Planning a ski holiday? Ask the Heidi ski expert - £100 voucher to be won!

[MaddyMumsnet]

Thinking about a ski holiday but not sure where to start? Whether you're planning your family's first trip to the slopes, wondering which resort will work best with young children or teenagers, or looking for tips to make your next ski holiday even better, a Heidi ski expert is here to answer your questions.
From choosing the right resort and finding family-friendly accommodation to ski schools, transfers, what to pack, and what you can expect to spend, post your questions below and Heidi ski holiday specialist (and fellow parent) Sam will be on hand to share his advice and help take some of the guesswork out of planning your trip.

So, whether you're a complete beginner wondering if a ski holiday is right for your family or a seasoned skier looking for inspiration for your next adventure, leave your questions in the comments by 24/9/26.

Everyone who posts a question will have the chance to win a £100 VEX voucher. T&Cs here.

About Sam:
Sam has been a ski holiday specialist at Heidi for 4 years. He’s skied in numerous destinations across Europe – from the French and Austrian Alps to hidden gem resorts in Norway. He also completed a ski season in the family-friendly resort of Les Menuires in the Three Valleys. His daughter Stevie, 2, is already a ski resort-goer (just not quite on skis yet!), so Sam has first-hand experience and family-friendly tips to share.

About Heidi:
Heidi is one of the UK’s largest ski holiday companies and a Which? Recommend Provider, offering flexible ski holiday packages to 350+ resorts. You can book flights, accommodation, transfers and optional extras (lift passes, equipment hire and lessons) all in one place, all organised for you. For more ski holiday inspiration, check out @heidi.holidays on Instagram, or visit heidi.com.

Best resort / country for a beginner with children - and why would you choose it please ?

I'm a complete beginner - never been skiing before and not sure if I'd like it to be honest! How would I plan a holiday for me and 3 dcs who all have no experience at all?

Total beginner to skiing. What should I expect when first starting out? Is there some kind of help for newbies?

What's the minimum age that someone can try skiing?

Why do your transfers leave you waiting to be collected late at night at an empty stand for hours on end? And why when we try to contact you are you closed and your WhatsApp gets picked up 2 days later?

Other than travel, stay and food, what other costs do we need to consider when booking a package?

Is there an option to include ski instructors as part of a package?

Why do you sell packages with flights that are hand luggage only? If you're a gold card holder you get an extra free bag on flights that include a bag, if you add a bag to a hand luggage only you don't get that!

Is a 4 year old too young ?

Are there lots of hidden expenses?

I would LOVE to go on a skiing trip with my family but my concern is not putting enough money aside!

What would be a good resort for teenagers that have done some skiing on artificial slopes but never at a real resort, plus a parent who doesn't ski (and doesn't want to) so needs non-snow based things to do?

Where is the best short transfer resorts for a long weekend skiing?

Do things get very expensive on a skiing trip?

What is the minimum age one should be to take part?

Do you have any tips for taking a very anxious child skiing for the first time?

Why do you get people to ask questions then don’t answer any?

What do you recommend for beginners who are also seeking an adventure and making new friends?

Hi everyone, Sam from Heidi here👋! Thank you for all the questions so far, I'm looking forward to answering them over the next few weeks ⛷️

Hi @chickenpotnoodle, we get this question a lot, and the honest answer is there’s no single best resort or country - but there are definitely a handful that we always recommend depending on budget and where you’re flying from.

Flaine, France - this is one of our most popular resorts for families and beginners. It’s set up in a way that’s super-convenient and there’s plenty of beginner slopes, as well as more advanced slopes for when you’ve gained a bit of confidence. It’s purpose built so doesn’t necessarily have that traditional wooden ski chalet village feel, but it’s a resort we always recommend for beginners and families, and it gives you a good intro to big mountain French resorts. (www.heidi.com/ski/france/flaine)

Seefeld, Austria - this gem of a resort does have that traditional ski village charm in abundance, and it’s only a 30-minute drive from Innsbruck airport, which means private transfers are an affordable option. (I took my one-year-old daughter to La Plagne last season which is great for families, but the 3-hour coach transfer was a bit of a mission). Seefeld doesn’t have a massive ski area but this doesn’t really matter for beginners, and there are some really nice good-value accommodation options. (www.heidi.com/ski/austria/seefeld)

Norefjell, Norway - a bit of a wildcard option as it’s not necessarily as popular as some of the big Alps resorts, but it has a really lovely vibe and is very family-friendly. I went there two seasons ago and stayed in the Norefjell Ski and Spa hotel, which was really well set up for kids - and luxurious for adults. It even had a big rock climbing wall. The ski area is plenty big enough for beginners and it’s uncrowded, which is reassuring when you’re first starting out. (www.heidi.com/ski/norway/norefjell)

There are lots of other options and our team would be more than happy to have a chat with you to figure out the best holiday for your needs.

Hi @CopperPan , thanks for your question. The great thing about ski holidays is that the mountains are just an amazing place to be regardless of whether you’re actually skiing or not. Obviously, I - and the rest of the Heidi team - love the feeling of skiing, but I wouldn’t be too put off by potentially not liking it. I had a strop on my first couple of days learning to ski, but by day three, things started to click and you couldn’t get me off the slopes!

Make sure you budget for lessons though, as skiing is not a sport that’s easily self-taught and you’ll have a much better time with an instructor. The kids can join their own kids' group so you can learn with adults, or you could all learn with the same instructor in the same lessons together.

It might be a good idea to choose a resort where there are other things to do besides skiing in case you are not enjoying it or just want a break from it, and the majority of resorts have loads of non-ski activities on offer. Things like tobogganing, snow-shoe walking, husky rides, spas and swimming pools. Don’t feel like you need to be on the slopes for the whole day, you can just finish a bit early and relax with a hot chocolate or an Aperol Spritz in the sun!

You could also consider a shorter trip to get a taste for it - we offer between 2-14 nights, so you don't need to commit to 7 nights, which also makes it more affordable.

As for planning the trip, I would recommend giving Heidi a call or a webchat message to speak to one of our friendly ski experts. We’ll give you a full rundown of what to expect, what you actually need to prepare for, give you recommendations on which resorts and accommodations are best for your needs, and you can ask as many questions as you like. Then, if you like the sound of it, we can send you some options for the full holiday package - including lessons. We take care of all the planning and you can speak to our team with any more follow-ups before or after booking.

Thanks for your question @Kweenxo . If you're a total beginner, ski lessons are really important, because your ski instructor will give you the right tips, at the right time, and just generally make you feel comfortable - and safe - on the slopes.

On your first day, you’re going to be a bit unsteady, and that’s absolutely fine. You’ll start off on a nursery slope with your instructor and take it super easy while you get used to moving with two planks attached to your feet. Your ski boots will feel a bit odd, your muscles might be a bit achy, and you probably will have a small tumble or two - but this is all completely normal.

Within a couple of days, you’ll start to get the hang of it and will have more confidence. This is typically when your instructor will show you how to use a chairlift and take you to some slightly steeper slopes on the mountain. And this is when you’ll really start to feel like you’re skiing, and - in my experience - when you get the bug for it!

By day 4 and 5, if you've got the hang of it and are enjoying it, you’ll be making your way down slopes that you thought were way out of your league and will be wondering how you ever thought they were scary. You should be getting fairly confident with turning and stopping, and might move on from snow ploughing to starting parallel turns. You’ll be skiing different slopes and will be exploring the mountain a bit more.

I didn’t grow up skiing as a kid, so I’m by no means advanced, but the progression is what I love about skiing. There’s always room for improvement and when you get that tip that clicks in your mind, you can instantly feel the improvement.

As for the first ski holiday, booking a package through Heidi means you’ll get all the planning taken care of, and will receive all the info you need to enjoy your trip stress-free. We’re also always on hand if you ever have any questions and we completely understand that the first ski holiday can be a bit daunting which is why we have 24/7 support for any queries or issues.

Does the accommodation usually have good storage - we would be bringing equipment and things for our younger DS, along with winter and indoor clothing. How much can you bring in terms of size weight and numbers of items each ?

Hi @ruqiya1965 . While there’s technically no minimum age, some resort ski schools accept children from around age 3 (some from 4), typically in dedicated kids' clubs with play-based teaching rather than a normal lesson format.

You might see some resort locals starting their kids out on the snow as young as 2, but this would normally just be to get them used to their skis on flat terrain. They have the luxury of just giving them some exposure for a brief time as they have the snow/slopes on their doorstep.

As with a lot of child development though, every child is different, some might take to it right away, whereas others aren’t ready until 4, 5 or 6. It’s important to set expectations low at the beginning, it’s more about fun/exposure at these ages, not necessarily ‘proper skiing’.

Hi @TerfOnATrain , it sounds like you’ve had a poor experience in the past that was well below our usual standard and expectations - and I’m really sorry to hear that. I assume that you’ll have been in touch with our team to resolve the matter - but, if not, I would encourage you to contact us directly as we take feedback like this very seriously.

We do have 24/7 human customer support, so I’m sorry to hear that you had the impression we were closed - our customer support team are typically very swift in communicating with customers, which is reflected in our 'Excellent' Trustpilot rating.

If you go as a family but one person doesn’t want to ski, are there any specific resorts that would be a good choice so that everyone has something to do?