Family skiing holidays are something to be cherished – spending time with your children in the fresh air of the mountains, all doing something you love and coming together at the end of the day to tell tales of daring do and obstacles overcome is priceless.
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A key factor in making a family ski holiday effortless is the
resort you go to - get it wrong and you'll be lugging three sets of
skis and screaming kids around half the day, frantically trying to
remember why you'd shelled out so much cash. But pick your resort
wisely and everything else will fall into place.
Here's our choice of ten of the best family-friendly ski resorts
in Europe to help you choose your next family ski holiday - whether
you've got young tots or older teens, there's a dream holiday out
there with your family's name on.
Alpbach, Austria
Alpbach in the Tirol is one of the prettiest villages in
Austrian and has long been a favourite with British families - the
resort is compact, full of charm and sunny nursery slopes sit right
next to it. While the slopes for intermediates aren't extensive,
they're good for building confidence and practicing technique on,
and both the village's ski schools are very child-friendly. For
those in the know there's also some good skiing off-piste.
Welcoming pensions and chalet-style hotels dominate the
accommodation - some, such as the Berghof, are as close as 20
metres from the nursery slopes. If a full day on the slopes is
proving too much for the little ones there is an indoor swimming
pool and outdoor ice rinks to entertain. Getting there: Innsbruck,
the closest airport, is 50km away. Munich and Salzburg are 150km
away.
Read more about skiing in Alpbach >>>
Spreading out immediately above Alpe d'Huez is a vast bowl of
easy green runs, served by the fast DMC gondola. It's a veritable
playground for beginners, but just watch out for the sometimes
dangerously fast passing traffic from the slopes above. There's a
good range of blues for confident youngsters to progress to, plus
an unthreatening terrain park near the bottom of the slopes with
gentle rollers and jumps. There are plenty of self-catering
apartments and more hotels than you'd expect, but perhaps the best
option for families is the ski-in, ski-out Club Med. Getting there:
Grenoble is the closest (and quietest) airport, 105km away. Lyon
and Geneva are 150km 210km away respectively.
Read more about
skiing in Alpe d'Huez >>>
Avoriaz may not be the prettiest of resorts, but it's certainly
one of the most functional and striking. A car-free collection of
towering self-catering apartments perched on a cliff, accommodation
is ski-in, ski-out and horse-drawn sleighs are the only vehicles on
the snow-covered roads. The Village des Enfants is in the heart of
the resort, with Disney characters and special slopes to entertain
and educate children aged three and older. There's a British-run
ski school, Avoriaz Alpine Ski School, for older kids needing a
challenge or some friendly encouragement. Accommodation is pretty
much all in apartments - there are a few small chalets if you're
seeking a comfortable alternative. Getting there: Geneva is the
closest airport, about two hours or 90km away.
Read more about
skiing in Avoriaz >>>
Which child wouldn't love skiing around the sunny, easy slopes,
lunching on pizza and, with a bit of encouragement, making it from
top to bottom of the mountain by the end of the week? Cervinia
isn't a big resort, but for ease, pick a hotel near the nursery
slopes close to the village centre. From these, progression to the
gentle blue runs at Plan Maison then the cruising reds at
Valtournenche is a realistic and satisfying achievement for any
beginner. There are kindergartens both in resort and at Plan
Maison. Getting there: Turin is the nearest airport and
approximately two hours (120km) away. Geneva is 2 hours 45 minutes
(185km).
Read more about
skiing in Cervinia >>>
For families with teenage kids, Obergugrl, the highest parish in
Austria, is a good option. It's a small, focused village with
friendly Austrian charm and snowsure slopes, but not so many that
the kids would get lost on their own. Excellent English is spoken
by the ski school instructors and class sizes are kept small - a
promising start for pushing teenagers to their limits and ensuring
boredom stays at bay. Most of the accommodation is in three- or
four-star hotels - if you're travelling with younger children
particularly, book with Esprit in one of their large chalets and
take advantage of their extensive childcare options. Getting there:
Innsbruck is the closest airport, 95km away.
Read more about
skiing in Obergurgl >>>
The car-free village of Saas-Fee in Valais is a perfect choice
for young children and families - it's a rural haven perfect for
just strolling around and relaxing in. Saas Fee is also a great
destination for those with older kids - it has two terrain parks,
one, a truly world-class set up, with a huge halfpipe and
interesting features like a gondola roof job; the other, aimed at
beginners with entry level jumps, rails and lines, near the nursery
slopes. Choose your accommodation carefully - the majority of the
lifts leave from the southern end of the village, and the large
nursery slopes are also at this end. Getting there: Sion airport,
served by SnowJet, and Geneva are 75km and 225km away respectively.
The nearest train station is Brig, and regular buses run to and
from the station to Saas-Fee.
Read more about
skiing in Saas-Fee >>>
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Young families will love the extensive beginner slopes at Crap
Sogn Gion, high above Laax, and the excellent ski school with
fluent English-speaking instructors. For families with older kids,
they'll no doubt be wowed by the five impressive terrain parks, and
if you time your visit right, you could catch one of the big
international freestyle competitions the resort hosts - bound to
help the brownie points with the teenagers. For maximum
convenience, stay in an apartment at the RocksResort, striking
modern blocks that opened a year ago and are right at the foot of
the slopes. Getting there: Zurich is the closest airport. A
seamless train and bus transfer from Zurich takes about two
hours.
Read more about skiing
in Laax >>>
A vast expanse of intermediate cruising runs spread out above
the 10 villages that together make La Plagne, and the different
characters of the bases make it an ideal destination for all types
of families and children, from young tots to energetic teens. Most
Brits stay in Belle Plagne (good for youngsters with a children's
playground for tots to learn in), Plagne 1800 (lots of chalets so
best for groups of families) or Montchavin (the village is pretty
and traffic-free, and there are confidence-building wooded blue
runs leading to it). Each village has good ski schools and its own
nursery run or two, then there are endless intermediate slopes
(225km of them) plus five terrain parks or boardercross courses to
keep the more adventurous children and big kids entertained.
Getting there: Chambery is the closest airport, 120km away. Or take
the train to either Aime or Bourg St Maurice at the bottom of the
valley.
Read more about
skiing in La Plagne >>>
Puy St Vincent, France
Puy St Vincent is a couple of purpose-built stations plus an old
village. Most of the accommodation, which is mainly self-catering,
is in low-rise apartment blocks at the bottom of the slopes in the
larger of the two stations, 1600. Tree-lined slopes sit immediately
above the resort and are good for intermediates wanting a
challenge, while beginners can find their feet in two nursery slope
areas. The childcare facilities in resort are excellent, with both
ski schools (the ESF and the International school) running
kindergartens. The choice of tour operator can make or break a
family skiing holiday so choose with care. Snowbizz, who have
operated solely to Puy St Vincent since 1986, is a safe bet if you
want a well-thought out and convenient family holiday. All the
details have been taken care of, from Sunday flights (less hectic
than Saturdays) to a full suite of childcare options from six
months to 11 years. Getting there: Turin is the nearest airport,
approximately two and half hours away.
Ylläs, Finland
If you're looking for an alternative to the tried and tested
Alpine holiday, head to Ylläs in Finland. The gentle Arctic
landscape is ideal for beginners, and the alternative activities,
such as husky-sledding, reindeer sleigh rides and snowshoeing, will
enchant young children. The best time to visit is from March to the
end of the season - any earlier and either the sun doesn't rise
during normal daylight hours or it's February and the resort
suffers the same fate as European resorts during the school
holidays. Accommodation is not slopeside, but the resort is so
quiet and peaceful this isn't an issue. Getting there: Kittilä
airport is 50km away.
Rebecca Miles
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