[Closed] Skiing - Where to go Dad and 9yr Old

We went once with Esprit, it was great and the nanny service was amazing. I was with Mrsdts and two kids. it left us with much more time to ski and the kids loved it. I would think that that would be a great way to do it on your own with one child. It was costly, we only did it as our schools had Feb half term at a different week to the rest of the country. It was a nice chalet in Paisey Vallandry.
In my experience you don't need anything like as big a resort as you would if you were skiing with friends. You have a fairly short window to ski in before you need to be there to collect from ski school. This is where Esprit and Ski Fammile come in as they do more wrap around care. It is great fun skiing one to one with the kids, I love it!

La Plagne is a great shout. My dad and I did exactly what you’re planning on doing several times when I was younger. I’d look at a catered chalet of some sort - we had great fun people watching and you can Relax with some wine at night without having to sort childcare.

Somewhere like The Goat Shed in Paisey Vallandry could be a good place to look at if you didn’t want to stay in la Plagne, though it’s probably too far to ski commute to ski school in l/p

Have a look at Sainte Foy tarantaise. Don’t let the number of lifts fool you, there’s a lot of skiing there, no lift queues (outside school holidays) excellent skiing for beginners but lots of off piste as well. There’s a reason so many instructors / guides head over on there day off!

Have a look at Sainte Foy tarantaise

Funnily enough I was going to suggest that for exactly the same reasons.  Excellent for beginners and a lot of off piste that isn't wildly skied out because not so many people go there.  Probably don't even need a guide as the area is quite small.  I had a brilliant time there with my daughter when she was about 10

Also is it worth choosing a ‘family’ orientated company or just go separately ?

It's much cheaper going separately but I tend to go for companies as there is usually a good chance of meeting up with some other people the same age to ski with.  It works well for me as when I was there I put my back out after 2 days (the off piste was far too much fun and perhaps I wasn't quite ready) but then there were other people happy for her to tag along in the afternoon.  (even met a father and son off of here on one of our trips which was top find).  Our chalet was half way down the final run and it was the only way off the mountain so I was happy just to let her ski around herself while I drank beer in the hot tub.

That was a great holiday 🙂

I think Alagna could provide what you’re after - it’s billed as ‘Freeride Paradise’ and the cable car was full of the backpacked and beroped each morning, also great for beginners, lovely blues and reds. For us it was onpiste reds and blacks and that all good too. We stayed at Alberto Montagne di Luce and enjoyed it - lovely food!

A ski resort thread, four replies and they're all reasonable, not one dissing an excellent resort, WTAF! 🙂 Nothing to add for the moment. 😉

Catered chalet would be best. Least effort in the evenings. With a learner a small resort would be great. Once they get better they seem to want to cover more ground. At least my daughter does. Her skills are not up to off piste yet so we needs lots of reds and blacks. Avoriaz is great for learners. Evolution2 ski lessons seem to be reliably good.

As per Markie - I was going to suggest the Monte Rosa ski area (Italy's 3V).
Alagna end best for off piste access, Champoluc for OP's learner but still with plenty of Off piste available.

ive been thinking of doing a long weekend with my 9yr old. have not mentioned it to her mum tho, but she is far more skilled than her mother and i could happily have 3 days of cruising reds / easier blacks with her somewhere, with the odd bit of resort side off piste...

If you are going in school holidays time try Action-outdoors - they're the UK booking centre for UCPA. You pay to get there then the resrt is all-inclusive - accomodation, full board, lift pass, equipment and lessons

Val Thorens also worth a look, some excellent/wide beginners slopes, lots to do in the resort, pretty high so snow conditions normally pretty good.

Not somewhere I would suggest for a seasoned ski group, but I think your first idea of La Plagne is ideal for a family with young children.

And the dissing starts.

Care to explain why La Plagne with it's extensive off-piste, touring, X-C and variety of pistes would be anything but perfect for a "seasoned ski group", Bazzer.

Tignes Val Claret has a good ESF, central location in the ski area and a lot of fast lifts in all directions.

I can second Sainte Foy Tarentaise as a great destination for kids and adults. Kids can't get lost as all trails lead to the same point, for grown ups a lot of off piste and 'cheeky' trails. It's compact but there's no dull transitions or flat pushes either. They also regularly do events like slalom competitions for any kids skiing at the resort. We were actually staying near La Plagne but no one was particularly enjoying it, so I said I'd heard good things about this little place lets give it a try and ended up going back 3 days.

Thanks for all the advice so far.

Sainte Foy does look good, but I can only see Crystal that do package holidays and they have no availabilty in Feb half term.

It looks like it would have to be a book flights and car hire etc which I really cant be bothered with...unless I am missing a company that goes there?

Another vote for Sainte Foy. Try Premier Neige they only do Sainte Foy.

yeah we have done Sainte Foy with Prem Neige 4 or 5 times, our mates even more - superb for kids.

Whiteroom of this parish are there also.

Whiteroom of this parish are there also

Not any more I think, they've moved to a bigger place in or near Bourg Saint Maurice.

think i thats just the summer chalet - winter digs still in resort?

Ah - perhaps, yes.

car hire

Just book transfers with Cool Bus or the like, dont bother with a car

Speaking to Mrs FD apparently I managed to get the dates wrong and it’s not Feb h/t but the last week in March ! 🤷‍♂️ Anyhow tats a different story. So the end of March will the snow be crappy at Sainte Foy? I know its north facing and every year is different etc etc....

last year was looking quite bleak by the end of March but then there was a big late season dump. obviously difficult to speculate. we used go like going over xmas holidays but didnt last year as there had been no snow for a few years, obviously it turned out to be the best snow ever!

not ideal but if it was bad that bad, you can always sling it up the road to Tignes. its never that bad tho...

I was there for the last week of March this year. There was enough snow on Piste, nothing was shut however it was frozen each morning, 2.5hours of perfection as everyone else was at lunch then quite slushy, especially lower down, in the afternoon. we then got about 40cm of snow and had 2 great days, but mostly gone by the end of the week.
Would have been better than La Rossier on the other side of the valley, but VT had better conditions (as an example).
Last week of March, before the other kids broke up for school, I did a couple of runs top to bottom of the resort and passed 4 (honestly, exactly 4!) other skiers!

So the end of March will the snow be crappy at Sainte Foy? I know its north facing and every year is different etc etc….

Zermatt ftw

If I was going at that time I’d go as high as possible. Pretty soulless but Val Thorens will have good snow.
La Plagne is a great area and plenty to explore but if you’re after challenging stuff it’s pretty thin on the ground there. Ideal for learning and intermediate type skiing.

but if you’re after challenging stuff it’s pretty thin on the ground there. Ideal for learning and intermediate type skiing.

Can't say I noticed a shortage of challenging stuff and a lot of it had access from the lift system and a shuttle bus to get you home even if it didn't finish back on piste, I assume that nothing less than a 50° Chamonix couloir bores you, Andy.

but if you’re after challenging stuff it’s pretty thin on the ground there.

That’s completely wrong! As Edukator says it has an incredible amount of steep/varied off piste skiing, most of it accessible by lifts.

The north face of the bellecote is probalby the longest steep continuous lift-served off piste in europe, after La Grave. If you think there isn't much in La Plagne, maybe you don't have enough experience to be going off-piste without a guide.

maybe you don’t have enough experience to be going off-piste without a guide.

To be honest these days I always use a local guide. I don’t spend enough time in the mountains to keep mountain craft up to date, and it’s just so much easier knowing they know where they are going ie won’t send you off a cliff.

Top of the Roche de Mio between the cliffs below the Bellecote bubble is as good as anything in Chamonix but you don’t need to rope up and descend in to the couloir.

The North Face is stunning, you really feel back country yet it’s accessed from a lift. So many route options and possibilities

Last time the conditions were not good enough to do the stuff down to the Champagny side of the mountain but that too sounds amazing

That time of year I'd look at Zell Am See / Kaprun, and ski the Kitzsteinhorn glacier if snow short on schmittenhöhe.

New cable car goes in this year linking Kaprun directly to the glacier too!