Here I am stating some different tips you can have in mind to planning your ski trip, so it is a success.
Going on the Eurotunnel is a great way to get fast into the continent from the UK. Photo: The-Ski-Guru.
**Plan Ahead**. Practical Tips for Planning your Ski Trip.
– Book flights and accommodation several months in advance. Prices are usually lower and you can be sure of availability, especially in high season. You can check rates on Booking.com which usually is pretty good. They have also rental cards, flights, transfers and activities. Just go to Booking and check it out.
– Look for packages that include accommodation, ski passes and rental equipment. These are sometimes cheaper than booking everything separately. There are lots of great ski tour operators. It is best to use one in your country if you want to book air through them. If you book air on your own, you can use any bed bank to plan your travel. Just check that the tour operator is accredited through the local entity, such as ASTA, ABTA, etc. You want them to be bonded should anything happens that the company goes bust, and at least the government takes care of what you’ve paid.
Maybe you have the luxury of being able to choose when you go skiing. For all of us having kids, we are slaved to go on our half term holidays, but these dates differ depending on where you are. And maybe, only maybe, you can choose when to ski in Europe if you want to avoid the ski holidays.
Growing up in Argentina I remember I just took the time off school or university to go skiing and it was not a big deal. With fines in the UK, it is not the best. Plus, schools here are super fussed if you take time off.
If you put your kids through private schooling, then you have an extra week usually, when all state school kids are still in the classroom. It is much cheaper to jet off that prior week than when everyone is doing so. It would be much better to drive and/or take the train (albeit expensive in half term), to take care of our planet, that is in dire straits at the moment… and for all snow lovers, if we do not take care of it, we’ll not have it anymore!
There is a great grid published by Eric Bonnel of Val Thorens Tours putting which countries have holidays when.
Just got back from a sixteen-day holiday for our annual white Christmas in the Aosta Valley skiing in Pila and enjoying all what the Aosta Valley has to offer.
Having a home in the small town of Morgex, the heart of the valley of Monte Bianco, called the Valdigne of Monte Bianco, allows us to go many times in the year to this beautiful spot-on earth.
Chaumont in the morning. Photo: The-Ski-Guru
The Drive to and From the Mountains. Our White Christmas in the Aosta Valley skiing in Pila.
We drive from south-east London each time, taking our dog and the kids (now teenagers) with us. Skiing is a holiday that everyone wants to come to, and I hope this keeps on happening for years to come, as I do enjoy our time together as a family. And skiing is the best thing that can get us all together!
As soon as school has closed for the holidays, we left on an early morning to Folkestone, the Eurotunnel site this side of the channel. I prefer taking the Eurotunnel over the ferry, as it is super easy. You just get your car on the rail and in 35’ you are on Calais, ready to drive on the continent. Plus, your trip is not cancelled for bad weather!
You can drive all the way to Morgex, in the Aosta Valley in one day. (11 hours). We are just 10 minutes down of Courmayeur. Courmayeur is located just after crossing the Mont Blanc Tunnel. But for me, driving all in one day is not agreeable! We always take two days to go and two days to come back.
Why Visit – The Must-Read Guide to Pila, Aosta Valley
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Pila is a resort that I’ve got to know by chance. I’ve drove with my family to Ollomont, a tiny ski resort at the end of the road of the Valpelline Valley, north of Aosta for the first ski holiday of my little one that was three. (My eldest went once to ski in Portillo before!)
Nice and warm day in Pila, snow became corn snow overnight- still nice! Photo: The-Ski-Guru. The Must-Read Guide to Pila, Aosta Valley
As the ski area of Ollomont was too small (even though at first, I’ve thought it was ideal), and it did not have ski instructor nor skis or boots for my little boys, I had to go elsewhere. Somebody told us to go either to Pila in Aosta, or Crévacol, by the Grand Saint Bernard Pass. We went to Aosta, and the next was history.
We have been going ever since there, even though now we do not stay at the bottom of the main cable car, but in our home in Morgex (30’ away).
My youngest learnt to ski there, and my two boys love the resort, so we keep on going back for more. Even though I am more nearby La Thuile and Courmayeur, we tend to go to Pila, as it is a very easy-to-deal with and family-friendly ski area.
It is starting to snow (and rain) in the Northern Hemisphere. This is a sign that the ski season is coming around the corner! This is a list I have done quickly of what you should think of getting, if you are planning to go skiing.
If you are a seasoned skier or boarder, you must have all your equipment, even though sometimes you want to upgrade something. If you are starting, this is a good guide of what to think to be warm in the mountains. And how to keep your family happy and warm…. Nothing is worst than having a crying kid because is cold!
I am putting all items you can find on Amazon, for a fast easy shop.
Nothing helps you better to stay warm than a thermal layer. I love merino as it keeps you warm and dry, and it does not stink as quickly as other materials. It is also cool for summer, so a great material!
Another thing to think, to keep happy feet, is to get at least two or three pairs of ski socks – so you can alternate during the week (more if you do not have a washing machine!)
You also want to have a warm head. Heat leaves you fast through your head and your extremities (feet and hands). So here is a selection of beanies – I prefer wool to synthetic ones, but that goes with taste. A beanie is also useful if you wear a ski helmet (it is obligatory for kids to wear helmets while skiing). If it is very cold, you can add the beanie under the helmet.
You’ve probably spotted that a lot more of your skiing friends have plumped for all-inclusive ski packages. We’ve always booked independent travel ourselves and so do most of our guests, but there are good reasons for the recent rise in all inclusive ski holidays, so we’ve done the research with top UK ski operator SNO, to bring you the low-down on the all-in skiing experience.
Let’s dive into the reasons, shall we?
A happy family in the snow. Photo: Richard Sinclair. Sno.co.uk. Why all-inclusive ski holidays become so popular
Smart Budgeting: With the economy having its ups and downs, knowing your full holiday cost upfront is a game-changer. Think about it: an all-inclusive deal covers your accommodation, meals, lift tickets, maybe even gear rentals. You’re not left guessing how much that après-ski hot cocoa will set you back!
Our Christmas holidays in the mountains with the kids and our dog! Courmayeur, Aosta.
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So now that we are happy homeowners of a lovely flat in the mountains, we’ll be there on every possible occasion. To do it cheap and more environmentally friendly, we drive with a full car going through the Eurotunnel and sleeping over in Chaumont on our way up, staying at the Ibis Chaumont Centre Gare, and in Reims coming back.
And as leaving your dog in care in the UK is super expensive, more in Christmas, we decided to take him with us and try our ski holiday with a dog! We have already travelled with him when we went to equip the flat in October, and I’ve realised, that if Ozzy had his sleeping crate, he is fine. That is his safe place. So, I’ve ordered one in Amazon to be delivered in Italy. That made the trick.
We arrived in Morgex with some foul weather. Still so pretty that we went out every day! Our Christmas holidays in the mountains with the kids and our dog! Courmayeur, Aosta.
When we go and stay over in a hotel, there is no way that Ozzy will stay happy at a hotel room, even with his best filled bone. He starts crying first and the noise turns into a bark- therefore that is not an option! We have learnt to go to eat in two halves. Usually my husband and my eldest take Ozzy for a walk and I have a quick dinner with my youngest, and then we go to the room and stay with Ozzy while they have dinner. Same in the morning for breakfast. It is not ideal, but that seems to work fine for us.
The trip to the mountains is always amazing. I was expecting it to be much busier, as we’ve left the day after school broke up, on 21st December. I was glad to see that the route was pretty empty, even if France was having transport strikes at the time.
We arrived in our home in Morgex, just 10’ down the road from Courmayeur, in the Aosta Valley, with good light and with time to bring all the goodies we were bringing to the flat to finish decorating it. As the car was really full, we will need to bring more boxes in our next February trip.
7 things that can help you when taking kids skiing
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I have been sorting our ski gear today, measuring my kids pants and seeing if their ski boots where still ok for their feet, and doing some adjustments on them. This is the third season on the same boots and I just have to change the settings on the boots of my youngest to the third position, whereas my eldest still is in the same setting. I am thinking that he has been skiing with big boots for some seasons now! They seem to be ok, and he still have four settings to change in his Roces boots…. Here is a post of the Roces boots if you want to read more on them.
But while looking at my boxes where I put away all our ski gear and clothing, I’ve found some things that I really used over the years.
Here is a list of them and how they can be of use for you on this coming season.
The Roces ski boots of my kids just needed a bit of setting adjustment and now we are ready for a new ski season. Ozzy was overlooking the grand tasks! 7 things that can help you when taking kids skiing.
Walkie Talkies- A good pair of walkie talkies stuffed inside a sock and guarded into an interior pocket of your jacket is great for communicating with kids. You need to keep the walkie talkies warm, because the battery can die quickly when it is cold. They are great to communicate with your kids, or from kid to kid when they are having some time off, maybe not the best if skiing down at speed I would say- same restrictions should apply as those for driving and using a mobile phone- basically, don’t use them while skiing!
So, you want to take your family skiing, but you do not know where to start?
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The summer holidays are finished, kids starting school again, and you got the holiday blues. The best thing to do to combat this feeling is getting ready for your next holiday.
I don’t know if you are like me, but I always need to have a holiday to look forward to. How about if you want to initiate your family into skiing but have never done so? And what happens if yourself are not that experienced at it? You might have gone when young with your school but did not think any more of it.
And maybe the mountains caught your attention, but you did not have the money when young and the world was a big place to discover and were not thinking in this kind of holiday.
The boys waiting for their ski race- Photo: Patrick Hinchy. So, you want to take your family skiing, but you do not know where to start?
Now you are tied down with kids, and holidays are completely different. But you’ve heard of friends going skiing already, and of how much fun they had, and how good it is for your kids to start the sport when they are young, as they are not afraid about falling.
You could maybe master a couple of blue or red slopes, but you are not an expert, or, you have never skied.
The problem with skiing, is that it seems daunting: with the travelling, lodging, transfers to the mountains if not lodged ski in – ski out; the equipment, the weight of it all, the clothing you need, the ski or snowboard school for getting all started….you are tired of it before you even begin organising yourself!
But do not despair – I know that all seems awful before starting, but if you like to master tasks and break them into little bits and bops to tackle one at a time, you can definitely be organising the first of an annual holiday that you’ll cherish for ever. Or, if you could not be bothered with the fuss, but still want to introduce your family to a holiday in the snow, then you can always contact a tour operator or travel concierge!
Kids Waiting for the Funicular in Courmayeur Mont Blanc- Soft Pastels by Martina Diez-Routh. In the shop for sale here.
The big picture
Just imagine the rewards, paradisaic landscapes in pristine snow and blue skies, or snow tip-tapping in your face, the silence you can feel when it is snowing, cuddling up under a fluffy blanket by the fire with a nice cup of hot chocolate or wine, the interminable strings of stories of hilarious things that happen to you when you are in the mountain which are great to share with friends. All these things make these kinds of holidays really worth it. For me, it is the holidays I like the best, I think all year of them, I crave my time in the mountains like crazy when I am in the lowlands.
The Half Term Family Ski Holiday that did not result as planned
Our Family Half Term ski holiday is always decided one year in advance. Pretty much we always go to the Aosta Valley, as my youngest boy does not want to change location. I see it with my family, and I’ve seen it with many people over the years (even with myself when I’ve started skiing while much younger!)
You go to one resort, you get familiarised with it, and you don’t want to change! All is easy, and just changing to another resort, makes it too challenging. I see it as using an old pair of jeans, that you don’t want to change for something else!
So, we were set to leave the Friday before the half term- as my husband is the sole driver (for me it was too difficult changing sides of the road when I’ve moved from Argentina to the UK, that I daren’t do it again!)
Getting up early pays off – usually. Photo: The-Ski-Guru. The Half Term Family Ski Holiday that did not result as planned.
Our car has been acting funny since September, when the Turbo went off. Then it started revving between 2nd and 3rd gears and we’ve took it twice to the mechanics. The first time we were said it was solved, but it was not, and I’ve took the car back in the garage two weeks before leaving. I did not have the car until the Wednesday of the week we were leaving – we were leaving at 4 AM on the Friday of that week and I was already very nervous about it and seeing if we could rent a car in the UK to cross to the continent.
Apparently, you can do so with Hertz and Avis, but obviously these cars do not bring roof rack, nor winter tyres or chains. So, I was budgeting all that just in case. My husband was saying that if we did not have our car back, we were staying and cancelling the trip, and my kids and me were completely distraught at the thought of it.
The car came out off the garage so then we were going to be ready to go. The night after taking our dog to some friends to look after him, my husband told me that the revving was still there, but that I should not worry. He was sure that this was not going to be anything.
Off we went with our skis, helmets, ski boots, all the paraphernalia you take when you go skiing. We set out in good time and at the Eurotunnel we were given a crossing one hour earlier, so we had time only to go to the bathroom and pick up some coffee and croissants to eat in the car.
We had a very good driving. Last year there was snow from home all the way to Folkestone and from Calais all the way to Italy. This time all the roads were clean, and the weather was beautiful, pretty warm too. This was not the best snow year for the Alps – (Austria and Eastern Switzerland got lots of snow, as well as other Eastern European countries like Romania), but for France, Italy and Western Switzerland the snow was ok, but just.
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