Are we being feckless?

[sugartips]

To drive to chamonix from the uk in Feb with 6 year old?

It will be our first ski trip and we are all so excited and thinking of driving overnight so ds will sleep and not notice the distance? We will get a ferry over to Calais.

If any of you have done this, do you have any tips?

My sis used to do this all the time, albeit with 3 dc. It'll be Fine! Cd stories, i spy etc. Soon done.

Feckless?? Don't you mean reckless!

We've done it but stayed in France on way down in a hotel.

But if you're happy to drive overnight, go for it.

Feckless can mean having a lack of responsibility!

Maybe I've read about too many "feckless families" in the DM!

We've done similar - DS will be fine, but you'll be shattered!

We have done it on multiple occasions! We dress the dc's (3) in onesies or sweatshirt/jogging bottoms combo. We pack bag with toothbrushes, change of clothes. We always drive overnight - tried once with hotel part way down was awful, didn't sleep. We put blankets or duvets in the car over the dcs and pillows. We put all the ski coats, salopettes on top of the suitcases so that in event of break down we can dress them quickly in warm clothes. Also put snow chains in easy reach. Take water and snacks (been stuck for hours on French motorway in heavy snow waiting for tunnels to be opened!).

Get an automatic reader for the French tolls so you don't have to stop and pay tolls - here.

If you drive overnight you will be in the mountains in the morning - stop in at the services for a big breakfast then head up the mountain in the daylight. Find the accommodation - get into the hire shops before it gets too busy. Then early dinner, early bed and a good nights sleep! We take it in turns to sleep for 3 to 4 hours then drive. It works for us but really depends on your body clock. I am a night owl and do the late slot til around 3 or 4. DH is an early bird so he sleeps in the early hours then does the slot from 4 and does the stint up the mountain.

Beats flying when we spent around 12 hours getting to the airport, hanging around, flying, clearing passport, collecting luggage, finding transport, waiting, then hours from airport to the resort.

Best advice is pack the car the night before you have to leave the holiday and then get up early and off the mountain before 8 am. Otherwise traffic on the way home can be really heavy.

Thanks all for your helpful posts!

One more question, how did your children react to ski school? And did you feel comfortable enough to go off skiing for a couple of hours?

I've been driving myself and DS back and forth to the UK from Switzerland since he was 5. It's fine. Just plan plenty of stops and things to entertain.

I usually take the earlyish ferry out and book into the Premier Inn in Dover the night before.

Or a late evening ferry and into a BB hotel in Calais.

Then you are fresh in the morning for a good drive.

Make sure your insurance is ok, and you are up to date with the French laws in breathalysers in the car, hi-vis jackets etc. And what the situation is for tyres and road conditions. (Most Europeans change their tyres in Winter, here in Switzerland your insurance is invalid without winter tyres)

Getting the automatic toll reader is a great tip and it arrives in 24 hours. I've just got mine ready for our half term trip.

A key advantage is that you don't have to wake the front seat passenger at tolls - key if you're doing 3/4 hrs on, 3/4 hrs off!

The whole point of ski school is so you CAN go off for a couple of hours

It might be worth seeing if you can find an English run ski school, or making a specific request for a class of English kids. It's much more likely in Chamonix as it's an English favourite. I've never taken the kids to chamonix so I can't recommend anywhere I'm afraid.
I'm sure AM lessons and then some family skiing for practice PM and by the end of the week your 6 year old will be doing really well.
Enjoy. Skiing is a great family holiday. My DD's love it and I hope to keep skiing with them for years to come.