So it's that time of year again......

[lovey]

the skiing is booked and flights finito..BUT, when dh told me the price I was veryyyy shocked. It does include ski hire for the dcs and the hotel etc, but seems awfully wasteful. If you don't mind me asking, how much do you spend on your skiing holiday?

I think just over £1000 for the three of us. We still need to add lift passes and dd's ski hire onto that though. Its our big holiday of the year, then we camp in the summer or share a cottage with family.

Depends on timing , accommodation, age of kids etc but I'd say between 2 and 3k is typical for a family of 2 adults plus 2 kids between 2 and 12 at peak times, possibly more at Christmas/New Year.

I have just spent the last 10 days researching onto ski hols for our family. What a total nightmare!! Have found a huge variance in price from less than £1000 for selfcatering up to and above £5000!!!
The biggest observation is that childcare is hugely limited / already booked eg Crystal has no full day spaces in their Whizz Kids club anywhere in France during March (and probably Jan & Feb too!). So unless you are prepared to only do 2 hrs or so of skiing each day in order to return to pick up kids, it is a very expensive holiday!!

Anyway - happy to advise / share my experiences with anyone who is interested!!

We have spent about £1909.60 inc childcare/lessons for 2 + 2. 20th Jan. Only have to pay for ski hire and lunches for adults (usually 'borrow' from breakfast table and last until tea time!!

Crunchie - would be interested to know who you have booked with (if you don;t mind sharing that info of course!!)

We're paying about £650 for me and my baby. Grandma is providing childcare though. We do it piecemeal - book hotel direct, then train/transfers/passes separately but not sure if it works out cheaper

We're sharing a self-catering apartment with my parents (so no need for childcare!); think our share of the cost is about £500. The apartment is booked via an agency in the resort; we're going in early April. The ferry is £250 return, so we need to factor in fuel and tolls, plus an overnight stay on the way down. We take a lot of food with us and shop in a supermarket at the bottom of the mountain, so only really need to buy bread/milk in the resort. Then there's ski-school for ds, ski hire and lift passes. I suppose the total is about £1500 for four of us. Seems like a lot when you look at it. Would dearly love to stay in a catered chalet with childcare etc., but we either do it this way or not at all. Hopefully we'll manage a summer holiday if we're lucky, but it will be camping.

we spent £ 3000 for 2 adults and 1 child ( sharing our room) with crystal finest last year , it was worht every penny, skiing is my big treat/reward so I personnaly want to stay in anice hotel with childcare etc, etc, it is hte price of the lift passes which always staggers me last yr in courcheval £172 each adult !!!! this year we are paying £4000 for the same week but dd2 is coming with us so we have to have 2 rooms so no big child discount.

Can I ask at what age you first took your dc's skiing? I really want to take my ds but don't want to bugger things up by taking him too early

we are paying £3500 for 2 adults one ds 7 and baby at easter to meribel with esprit that includes everything expect lunch for us

stressteddy - we took dd1 aged just 6 for first time - she enjoyed it but didn't really get eh hang of it but had ESF instructor who wasn't patient and was in abig class, took her agian last yr aged just 7 and she had a ball, english speaking instructor , 4 in the groop and she was flying down red runs by the wednesday ( with me in hot pursuit yelling "slow down") dd2 is coming next year , she will be 3 1/2 and i will get her boots and skis to have a 10 min play on each day with me or dh . I think 5 is great to satrt if you can get them a very small group or even better a private instructor, and we took dd1 to the snowdome for lessons pre going this year and htat really helped.

We spent 2500euros (about 1750GPB) for 2 adults and 1 child in Feb. That was with no travel (we live here), but was for a 4 star Kinderhotel, seperate ensuite bedroom for DS,included all lift passes, 5 days ski school for DS plus half board (inc afternoon tea)and all the childcare we wanted (he didn't) in the in house creche.

stressteddy I'd say not before 4/5 (unless you are preopared just to have a snowy holiday and not ski much yourselves or use non skiing childcare a lot) and ideally 6/7 when they are physically more mature and can learn really quickly. ime there is no real advantage to going just once a year younger than those who learn at 6/7 and can make up for that time in a week or so .

we just got a real bargain...£2000 for 2 adults and 2 chn, half board, in switzerland. thats in feb half term. with free child care.

lift passes, lessons etc are extra.

oh to be able to go off peak

ps as anyone who needs child care in school hols will realise, this was REALLY cheap.

won't pay more, on principle!

Julesmumof2 With Esprit

Reckon we used to pay about £1400 a week for same hotel/week as Noonar has booked, but without flights/transfers, HB in a family room

We took DS1 when he was 1 - that was fine.
back again with DS1 =4 and DS2=2, not so good - DS2 hated the childcare, DS1 hated the lessons - we were all miserable.
We then had a break 'til DS2 was 5, and for us that was the right time - he loved it, and we have been 4 times since (=2 years....).
The childcare is expensive, and IMHO not really worth it - if they are too little to ski, probably best to leave with grandparents.
We have budgeted about 2500-3000 f to ensure nice accommodation, ski-in and /or ski out and snow-sure resort with short transfer.

Our neighbors have rented something for the season, I found out today. Dd's godfather has a place in Verbier, another friend has a place in Villars. Am obscenely jealous. We live within spitting distance of ski slopes but haven't been for at least 8 yrs. The expense puts me off, tbh. CM boasts that it's cheaper to book a week with them then to do it yourself & I can well believe it!

Have budgeted about £4K for 4 of us in March to Les Arcs, but that includes absolutely everything - ski hire, lift passes, meals, lessons etc

It's a lot, and we did debate whether we should just chance a last minute booking in the new year. However we came to the conclusion that we might save about £800 but would risk getting really crap accommodation (as we did on a late booking once before) or not going at all.

It's my favourite holiday - the only one where I don't do ANY cooking or washing!