Tips For A Successful Ski Holiday With A Young Family
It doesn’t matter if you’re an experienced skier or a complete novice, planning a ski holiday for a young family can feel like a bit of a challenge. So much so that the very thought of it can put people off organising family ski holidays with young children.
In this guide, we look at the questions that are often asked when families are organising a ski trip, share some top tips and reassure you that it’s easier than you think to have a successful ski holiday with a young family.
What Equipment Do I Need Ahead Of A Family Ski Holiday?
If you are an experienced skier you are likely to have most of the kit you need, but if your children have never been or you are a novice yourself then you will need to buy some clothing and kit.
Most winter sports retailers will sell you all the clothing and equipment you need, but there are places such as Mountain Warehouse, Snow and Rock and TK Maxx where you could buy kit for you and your children at a reasonable price.
Your children will need waterproof clothing, gloves and retainers, warm socks and you can hire your skis, snowboards, helmet and ski boots at the resort. .
Which Ski Resort Should I Choose?
The first thing you need to consider when you are planning your family ski holiday is the resort you want to visit.
Things to consider include; resort transfer times, (how long it takes to get from the arrival airport up to your resort), what you want to do when you aren’t skiing, and whether you are all beginners or need to cater for different ski abilities.
As you will be travelling with young children, you want to look at the best family ski resorts and what they have to offer. There are so many located across France, Austria and Italy that you’ll be spoilt for choice.
The Altitude of the resort is also an important factor. Ideally, you want the town to be situated around 1800m, as this is the ideal combination of good for snow while minimising altitude sickness.
Keep an eye out for any special deals that are on offer such as our own Esprit Ski Family Savers. These family ski savings offer you excellent value for money at a huge range of resorts.
What About Transfers?
With Esprit Ski, flights and the transfers from and back to your destination airport are included in the price of the holiday. This means you don’t have to worry about any connections or additional travel plans – we take care of that for you, ensuring you will have a stress-free start and end to your trip.
Our flights also go to shorter transfer airports like Geneva, Chambery and Innsbruck – meaning you won’t be travelling for hours on end to get to your resort.
What About Food?
Holidays are meant to be an escape from the norm, especially all the cooking and cleaning that comes after a meal with a young family. By choosing an Esprit catered chalet for your ski holiday, you can enjoy breakfast, afternoon tea and a three-course evening meal that is prepared by our staff. Children get their own high tea, supervised by our Esprit staff leaving some down time for parents. As soon as the little ones are in bed adults can relax and unwind with a glass of wine safe in the knowledge that their children are being listened out for by our childcare staff
For lunch, each resort has a plethora of options that will cater for all appetites. For the children, Supervised Lunch is a great option as part of the Esprit’s flexible childcare offering.
What Is The Best Accommodation?
Try and get accommodation that is close to the slopes as this will save you a long walk whilst juggling yours and the kids’ skis every morning and evening. It’s worth booking a catered chalet so you don’t have to cook your dinner after a day on the slopes.
Always check how close your accommodation is to the town so you can plan your time off the slopes. You should also look at the property amenities and the room types so you can make sleeping arrangements.
How Do We Keep The Kids Occupied On A Ski Holiday?
When deciding on which ski resort you want to visit for your holiday you should look into the activities that are available to children.
This is where ski holidays with childcare included are a great option as it takes the stress out of having to organise extra activities that are specifically designed for your kids. Many children are used to attending nursery or some form of childcare at home and the childcare that’s available with Esprit Ski will feel familiar to your children.
Babies and toddlers can attend nursery with a nanny service, while slightly older children can attend a ski-school, meaning your children have the chance to make new friends that are a similar age and have similar interests.
There are flexible childcare options available, from half-days up to full days from 9am-6pm.
How Can We Enjoy Some Child-Free Time?
As adults, you want to enjoy yourselves too. By taking advantage of the childcare services on offer this gives you the perfect opportunity to spend some child-free time together.
You can go off after breakfast to head for the first lifts and spend the day on the slopes, returning at the end of the day, or you could try some activities off the slopes. Many resorts have spas and wellness areas that you can enjoy a couple’s massage or a sauna and hot tub together.
The nanny services will allow you the opportunity to go for a romantic meal together or to explore the resort on your own.
If you are interested in booking a trip with Esprit Ski then take a look at our range of ski holidays with kids.
