FAMILY HOLIDAYS … THAT ARE FUN FOR PARENTS TOO
Vallorcine, France
Family skiing’s fun, but if you want to be sure of some adult downtime – or slope time – you need a holiday where children are entertained. A ski trip that includes a seven-day circus camp with La Source in the Chamonix valley over New Year should do the trick. Circus skills classes include juggling and plate spinning, in a venue accommodating up to 22 families. There’s daily yoga and other activities, along with generous discounts on ski school and ski hire. The price is for fully catered accommodation, with each family sharing a six-bedroom en suite dorm room, and also includes a Mont Blanc Unlimited six-day ski pass worth €280.
• 27 Dec-3 Jan, adult £655, child £525 (7-11) and £395 (3-6), flights extra. 07854 337416, greenadventureretreats.com
Murren, Switzerland
A new early-season event in the cradle of Alpine ski racing, the Murren Kandahar Snowsport festival promises to be a blast for all the family, featuring daily races for all ages and abilities, training clinics with ski celebrities (such as Swiss World Cup racer Kurt Huggler and two-times World Extreme Snowboard champion Karleen Jeffer), and off-slope fun including barbecues, live music, skating and tobogganing.
• 15-21 December, six nights B&B from £440pp excluding flights, through the tourist board (mymuerren.ch). +41 33 854 1250, murrenkandaharrace.com
Panorama, Canada
The Canadians do family skiing very well, and the relatively petite resort of Panorama in British Columbia is one of the best. Its Pano kids’ camps will take the little treasures off your hands for three days of instruction, and its Discover programmes take first-time skiers through their paces. There’s even an on-slope nanny for youngsters needing more personalised care. Oh, and the resort benefits from piste-side hot pools, which make the perfect après for any family.
• Seven nights room-only at Panorama Mountain Village, including flights from London to Calgary from £899pp with Canadian Affair. 020-7616 9184, canadianaffair.com
Puy St Vincent, France
Snowbizz specialises in taking families to the mountains without the usual stress factors. Based in the cosy resort of Puy-St-Vincent, which borders the beautiful Écrins national park, they provide a licensed nursery, nannies, in-house ski school, après ski club for four-11 year-olds (which includes a disco, treasure hunts and face painting) and evening babysitting – plus a weekly off-piste family picnic so you can remember that you did actually come on holiday with your kids.
• From £1,477 for two adults and two children including flights from Gatwick, Stansted or Manchester and seven nights self-catering accommodation. 01778341 455, snowbizz.co.uk
OR LET TEENAGERS GO SOLO
Steindorf, Austria
If your kids are clamouring to hit the snow but your tired old legs aren’t up to it, PGL has a “teenagers only” six-day trip in February half-term to Gerlitze, a small resort in Austria with fun parks and traditional mountain hut restaurants. They can learn to impress their new ski buddies during daily lessons, then experience their first taste of après each night, when the dining room of the Hotel Shulga is turned into an entertainment centre.
• 14-22 Feb 2015, £979pp including full-board in four-bed dorms, overnight coach travel from London or Dover (Birmingham and Manchester pick-ups extra), lift pass, ski lessons, and ski hire. 0844 371 2424, pgl.co.uk
COOL NEW PADS
Hotel Terra, Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA
Jackson Hole has a deserved reputation as an extreme skiers’ paradise, with few frills but lots of steep couloirs. Hotel Terra in Teton Village, adds a refreshing splash of contemporary design – using natural materials on the walls gives an appropriate wild-west feel. Among other initiatives Terra uses recycled glass, offsets its electricity usage and recycles all its water runoff – which will make you feel better about using the heated rooftop hot tub.
• Doubles from $199 ($159 with the Powderhound package). +1 307 201 6065, hotelterrajacksonhole.com
Chalet Husky, Val d’Isère, France
No sign of red gingham, cut-out hearts and retro skis at the new Chalet Husky in Val d’Isère. Glass floors, walls, ceilings and chairs lend modern glamour; a clump of vintage lampshades hang over the dining table; a palm tree grows through the atrium … And get this: there’s a rock-climbing wall in the basement, a neon-lit multicoloured swimming pool, a wellness centre with massage rooms, hammam and sauna, and even an archery and rifle shooting range. And to think we would have been happy with a Monopoly set! Seven en-suite bedrooms sleep 14 guests and, of course, a private chef is provided.
• Seven nights half-board from £1,275pp including flights and driver service. 020-8682 5050, scottdunn.com
Mountain Lake Resort, Zell am See, Austria
Get the kids scoffing goat’s cheese and oompahing along with the après ski music in charming Zell am See, which has more than 100 restaurants, mountain huts and bars and is next to the resort of Kaprun. Austria is generally cheaper than France and Switzerland, and a new 34-apartment collection, Mountain Lake Resort, offers an affordable option near the town centre. Floor-to-ceiling windows show off the mountains of the Schmitten region, decor veers from updated Alpine to über-modern, with hi-tech kitchens and access to a sauna.
• From £2,788 with Mark Warner for a family of four in a one-bedroom apartment, including BA flights, breakfast, afternoon tea and three-course dinner with wine. 0844 4172 360, markwarner.co.uk
iGloo, Morzine, France
Morzine, in the Portes du Soleil ski area, has earned its stripes as a family resort. Now a smattering of chalet companies are trying to up its funky-luxe game, too. The Boutique Chalet Company’s new property, the iGloo, has a vibrant interior with swathes of colour across tables, weathered wood walls, spectacular stone work and huge pieces of modern art under lofty ceilings. There’s also a cinema room with cosy movie-theatre seats, a gym, a sauna and enough space to throw Morzine’s wildest party.
• Seven nights half-board accommodation from £905pp. 020-3582 6409, theboutiquechalet.com
Ki Niseko, Japan
For far-flung skiing, Japan is fast gaining in popularity – it may be a pricey option but rewards with great snow conditions and slick accommodation. With direct access to Niseko’s fabled powder slopes, the ski-in, ski-out hotel Ki Niseko opens in Hirafu in December, next to the high-speed gondola. The 94 rooms have views over Yotei mountain or the ski hill, and there’s access to indoor and outdoor onsen (hot springs) to soothe muscles after a day on the slopes.
• Rooms from £209 a night including breakfast, kiniseko.com
HOLIDAY DEALS
Cauterets, French Pyrenees
After seeing record-breaking snowfalls two seasons ago, the French Pyrenees is now firmly on powder-junkies’ radars, especially as trips here are much cheaper than to the Alps. Pyrenees Collection has a one-week self-drive, self-catering stay at three-star La Domaine des 100 Lacs. Don’t expect epic descents and rowdy après ski, but do expect uncrowded slopes, beautiful belle époque architecture in the town and the Bains du Rocher thermal spa on hand to relieve aching ski muscles.
• £120pp, including Eurotunnel crossings. 0844 576 0176, pyreneescollection.co.uk
Dimaro, Brenta Dolomites, Italy
Mates too skint or too busy to ski with you this year? Find a new crew on one of Solos Holidays’ communal breaks for single skiers, such as seven nights half-board at the family-run Hotel Dolomiti in Dimaro, a small town that is linked to the ski resorts of both Folgarida-Marilleva and Madonna di Campiglio, and has another 70km of cross-country trails on its doorstep. The price includes the services of a tour leader who will act as a ski buddy on the hill.
• Departures on 10, 24 and 31 January £669pp half-board in a single room, including return BA flights from Gatwick. 0844 371 8860, solosholidays.co.uk
Åre, Sweden
Christmas in Sweden is magical and the country’s top resort, Åre, just 220 miles south of the Arctic Circle, is great for families, with wide, crowd-free slopes, ice skating, sleigh rides, dog-sledding, tobogganing and snowshoeing. Lay this on for Christmas Day and you won’t even need to bother with presents.
• Ski Safari is offering £300 off a seven-night self-catering family holiday, departing 21 December, at the three-star Brunkulla apartments if booked by 30 November. The price of £3,082 for a family of two adults and two children includes flights , lift passes and ski hire. 01273 224 068, skisafari.com
Three Valleys, France
Fancy skiing in December but worried about lack of snow? Element Ski Travel has a new Snowsure Guarantee for early-season ski trips to Meribel, promising refunds if snow doesn’t fall.
• A week in a catered chalet, including flights and wine, costs from £390pp (£170pp for accommodation only), for 6-13 and 13-20 December. 020-8789 9055, elementskitravel.com
Nauders, Austria
For a ski trip with a variety of culture and cuisine, try Nauders in western Austria, on the borders with Italy and Switzerland. The local ski pass covers Bergkastel in Austria, Haider Alm in Italy and can be extended to Samnaun in Switzerland; these are not resorts in themselves, but quiet slopes with queue-free lifts. And on what other ski trip could you enjoy proper Italian pasta, Austrian beer and Swiss fondue in one week?
• Crystal Ski has seven nights’ half-board at the four-star Hotel Erika from £579pp, including flights from London. 020-8939 0726, crystalski.co.uk
Valfréjus, France
The pretty Maurienne Valley is a quiet and relatively undeveloped part of the Alps, with 22 resorts to explore and little in the way of crowds. Erna Low has a great deal for Valfréjus, a pretty resort among the trees above the town of Modane. The lifts are 150 metres away and there’s access to an indoor swimming pool.
• A week in a studio apartment in the Le Cheval Blanc complex costs from £86.50pp based on two sharing. Flights (Chambéry is the nearest airport) extra. 020-7584 2841, ernalow.co.uk
GOING OFF PISTE
The Sierra High Route, California, US
Touring between basic mountain huts sounds like a gruelling challenge to most, but for an even wilder long-distance traverse, experienced backcountry skiers might be tempted by the Sierra High Route in California, which involves camping (tents provided) each night. The 37-mile, six-night journey crosses the Sierra Nevada range, entailing around 4km of ascent, a little more of descent and unmeasurable amounts of whooping through deep powder.
• From $1,295pp, including all food, guiding, avalanche equipment, van shuttles and tents for six nights, starting at Shepherd and ending at Wolverton, based on a group of five. Flights to the starting point of Independence, California, are not included. +1 760 873 8526, sierramountaincenter.com.
Silvretta Alps, Austria
Making the transition from regular skier to backcountry ski tour adventurer requires new techniques, equipment and a fair amount of knowledge of snow and safety. Cut to the chase on a gentle “learn to tour” course in Ischgl, run by the people behind Scotland’s Glenmore Lodge, who are taking their skills to the Alps for the week. The five-day trip is hut-to-hut, so the experience is authentically no-frills, but the terrain is gentle and suitable for intermediate skiers.
• The course starts 8 March 2015 and costs £1,025pp including half-board accommodation, guiding, equipment and in-resort transport but excluding flights to Innsbruck. 01479 861256, glenmorelodge.co.uk
Andermatt, Switzerland
Off-radar for many British skiers but loved by powder hounds and pros for its fantastic, lift-accessible backcountry terrain and cracking day tours, Andermatt is the setting for a six-day course from Jagged Globe that focuses more on off-piste descent than ascent, though there are some short skinning sections. Towards the end of the week there’s a longer tour, with two nights spent in mountain huts.
• £1,095pp, including seven nights’ half-board accommodation. 0114 276 3322, jagged-globe.co.uk
Queyras Traverse, France
With backcountry ski touring booming, classic tours such as the Haute Route from Mont Blanc to the Matterhorn in the French Alps are increasingly clogged with skiers. For 2015, British operator Mountain Tracks has introduced a six-day hut-to-hut tour in the lesser-known Queyras natural park, starting and ending in the town of Guillestre. Each day includes around three hours of ascent but the views and empty powder fields are worth the sweat.
• £995pp for seven nights half-board in hotels and mountain huts, flights to Grenoble or Marseilles and guiding. Departs 31 January. Equipment not provided. 020-8123 2978, mountaintracks.co.uk
Zugspitze, Germany
Dismissed by many as a poor alternative to better-known resorts in Austria and Switzerland, Bavaria has, it is claimed by local expert Francis Kelsey, some of the best off-piste runs in the entire Alps. Ski Club of Great Britain has a new touring weekend in the Zugspitz Arena, close to the Austrian border, including three days with a mountain guide. Zugspitze, Germany’s highest mountain at 2,962 metres, has 20km of runs, eight lifts and vertical drops of nearly 2,000 metres. Basic touring skills are required as there is some challenging steep skiing.
• A four-night trip from 22-26 January costs £599, including half-board accommodation and guide, but not flights (to Innsbruck, just over the border). 020-8410 2022, skiclubs.co.uk
BRUSH UP ON YOUR SKILLS
Avalanche Academy, Chamonix, France
When it comes to learning about the mountains, a course in the Chamonix valley has to be the skiing equivalent of an Oxbridge degree. The Avalanche Academy is a dedicated training and crevasse rescue school, with intensive one-day courses run by guide Stuart Macdonald, who is an IFMGA-certified guide, the highest qualification for mountain professionals. On the mountain, you’ll learn about reading terrain, evaluating risk and essential rescue skills.
• From £89pp (course-only). avalancheacademy.com
Snow Academy Freeride Camps, Val d’Anniviers, Switzerland
If you can already ski black runs confidently and are keen to improve your off-piste skills, Snow Academy’s freeride camps could be just the ticket. Tackling off-piste skills and mountain awareness as well as improving your style and even learning how to drop the odd cliff or two, the week-long programmes should have you confidently up to your thighs in powder in no time.
• Seven nights half-board, including lift pass, guiding, test skis and all safety equipment from €1,299. +49 8821 9260202, snowacademy.de
Freestyle camp, Park City, Utah, US
Kids desperate to work on their freestyle? I Ride Park City camps in the resort of the same name are three-day coaching experiences aimed at 11-15-year-olds. The camps include use of a private snow park, six hours of coaching a day and video footage of participants’ progressing skills. Aimed at those new to the park and pipe as well as those who can already land a 540, it’s an opportunity for your kids to develop confidence and new skills in a friendly environment with a 1:5 coach to snowboarder/skier ratio.
• Camps in February, March and April 2015 cost $495pp (course-only) with lunch and ski pass. parkcitymountain.com
Ski courses for women, Val-d’Isère, France
For women who want to focus on improving their techniques without any men around, Amanda Pirie, one of Britain’s top female ski instructors, is running women-only ski courses. Courses are taught in a supportive and friendly environment, working on techniques and tactics developed specifically for women.
• £550pp (course-only), running 2-6 March for intermediate skiers and 16-20 March for advanced level. 07780 684781, amandapirie.co.uk
