Ski Schools for 3.5 y/o France

[Pecker20]

We are going to Morzine in January for the first time with our 3.5 year old little boy but are going round in circles with Ski Schools. I have heard conflicting reports about the ESF piou piou club ski lessons (too many kids, not enough skiing etc etc) but am worried full-on group lessons (9.30-12) will be too much for him for the first time. The other option is a couple of private lessons to get him started. Can anyone help who has had a similar experience.

a couple of private lessons to get him started - an don't expect too much at 3.5

Next year - or even the year after - look into group lessons with a british ski school with small group sizes.

ESF has a 6 to 1 ratio for 3 year olds, but it depends on the time of year whether the complete group is 4 with 1 teacher or 30 with 5 teachers. After 3rd January, the French school holidays will be over, total group size is likely to be small.

If you look on the ESF Morzine website, there is a garderie building right next to the "jardin Piou Piou" where they have their lessons, the children either bring a snack or are provided with a snack half way through the 2-3 hours, I would guess at Morzine they get to go inside and eat their snack and go to the toilet, not all ski schools for little ones have indoor accommodation next to the slope. Unfortunately the website doe not list an option for 1 day of "jardin Pioyu Piou" followed by enrolment for the test of the week, some ESF schools do this. I would email an ask if it is possible to enrol initially for just the first day. Also I'd email them and ask if they have instructors who specialise in lessons and stay with the Piou Piou group all season and if any of them speak English. You could also ask whether January lessons are empty enough that it's a good risk to wait until you arrive to make a decision whether you book group lessons or take private ones.

Our experience of ESF has been only positive, but many Brits seem to have great problems with the fact the teachers are often French speaking (well this is France) and their English is not always the best, plus it is expected that a child will listen and do as told, this is the French way, if you have a child who listens and does, then you should have no problems. I must say, from observations of British parents and children attending ESF ski school, it appears the parents have the hardest time adjusting to cultural differences.

I really wouldn't recommend group lessons for the under 5s - they need too much care, and you need to be pretty independant to cope in a group.

Get a private instructor if you must; he really won't survive much more than 45 mins in the cold.

Check out a company called Mountain Highs. They are English and based in Morzine - they have an extensive section on their website about kiddy ski lessons in Morzine and who does them

That's an excellent piece of advice, Mountain Highs lists one other alternative on their website to ESF Piou Piou, looks promising,called BASS Morzine.

www.mountainhighs.co.uk/familyinformation.html

www.britishskischool.com/morzine/courses.htm

LGS appear to be operating out of Morzine as well as Les Gets this season. We've used them very successfully for DS the past two years.

Last year we used Piou Piou club for 4 x 2 hours (ie 4 mornings for 2 hours) and it was fine. DS started skiing independently. This year he will be just 4...so I thought about him joining in with lessons on the piste. But, the idea of him on a chairlift with random supervision puts me off...back to Piou Piou it will be, and we'll take him skiing afterwards.

DS1 was in normal ski school aged 5 - 2.5 hours for him was fine. It was Easter though, and weather v warm.

Lessons with the ESF Club Piou Piou are available from 3 ... but for the reasons flagged up above I'm very wary of recommending it.

In my experience it's a rare English 3 year old who makes it to the end of the week due to a combination of factors. Sliding around on skis in the cold with a teacher they haven't met before who is talking in more than one language is quite a challenge!

What can work well is to book one or two taster sessions or private lessons rather than a week of courses. Then spend plenty of time out in the snow mucking about with children and when they are a year older they have the stamina to start lessons proper with a real taste for the mountains.

DS1 went to Piou Piou in Morzine at 3.5 - at his request, we weren't going to put him in for another year at least!

It was over Christmas week and we put him in afternoon lessons (there were 8 in his class rather than 20 something in the morning class. The esf area is in the shade in the afternoon so it was pretty chilly.

He did a lot of shuffling on the snow on his skis, loved the magic carpet lift and could slide straight down a very gentle slope.

He only went for 5 out of the 6 days (missed Christmas day!), but he was asleep indoors on 3 out of the 5 days! It was nice to have the indoor facility, there was no way that he would have coped without it.

I'm glad that he went because he wanted to do it, but he didn't gain a lot in terms of skiing.

We used the snow institute when we were in les gets in march. English speaking (well the instructor was Scottish). DD (3.8) and DN (4.4) loved Lisa. Had private lessons and doing chairlifts and blue runs by end. Thoroughly recommend - they are based in moraine.

Morzine not morain