Great Things For The Non Skiing Family Members To Do - Part 1

Have you ever wondered what else there is to do in a ski resort? Well look no further as there are various activities that will appeal to the young and old. Thiss week I wanted to suggest to non skiers and snowboarders, and for those that might like to try something different,snowshoeing.

If you like to be active and you love the outdoors then snow shoeing may well be for you. Many resorts have groomed pisted walkways which are great for beginners. Follow the signs to enjoy a marked circuit or perhaps take some time out to plan an itinerary. Not sure where to go or what to do then you can always hire a private guide or take instruction from a ski school. In the ski resort of Les Houches there is a groomed track which takes you on a scenic adventure and starts from the top of the Prarion Lift station. The path starts from the Hotel Prarion and from here you will find the sign posted circuit is easy to follow as it meanders through the trees and along the piste. If you don’t fancy walking the whole way you can cheat and cross the un-groomed snow to miss parts out.

The ESF ski school offers snow shoeing for as little as 32€ (snowshoes rental included). Lift passes for walkers can be purchased at a special rate. Interested, let me know and I cqn provide further information and contaacts.

Starting Them Young - Ski at Three

I am often asked whether a guest’s child is 'old enough' to ski and the ages vary in relation to this question. In terms of my view, it will depend of course on the child, but typically the age of three seems to be the ideal starting point. At three they are generally strong enough to ski, or at least find their feet on the nursery slope or garden (let them become Hans Klammer another year). Some parents do seem to want more, but we would suggest at it is important at this age just to let them get their balance, confidence, and practice snow plough stop and turns and most importantly have a smile on their face.

Some parents we know worry about starting them so young, but our experience is that it makes a huge difference as the time they spend on the skis at this age seems to give them a natural balance that is hard to gain at a later age.

The most important point here would be to make sure they are dressed well and I hve given some tips on a previous blog below. So assuming they are properly dressed and prepared, at the start you may still want to be prepared for a few tears in respect of separation anxiety, but this is normal. Having seen all techniques in cases where the child is initially upset, the one that we believe seems to work best, is the ‘drop and go’. It may sound slightly callous, and we are not saying some support and assurance is good, but this said, we would advise on avoiding too much fussing and move away relatively quickly. Certainly where the parents, or the operator ‘fusses’ it seems to disturb the child for longer periods, as well as make it difficult for the instructors trying to settle all the children. We often go back on the first day to check children (without them seeing of course) and in the cases we do we have always found that even the most hysterical child, within 10 minutes of the parents or operators staff leaving them, has settled in with the other children and is joining in the ski training. Contrast this to the fussing parents or overzealous operators where children often just won’t settle for a long time, if at all!

Luxury Catered Chalets Chamonix - Not Necessarily Expenseve

With last years exchange rate fluctuation you would be forgiven for thinking that this might not be the time to book a luxury catered chalet and look for the lower cost alternative. This however may well turn out to be a false economy however, many chalets such as our own have held prices either the same as the last season, or with only a small inflationery increase. Also, and more importantly, we for one price our chalet in UK Sterling, as we did last year, so despite the fall in the exchange rate, the price you will pay is still the same, as we have taken the 'hit' on the currency when we exchange.

But it is just not the price that makes a compulsive reason to book quality, not only will a luxury chalet choice, assumng you have chosen well, ensure you actually enjoy your ski vacation, when you start to add up what is and isn't included with the lower cost options, you start to realise that the price differnce is small indeed.

If you book with our luxury chalet we include airport transfers, high quality wine (yes you can drink and enjoy ours) that doesn't leave you gasping for the expensive bars, and simarly the food is fantastic and you will find that after our breakfast, the hearty cake, and a four course dinner, the most you will probably want for lunch is something simple and light! And with the HD Cinema, fantastic luxury hot tub, you'll find that you just won't want to go out from the chalet as it is amazing how many people complain they still have much of the money they exchanged for the holiday!

Luxury catered chalets really can be great value.

Getting Ready For The Ski Season With The Family

Here in Chamonix we are once again eagerly awaiting the ski season and with our first ski planned for next week on the Grands Montets opening day, the four of us are already like children waiting for Christmas. With Josh now 5 and Victoria 7, they have now skied for 2 years and 3 years respectfully and clearly they are already hooked as the mere mention of the phrase 'we are going skiing next week guys' gets a beaming smile and them both into an excited frenzy.

I guess living in the apartment that is short walk from our luxury catered chalet and also on the piste, they are quite lucky. But that is probably not the whole story, here in the ski region of Les Houches in the Chamonix Valley we have probably one of the best family orientated ski schools and the ESF team, who are also just below the ski run that passes the chalet, is second to none in our experience. Their support and family friendly approach with all childrens ensures most importantly the children have a great time and have always wanted to attend ski school and learn. The other important factor is probably the fact that Les Houches is probably one of the best family ski resorts in the region. With few steep drop offs the ski area has some great confidence building runs and the 'off-piste' is not too steep and the small jumps and bumps ensure skiing is great fun, especially for Josh who craves something extra (a real boys boy as my husband would say).

Right, bedtime for them both so will sign-off at this point but will try and keep this updated, especially after our first ski of the season!

Snow Reassuring For Family Ski Groups

I guess when you are looking to bring the family skiing then the one thing you desperately hope for is good snow. You are after all bringing the people that mean the most to you and when they step on the slopes you want that beauitiful soft powder both to practice their best turns on, but also for the younger members in particular, for snow play in the garden!

The recent snowfall across the Alps is therefore a very welcome factor for families that are looking to book or have already booked there ski holidays this year. Whilst no guarantee of how the season will unfold, it is looking quite good already with snowfall this weekend blanketing the alpine resorts as low as 800m.

We for one will be making the most of the opportunity and tomorrow therefore presents the opportunity to go and once more play in the snow, sledging, building snowmen, and giving Joshua, who is 5, a chance to throw a snow ball or two!

Childrens Ski Clothing Checklist

So here we are again, a moment to throw something quick down for my Family Ski blog that might prove useful, may not!

Here in France it's half term and with the snow forecast for the next three days we are already thinking (and panicking a little) about the winter ski season ahead. Here in Chamonix summer temperatues are often in the 30 centigrade mark but once October comes in the difference can be significant and the next three days will probably be the case in point! When its sunny its great, but as soon as the sun goes down or a storm comes in things can change quite dramitically. With our two children it is therefore important we get the clothing right and having been here 5 years we are slowly getting there, with minor tweaks each season.

When we first moved in we were quite taken back by the concious effort people made to get the message across regarding 'dressing up' our children as soon as winter arrived. Now for both them and us this is second nature and I would therefore like to share this with you. For some it will be like sucking eggs, others some quick revision / something to reconcile against, and for those on their first family ski holiday, hopefully remove some of the concern / unknown that invariably exists.

First things first, whatever time of year you go on your family ski holiday, it is really important to ensure the children are properly dressed for the weather and in our case we are fortunate to live near Quechua which has all the basic clothing for the youngsters. With children growing so quickly, great ski clothing doesn't have to necessary be designer ski labels, in fact we have found for example that the above company (who just happen to test their clothing and equipment in Chamonix - enough said) provide great technical garments that also last (and our children certainly seem to test them during the season - skiing and 'body sledging' at school). So rule number one I guess, the most exensive might not be the best - choose clothing that is 'fit for purpose' rather than for the look.

Ski - Base Layers: You've probably heard people talk about dressing in layers for the cold and this is really important, especially for children. Start with a good base layer and make sure your children have a couple of sets of thermals, including long johns. We buy two or three pairs of sports thermal vests and thermal leggings for the season to keep the kids nice and snuggly and it works so well as the sports versions are comfortable and wick well. We always also buy a good number of woolly socks as we need them for general wear as well as for skiing. 'Tubes' aren't great as they don't fit the feet so well so we would suggest 'fitted' ski socks and not too thick, but a warm pair.

Ski - Mid Layers: I always dress ours in two mid layers, the first mid layer isn't thick and is light top with a gentle wicking fabric, generally with a zip at the neck to vent or keep in the heat. Over this for our children goes the fleece. If you are layering well, this doesn't generally, unless we are talking extreme weathers, need to be too thick, and a mid size fleece should typically suffice and not be too restricting for the children. Again a zip is good to allow air to circulate on the warmer days (which there are a lot more of than colder ones).

Ski - Outer Layers: My daughter who is 7 prefers to wear salopettes and jacket but my son who is 5 doesn't like anything too bulky and restrictive loves the all in one ski suits. Whichever you buy, we would advice that you ensure they have good water and wind proofing properties. As above, these don't have to be expensive and visit any French school in the high mountains and you will find a Quecha cat walk! Finally, before the accesories, the gloves. What I have found, after living in the alps for 5 years, is that it is worth spending a bit more money on a good pair of gloves or mittens. The latter (mittens) are the warmer of the two. Buy ones with a long cuff that fits over the sleeve of the jacket and I would suggest that you don't choose gloves for the very little ones as mittens are better to fit little fingers into (otherwise be prepared for a long and ardurous start to the date fiddling to try and find fingers). Try the gloves on your child if this is possible to get a really good fit and again wind and water proof is highly recomended.

Ski - Accessories: Finally the accessories, a good snood on a cold day aways comes in handy as it stops the cold going down the neck and it is really important on those colder mornings. A good woolly hat is also necessary, whilst we strongly recommend all children wear at all times on the slopes a ski helmet (and parents - these can be hired from most ski hire shops), when not skiing a warm hat provides invaluable warmth and stops your child losing heat quickly.  The last essential ski accessory is the ski goggles or sunglasses. Snow blindness shouldn't be underestimated so spend a little time on selection and ensure they fit well, and have the right UV protection and that they are for skiing (e.g. if they fall they won't shatter, etc).

Hope this helps a little, and if anyone woul like any further information please ask. Likewise, if you would like to add to this blog, please feel free.

Family Ski

Forgive me as I start this site if things don't always hang together as it may well end up being like a dinner party that has just been gate crashed by the supposedly sleeping infants - great planning and intention, just ruined by something small and unpredictable. I guess also in any family we all revert to our natural roles and IT is not typically one of mine. Yes - if I had had the time I would have burnt my bras and been an IT expert, but time, running a business and motherhood?

That is not to say I don't enjoy blogging, I just can't be bothered with how it all works (for those that do -sorry). What is important to me, and hopefully to you, is that you the reader find the blogs that are posted, whether by myself or readers, both occasionally helpful and just as importantly can make you smile.

Oh, and if some blogs and tips posted by our team, friends, or yourselves appear obvious or just 'common sense', just bare in mind, how common is common sense! And even if it is quite common (of course with our guests it always is ;-) - it is of course better to be safe than sorry!

Please help me out and send anything you think may be of interest, afterall, it isn't as if the Family Ski blog is my only role in life!

Hope you enjoy.

Frances