Who do you ski with if your kids are too old for Esprit?

[snowgirl1]

We have an only child who likes ski-ing with other children and having playmates in the evening - so Ski Esprit has always worked really well for us. But DD is 11 so getting a to the top of the age range that Esprit cater for. We don't have any friends with kids who ski; are there any other ski companies who organise groups/activities for teenagers??

Ski in Austria and put her in all-day ski school (which is the norm) where she'll have loads of companions, or stay at an Austrian Kinderhotel. As she is of school age and presumably tied to school holiday times, you'll be surrounded by kids of the same age and all on half-term.

There was a thread on this a while back How do you do skiing as the kids get older? www.mumsnet.com/Talk/skiing/4762713-how-do-you-do-skiing-as-the-kids-get-older

I book mine into the British ski schools for teens (in France, Switzerland and Austria). They have smallish groups with other English speaking kids.

Though I guess that doesn't tick the evening part. I have friends who rave about Club Med for skiing and it's more communal. (Their kids are very good skiers and a similar age to your DD).

Kinder hotel in Austria!

Don't worry about the lessons being in German. Its how mine learnt as I had a really crap experience with esprit 15 years ago and never returned.

My children are much much better skiers as a result compared to friends' kids who went to Uk tour operators.

We still go back to the same place even though my eldest is an adult. We meet the same families every year there from all over the world. The kids made true international friends which has been lovely.

They are super sociable places and really set up for families of any age.

Lessons in Austria will be multi-lingual - the instructors all speak English and German, and also usually Dutch or Danish/Swedish and sometimes French/Spanish. It is amazing to see how groups of kids from different countries just get on with it and with each other - and by age 11, many European kids will have had 3 or 4 years of English lessons in school and be able (and often keen) to chat in English.

Well, it does depend where you are.

Mine solely learnt in German and are both excellent skiers.