Top Tips For Your Family Ski Holiday

Your first family ski holiday can be daunting, especially if you have young kids. However, with a little bit of planning and research, you can ensure that your family ski holiday will be the best it can be. Therefore, we have used our experience and insider knowledge to put together a list of top tips for your family ski holiday.

Let's get stuck into the important things to consider and pack for an incredible family skiing experience.

Choose A Family-friendly Ski Resort

Some ski resorts are better than others for families. It may not be obvious which is the best resort as most ski resorts advertise themselves as family-friendly. So, here are a few things to look out for to make your Family ski holiday as easy as possible.

Consider The Ski Area

Ski resorts are set in massive ski areas offering a wide range of slopes for all different abilities. If your group is made up of inexperienced skiers or snowboarders, you may not need a ski resort with lots of slopes as you spend most of your time on the nursery slopes, green runs and blue runs.

Some ski resorts offer discounted beginner ski passes and even free ski lifts for beginners. These options make your first family ski holiday a little kinder on your wallet.

You should also check out how beginner-friendly the resort is. For example, does it have a nursery slope? It is even better if this nursery slope has a magic carpet ski lift, as it will make learning how to ski much more manageable.

Look At Other Activities Other Than Skiing

Young kids can only ski for so long as their little legs tire quickly. Therefore they won't want to ski all day, every day. Luckily, most ski resorts have a lot of family-friendly activities and events to enjoy. For example, tourist offices put on kids' shows and various family-friendly après-ski activities, especially during school holidays.

Other activities include sledging, ice skating, dog sledding, swimming, and lots of other fun things to do in the afternoons and evenings.

Try To Visit A Ski Resort That Is Easy To Get Around

Ski equipment is quite cumbersome at the best of times. But hiking a couple of miles through snow in ski boots and carrying all your children's equipment is quite a challenging start to your day. It's also even more difficult getting all the way back to your accommodation with tired children.

Most ski resorts have free buses to get you to and from the slopes, but booking ski-in-ski-out accommodation is much more convenient. Alternatively, book accommodation close to the major lifts or nursery slopes. Some chalet companies will drive you to and from the slopes to make your stay as easy as possible.

Visit A Resort Close To The Airport

Choosing a ski resort close to the airport is a good idea. Sitting on a transfer bus with tired and hungry kids can be stressful and not the best way to start or end your family ski holiday. Also, the closer, you are the less chance there will be delays due to bad traffic or snowy weather, meaning you will arrive at the resort or the airport on time.

Book Everything Well In Advance

There's a good chance you will plan your family ski trip during the school holidays. Unfortunately, so will everybody else, so don't leave it until the last minute to book childcare if you think you will need it. Nannies and creches in ski resorts are highly sought after, therefore book childcare as soon as possible. This also goes for ski lessons and any other activity that requires you to book a place.

Consider Your Flight And Transfer Times Carefully

Travelling late at night or early in the morning may be slightly cheaper, but hanging around in an airport or trying to find something to do in the resort before check-in time can be awkward and costly. Also, remember that most things close during the day in a ski resort. So keeping yourself and your family entertained until you can go into your accommodation with all your luggage can be challenging.

With this in mind, choose flights and transfers to the resort to get you to your accommodation as close to check-in time as possible. Conversely, try to get to the airport close to your flight check-in so you don't have to sit in the departure lounge for too long. Bear in mind that your transfer company may require you to leave earlier, depending on the snow conditions on the roads.

Think About When You Want To Travel

Not everyone can choose when to go on a family ski holiday. However, the time of winter can make a difference to the experience. For example, if you travel in January, the temperatures will typically be much lower than in March. Young children tend to have a more pleasant time skiing in milder temperatures. This is because they don't have to wrap up as much, and it's much nicer to ski on sunny days than snowy ones.

Catered Or Self-Catered?

There are advantages and disadvantages to booking catered or self-catered accommodation. Which you choose generally is down to personal preference and circumstances.

A self-catered holiday gives you lots of flexibility as you can choose your meal times so you can stay out as long as you want or take part in other activities in the resort. However, a catered chalet is incredibly convenient for a family ski holiday. Your breakfast and dinner are cooked for you, and your host can give you lots of information during your stay. They may even drive you to and from the slopes, depending on the level of service they provide.

Catered chalets will give you the option for the kids to eat with you, or have their own sitting earlier. It also means you don't have to go shopping as everything is provided for you.

Make Sure You Pack The Right Stuff

Before heading off on your family ski holiday, make sure you have everything you need before you get to the resort. If you have forgotten something and need to buy it when you get there, you'll find it much more expensive. So here is an example of a packing list that should help you take everything you need for your child:

Ski Clothing

The best ski clothing should consist of a good outer layer that is lightweight with a good level of insulation and waterproofing. If your child is cold and wet, they will probably not want to go skiing ever again. The outer layer consists of a decent jacket and pants, but this should be teamed up with a thermal base layer and a cosy mid-layer, such as a fleece jacket, sweatshirt etc.

You should also pack at least two pairs of gloves for your kids. This way one pair can be worn while the other is drying out. You may also want to take additional gloves for snowball throwing and making snowmen.

Avoid regular cotton socks as they won't work for skiing. Instead, invest in a few pairs of proper ski socks that wick moisture away from the skin. They are also much warmer and more comfortable than regular socks.

A Helmet

A helmet is essential for skiing and snowboarding. You may choose to buy one to ensure that your child's head is protected in the best way possible or rent one along with the other Ski equipment. The only issue with renting a helmet is that you don't know its history. For example, it may have been dropped, compromising its safety.

Goggles and Sunglasses

The glare from the snow, especially on sunny days, can cause snow blindness. Therefore it is essential to wear goggles or sunglasses on the slopes. Goggles provide more coverage and are less likely to come off in a crash. Still, sunglasses are great when the temperatures are milder. It's good to have both, so you have the option.

Sun Protection

Even on a cloudy day on the mountain, you can get sunburnt. So it is essential to pack child-friendly suncream with a high SPF. It's best to couple this with lip balm or even a facemask that will also protect them from the cold.

Snow Boots

Walking around a ski resort in regular shoes isn't that pleasant, especially if it's slushy. There is no substitute for a good pair of snow boots to keep little feet warm and dry. They are also pretty grippy, making them the best option for walking around in snowy and icy conditions.

Entertainment

Travelling can be very dull for small children, resulting in mischief. Therefore, it's best to pack toys, books, electronic devices or anything else that your child is entertained by.

Let's Wrap Up Our Top Tips For Your Family Ski Holiday

Getting your first family ski holiday right is vital as it can start a lifelong passion for you and your kids while creating fantastic memories. But, with our family ski holiday tips, you will be able to choose the perfect ski resort and make the most of your time during your trip.

Finally get in touch with us to find a perfect resort and place to stay for your next family ski holiday.

Some of our more popular friendly friendly resorts include Morzine or Avoriaz (car free resort) in Les Portes du Soleil. Both these resorts have a a short transfer time of just over an hours from Geneva airport.

La Rosiere is also a popular choice with families and offer and slightly quieter and cheaper access to the French Alps.

For late skiing around Easter holidays try Tignes or Les Deux Alpes. Both have plenty of high altitude skiing and are more snow sure late in the season.

Serfaus in Austria offers a traffic free village and very child friendly facilities. Linked with the neighboring resorts of Fiss and Ladis, it benefits from a lot of south east facing slopes which means sunny skiing. Although it is better to ski here at Christmas or February. Sometimes the Easter skiing can be little slushy.

If it's your first family ski holiday and you don't want to break the bank then check out Borovets or Bansko. While smaller in size than may of the Alpine resort, these Bulgarian ski resorts come highly recommended for beginners and children. You don't need hundred of kilometers of pistes when you are just starting out.