DH cant ski again

[SWS17]

For medical reasons, DH won’t ever be able to ski again. Our daughters are 5 and 3 and we had intended to take them every year. DH is still keen that we go and that they learn how to ski as children so that they are competent as teenagers and adults. I have skied since the age of 5 and am very keen. Any advice on how to manage family holidays with a non skiing spouse? It seems very unfair to book a holiday that revolves around skiing so if I could get him into other activities that would be ideal. He can’t do downhill skiing but could potentially do cross country or snow shoeing. Advice on good resorts and specifically hotels would also be much appreciated!

I’m afraid I don’t have any European suggestions but I’d look for somewhere thats a proper town rather than purely a ski resort. If you’d consider long haul I loved Aspen - a proper town with loads of stuff - cinema, theatre, museums to occupy a non skier during the days as well as lots of active options too, plus a good local bus system and lots to explore. You should also think about places with chair/Gondola/cable lifts rather than pommels so he can get around and meet you on the slopes for lunch.

Switzerland is a good place for mixed holidays, though it is expensive. Grindelwald, Wengen, and Zermatt are lovely resort villages with walking, snow shoeing, tobogganing and other activities. Wengen is my favourite.

I'd look at Italy and Austria. Both generally have good Gondola access up to nice huts with good (and remarkably cheap) food. Some places on the Sella Ronda have good cross country (Val di Fassa) but probably better when the kids are older/better at skiing.

In the early days of kids skiing you probably wouldn't get much actual adult ski time - I'm not expecting much of our next ski holiday for anyone other than the children - so he probably won't feel like he's missing out!

I'd look for a resort with good lessons for the kids and convenient logistics (close to lesson start point) for lessons without considering adult "fun" options (yours or DH's) for the first few holidays tbh...

There are plenty of places in Austria where a non-skiing spouse can have a good holiday. Resorts where there are cable cars so that you can meet for lunch on the mountain rather than in the village; hotels that cater specifically for families (Kinderhotel), with activities for the children and relax areas for the parents; activities such as snowshoeing, sledging; real villages and towns to walk around in (rather than concrete ski-resorts as in France).

Remember too that for the first couple of ski holidays, your children will be small and require someone to take them to ski school, carry all of the gear, bring the sledges for post-lesson sledging, video them whizzing down the mountain, grab a table for post-skiing hot chocolate etc. so your DH can do some of that without worrying about missing out on his 'skiing time.'

For example, Saalbach-Hinterglemm has 8 cable cars, each with a restaurant at the top and/or mid-station, and there is a special low-price lift ticket for non-skiers. It is an easy resort to DIY - flight to Salzburg then private Holiday Shuttle taxi to the hotel.

Look at somewhere like the Ellmauhof in Hinterglemm, a hotel that gets good reviews on Snowheads.

I have a few recommends for resorts also good off the slopes:

Serre Chevalier/Briançon, France For history, cafes, shops and food
Bad Gastein, Austria for spas, sightseeing and a busy town
Pila/Aosta, Italy For its Roman history, shopping and cafe culture
Bardonecchia, Italy for direct quick train link to city of Turin
Badklein Kircheim, Austria for its spa

Thanks all

Klosters/Davos has excellent cross country skiing with anything from beginners to experts. There are also some lovely walks both in the valleys or up on the mountains, trips on the Rhaetische Bahn, tobogganing. The Klosters ski school is very Good for the children too.

The Engadine is also great for cross country, I’ve never downhill skied there so I can’t give an informed opinion.

Seefeld in Austria has a bit of everything (including loads of Russians in fur coats for some reason). Again excellent cross country, walking, skating curling. The ski area is relatively small though.

Loads of friends rave about the various Kinder hotels, and I think some of them even have their own ski lifts for the tinies.

La Clusaz has a lot of snow shoeing.

your DH sounds lovely that he wants his DC to benefit despite him not being able to ski anymore. All suggestions above are good for making the most of the mountains.

You have had lots of good suggestions so hopefully you will find something that suits. Neither I nor DH ski but our children do so we tend to let them ski in the morning (with ski school or eldest on his own/with friends) and then do snowshoeing in the afternoon or vice versa. Works well for us!

Have a look at Levi in FInland - there is both downhill and cross country skiing on the doorstep but also other activities likes snowmobiles, snowshoeing, husky safari etc.
We stay at the K5 hotel which is lovely, half board and a mezzanine level upstairs in each room with 2 single beds so more like small apartments than hotel rooms, although you can also book their lodges. We don’t as because it’s so cold it means putting snow gear on to walk across for breakfast or dinner. The Levi Spa hotel close by also has a fabulous water complex so lots of other possibilities for DH rather than just skiing.

Seefeld in Austria, Engelberg or Arosa in Switzerland

Perhaps consider booking with friends or family in a simmilar position. Then the 2 non skiers can have company during the day and the skier will also have a buddy. Also make sure that the non-skier isn’t soley responsible for childcare - at 3 and 5 they aren’t realistically going to be skiing all day.

For resorts look at Les Contamine Mont Joly Its a fairly small village but it has decent valley walks, and an adventure park for good cross country. The gondolas get you up onto the slopes to meet skiers for lunch etc. There is also the spa and the mountain railway at St Gervais down the valley for days out.