benjai

Our son will be 7 next year and none of the three of us have ever skied before. Given that we now have some disposable cash, I thought it would be a good time for all us to try it out!

I'm thinking next year (2018) feb half term is a good time seeing as we have trips booked almost every holiday up to then. I've also heard that everything books out quite quickly and lots of people book nearly a year in advance.

Given that we are total beginners, can anyone recommend some places to go to? Collecting some TP on the way would be good but not crucial although I would prefer to at least stick with OW.

What's a good approach? Just book some flights and then hotels? I have no idea how to book a ski holiday!

Budget is quite flexible as its our first time so I don't need to do it on the cheap (yet!).

charlie1105

Although your budget is flexible, I'd recommend not wasting money on one of the big name resorts - they're over priced and as complete beginners you're not going to need the more advanced terrain that they offer. Heading east (Bulgaria) offers good options for beginners, and is far cheaper than most of the French/Swiss/Austrian resorts.

You can also look to the US/Canada (I'm currently sat in Kicking Horse after an awesome day of powder!) - I love it over here, and choose this side of the Atlantic over Europe every year.

Don't worry about needing to book in advance - if you're flexible then you'll always find something good last minute. My preference is to leave it to the week before and make sure I'm guaranteed good snow by picking my destination based on where the snow is good (although often book the transatlantic leg in advance).

Hope some of this helps!

Bullswood

We've just been to Seefeld with 2 adult beginners and 7 year old son. Absolutely great - 20 mins from Innsbruck Airport by taxi. Hotel (Eden) 2 mins walk from village centre and ski school/beginners slope/ski hire on doorstep. We arrived midweek (courses start Sun/Mo) so had private lessons 2x2hrs for 3 days - not much more expensive for 3 of us and less waitling! Understand Alpbach also good for beginners but a bit further from airport. Chose Seefeld partly because of indoor aquatic centre in case of bad weather but not needed!
Booked rewards flight and hotel online and ski school by email. Didn't prebook ski hire as early Jan not too busy.

Diver Boy

I found Lake Louise in Canada good for when I learnt to ski. They had a mix of green and blue slopes to learn and develop on before hitting the reds.

saint_em

We just got back from Levi in Finland. Finnair fly to Kittila from HEL, you can get a bus from there.

We don't ski and it's definitely a hill not a mountain, but there's loads to do - snowshoeing, snowmobiling, husky sledding, ice fishing, fat biking, etc plus skiing. You can also cross-country skiing and hike.

Levi itself is small, and yes the restaurants are pricey, but the supermarkets aren't too bad - we self-catered breakfast+lunch for two for 4 days for about €30.

Swiss Tony

Ah, but the OP is fixed to school holidays, which - as a Dad with three kids who ski - is a PITA.

Don't bother with North America. It's brilliant skiing, but the long flight & resulting jet lag both ways means it won't be worth it.

Also be mindful that you don't want to put the 7 yr old off, so I would head south rather than up to Scandinavia, where you have a higher risk of it being bitterly cold.

As noted above, avoid the big name resorts. We always go to Austria now as it offers far better value than France. EUR4 for a pint up a mountain? Thank you very much! I've also heard great things about Italy. Know the Italians love families, but I haven't skied there since the 1980s.

Especially if you haven't skied before, do look at going half board rather than self catering. You'll pay more, but you'll be knackered at the end of the day and the last thing you want to be doing is faffing around trying to make food. Similarly, make sure your hotel is on the slopes/near the ski school meeting point. Lugging all that kit around is hard work, and having to fight your way onto or off a bus at the start or end of the day is again a sure fire way to take the fun out of it.

And don't be afraid of putting the holiday together yourself. Most resorts have efficient tourist offices where if you send them a request, they will farm it out to all the local hotels for you, who then come back direct with offers. Combine that with flights & a taxi - or even a BA holidays fly drive option - and at peak season you'll probably save a lot over going through a tour operator.

Hope you enjoy it!

dnajockey

Do a day beforehand in a snow dome to get you all started.

The Pyrenees are much cheaper than the Alps, less snow-sure but fine for beginners/intermediates - fly through Toulouse.

Austria is great, and cheaper than France/Switzerland, flights through Zurich / Innsbruck for TPs.

Geneva flights book up hugely in advance esp around weekends in winter.

Booking with a reputable company will save a lot of hassle, I have had good experiences several times with crystalski

Forget the skies and get on a snowboard.

:-)

simonspear

I'd also appreciate a list of BA destinations with resorts nearby if anyone could make one.

We did a day of downhill skiing in Lapland and the kids definitely want to go again next year!

chris1922Mk2

For first timers, cant beat pretty much any where in Austria or Italy. Plenty of flights to Salzburg or Innsbruck (great steep descent and climb out !) and Turin for Northern Italy.
Mayrhofen has almost unlimited varied terrain.
Also half board is absolutely the way to go, there will be tons of smaller family ran hotels, and the Italians are particularly family orientated.

You'll love it !

Swiss Tony

There used to be a list on the web of all the airports in/near the mountains and a corresponding list of resorts nearby. Unfortunately I can't seem to find it now, but I think it used to be on j2ski.com.

stewaran

with a 7 yr old may be better waiting for easter, and the temperature to warm up a bit.
In feb you could get some really cold days. fine once your competent but can be horrible if you are learning and spending a lot of time not moving very far.

budget no issue i would go to the USA every time, Mammoth, park city and Vail are all really good.
havent explored much in europe as a family friend has a proper in the 3 Valleys, which although great may not be best for a beginner.

a guide of budget would help, doing a package with someone like chrystal at one end of the spectrum or Scott Dunn at the other would IMO really benefit a family who are new to skiing.

benjai

Hi, thanks for all the suggestions! Some great ideas here. A lot of mention of crossing atlantic/skandis which I wasn't expecting at all! I think as this is the first trip, we might stay a bit closer and keep things as straightforward/stress free as possible. We can always do more complex/exotic things the next time after I know how everything works. Austria/Italy sound good!

And yes, school holidays are a must, although little one is in private school so his Christmas/Easter starts around 2 weeks earlier if that makes any difference. Half term is the same time.

Halfboard sounds interesting. I've only ever booked flights and hotels separately before and never halfboard. Whats the best way to book these? I never see half board options when looking at hotel websites.

Budgetwise...I have no idea how much it costs to ski! I was thinking £3k for hotels/food/lessons but excluding flights for 5-7 nights. Is that reasonable? Ideally we want to have a large room/suite so little one gets his own bed/sofabed. Do I need to spend more?

Can you still ski in easter?

bhbloke

I've just been to Feldberg for a weekend, flying in and out of Basel and then a sub 1 hour drive.

Great little valley for beginners, I'd not skied for a few years and the weekend there was most enjoyable to get back into the saddle.

chris1922Mk2

Depending on the winter's snow fall, some resorts still have snow on the higher peaks up until May and June, especially if there is a glacier, like Mayrhofen.
Why don't you look at a BA Holiday, especially if after TPs and Avios. You'll get half board options there i would think, and car hire too if you want it. Ski School can be expensive, and once you add on equipment hire and lift passes it can add up. You also need to buy or borrow clothing before you go, salopettes, jackets, gloves etc.

temppa

Finnair has direct flights next winter season from LGW to IVL, Thursdays and Sundays. Might be once class service. No lounge at IVL