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Hi Folks,
I’m investigating skiing options for two adults and one toddler (will be 2.5 when we go). What resorts and accommodations can you recommend?
Thank you!
2 1/2 is very young to ski so you need a decent childcare setup. I can personally recommend Powder Byrne as a company who will make sure you all have an enjoyable & relaxing week as their travel, staff & resort/accommodation choices are excellent for younger families.
Personally, I’d wait two years until Junior is 4.5. Anything younger is too young to really enjoy skiing (4 is the minimum age for most ski schools), so, rather than take a holiday where you’ll have to arrange childcare and split up the family, have a different kind of break where you can all be together. Of course, you may be unwilling to have a break in your skiing; if so, that’s your choice.
My other controversial advice would be to eschew Europe with young children and go to Canada instead. Panorama would be a perfect choice, but other options are available. In my experience (admittedly now years out of date) both ski schools and childcare are significantly better on the other side of the pond.
If you insist on Europe, you need a small resort where everything is a really easy walk: you will forget essential equipment some days and need to return to base; carrying skis and a toddler is hard; and kids walk incredibly slowly. How about Saint Foy as a very human-scale resort?
Look at Elmauhof (nearest airport Salzburg) where we’ve been multiple times and is set up for exactly what you need.
My advice would be to wait until your tot is 3/4 and able to go into ski school, unless you have a very, very generous ski trip budget. If the latter, +1 for Powder Byrne who, from personal experience, provide excellent childcare services ranging from 1:1 specialist nanny care for the under 1s to creche/ski school provision for the 2/3/4 year old brigade. Bear in mind that even then it is a long day for toddlers to be away from parents in an unfamiliar environment so unless you are willing to alternate afternoons with your partner i.e. one of you skis solo one day and the other looks after your child (and vice versa the next day), it’s likely you’ll only be able to get a morning’s worth of skiing in together anyway, so consider whether it’s worth the cost and faf of the holiday for only 3/4 hours on the slopes. If you are able to take advantage of grandparents happy to babysit for 3/4 days, why not go for a long weekend somewhere in Europe with a short transfer (e.g. Geneva to Chamonix is 1 hr 15) just the two of you? I know plenty of people who do this and rate it as the best option if you have a young family but still want to get some hard skiing in!
Just to add to the chorus here, 2.5 yrs is too young to ski. They get so tired so quickly. We took my eldest son at 3.5 and he was ok to do a 2 hr private lesson every day. My daughter at 2yrs 11 months could only manage about 45 minutes.
You also don’t want to be going to the rockies as jet lag will be a pain. Check out the kinder hotels in Austria as they have a really good set up. All day childcare, through to incorporating a bit of playing in the snow up to ski lessons. Parents can then work around that skiing as much or as little as they want. Also an evening program to allow you to have a relaxed meal while the kids play.
Specifically check the Zauchenseehof or Zentral in Zauchensee (1hr from SZG) or the Hotel Bär in Serfaus, 1hr from INN.
I think too many people experience the utilitarian approach to skiing in France and then think that’s how it works right across Europe.
…You also don’t want to be going to the rockies as jet lag will be a pain…
That’s often said by people who’ve never tried it. We started skiing in the Rockies when our youngest was 4, and we’ve managed about 13 trips in total. Jet lag has never been an issue after the first morning, and all the kids agreed the extra journey was worthwhile. There’s something about fresh air and exercise that completely removes jetlag from the human body.
Despite my personal preferences, there are loads of reasons to choose Europe over North America for a ski trip. Jet lag isn’t one of them.
Hi vetjames. I’m an avid skier but never found a good affordable resort option in Europe. What we have been doing, since the kids were 18 months old, is to pick a good hotel in the Alta Badia area (in Italy), as their ski school is set to also offer kindergarten from the age of 6 months.
You bring the kids to the school (beside the cabin or a few minutes walking) at 9 am and you pick them up at 4:30 pm.When the kids reach the age of 3, they can start the ski course. You bring them to the kindergarten at 9 am and then the teacher will take care of them all day. At 9:30 they walk to the school slope, they do the course 10-12:45 and then they bring them back to the kindergarten at 12:45 to have some lunch. in the afternoon they play indoors or outdoors (in a dedicated supervised space of course)
We found a small amazing aparthotel with an incredible spa in La Villa and we have have been there every year since we discovered it. When the kids will have to learn well to ski we will explore other areas and they will ski with us.
The beauty of the Alta Badia ski resort is that it is connected to the Dolomites Super Ski. If you are not a beginner and you don’t need to ski twice on the same slope during the week if you don’t want.
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