms, so no carting stuff backwards and forwards to the hotels.

[prettybird]

Also have a look at the recommendations on the Musment site - they have done reviews of ski holidays.

[TheSeriousOne]

Ooh, GOod point, JaninLondon. I went to Lapland once (Levi) and it's very good fun - Darn cold though, it was 26C below all week (during the day! )

[MrsGuyOfGisbourne]

I second what Jan said - fantastic place - we had lots of fun there in April a couple of years ago, and where I intend to take my grandchildren to learn to ski should I be so blessed

[thereferee]

i also get nosebleeds at altitude (actually i don't have to go that high!) and see stars then sort of fall over feeling sick. but i still love it! maybe i'm not too clever either!

and, even though i'd rather have a ski holiday than a summer one mostly, i do sometimes stop to consider how barking everyone is, makeing their way up the hill (particularly if being dragged on a button)just to slide down again and start all over again!!

there is one chalet in la ros - the name escapes me at the minute - which sleeps 5, so you book it for just your own family - and get a chalet host to yourself! we looked around it last year, to see if you could squeeze all of us in, and it was nice enough.

[LynetteScavo]

Oh look - a ski advert has just popped up on this thread!

[LynetteScavo]

Oh duh it's the skiing topic of course it has!

[thereferee]

i would also add, whatever you do, if it is at all possible book accommodation where you can ski in and ski out. failing that, accommodation that is close to the slopes. you really don't want to have to catch a bus to the lifts! or, for that matter, walk for ages - walking in ski boots is hell (but if you decide to board you get comfy boots so that wouldn't be quite so bad)

[DreamingOfMincePiesInAustria]

Yes -definitely go, skiing is great fun and a lovely thing to enjoy together as a family.

I am slightly biased though.

[liath]

If none of you have ever skied before you should think about all learning to snowboard instead as you can pick it up faster and by the end of the week should be able to all head out down some decent runs as a family.

[LynetteScavo]

I thought snowboarding was harder to learn than skiing?

DS1 only wants to learn to snow board, and I 've told him he needs to learn to ski first.

Not that we're going skiing this year. Much to the horror of a friend of mine who told me he would be to old to learn soon. (he's 9)

[shootRudolphinthehip]

Boarding has a faster learning curve but hurts more!!! I would go to France and as someone else said you MUST avoid the French Holidays- it's chaos. Chamonix is great with a choice of about 7 resorts so all ages/ stages are covered. Have fun!!

[StripeyKnickersSpottySocks]

I hated Chamonix - the pistes themselves were fine but far to much faff and time spent catching buses to get from one end to the other. Did not like it being so spread out, prefer to be able to ski/get chair lifts in one place.