Skiing With Young Children

You’ve been an enthusiastic skier all your life. You’ve been getting yourself out to the mountains at least once a year for as long as you remember… and then the little ones arrive and all of a sudden your ski holiday’s looking like an endangered species! Well, thankfully it needn’t be that way and you’ll be pleased to know that lots of parents, with children of all ages, still manage to head off each winter in search of their ‘ski fix’.

Have a read through our quick guide below for some useful information and advice that will help you plan your next ski holiday with the little ones in tow.

Choose Your Resort Carefully
If you’re going skiing with young children, you want to look for a resort which caters more for that market – the family market. Some ski resorts are aimed more towards people who want to party late into the night and can be very noisy, so clearly this is not the atmosphere or environment you’re looking for!

We suggest the following resorts, listed by country, are the best resorts for skiing holidays with young children:

• Alpbach – Austria
• Tremblant –Canada
• Avoriaz – France
• Pila – Italy
• Wengen – Switzerland
• Beaver Creek, Colorado – USA

You also need to carefully consider travel time, including transfers at both ends and how well your kids cope with this. Queueing at airports, possible delays, lengthy flights followed by long transfers can make even the most hardy traveller feel rather fraught, so think about how your kids will handle it. The fantastic trip to the USA looks good on paper, but might be better saved for when the kids are a bit older – unless you have a nanny of course! So we’d recommend setting your sights as close to home as possible, particularly in the first instance.

Make Sure You Save Money In The Right Places
The destination you choose will have a huge bearing on how much you pay. A general rule of thumb is the more well known the resort, the more you will pay. As such some of the lesser known resorts will come in much cheaper, but doesn’t mean they’re any less value for money or offer a second class experience. In fact some of these resorts are often a better choice as they tend to be a bit quieter.

North America will be more expensive due to the cost of travel, and France and Switzerland are often quite expensive compared to ski holidays in Italy or Spain and Andorra. Eastern Europe is often cheaper still.

You might want to also consider your board basis. Going for a self-catering option can save you a decent amount of money compared with half and full board options, but does require more effort from you whilst on your holiday – and don’t forget, it is nice to have a bit of pampering when you’re away, and if that means someone else cooks for you, so be it!

Avoid paying over the odds for pricey ski clothing. As children grow so fast, and with the generally mild climate we have in the UK, they rarely get decent use out of purchased ski clothing. Have a look in local charity shops or on ebay to see what you can find. A lot of the time, kids’ second hand ski clothing is in really good condition as people often have only used it a couple of times at the most. Another option of course is to have a look at ski clothing rental.

Remember, the hard truth is that going on a skiing holiday is rarely inexpensive, so make sure you factor in the cost of any childcare early on so you’re not stung with a late surprise that may jeopardise your holiday.

Plan Your Childcare In Advance
Don’t arrive in resort thinking you can make arrangements there and then. Most childcare venues will be popular and so will need you to pre-book. You have options of a straight-forward crèche for younger children, or the option of booking older children into ski schools. Some tour operators offer packages which include a mixture of both elements which is great for those kids who are old enough to try skiing, but not quite old enough to manage a full day.

At any crèche you consider, a key thing to look out for are English-speaking staff as this is not guaranteed. You will also want to determine how close the crèche is to the ski area as you’ll want to make sure you’re close by in case you’re required for anything and you also don’t want to add unnecessary journey time to the start and end of each day. The best option is to see what your tour operator recommends as some even offer their own options, run by themselves.

If you’re looking to do things on a budget, why not travel with friends or family and take it in turns looking after the kids by swapping mornings and afternoons and meeting up at lunch? Or if she’s not busy, why not bring granny with you?!?

Where Did The Time Go?
If you’ve been a regular skier, you’ll know as well as the next skier that the word ‘holiday’ in this context is stretched a little – early mornings and demanding physical activity being the order of the day. Now think about getting yourself ready in the morning and getting all your ski kit and accessories (goggles, gloves, hat etc.) organised… then throw the kids into the mix as well, and repeating the same exercise again. You can end up exhausted before you’ve even got near the first lift!

As with most things that involve kids, you need to allow yourself a bit more time to get everything organised and each day of your ski holiday will be no different.

Book With a Tour Operator Or Go It Alone?
This is a tricky one as there’s a chance you might be able to pull all the elements of your holiday together for a cheaper cost than you can get by visiting a travel agent or tour operator. But, what price can you put on having the reassurance and services of a friendly face once you’re there? In previous years when you’ve skied without kids, the use of a rep is probably a service you’ve given little regard towards, but this can change dramatically when you have children with you. They can prove invaluable in assisting you with the minor things like pointing you in the direction of a good child-friendly restaurant, to helping out with something more major like if you, or one of the children, becomes ill or has an accident.

Particularly if it’s the first time you’ve taken the kids, we recommend booking with a known company who can provide you with that extra help in resort should you need it.

Finally, Be Realistic!
Skiing with young children is nothing like it was before! Partying all night, late afternoon beer sessions and crazy stunts in the snowpark are probably best parked to one side for a few years, but that doesn’t mean you won’t have fun. You’re introducing your favourite people to a completely different world they’ve not had the chance to experience before and you’ll love watching them enjoying themselves in a winter wonderland. The younger they start getting involved, the more likely they are to enjoy skiing and keep at it.

Ultimately, if you align your expectations with the reality, you’ll all enjoy your ski holiday so much more!