‘Lets face it – affordable is not a word we would associate with skiing. Gone are the days you could easyjet over to the Alps for a cheeky weekend – blasting the pistes at warp nine & drinking to oblivion at après ski!
There’s 3 or 4 or 5 (or more) of you now and that’s just added at least another 0 to the price of your holiday. So whether you choose to book last minute, fly, drive, self cater or chalet style your ski holiday – skiing as a family ain’t cheap, so do you really want to add kid’s ski school to the long list of expenses?
I’m a big fan of kid’s ski lessons and it’s not just about getting some time off. Here’s why.
1. Ski schools teach your little ones the basics with no fuss
Doing it the right way from the start is a huge plus for kids. And being taught from an expert over yourself, who lets face it has picked up a whole host of bad habits over the years, means they’ll progress way faster.
2. Kids just get on with it without their parents being around
Copying their peers, it’s a do or die strategy and tantrums are quashed more by peer pressure, than parent molly coddling. This said, we’d recommend avoiding ESF, who, in our experience, are too strict & might not speak English. Skiing with kids needs to be fun and a traumatic experience could set them back years. The ski instructors from several French, but English speaking, ski schools we’ve used have been young, enthusiastic and quite frankly brilliant with our kids.
3. It’s more fun with other kids!
Normally on their 2nd week of skiing they’re out of kinder-ski and snaking the pistes with their new ski buddies. It’s a fantastic chance for your child to meet & socialize with new friends of all nationalities. Imagine skiing with your parents all day, all week? The littles think you’re great fun but start heading into digit numbers and trust me, you’re boring (well all day every day anyway). By putting them into ski lessons, they get to meet kids their own age, zip round snow/fun parks and get to do stuff you wouldn’t even think or know how to do with them.
4. It makes them more independent and gives them confidence
Sure they’re shy on day one, and for the weeny ones there may be a few tears, but once they’re au fait with the whose who & what’s what, they’re off. For the last 2 years we’ve booked our 7 year old into 4 hours a day 3 x a week and a whole day twice a week. We are required to stuff 5 euros a day into her ski jacket, so she can have a drink on the mountain with her class. She relishes the independence of ordering a ‘chocolate chaud avec chantilly’ with her buddies without Mummy or Daddy being anywhere near and rather than being exhausted from skiing all day as I’d feared, wanted to carry on for après with her instructors!
5. They get a medal!
6. You get a bit of time off
Sure it’s great to get a few runs in with your partner. In an ideal world all lessons would be the same length and at the same time. Fact – it rarely works like that – unless you’ve an only child or twins. Once you’ve got varied ages in the mix, you’ve got different schedules to streamline. Ages 6+ normally start at 9am for 2-4 hours, while younger 3-5s are held off until around 11am, when the snow’s a little softer & more forgiving. Unless you’re lucky enough to have a nanny in tow, it’s a case of getting in a run or two while you can, in between drop off and pick ups. Personally I love to pick my girls up from ski school, to see them flushed with excitement and eager to blurt out their news. I know that this will only last a few more years before they start their supposedly sulky teens? For now I’m not fussed about skiing all day, every day.
What about the tears?
Let me just say, my aim is to spend as much as my time on the slopes with my family, not to simply waft them into ski school so I can ski all day with our friends. Snow is in our blood – I want them to enjoy it as much as we do and I am impatient for the day that we can ski ensemble & truly believe I am giving them the opportunity of a gift for life.
Ski lessons – totally worth it in our book.
This is on the only ski school to go to if you’re heading to Meribel, Courchevel, La Tania or Val Thorens. They are truly brilliant and are worth every penny. They take children from 3 years and all the instructors speak English and are fun, caring and patient. My girls spent two holidays in Meribel with Magic and cried when they left. They still remember their instructors by name and talk about them all the time. Highly recommended.
For more information give them a call (the office staff speak English) or visit
www.magic.ski
PANDA CLUB (EVOLUTION 2) – Chamonix
Panda Club (run by Evolution 2 ski school) is a fab ski school for little ones right at the bottom of Les Grands Montets in Argentiere, Chamonix. Minnie spent a week here when she was 4 years old and it was such a relief to find after we had taken her out of ESF’s Club Piou Piou. She had been thoroughly miserable at Piou Piou and the instructors refused to teach her if she cried and left her on the side of the piste (heart breaking …..). We took her out after we realised what was happening (no refund) and put her into Panda Club. TOTAL TRANSFORMATION! Panda Club has English speaking instructors and have a lovely warm chalet on-site. On arrival, after sorting groups, they march 100m to their private nursery slope to loud, energetic music blasting from a boom box. They also have a bouncy castle on site. The emphasis is fun, fun, fun. At the end of the week they get their medal from a giant panda. Brilliant!
For older children who can ski check out Evolution 2’s Junior Academy.
For all information visit Evolution 2’s website
www.evolution2-chamonix.com
0 comment
Hello The Free Styler Family. This Blog has been a fantastic help. I’ve been wanting to take my young family skiing to the snowy mountains for some time know. We have yet to be brave enough to adventure, as being a snowboarder further a field.. this has given me plenty to think about so much closer to home. I have yet to take the plunge due to the lack of knowledge, finances and visiting friends in chamonix for my first ride in 8 years has left me very hungry for more with my family.. this will be a great kick starter for us all x
Hi Vanessa, I’m so pleased that you found our blog useful! It definitely helps when you can read other families doing the same thing and find out some of the pitfalls and tips in advance! It can be daunting taking young children skiing but as long as you don’t expect too much (ie skiing all day every day with them) then it can be so rewarding. Once they learn to ski it is a fantastic feeling skiing altogether as a family – a really lovely bonding experience, plus something you can do together as the family grows up – I’ve never heard a teenager say no to a ski holiday! Thanks for following us and please just get in contact if you have any questions. Mags
Brilliant blog…. concise and to point…..x
Hi Jossy, sorry not to reply sooner! Thank you so much for your kind words. It’s great to hear feedback that we’re doing something right and that readers are finding our blog valuable. Thanks for following.