OK, Ski Roll Call.... Who's going where this season and when?

[Whippet]

It's always fun to see if you can spot another MNer on the slopes

Whippet - Les Gets - First week in Jan

Oh wow, just... wow! Les Arcs snow report - up to Friday it's snowing, we travel Saturday (Eurostar Snowtrain), and then sunny through until Wednesday (the limit of the forecast so far) with temps not above freezing. Fantastic weather for great ski conditions as long as it isn't so windy it hardens the snow surface!

This thread is making me so impatient for March to come - now I wish we hadn't booked so late in the season. I want to go NOW (stamps foot)

Had a beautiful family ski holiday in the salzburgerland area of Austria over Christmas and New Year. Went independently for the second time, and loved it. Previously we have gone with Powder Byrne and Esprit. PB were fabulous but very expensive and Esprit were just awful, awful, awful - culminating in me removing my then five year old from their snow club after two days as it was just so dreadful - and the hotel they used was poor too, and the chalet there we looked around was even worse. Maybe we just had a one off bad experience?? But it's put me off using them again for anything other than a last second amazing deal. And just use it as a base.

Loved PB though and have been comparing that to going independent. I think the main advantage of PB or other British firms is that the children get to ski in groups of English speaking children and the grown ups get friendly groups of ski guiding. But hardly authentic although I did feel for eldest daughter over Christmas as some of the Austrian children excluded her rather which was a shame

What do we do in the 'gap' between when dd2 is ready for proper ski school at 5 or so and the age of 8, which is the minimum I would feel happy with her in Austrian or Swiss style ski schools??? We're going to have to use a company then I think....

Not sure what to book next year. We'll probably do independent again in the same place for one more year before we go package again for the little one's sake.

When do other families stop ski lessons for the children? This is part of our pondering. Dd1 is parallel skiing confidently down red runs and is having another week of lessons in the states this season. But she's only 9 and may well want to ski with us (well, DH! She's better than me) for a year or two but then we want to be with other kids her own age surely??

HarrogateMum - have your dc skied before? DS1 (6) has his Flocon award from esf, and ds2 (3) did a few hours over Christmas so he's just about turning and stopping on a gentle slope.

We're flying into Geneva from Bristol.

I'll be very impressed if I see anyone managing to hop in their ski boots! I'll keep my eyes open for a tall lady with a loud DH and 3 dc all coming out of Chalet Cosy and then I'll start talking loudly about norks, fanjos and mooncups!

Always makes me think of mumsnet when I recall a Loud Father in Flaine years ago, exhorting his 9-ish year old daughter who was in a bit of an explosion of skis, poles, gloves and faff and in danger of missing the doors closing on the gondola... (which he was already safely on)

"Run, Tamarind, RUN!!!!!"

Could be a slightly more discreet Mumsnet skiers recognition phrase than "norks alive my fanjo is full of mooncup".

Yes they did one week in 2010 with Ski Famille with a French company - not ESF but not English instructors, am slightly worried about ESF - have you found them ok? Only through bad experience of my own where they basically left me at the top of a run and I was terrified and couldn't get down it and was standing there weeping for 20 minutes...god I don't sound like I should be going on a skiing holiday do I!

But seriously - they all got their Bronze Mouse award whatever that means, but I think they will be back to square one...one of my twins loves it and will probably be really good, the other is not very sporty and quite reluctant plus one of his teeth got knocked out by a chair lift last year so he will be the nervous one!

Will try and get norks into every sentence when people pass me in the street....

That or "run tamarind, run!"

Mine have always loved their ESF instructors (in St Foy), though they have always had private lessons rather than ski school. I've had private lessons with them too and had no problems.

The last one just before christmas actually bought them a small hot choc at the cabin up the mountain as it was very cold and snowing madly! He also gave them a lolly and a free Flocon (snowflake) badge each as they had passed that stage (this may reflect the vast prices we were paying for private lessons as much as anything else but it was sweet)

HarrogateMum The first 2 esf classes will have a Family Ski Company helper with them all the time who are only there to help their guests. We have found that them being there with a pocketful of "energy" sweets! makes a huge difference. They also visit the chalets in the evening to let you know how your dc are getting on.

The instructors are obviously French, but for the past 2 years their English has been good. The FSC helpers also get to know the instructors too which seems to help. Sundays and Wednesdays are busy with French children joining the classes, but the other days have been very quiet on our 2 previous trips (same week in January). It has ended up being one ESF instructor, one FSC helper and either 2 or 3 children for our ds1's group!

Your poor ds who had his tooth knocked out - I don't blame him for being a bit nervous but you can reassure him that they'll be starting out on a button lift.

We've used BASS in the past too who are excellent, but you'd need to get up to Avoriaz to book into their lessons which would be pretty arduous with your 3 dc in tow. The FSC kids helpers wouldn't be there or the kids club to take them down the mountain, give them lunch and have fun all afternoon with them.

the goddess blossom er:tignes or alped'huez - i have been to alped'huez before i had children and i found it quite sunny but quite a spread out resort. It has an outdoor heated pool which is fun, but the loos were terrible as i recall (lets hope they have been upgraded eh?).I have heard it is good for children (and it is certainly large) so maybe make sure you have a hotel close to the ski school? (i hate carrying 4 sets of skis/boots/helmets any distance at all. can't imagine what a skibus would be like!)

Tignes is supposed to be fab but it is high and cold and little ones aren't always that thrilled with those conditions.
Sorry I can't be more helpful. Enjoy whatever you choose!

that should be re: not er: (can't you tell i am typing quickly in my lunchbreak!)

and i think 'run tamarind run' is a fab way of recognising each other!
(mostly i just tell the story about my daughter being sick on the coach and other mnetters look at me with a dawning light in their eyes!)

We have just booked to go to Les Carroz in 2 weeks time. Got a good deal we thought, and ridiculously excited about the good snow we may get this year as last year in Italy it was a bit icy. Its supposed to be family friendly there - I just hope its more attractive than Flaine, which made me contemplate suicide!

Les Carroz is lovely - it's a proper village / town, and there's lots of tree lined skiing to be had. You can ski across into Flaine, but the route to get there is a bit like the M6 on a Friday evening....

A bit lacking in mountain restaurants if I remember correctly - we took sandwiches when we went!

winter park, colorado
Amazingly, all in all, cheaper than Austria
Feb Haf Term

But the actual reason we are going there is because DH is working in the states for a looong time, and we are catching up with him in Denver. Because the ski day is quite short, we will get later afternoon and al evening with him.

Can't wait!

rather- can I ask where you got the deal from? I really want to ski in either Winter park or Breckenridge and hope to do it for dp's 40th.

No deal as such - flights on Kayak we are all adult prices now and we got flights to Denver via Dallas for £450 each and this is going on the first Sat of HT.

The hotel itself is good value as there will be 4 of us and they charge you per room and we can all fit in one Winter Park They have deals going on.

Then I need to look into rental and possibly lessons.

And it is cheaper to eat out etc in the States, so I'm thinking cheaper overall than the last time we went to Austria.

I am also very happy as DD went here last February and she said it was so very much quieter than HT week in Europe. Last time we went to Austria there were so many accidents and the slopes were too busy. Quieter is good!±

I am in a VERY LOUD BAR in Les Arcs 2000 because the wifi is free. Fantastic snow and the sun came out today - is all good. My dad (skiing buddy) had a fall on day 1 which winded him for a couple of minutes and knocked his confidence, so we only had a half day.

Today was a full day and we used an instructor in the afternoon from SPIRIT as recommended up the thread - didn't do what we asked (drill us into better techniques) but took us offpiste into the lovely powder, which was a good vote of confidence in our abilities and we probably wouldn't have gone for it ourselves.

I am going down to Bourg St Maurice in the morning to get new ski boots because mine are crap. Bang goes thrifty January!!

you lucky lucky caaaaaahhhhhh!!!

Hello - I am off to Alpe D'Huez with Esprit 29 Jan - last year met iluvcake in Courchevel hotel...anyone else going to Alpe DHuez this year!?!!! Very much looking forward to it...!!

No - but have a lovely time!

Off to Verbier in feb with my lovely DP, then Val thorens at easter with all of our boys! Have been looking at the webcams every day whilst at work

We dont do ski school anymore as all the boys (10, 12, 15) are all competent black run skiers and i am too lazy to get up that early! My boys do freestyle lessons in the UK and also with their school trip.

My two are a similar standard and competent on black - but I'm not as ambitious as they are and know I'd hold them back! So what I like is to stick them in a group of similar abilitied kids and then I now they will have the best time. Last time this worked well and really they were just in a group of 6 with a tour guide. That was with a ski school, I think that is what I need, not the lessons bit as such iykwim?