TRAVEL INSPIRATION: SKIING WITH KIDS
You might think skiing is more about the après-ski than the ski (and you may be right!) but if you’ve got a young family it doesn’t mean you have to miss out on all the fun! I have so many great memories of family skiing trips, the fresh mountain air, the chocolat chaud, and of course the piles and piles of powder soft snow! This year Claire went to Andorra for their annual alpine break – and with kids ranging from 6 to 15 years old she’s got some great insight about how to make skiing with the kids fun for everyone!
Destination: Soldeu, Andorra
Travel time: Flight time 1 hr and 40 mins from London
Time of year: February
In our house, February half term always means packing our bags and spending the week together as a family skiing. This year was no different apart from my younger daughter being old enough to start ski school rather than go to the nursery!
There is a real sense of pleasure being outside in the snowy mountain air with incredible views doing something together as a family, its tough to beat.
All that said, skiing with a family, especially young ones can be highly stressful. If its not enough to be battling with your own skis/snowboard and boots, you then have to get your little one’s feet into their boots, put on their gloves, helmet and goggles without them going into full blown meltdown!!
If you are considering a skiing holiday for the first time, I would recommend you research your resort and accommodation, pre-book ski lesions, ski passes and ski hire well in advance – trust me you will thank me for this little piece of advice!
Skiing or snowboarding has always been a very sociable activity and holiday to me. Often we group up with other family members and friends to make it even more enjoyable and also guarantees a babysitter if you need one! It’s great to meet up at lunch time in the mountain cafes with a dj banging out tunes, the kids enjoying hot chocolate and the grown ups having something a little more warming before skiing the rest of the afternoon until après-ski.
We tend to stay in family friendly hotels on a half board basis, offering a buffet for breakfast and the evening meal. Its just perfect for little people, especially if they are as picky as mine! However, if this doesn’t suit you and you would prefer your own space, you can opt for a chalet which can also include a maid and cook for the week.
If you go to a child friendly resort, in the evenings most bars will allow children, so you can enjoy a few drinks before your little ones finally surrender to pure exhaustion and go to bed.
