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Children Ski Holidays
Ski resorts across Europe draw and attract different crowds of people for different reasons which may be unique to the resort. There are a lot of family friendly resorts in Europe which have services catered towards young children, however, out of these, family friendly resorts we have selected a few that are particularly popular with children and the demands of looking after children on the resorts.
If you wanted a bit of a romantic getaway with your significant other and had to have the kids in tow, at Erna Low, we can find you the perfect ski holiday retreat. The days are over where you would have to choose between having an amazing holiday away or staying put due to concerns with caring for young children on holiday. There are quite a number of resorts where you can go on family ski holidays with childcare. You can certainly get away with the kids and have a fabulous time with them and also quality time with your significant other. There are resorts that have services that cater to very young children and babies; no child is too young to visit the Alps these days. The great thing about ski holidays is that there is hardly any teenager who would scoff at the idea of a ski trip. It's a fun and engaging holiday getaway especially with young teens who are ‘bored’ with almost anything these days. The benefit of them falling in love with skiing is that it will grow on them and family holidays may become an event to look forward to. Interestingly, the majority of advanced and seasoned skiers would have started skiing at a very young age and would want to instill this tradition in their kids. In order to also ensure the children have a truly memorable experience, you will need to choose a resort that ticks all the boxes for the children.
Best Ski Resorts for Kids
Finding a child-friendly holiday resort can be a little bit tedious. Family friendly resorts are easy to find but being able to single out specific child friendly and child focused resorts may be slightly challenging. Trying to narrow down the right resort with your children's needs in mind requires a fair amount of considerations on a number of things; such as ski schools and instructors for children, childcare availability and reliability, provision of safe nursery slopes for young learners and a good selection of non-ski activities. Add gentle slopes for older beginners and dedicated kids areas as well as beautiful scenery to the list of things to consider.
We have provided a few suggestions below that may help your search. Please feel free to get in touch for more information. We will be delighted to hear from you.
Avoriaz
Avoriaz is a top family friendly resort but also particularly, a great resort for children. It has been the recipient of the World Snow Award as a result of its repeated efforts to cater to visiting families and children. Avoriaz offers free ski passes for children under 5 years old, the child price is for children 5-15 years (most resorts are up to 12 years) and they have a teenage ski pass rate for 16-19 year olds. It also has children specific facilities and entertainment such as the Burtons Kids Parkway which is a snow park for children and beginners that features a few very easy ramps and pipes for confidence building. The Kids Parkway is a perfect facility to have as it is a dedicated space for children where they have full freedom and right of way and also can meet and interact with other kids. Avoriaz also has “The Children's Village” located right at the of the resort. This is an amazing facility that is fully dedicated to children and it serves as a leisure centre, ski school and children's care facility. It offers everything from ski lessons, great meals, lunch and childcare. It is great for visiting parents who may be overwhelmed with looking after their young children whilst on holiday.
Avoriaz is also a pedestrian resort with ski-in and ski-out accommodation located close to the Burton Kids Parkway, creches and ski school meeting points so it makes accessing these places very easy and convenient for children and their parents. There are also a couple of established ski schools in Avoriaz with English speaking instructors in the resort centre and close to accommodation buildings.
Other interesting non-ski activities that would go down very well with the children are husky sleighs and horse drawn sleighs. There is also a cinema as well and the Aquariaz Water Paradise with pools and other water attractions for children.
Les Arcs
A great place to visit for the whole family, Les Arcs is an ideal ski resort for children. It has a great balance of children’s entertainment, ski schools and general child friendly activities. The overall setup as a pedestrian ski resort works very well with it being a safer place for children due to the restriction of vehicles driving around the resort. Children under 5 years old are granted a free ski pass and children between the ages of 5 and 17 years old and part of a family of 4 help the family gain a reduced family ski pass. For children learning to ski or just trying out skiing for the first time, there are designated beginner areas for children and a host of ski lessons and instructors at the resort. If you are interested in arranging ski schools for your children, do not hesitate to enquire about this with us. Our long-standing relationship with ski schools and instructors at ski resorts means that we can arrange the best instructors to meet your children’s learning requirements. The ski schools we partner with all have experienced English speaking instructors and most of these classes may be held with other English speaking pupils which is great for team chemistry and it makes it easier for the children to make new friends.
Families with children under 10 years old can have some family fun on toboggans in Arc 2000 while racing down its 3-kilometre run. Children may have to be accompanied by adults to use the toboggans (however, we do expect that the children will be accompanied by adults at all times). Over at Arc 1800, there is a freestyle park for older children who are more confident in skiing and snowboarding. The park has graded jumps and a seating area for others to watch. Mille 8, also located in Arc 1800, is a great attraction for children visiting Les Arcs. It was purpose-built specifically to cater to children and families. It has an indoor and outdoor children’s play area ( the outdoor area has little pistes! ). Mille 8 also has indoor and outdoor swimming pools which also come with caves and waterfall features to add some extra fun for the families. Very popular among visiting families with children, Mille 8 easily caters to children of all ages.
Families with children are also welcome to visit the Grotte de Glace; an ice cave located in Arc 2000 featuring hand-carved ice sculptures. A great way to introduce the children to a bit of the culture of the area and an appreciation of craftsmanship. Other attractions include an ice skating rink and cinemas.
Val d’Isère
Val d’Isère is widely regarded as one of the best ski resorts in Europe and without a doubt, one of the most beautiful ski resorts, attracting visitors from all across the world. Over the years, it has gained a reputation as one of the top party destinations of the Alps, due in no small part to its famous lively après-ski scene. However, what seems to easily get overlooked is Val d’Isères certification as a Famille Plus resort; a national label given to French ski resorts that recognise their capabilities in meeting the needs of visiting families with small children thereby certifying them as a family-friendly resort. Forming one part of the Espace Killy ski terrain, Val d’Isère has a great snow record and an expansive 300 kilometres of ski area combined with Tignes. With pistes suitable for beginners and advanced skiers, children who are still learning have 2 nursery slopes and several green pistes to improve their skills on. Children visiting Val d’Isère have a dedicated ski area, Valkids, which is created to resemble a mini ski resort. In addition, there are several ski schools with fully qualified English speaking ski instructors at Val d’Isère offering a great atmosphere where children can learn to ski in groups of their peers. Contact us for any ski lesson information for your children if you’re visiting Val d’Isère. We have great relationships with ski schools that stretch back decades. The lessons are perfect for children of all ski level abilities and disciplines ( skis or snowboarding ) and they can get either private lessons or learn with a group.
For entertainment, you can take the children to visit the open-air ice rink for a bit of family ice skating. There are also child-friendly local tours in Val d’Isère such as a visit to the farm L'Adroit where children can visit the animals on the farm and learn how the farmers make fresh milk and cheese. There are also dog sledding riders for children as well as designated walks around the village. For indoor entertainment, the Aqua-sports centre has indoor children’s swimming pools and a host of other fun games and activities. Val d’Isère also has a cinema where the children can enjoy a movie evening after the day’s adventures. For couples who intend to spend some time together, there are a host of child care and independent babysitting services with trained and certified staff.
La Plagne
La Plagne is a great resort for children and the family. A recipient of the “Famille Plus'' French Tourism accreditation, given to resorts that cater to the family, it's quite easy to see why La Plagne has been granted this. It has a great reputation for its child care and child-focused activities. It has up to 16 nurseries across the 10 bases of La Plagne, catering to babies. The advice on the minimum age of the babies brought into the nursery may differ at times, however, please do get in touch with us to confirm any details.
La Plagne also has a host of ski schools for young children with English speaking instructors. The ski schools in La Plagne are renowned and these include both established French and International schools. Contact us for any further information regarding the ski schools at La Plagne. In addition, La Plagne has several snow gardens for children; which are designed specifically for children's ski lessons and come fully equipped with long baby tow ropes, moving carpet lifts and other accessories. Older children and young teens may also have access to the snow gardens and nursery ski terrains. There is also a slightly different alternative to skiing for kids; as kids can also take part in a great sledging run in Plagne Centre or husky sledding rides as well. There are also a lot of activities such as arcade games and paintballing.
Most of the resort villages are pedestrianised allowing for safe and easy access to the slopes and ski lifts.
Alpe d'Huez
Alpe d’Huez is a lovely family-friendly resort with great conditions for families with young children. There is an abundance of child care facilities and ski schools in the ski resort of Alpe d’Huez and the smaller surrounding villages; for example, Auris and Vaujany are recommended for families with small children particularly due to the very high standard of accommodation and ski schools for children within those areas. At Alpe d’Huez, you will also find some of the best and established ski schools for children during your ski holiday, however, there are a lot of independent ski schools that are also very brilliant at teaching, some of whom have been instructors for 30 to 40 years! Please feel free to enquire further with us about ski lessons in the area when making your booking. The ski schools and lessons are held in groups usually on the quieter, easier slopes allowing time for parents and guardians some time to themselves. The ski schools in Alpe d'Huez create fun resort also plans fun activities for children as they learn to ski. Some teach children to ski by getting them to weave in and out of funny cartoon characters and using a T-bar lift. When confidence starts to build, they are taken on bigger slopes. They have it all from wave runs to adventure courses for children. Alpe d’Huez also has fantastic child care services for children at almost any age. There are established and independent nannies in the resort who are fully qualified and very well experienced.
Away from the pistes and ski schools, there are other activities that the children can indulge in. There are kids clubs for entertainment for young kids. There is also an outdoor heated pool with a breathtaking view of the mountains which is very popular with families and kids. There is also a sports centre with an indoor pool, climbing wall for children and lots of other sports and games. If you all just want to relax as a family, then check the resort cinema and enjoy a family movie together. Movies with VO on the posters mean that they will be in the original version (usually English).
Get In Touch Now
It is important that when selecting a resort, you prioritise the resorts that puts kids first. We have chosen resorts where kids are occupied not just by mere distractions but are mentally engaged by learning how to ski, learning with others and learning in different environments. These resorts are also very well liked and well received by families who also enjoy the non-ski activities and entertainment channelled towards the kids.
At Erna Low, we have built and maintained great relationships with the ski resorts and their partners for over 50 years and we are still going strong! Please feel free to contact us for any advice on selecting the best ski resorts for kids as we are well experienced and always more than happy to talk to you.
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