To ski or not to ski? 2 and 5 year old children

[cawhale]

My husband and I are keen skiers. Looking to drive from Calais to the Alps for 4 full days skiing. A few questions!
Where’s good for families?
Our children are 2.5 and 5 years old. Is it best to book a hotel and maximise ski opportunities or book an Air BnB and do a DIY job and reset our expectations about how much skiing we will do? Or maybe not bother at all? Help!
Thanks

All things are possible. Comes down largely to cost and your (your children’s) willingness to accept childcare in large quantities.
I preferred specialist operators at this age and you can still find them, Ski Famille, Chilly powder etc at slightly more reasonable end. Austria kinder hotels are very good but a longer journey for sure.
we drive down to S / SW France regularly and a short trip as you are proposing with very young children is only for the most dedicated! We would not do it without an overnight stop for example.
For a DIY first trip I’d be looking at somewhere like Avoriaz or Les Gets as they have things to do for younger kids and well set for families — snowheads is an excellent resource and people there have much more familiarity with smaller resorts that might also fit the bill.

I second Avoriaz or Les Gets but definitely manage expectations of the amount of skiing you will get done. Unless you're also bringing non-skiing family to babysit (or utilising hotel childcare), you will either be taking it in turns or snowploughing down green runs with the 2 year old on reins.

You won’t be doing much skiing yourself unless you put your children in a crèche or ski school. Whether that will work will depend on the temperament of your children. And how much you are willing to spend.
We do the drive often from Calais to the Alps. If you manage to do it all in one day, that’s 2 days driving and only 4 days at the ski resort. It’s nicer to take an overnight stop at somewhere like Reims or Troyes. But then you’d be travelling for the best part of 4 days for 4 days in the resort. You really need a longer trip if you’re going to drive. Consider flying.
Sorry, it all sounds a bit gloomy. You might have a very easy 2.5 year old, but I found that about the worst age for skiing. A smaller baby was easier.
I would either spend the money and go with a specialist family company, or wait until your younger child is 5.

We used to go years ago with Esprit ski. It was fab as they really did wrap around childcare. So ski lessons, supervised lunch and then snow club. Then we were able to get a good amount of skiing in. If you want to DIY you'll be putting them in ski classes for a couple of hours and booking a snow nursery maybe for a couple more hours where there's going to be limited English? I'd research this carefully all in advance.
When eldest was a baby we did do it once completely DIY style with grandmother helping to mind baby. I probably got at most 1 hour skiing in a go. It was in honestly not worth it really. But he was still partly breastfed so that won't be your issue. If you are Airbnb you'll be then giving yourself extra work for meals. Im guessing you are thinking you'll split the day in terms fo childcare and ski by yourself? That's quite lonely?

Driving such a long way with kids is hard. Used to do that for summer hols. You'll need to add in frequent breaks which will add to your journey.

Personally I'd say either go full package hol or get grandparents to look after them and do a weekender just the two of you.

We tested ours out in the Milton Keynes indoor ski runs.
Omg it was hard work. They couldn't carry their skis etc so we were forever lugging theirs about, picking up things they'd dropped. Picking THEM up as they both flipped off the button lift. Putting their skis back on. Rubbing chilly hands.
They actually did ok in the ski lesson but it wasn't very long.
We decided that it wasn't worth the expense to actually go skiing! We'd get about half an hour during their ski school!

We used to go to Meribel when ours were very young. One year we caught the Eurostar to Morzine and then just took a taxi for the relatively short distance to resort. For a few years we had exclusive use of a small catered chalet in Les Allues with The Chalet Company for less than a hotel would have cost.

Agree you need to book childcare if you intend to ski. Even if the skischool/kindergarten took them (and they may not for just a few days especially in a group session) you could not venture far. Iirc in France may need to have evidence of vaccinations for childcare settings

A would suggest a full week with Family Ski company or Ski Famille would be more appropriate to meet your goal of getting some decent skiing in.

You will only get proper skiing in if you have childcare.

The first time we went the youngest were 3. They went into a soft play / nursery style crèche for morning & sometimes lunch. Pick up about 12 or 1pm and then spend the afternoon making snowmen, swimming, perhaps a slide on their skis but not much.

Go with another family and you get double the adults to take turns of skiing / afternoon childcare.

With those ages you will have a much better ski holiday if you go with a provider like Crystal who offer childcare.

We always skied in the morning and then did sledging etc with the kids in the afternoon.

Ours went to ESF ski school in the mornings (9-12) from age 3 and loved it (I know not all children do). They won't take a 2yo though - at that age one of us didn't ski, or we went with another family and shared childcare, or one year my PILs came and minded our youngest for us.

Club Med do a great mind the kids so adults can ski package. You could get 8am to 6pm care.
But it's very expensive and very French in its approach. I think the average UK 5 year old would struggle.

Agree it’s too far to drive for 4 days skiing: we always drive - prefer the ease of being on our own time and can take whatever kit we need - but stop on the way down and manage to get 7 days skiing - even so, it was tiring with small children. Our kids were pretty good on long journeys from about 3 or 4 - it was a feature of all our holidays - so much depends on whether yours are used to it.

We always went with extended family/friends so could share childcare and kids didn't need a crèche, they just went into morning ski school when old enough and then skied with us in the afternoons. You'll definitely need childcare if you're on your own so, if family/ friends is not an option, agree that a specialist company would be the best approach - but would suggest a week to make the most of it. If you are set on driving, a resort closer to Geneva would be better - Avoriaz/Morzine/Flaine: don't go any further south than that.

If you're keen skiers then presumably you want to ski! In which case, I would look at ways in which you can do that. The options are various: you can book a package with a family tour operator, such as The Family Ski Company, Ski Famille, Snowbizz, etc, you take a nanny or a family member with you to do the childcare, or you book accommodation and use a local nanny agency to provide childcare (this is available in the bigger resorts).

Oh and no I wouldn't drive! Fly or don't bother - it's too far with two such young DC to drive for such a short amount of time.

Having skied with my DC from 1 and 3, I think you’ll need

1- childcare. You’ll need a nanny or provision you’re prepared to use. Or skiing very little.
2- realise 3 is the min age for lessons and that’s not every resort. They can’t do much at that age, nursery slope, magic carpet, Poma at a push.
3 - the drive is loooong. Be prepared for terrible weather and terrible jams as it’s very possible. Practice snow chains before you go.

it’s great to do together, but 2.5 year old is going to restrict you.

Honestly I think you’re trying to do too much. We regularly do that drive (from London) and did when the kids were that age. Then we stopped overnight en route (now we just push on and we go 9 hours drive from Calais).

Things I remember…

1. If the weather is foul you might need to stop. Extra hot chocs will be needed. You don’t want to put them off.
2. For 2 or 3 years DH and I didn’t ski together. One of us was on the nursery slopes or sledging etc.
3. Yes you can put them into Piou Piou club or similar, but how successful that will be depends on your kids.
4. Can you not extend the 4 days? If not I’d put the family trip on hold.

sorry to be a doom monger and I’m a complete ski obsessive, but I think you’re going to find that very challenging. FWIW our kids are now late teens and love the mountains as much as we do.

Top tip - rent a sledge or chariot type thing to load up with kids and skis x 4 and pull them around the resort. I still have dents in my shins from carrying toddler DS off the slopes with his skis on, because I was carrying my own skis and poles at the same time. 😣

Wow!! Thank you all for all these amazing responses! So helpful and lots to think about!

Mine are teens now but at that age we used to go to Les Gets with Ski Familie or Les Arcs 1950 which has a nice creche and get quite a bit of skiing in. Kids in ski school from age 4/5. We'd go with other famillies so one.person could rush down and collect from creche/ski school and take them for hot chocolate while everyone else came back for lunch. The Ski Famille or Crystal ones will do wrap arpund child care so you drop them at 8.30 and meet them.back at the hotel at 4. All great skiers now and we have great fun skiing with them.