Family skiing: 4-12 years old

In France, the ESF (which runs a children's programme in most resorts, using the same levels) and most other ski schools, accept children from three years old. Schools with English instructors get round the problem of language barrier. In Switzerland, children are welcome from four years old. The starting age for snowboarding lessons is normally slightly older. The nursery slopes in French resorts Les Gets, Morzine, Méribel and Courchevel are designed particularly with children in mind. In Les Gets Ile des Enfants runs lessons for children from 3 years upwards. The Grand Massif is a good choice for this age group, particularly the resort of Flaine.

Many tour operators offer a mix of childcare and ski instruction, ideal for children in this age bracket. Powder Bryne runs a series of clubs during the school holidays for children aged from 3 to 9 in nine European resorts including Grindelwald and Zurs. Some European hotels offer childcare to their guests. Stay at one of the Seiler hotels in Zermatt, and daycare is available to children aged 2-8 in the Hotel Nicoletta.

Austria has a dedicated range of Kinder hotels (child hotels) throughout the country. Strict criteria ensure your child’s enjoyment but you can take it as read that every hotel listed will be a good adult experience too. Currently the website doesn’t have a good ski-hotel search but it’s a useful starting point all the same.

Italy’s child provision is less obviously packaged, perhaps because almost all Italians taking a ski holiday are doing so as a family. Quite frequently Grandma comes too, so childcare is taken care of, while speeding packs of eight year olds enthusiastically pursue charismatic ski instructors. As elsewhere in Italy, children are very welcome, even well after their bedtime; restaurants frequently resound to the patter of tiny feet, and more, while accommodation often has child beds and cots within double rooms and studios. Champoluc in the Monterosa region is very popular with families and Ski-2 has dedicated packages including tuition for youngsters.

Tips:

• Children need ski schooling in their mother-tongue – check that instructors are either native English speakers or very fluent. Your kids will also get on better if they are with friends or at least with kids of the same age and nationality in the class.
  

• Ski school only covers part of the day. Consider who will look after your children before classes start and when they end, and during lunch-time if supervision isn't provided. Resort layout and your map-reading competence will be an added factor.
  

One of the best developments to help children in the early-learning stages is the ‘magic carpet’ lift, now quite widespread but nevertheless a useful indicator that a resort is serious about showing kids a good time – check the resort website/piste map to assess the facilities.

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• Babies & toddlers
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