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 8/10/26.

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? Recommended 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

Hi @StrugglingAlong75 - I don’t have any first-hand experience with this but can suggest a couple of things. You could try taking them to a dry ski slope or indoor snow centre so they can get the feel of being on skis. It’s not exactly the same as skiing in the mountains but might help to instill some confidence.

Reassuring them that they can take it as slowly as they want to might be helpful. There’s absolutely no shame in trying it out for a couple of hours, and if they’re not feeling it, they can come off the slopes and try again the next day. Ski resorts have loads of other fun activities to do beyond skiing.

If they’re going to join a ski school, let the instructor know that they’re anxious - they’ll take it on board and adjust their teaching accordingly. Lots of kids (and adults) are nervous about it - the majority of instructors will be well-experienced with this and will know how to make it enjoyable regardless.

And finally, I think getting them excited to see and experience the mountains might be helpful. It’s a bit cliche, but ‘breathing in the mountain’ air is genuinely special in my opinion. The scenery is spectacular and even just building a snowman or having a snowball fight are novel things that anyone can enjoy.

Hi @alshareif - great question, love the enthusiasm. Group ski lessons are a great way to meet new people who are at the same ski level as you, and you’ll naturally get to know other people in the group throughout your sessions.

I’ve found that there are always people keen for a natter at the hotel bar after a day of skiing. Look for a decent-sized hotel with a bar area and I’m sure it won’t take long to get chatting with new people.

There are also Facebook groups where people are in the same boat as you. One called Billy Snow Mates has lots of people posting about meeting up on the slopes.

Hey @Haleyscomets - generally yes, your accommodation should have decent storage but it does depend on the property and room itself as to how much you have. Personally, wherever I’ve stayed (and I tend to book accommodation more towards the budget end) I’ve never had any issues with storage. Most accommodation will also have locker rooms for your skis and boots, but this is worth confirming before you book.

The only real limit to how much you can bring depends on what baggage you book if you’re flying. Generally hold luggage is around 23kg, but of course you could book extra luggage if you wanted. As a general rule of thumb, if you can bring it on a plane you should have no problems storing it at the accommodation.

Hi @Kentishbirdlife , La Clusaz & Les Houches in France, and Zell am See in Austria are great family-friendly resorts with plenty to do off the slopes. There was a previous question earlier in the thread from BlackCatsAreBrilliant which was very similar to yours. There’s some more detail about these resorts in my reply there, but here’s some more options that you might want to look at:

Zermatt, Switzerland: On the more luxury end, but about as charming as it gets with spas, shopping and amazing views.

St. Johann in Tirol, Austria: Has a nice and relaxed ski area, and the charming town has cultural and historical attractions as well as activities like snowshoeing, horse-drawn sleigh rides and an indoor swimming pool.

Serre Chevalier, France: A fairly large ski town, so plenty to keep you occupied off the slopes and the ski area is more than big enough to keep the skiers happy.

Hi @Summergarden , the experience is different - and most people find skiing on real snow much easier - but it’s not at all a bad idea to try it out in the UK first. Indoor snow slopes are more similar to the real deal than dry ski slopes, but are more pricey. A dry slope or indoor centre will give you the opportunity to put ski boots on, learn the very basics of clipping in, getting going and stopping, and should give you a decent idea of whether you enjoy it.

And then if you do decide to book a ski holiday, you won’t need to waste any time learning about kitting up and should be a bit more confident with getting started.

So yes, if it’s something you’d like to try out in the UK first, it definitely won’t do you any harm and is a good starting point to skiing, even if it’s not exactly the same as skiing on snow.

I would also say that if you don’t love it the first time, don’t be put off. It can take a bit of time to get used to skiing and the really enjoyable bit comes when you gain a bit more confidence and ability.

Hi @MayCottage ,
For your first trip I would definitely recommend renting your skis, boots and poles. The ski hire shop will give you exactly what you need and if your boots don’t quite fit properly you can just take them back and they’ll replace them. You can also hire a helmet from the shop if you want, this is usually in the region of £20 and buying new is normally upwards of £50.
As for the clothing, I suppose this depends on whether you think you’ll wear them again. I often wear my ski jacket when it’s cold and rainy in the UK (so quite frequently…). The salopettes, goggles and gloves only really get used while skiing but I do get use out of my base layers and fleece off the slopes.

I would take a look at Mountain Warehouse as they often have really great value ski gear, and it’s also worth looking on Vinted/ebay and then comparing these prices to what you’d pay for renting.

So to summarise, I’d definitely recommend hiring your skis, boots and poles. I personally prefer the idea of a helmet that only I have worn but you could hire from the shop. And then for your clothing it all comes down to the price comparison of renting vs buying, and whether you think you’d re-wear them.

If you think you might go on a second or third ski trip then buying would probably be more cost efficient, but of course it’s hard to know this right now.

Hey @Pip290 , Hôtel Club mmv Altitude in Les Arcs (France) would be a good shout here. It's got a kids' club and spa set-up (spa, hot tub and pool all there), the ski area has a proper dedicated beginner section for the kids, and because it's part of Paradiski there's loads of room for them to progress when they gain more confidence. Les Arcs also offers horse-drawn sleigh rides and sledding.

Sestriere in Italy is also well worth a look - TH Sestriere Villaggio Olimpico has the same full combo, kids' club plus spa, hot tub and pool, and the Via Lattea ski area is big and beginner-friendly too. Tobogganing is easy enough to arrange locally at both if you fancy that for an off-the-slopes activity. As far as I’m aware, there are no horse-drawn sleigh rides in Sestriere but it does have dog sledding and snowmobile excursions.

Hey @ChasingTheDuck , Don’t worry, loads of people come to skiing with zero balance and no idea if they'll enjoy it, and most come away hooked once it clicks! I’d advise booking yourself onto a few lessons rather than trying to wing it, as an instructor will have you up and moving a lot quicker than you'd manage alone.

But if you do realise that skiing’s not for you, Le Grand-Bornand in France is a lovely low-key option.It’s a lovely French village feel with enough shops and cafes to relax at, or walking trails and ice skating. It also sits within a bigger connected ski area so your daughter won't be stuck on the same few runs all week.

Give the Heidi team a call when you're ready to look at it properly, we’ll run through what to expect and get you set up with lessons as part of the package. Or have a look at the site and select ‘great for non-skiers’ in the filters, this will show you holidays where there’s plenty to do off the slopes.

Hey @sharond101 - Firstly, I'd always say have a chat with your GP or physio before booking given the knee loading involved, but plenty of people do ski with joint issues like this. It tends to come down to proper boot fitting, building a bit of leg strength beforehand if you can, and taking it steady rather than pushing through any pain.

I'd definitely recommend private lessons over group ones for your first go, so that the instructor can keep a close eye on your technique and pace things to what feels comfortable for you. Somewhere with gentle terrain helps too. Saalbach in Austria, for example, has a lot of wide, easy runs that aren't too demanding on the joints.

So to summarise, it’s not unnecessarily unsafe and lots of people ski with knee issues, but I’d never want to tell you for sure that it’s completely safe for you as I’m not a doctor or physio.

Hey @TheKestralNextDoor - yes, plenty of our family-friendly resorts are set up well for this. Samoëns in France is a really nice shout as it’s a proper traditional village with lots to wander around, and it caters really well for non-skiers in general.

Mayrhofen in Austria is another one worth a look. It's got a big indoor/outdoor waterpark and wellness/sauna areas - which offer a great way to fill an afternoon off the slopes.

Both of these resorts sit within bigger connected ski areas too, so you can ski for a bit yourself and then peel off without needing to coordinate exactly when you both finish. You can also take the gondolas up as a pedestrian and meet your family for lunch even if you’re not skiing.

These are just two options but there’s loads of choice for what you’re looking for and it’s a pretty common question that we get. Give us a call and we’d be happy to have a chat and send you more options and info.

Hey @Captivatingcapybara , I think the best suggestion for nervous skiers is to go to quieter, uncrowded resorts where they’ll have plenty of space to take their time without more advanced skiers whizzing past.

Norway is pretty good for this - Geilo, Norefjell or Beitostolen would be my recommendations. I’ve been to Geilo and loved it - it has a nice chilled vibe. If you’re going in February half term most resorts will naturally be busier, but there are hidden gems that the masses don’t flock to like Val Cenis in France or Igls in Austria.

If you yourself are a decent skier and want somewhere with a big ski area while still being beginner-friendly, have a look at Flaine, Samoëns or Morillon in France’s Grand Massif ski area.

Hey @JacCharlton - I'd always say speak to an insurer directly on the specifics here as it's not something we can advise on definitively, but the main thing to know is that standard travel insurance usually won't cover you on the slopes, you need a policy with winter sports cover added on top.

On the medical side, anything pre-existing, including a broken bone within the last year or so, generally needs to be declared when you take out the policy. A lot of insurers ask about fractures specifically, and not declaring it properly can mean a claim gets refused later even if it's unrelated to what actually happens. Your child's wrist might affect the policy or the excess until it's fully healed and signed off, but that varies by insurer so it's worth a call before you book.

There are specialist insurance providers who deal with pre-existing conditions if a standard annual policy doesn't cover you properly.

Hey @fridgefullofplums , Pila in Italy is a really good shout for this. It's high altitude so there’s a decent chance of good snow early in the season, it’s good value, and because it's further south you're not losing daylight anywhere near as fast as somewhere further north in December. The TH Pila hotel is one of our bestsellers and particularly popular with families.

Andorra is geographically far to the west but runs on Central European Time (CET). Because of this, it has some of the latest natural daylight in Europe. Arinsal and La Massana are popular with families.

I'd steer you away from anywhere too far north with this in mind, e.g. Norway. The days get noticeably shorter the higher the latitude by December, which is the opposite of what you're after.

Hey, this is fairly common and there’s loads of resorts that cater well to this. Val d'Isère is a good pick, as there's enough properly challenging terrain to keep your family entertained all week, and the resort itself has a decent amount going on if you fancy a slower day, nice shops, cafes and spa options without needing to go far.

Personally, I absolutely love Chamonix as a town. There’s loads to do if you don’t fancy skiing and the slopes cater well for advanced skiers and boarders. The only downside is that it’s not interconnected (you can’t ski between the different areas), so there’s a bit of bus travel involved. The Les Houches area near Chamonix is really good for beginners/reluctant skiers if you did fancy a couple of slow-paced hours on the snow.

Have a look at the Heidi site and select filters for advanced, intermediate, beginner and non-skiers and you’ll see only the options that cater to all of this.

Hey @HereForTheFreeLunch , I don't have any direct experience with this one so can't give you resort-specific advice with confidence, but Disability Snowsport UK would be my first port of call. They run adaptive lessons in the UK and can point you towards resorts with the right instructors and setup. Snowsport England, Snowsport Wales and Snowsport Scotland also have dedicated disability/adaptive pages worth a look.

If it helps to try something closer to home first, Chill Factore and The Snow Centre in Manchester both run adaptive lessons indoors, which might be a good way to get a feel for it before committing to a resort trip.

A fair few resorts in France and Austria do have adaptive ski instructors available, but it varies a lot by resort and typically needs booking well ahead, so I'd get in touch with the specific resort's ski school directly, or give us a call and we can help find out what's available for your dates.

Hi @chickenpotnoodle - It's definitely not always busy, no. If you can, steer clear of the peak weeks - Christmas, New Year, February half-term and Easter - and you'll notice a real difference. Early-mid December, early-mid January and late March into April tend to be a lot quieter both on the slopes and around the resort generally.
That said, if you are limited to school holiday peak week dates, Christmas and Easter tend to be less busy than New Year and February half-term.

On resorts with numbers kept to a minimum, generally they don’t really cap the number of skiers but generally the big name ski areas like The Three Valleys and Paradiski tend to be more crowded, but there’s loads of hidden gems that are a lot less crowded. I went to Norway in March and couldn’t believe how quiet it was. I would say give Heidi a call, let us know your requirements like dates and budget etc., and we’ll find you some great quiet options that fit the bill.

Hey @Runningshorts - skiing definitely can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be, and it's definitely not just for wealthy people. Like with any holiday, there’s a sliding scale of how much it costs.

Luckily, Heidi offers lots of ways to make ski holidays more accessible and affordable. Plenty of our customers do it very affordably by picking the right resort and being a bit savvy with the extras and travel dates. For example, if you want to give skiing a try but don’t want to commit financially to a full week away, you can do a long weekend, or go for a few nights during the week, as it’s often cheaper to fly on midweek dates.

Andorra is one of the best value options out there, including destinations like Andorra la Vella or La Massana. And if you go self-catered and do a normal supermarket shop rather than eating out every night, costs come down a lot further. Bulgaria is also really good value and there are plenty of resorts in France that are really affordable.

You can also book everything -lift pass, hire, lessons - all up front with the prices clearly laid out, and Heidi offers the option to lock in your holiday for just £99pp, then spread your payments, which can help with budgeting.

Where it can get pricey is if you go all in on a premium resort, private catered chalet and brand new kit, but that's all optional rather than the entry price of admission.

Hey @prettypeace , is it just the open chairlifts that you’re nervous of, or do you also not like gondolas (the enclosed bubble lifts)? La Plagne in France has got a huge amount of terrain accessible by gondolas and a funicular rather than chairlifts - the Grande Rochette funitel and the Roche de Mio bubble in particular open up a lot of descents without needing to go anywhere near a chairlift.

If you don’t like chairlifts or gondolas, then Trysil in Norway would be a great option. The majority of its lifts are drag lifts/T-bars (the ones where your skis are on the snow and you pop the bar in-between your legs). It’s a lovely resort with plenty of mellow green and blue runs.

Hey @DoorPurple - when you say without a car, do you mean without driving yourself (so getting a private taxi transfer or a shuttle/coach), or a resort with a train transfer? All of the holidays that we sell on Heidi come with a transfer (unless you want to self-drive) so you won’t have to drive. We do offer train transfers if you want to avoid any car journeys, but these are mostly for resorts in Switzerland, Austria or Norway.

If you’re happy with a driven transfer under 2 hours then I’d recommend Avoriaz. It's purpose-built at high altitude so snow reliability around Christmas is solid, and it's actually traffic-free within the resort itself, so once your transfer drops you there (from Geneva) you're not dealing with cars at all, everything's on foot - or by horse-drawn sleigh!

Flaine is similar: high up, snow-sure, also a Geneva transfer, and generally one of the more affordable picks in the French Alps compared to some bigger name resorts. Les Deux Alpes is worth a look too - it's got glacier skiing above the main resort so it's about as snow-sure as it gets for Christmas.

If you fancy widening the search a bit, Voss in Norway and Grindelwald in Switzerland are both really well set up for arriving car-free. You can get there by train transfer after landing at the airport rather than needing a car transfer at all, which some people find an even easier journey.

Grindelwald in particular sits high with glacier views and good early-season snow, and Voss tends to be a more affordable option than you'd expect for Norway.

Is there a way to keep cost of the ski clothes down? Like a rental service?