Ds wants to ski but we don't.

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Ds absolutely loves skiing. Has been several times with the school. He is now 16 and has left school so this is no longer an option.
So those of you that do ski, I have a few questions.
Is it possible for Dp, myself and ds to go somewhere where he will be able to ski and dp and I will be able to wander off and visit somewhere or sit around with a good book each?
Wiil we be thoroughly bored?
Have we left it too late to book for Christmas this year?
Any other advice/help?

Thank you

Would you consider walking as something to keep you going?

Plenty of resorts with nice scenic walks that look lovely in snow.
Many will also have mountain restaurants accessible to pedestrians, so you can go up in the lift and sit up the mountain for a few hours with hot chocolate/lunch. Most also have leisure facilities/spas/pools etc which you can use.

One of our friends likes to have less ski time and some time walking/ taking photos/ eating and drinking. Some days we ski together and leave him at lunch in a resteraunt, some days he skis all day and some days he doesn't come out with us at all, and just potters round the gift shops etc in the village

Yea there are loads of places which doing activities for skiers and non skiers. You can drop him at ski school and go snow walking or swimming. How about trying langlaufen which is a different type of skiing. Looks at places like Morzine or Seefeld

Thank you both. That's great. We have actually been to Seefeld in the summer so perhaps that would be a good starting point. It was lovely and warm last time we went...

Hi - we go skiing with my in laws who don't ski - they think it's s lovely relaxing break in gorgeous snowy mountains and love it! They join us for lunch and rude the cable cars that accommodate pedestrians etc.
I suppose the important thing would be to find an age appropriate ski school for your son - skiing on your own is not much fun so I'd be looking for somewhere that does a teens all day camp type thing.

*ride the cable cars!!

Somewhere like LA plange would be good. A glacier to visit and explore with ice sculptures and a big resort to potter around.
Or Pila which has a cable car from the ski resort to a town to explore.

How good a skier is he? Seefeld for example is fairly limited for a week's stay. Have a look at Ski Club of Great Britain as they have groups in key resorts he could ski with if he doesn't want to join skischool. Tbh many French and Italian resorts are rather functional and less set up for non skiers. Somewhere like Zell am See , St Anton or Kitzbuehel in Austria or the Bernese Oberland in Switzerland have a wider range of options.

Our flat is in Saas Fee, it has a whole mountain area sectioned off for walkers and sledding, no skiers allowed, with its own lift. You can also walk down through the trees to other other villages lower down the valley (and back up if you want, but we always get the bus back)

It also has the worlds highest revolving restaurant on the glacier at 3500m with lovely views if it is sunny, along with an ice grotto. I've never had lessons there, but there are a couple of decent ski schools including a largely British one which may suit your DS.

We love Saas Fee, of your apartment . Very cold at Christmas though.

I like skiing but I'm not sure there's enough to keep a non skier entertained for a week.

Ive been to Val disere which is one of the bigger resorts and there's a nice pool there, stuff like snow shoeing, husky sleds. If you're happy to sit around with a good book for a fair portion of the time then it would be ok, but expensive book reading!

LIZS it is a beautiful village. We ski every Xmas, go out the day the schools break up (DP works in a school, non teaching) and come back after NY. His parents bought the place a couple of years ago and I learned to ski there just by figuring it out really. We also go out in Feb/March as DP can usually get the week after feb half term off too so we get 10-14 days then too. DP always ski'd as a child, but we always used to go away with my family in the summer until then, now its all about ski time. There is a downside though, we never go anywhere else on holiday, even in the summer.

I don't often notice the cold, having grown up in ice rinks, but the days are deffo shorter at xmas than they are in feb/march. We've had a couple of days over the years where its been seriously windy up the top, and lost a couple to storms, but those happen later in the year too. I suppose as our holidays aren't so time limited, if it looks a bit grim/whiteout we might not feel obliged to ski all day/at all, and go walking or something else in the village instead.

What is DS doing now that he has left school? Could he work towards doing a season? Probably would have to be 18, but if he could cook he might be more employable?

I adore skiing, but friends have stayed in our place and while their kids skied (and dad tried to), Mum said it wasn't for her, and went walking, reading and wondering around town. It's not a ski resort, but 20 mins drive away, and feels like northern Provence.

Good luck!

Would he be willing to go alone? PGL also do skiing holidays at half term for those up to the age of 17. www.pgl.co.uk/en-gb/adventure-holidays/individual-holidays/skiing#.VeNjBCUzgSU

Have a look a UCPA - via action outdoors. They offer a youth program

www.action-outdoors.co.uk/students/ucpa-youth-program-(under-18's)