Ok Bonkers, but what skiing resort is best for...

[StarkAndWitchesWillFindYou]

no skiing.

I mean we have two preschoolers and we just want to go somewhere cheap and cozy with sledges and build snowmen and throw snowballs, have some good rides up mountains to look at the scenery and maybe find a kiddies pool or other kiddy activities etc.

DS is autistic so could not go to ski school and dd hasn't been walking for long so skiing will be a bit of a tall order.

Is there such a place?

Many tia

You will find it hard to get better views than what you get along the Chamonix valley. For non skiers looking for views and train / cable car / telecabine rides, you have the :

Tramway du Mont Blanc from St Gervais,

Train de Montenvers to the Mer de Glace from Chamonix which is a huge glacier you take a train to then a telecabine down to, with an ice cave full of sculptures,

Téléphérique de l'Aiguille du Midi from Chamonix, one of the highest cable cars in the world, you can go further over the top of the mountain into Italy,

Téléphérique des Grands Montets form Argentiere, another high cable car,

Télécabine de Brévent from Chamonix,

Télécabine de Vallorcine,

Téléphérique de Flégere from Les Praz,

You can do all these trips by buying a Mont Blanc Unlimited pass. If the children are less than 4 years old, a 3 day pass would set you back 292 euro. This might sound much but a return trip just on the Aiguille du Midi cable car for 2 adults is 91 euro. If you did 2 cable cars/train/télécabines per day, you could easily pay 400 euro plus for the individual trips for 2 adults.

There are reasonably cheap places to stay in the Chamonix valley with indoor pools, especially if you stay in one of the other villages in the valley other than Chamonix, such as Les Houches, Argentiere, Vallorcine. If you stay along the valley in paid accommodation between Servoz and Vallorcine, you get a free card for the local trains and buses too. You should be able to find a self catering apartment from 500 euro per week along the valley with a pool, less without a pool.

www.compagniedumontblanc.fr/pages/forfaits_tarifs_excursion_hiver.html

They don't recommend you take a under 2 up to Aiguille du Midi due to altitude and bitter cold - not sure how old yours are - and once you start a cablecar/gondola up there is no turning back!

There are lots of lesser known resorts which might suit you better, ones where locals go for day trips. You could base yourself in a city(Innsbruck, Zurich, Lucerne, Geneva) and take trips out. Have a look at a big resort you fancy with facilities and then look at a the smaller villages which connect (ie Pettnau for St Anton). Seefeld in Austria is a pretty winter wonderland resort with nice pool (indoor/outdoor), also perhaps Ellmau/ Scheffau, St Johann in Tirol, Zell am See or along the Montafon valley. The Dolomite area of Italy such as Selva has dramatic scenery. Morzine/Avoriaz/Chatel in France. Lauterbrunnen or Interlaken for the Jungfrau region in Switzerland (lots of trains to get you up the mountains). hth

You could look at Granada, where you can get to either the mountain or the beach in about half an hour to 45 mins.

I wouldn't discount a toddle who has not long been walking as not being able to ski either. They seem to take to it so easily so you may want somewhere take DD for a little ski as well.

I would recommend Morzine/Avoriaz/Chatel as well.

Morzine. Morzine. Morzine. Not very cheap though...

Interlaken / Berner Oberland has 2 area passes which cover the trains / buses / cable cars, the passes cover slightly different areas but are both great value, the Berner-Oberland pass and the Jungfraujoch pass. Or if you want to go further, a Swiss pass is great value too. Not sure if the area passes are valid in Winter though, but I know the Swiss pass is available all year.

I can't help you with ideas for where to stay in the Interlaken /Berner Oberland area as we stay in campsites and that is not practical in Winter.

I love Switzerland, we are there at least twice a year. There is only one thing I do not like and that is the price of food as we are a large family. If you drive there, you just stock up in Germany or France before crossing the border.

Here's link to some of the passes :
www.regiopass-berneroberland.chhome-en

www.myswissalps.com/swissrailpasses.asp?lang=EN

You inspired me to write a blog post that I have been thinking about writing. About a ski area near us that is a lot cheaper than the bigger resorts. If you are interested, PM me and I will send you a link for more detail.

Basically, you can go to one of the smaller ski areas where you can go sledging and for walks in the snow for a lot less that it would cost to go to Morzine or Chamonix.

If you are not looking for a resort with the whole apres ski nightlife, and would be happy in a small town or village, then the area of Les Brasses might be good for you.

How important is the actual skiing for you? If you want a nice easy sledging place, go somewhere cheap and cheerful.

We often go to Risoul which has a brilliant free area (incl lifts) for beginners. Fab for teaching little people to ski yourself. Also has a good sleging area.

Also love (in southern alps), les orres, reallon and puy st vincent. LOTS cheaper than Chamonix!

i say go somewhere cheap with a tour company so you can book onto dog sleigh rides, thermal springs etc.
zell am see is beautful, saas fee in switzerland is also nice (but not cheap) and has horse drawn carriages everywhere. you don't want it too small (might not have a pool) but not too big (expensive, as you will pay for the skiing) cortina in italy would be ok i think, as would interlaken - it's a town but there are great links to ski resorts up the valley (murren is amazing).

scandanavia is expensive but as long as you wrap up warm is brilliant for kids (and you might see the northern lights). good snow too.
i wouldn't go to a very small 'beginner' resort unless you know there's a pool - Puy St Vincent is fab for beginner skiers (your son could have private lessons, they have a childrens sledging area) but there isn't a pool and if you aren't big skiers not for you. (however if you wish to learn to ski as a family, the creche is fab, the slopes are great for beginners. one family we spoke to had come back 8 yrs on the go because their son had special needs and although he could ski they wanted a small resort where he couldn't end up 3 valleys away by taking the wrong route)
hope that helps

Mmebody, could i ask where the area you alluded to is? i am always keen to know of areas to visit as the kids grow up.

thank you

Champery. Chatel.

Somewhere in the Portes du Soleil.

Lots to do, plenty of nice walks, both hilly and flat. Ice-rink, swimming pool. Bus. Picturesque. Great sledging slopes. Nice cafés and restaurants. Nice easy transfer from Geneva.