The boot room is the most stressful room in the family ski holiday: the 4 pairs of the ski boots (the children, the shin pain, the “they’re too tight,” the “I can’t feel my toes,” and the tears — the boot room is the place where the dream of the happy family ski holiday collides with the reality of the plastic and the buckles), the 4 helmets, the 4 pairs of the skis, the poles, the goggles, and the door to the snow that is the 10 minutes away. The family ski holiday is the most expensive and the most logistically complicated holiday you will ever take (the equipment, the lift passes, the lessons, the accommodation, and the £4,000–8,000 for the family of the 4 for the week), and the planning — the when, the where, the what, and the “how do we get the children to the ski school on the time” — is the essential for the holiday that works. Here are the tips.

Family Ski Holiday Planning

• The resort — the essential criteria: The family ski resort must have the 4 things: the good beginner area (the wide, the gentle, the magic-carpet lifts, and the “bunny slope” that is the not intimidating), the ski school with the English-speaking instructors (the ESF in the France, the Ski Schule in the Austria, the Scuola Sci in the Italy — the essential is the English-speaking, and the essential booking is the months in advance for the peak weeks), the accommodation near the slopes (the ski-in/ski-out is the essential for the families — the walk to the lift in the ski boots is the 200 metres, not the 2 km, and the essential question: the “how far is the walk to the ski-school meeting point?”), and the non-ski activities (the pool, the ice-skating, the sledging, and the rest-day activities for the children who are the exhausted by the day 3). The essential family resorts: the Morzine in the France (the Portes du Soleil, the 650 km of the pistes, the best family resort in the France — the wide, the tree-lined, the English-speaking ski school, and the non-ski activities — the ice-skating, the swimming pool, the luge — on the Pleney. The essential accommodation: the Chalet Rosalie, the catered, the family-friendly, and the ~€1,200/week per person in the peak. The Morzine is the essential for the first family ski holiday), the Alpbach in the Austria (the “most beautiful village in the Austria,” the small, the quiet, the beginner-friendly, and the best ski school in the Austria. ~€900/week per person), and the Cervinia in the Italy (the high-altitude, the snow-sure, the Italian ski school — the gentler, the more fun — and the best lunch on the slopes: the Chalet Etoile, the pasta, the €15). France | Austria
• The timing and the budget — the essential decisions: The when: the peak weeks — the Christmas, the New Year, the half-term (the February), the Easter — are the most expensive and the busiest. The essential strategy: the “low season” weeks — the early January (the 2nd week), the mid-March, the mid-January — the cheaper (the 30–50% less), the quieter, and the snow is the often the better (the January powder, the March spring skiing). The essential caveat: the Christmas in the low-altitude resorts (the under the 1,500 metres) is the risky for the snow. The budget: the 4–6 months in advance booking is the essential for the best deals on the accommodation and the lift passes (the early-bird discount of the 10–20%). The equipment: the hire, not the buy (the children grow, and the season hire — the 6 months, the £50–80 for the skis, the boots, and the poles — is the essential value). The lift passes: the family pass (the 2 adults and the 2 children — the essential value, and the resorts offer the children-ski-free with the adult pass)

7 Of The Best French Ski Resorts For 2013

France is the most popular tourist destinations in the world. According to the UNWTO, 79.5 million tourists arrived in France in 2011. From Paris and Versailles to the French Riviera and the Alps, France abounds in tourist attractions. For Britishers, France has been the traditional destination for skiing holidays. Each year, millions of British tourists […]