Kids & Snow

Static M.e.

Any family people here bring their Kids skiing?

Would like to speak to some one about it but trying to keep it private as possible

Thanks

bonkey

I don't have kids (yet) to bring skiing, but a number of the people we go skiing with all bring their kids.

(Living in Switzerland, as we do, its more-or-less the norm for skiing parents to bring their kids).

If thats of any possible help...feel free to PM me.

Static M.e.

Thanks Bonkey, I might get back to you on that

Necronomicon

I've seen kids more graceful than adults on the slopes tbh

Plus, with schools and the amount of nursery slopes in a resort (especially somewhere like Andorra) they should be well catered for.

Triangle

I'm looking to bring my Son (5) Skiing/Snowboarding this year.

What type of info are you looking for?

Trig

robinph

I think I've seen mention somewhere before that kids won't be allowed to do snowboarding until they are older. I don't think I've seen any kids much younger than 14/ 15 on boards, not that it's too easy to guess their age wearing all the mountain gear.

Static M.e.

Thanks all

What type of info are you looking for?

Well B.

I would like to find a place where the kids school speaks English so their isn't a language barrier, also where their is plenty to do for kids in the evening like on the Summer Holidays that tour operators run with camps and such

I was hoping to find someone who has taken their kids recently and had a good experiance with a particular resort.

I don't think any of the places Ive been so far suit

cerebus

Static M.e. wrote:

I would like to find a place where the kids school speaks English so their isn't a language barrier, also where their is plenty to do for kids in the evening like on the Summer Holidays that tour operators run with camps and such

I was hoping to find someone who has taken their kids recently and had a good experiance with a particular resort.

May be further than you want to travel, but Whistler would fit the bill pretty well.

We put our 3 year old into ski school there for 4 days this season and she is now able to handle the lifts and come down beginner slopes pretty much solo.

No language issues, usually lots to do in the evenings.

Triangle

Those places that cater for children are very expensive

i.e. Mark Warner holidays specialise in family holidays - cost a fortune.

I've done some searching and can't find any like them for winter - but i was thinking the kids would be shattered after skiing and bringing a laptop/DVD player would help keeping them entertained after dinner.

I'd say try and find a few parents with kids around the same age - the kids could bounce off each other (i.e. entertain each other) while the parents relax in a safe place (i.e. not a bar!!!)

Static M.e.

Yeah, Im looking for a mate of mine to go Trig but his wife just had another baby so I dont know if he will be able to go....

(fingers crossed though, late Feb or March might be a good time)

EileenG

Check out www.cis-valcenis.com

We've been going there for years, and plan to keep going as long as our children need lessons. They've got a fantastic setup for skiing families. They stuff you full of food (and the children particularly love eating leftover desserts for breakfast in the morning) with unlimited wine, and they have a cheap bar.

But the big plus is that if you get your kids to the front door by 9am, they put them in a little shuttle bus and take them off to ski school (checking ski numbers as they go), then bring then back in time for lunch. They take them off again for afternoon lessons and bring then back in time for kiddie club, where they get to paint and play and someone else has to clean up the mess. Parents get six full hours of skiing a day.

The resort itself is around 75km, with the longest green run in Europe. Even the most nervous beginner can manage to get back down the mountain without being terrified. For better skiers, there are some interesting reds and a black that hosted a world cup downhill. You can also ski other resorts in the area on the same ski pass.

There is a swimming pool and cinema and ice-rink in the village, if they need more energy burned off, and they can also take part in a nighttime tourchlight ski.

Static M.e.

EileenG,

Thank you, that looks and sounds great, its exactly what I was looking for!

I'll give them a call.

Thanks again!

EileenG

Oh, I've just looked at the webcams, and it's already snowing there. My kids are bouncing round the kitchen screeching at the top of their lungs!

Static M.e.

My kids are bouncing round the kitchen screeching at the top of their lungs!

Thats the bit Im going to try and avoid for as long as possible!!

EileenG

If your's haven't skied yet, they won't be getting hysterical over snow. Yet. It's probably my fault, I obsess about snow conditions for months before we go. Why do you think I was checking the webcam?

Static M.e.

Cant believe its snowing already! If I wasn't in work I think I'd be bouncing round the kitchen screeching at the top of MY lungs

Is it too early to start packing I wonder.. its definetly time to make sure the passport is in working order.

bonkey

Static M.e. wrote:

Cant believe its snowing already! If I wasn't in work I think I'd be bouncing round the kitchen screeching at the top of MY lungs

There's a nasty cold snap around here at the moment. The snowline yesterday/today is expected down to around 900m. Some of the Swiss passes were surprisingly and unexpectedly closed as a result.

I wouldn't get too carried away though, Monday is due to be quite warm, then it'll be mid-cold again (say snowline about 1400m) and then they're not sure but expect a return to more normal autumn weather.

EileenG

I know, I can't really expect to get skiing yet. Even if there were plenty of snow, the lifts won't open for months. But snow this early looks good for a white winter....

Static M.e.

But snow this early looks good for a white winter....

Agreed, after last Winter's poor preformance I have such high hopes for this year, I feel a bumper season coming! Perhaps its time to dust off the old gear and go up and down the stairs a few times to practice ..

EileenG

True. To be fair, we didn't do badly for snow last year. Skied every day and almost everything was open. At least rubbish weather keeps the fair-weather skiers inside and out of my way.

Triangle

EileenG,
What sort of transfer time is involved in getting there? Could you provide any more detials on the 'school bus' service?

I'm thinking of bringing my eldest (5 year old) with Statix but i have one huge obsticle - my wife. She's pretty much against us going and is coming up with plenty of issues (she's a bad traveller herself and hates the thought of us on a bus going up small roads on snow laden mountainsides)

Thanks in advance
Trig

EileenG

Depends how you get there. We usually fly to Paris, have dinner in the city, then get an overnight train to Modane. There's a local bus that meets each train, goes up to Val Cenis. This is by far the easiest way of travelling with children, and totally cuts out all the "Are we there yet?" stuff.

The TGV from Paris does the journey in about 3.5 hours, but the children get bored. 300kph doesn't stay exciting for long.

However, you could also fly to Lyon or Grenoble and get a bus from there to Val Cenis. Turin is also an option, some friends of ours with four children are renting a car in Turin and driving there. The road goes through a tunnel rather than over a mountain. There's also a train from Turin to Modane, fairly short journey.

You can't really get there via Geneva, unless you want to spend hours travelling and changing trains.

If you are staying in the CIS, then you get your child to the front door, properly kitted out, by 9am, and a little shuttle bus belonging to the CIS drives all the children to ski school. The driver checks the name of each child and the number of his skis to make sure there are no mix-ups. He brings them back after ski school (one parent has to be there to collect) and tells you anything their ski instructors had to say about them. Same again after lunch. Ski school is really quite close, but I don't know anyone who likes walking in ski books and carrying the children's skis as well as your own.

CPerk

Hi guys,

Saw you mentioned warner above - there is an Irish company called highlife.ie who do something similar. I believe they are very child friendly and I know that they take care of all the travel side of things too.