1st FAMILY SKIING HOLIDAY WHERE TO GO

bootman

Hi

Have just kitted myself and my son out with ski outfits today from Aldi. Now I need to find a nice place to go skiing!! :rudolf:

I have never skied before but my 9 year old and husband have had lessons at an indoor ski slope.

Somewhere for February I am looking for. Where is a good resort to go to that does not cost the earth.

I watched a holiday programe on Whistlers in Canada which is what I fancy but the budget does not stretch that far :rolleyes:

Any suggesions please

lynn44

Try lastminute .com they have canada £299 for jan... seen it on other site's too around same price..... thomsonski have good price's for italy and france, both resorts have great skiing....
good luck

sjpkgp

February is always the dearest month to go in Europe as it is relatively snow sure, kids school hols are then etc...

I have been about 9 times (only once with 3 of my kids) and have been to a fair mix of resorts.

As beginners (effectively) it matters less about how snowsure a place is (although I would check it has cannons) or about the size of the piste area (you will spend most of the week on two or three small bits of it anyway !)

It used to be loads cheaper to DIY when arranging ski hols, but I think the packages have come down and as beginners, I would say that you may feel more comfortable with a package. Driving to ski resorts is not for the faint hearted. Plus, your children will find others to play with on a package (likewise yoursleves for company - it is great swapping ski stories after a day on the slopes). I think DIY-ing is for big groups and experienced skiers who want to be on the slopes at 8am.

If you have got kids, I would consider the following in my choice:

- price of country (those cokes every ten minutes get expensive)
- length of transfer (5 hours on hair pins bends and windy roads doesn't sit well with children)
- time of flight (as above)
- that the instruction is english speaking
- that there is a chance other kids will be in same hotel etc (my kids were a bit lonely on a night last year)
- that you are not lugging your skis/poles/gear far in the morning (this is ABSOLUTELY no fun)

Shame you cannot go in January, we had the slopes in Leysin Switzerland to ourselves last year, and my kids had individual tuition for the group price as there was only one other child around.

I have never been to the US or Canada as I cannot justify the flying time to get to something that is in abundance in Europe but I hear it is really well organised, with wide slopes, orderly queues and often purpose built for the skiers convenience.

I have been to
Livigno Italy, cheap snowsure, lively, long transfer (awful) - been here 3 times !
Vitosha, Bulgaria, cheap, poor tuition and snow, poor quality and backward service, short tranfer from sofia
Soll, Austria - been here twice - quaint, fairly good ski-ing, OK-ish prices, short transfer, i hear it is not snowsure but there was loads both times
Niederau, Austria - been here twice, smallish resort, easy to get to, quite expensive
Val d'Isere, France - fantastic ski-ing, expensive, classy
Pas de la Casa, Andorra - caters for british majorca market, ugly resort, cheap, OK ski-ing
Leysin, Switzerland - ski-ing limited, quaintish, good transfer by public transport, expensive (very)
Sierra Nevada, Spain - cheapish, relaxed with reasonable ski-ing, longish transfer as resort is very high, cheap for individual tuition

bootman

Many thanks for the in-depth reply. Having looked at the sky high prices for the half term we have decided to look for January. There seems not to be many places left though! Let alone any late deals.

Chip_Butty_3

Have to admit to not going skiing for 4 years now but prior to that I went a fair few times.

If price is the factor then Bulgaria & Andorra used to be good. Been to Andorra three times & learnt to ski there.

Beginners to Intermediate it was great.

I found Austria to be good as the villages were pretty senic.

Hope this is of help

sloppychops

Sat 21 Jan 2006

London Gatwick to Austria

1 Week

2 Adults, 1 Child

London Gatwick Innsbruck (1hr 25mins)
Sat 21 Jan 2006 Sat 28 Jan 2006
Departs: 06:00 Departs: 10:00
Arrives: 09:00 Arrives: 11:00
Carrier: Monarch Carrier: Monarch

In-Flight Meals included

20kg Baggage Allowance

Hotel Simmerlwirt 3 star in Niederau, Austria

1 x Twin Room
Balcony, Private Bath Or Shower, Toilet


Half Board
Total £709.30

http://www.firstchoice.co.uk/ski/?startover=80751

plenty of other options as well.

TRAVELMAN_2

22/1/2006, Ex Stansted, Marco Polo Hotel, Arinsal (ideal for beginners & cheap tuition/lift pass & DUTY FREE so good prices!), £695 inc. transfer/flight meals.

PM/mail me if you need more info.

monkeyspanner

You can be pretty sure of good snow in February in any of the resorts. Hence as sjpkgp says it tends to be expensive with peak prices at half term week and these peak weeks sell out fast. 2006/7 season is on sale now! Sometimes you can find cheaper prices in some countries if their peak holiday season does not coincide exactly with ours, so it is worth looking around. It is also a good idea to look at the price of add-on essentials like lift passes, ski hire and in your case lesson packages as these can add up to a large part of the overall holiday price. One factor here is the age of the child as each resort/country count different ages this should be ok for a 9 year old. When you look at the brochures look for the offers sometimes you can get a child pass free for each adult buying a pass.
The main UK operators are:
Inghams
Thomson
Crystal (same group as Thomson but operate a separate brochure)
Neilson

Iglu also have a good section of the UK market and a good web site with flexible search facilities.

Canada is excellent and has late snow so you could try the easter break which would be cheaper and warmer! than February. We got a two week break starting 30 March 2005 for less than £600 a head in Banff and Jasper Canada. (excluding extras).

Just noticed you are now looking at January.
Have a look at http://www.thomsonski.com/latedeals.asp
which has holidays starting at £99 in Serbia in January.

bootman

We decided that Soldeu was where we wanted to try after reading other threads on the forum and go next week. This resort seems pretty booked unless you want to stay a way out or in a hotel that is not really family orientated.

I think we shall think a bit more ahead and book exactly what we want for next year.
Thank you everyone for advise.

TRAVELMAN_2

Hello!

Yup-is a real nightmare. The Hotel I sent you is fine but not with same facilities as the Euro you mentioned. You are right in what you say re PAS de La Casa-it's not Magaluff but more 'lively'. If you could go 15/1 or 22/1 chances would be better. If you decide on this then post on the board/PM, etc.

Chris

gasman

bootman wrote:

Hi

Have just kitted myself and my son out with ski outfits today from Aldi. Now I need to find a nice place to go skiing!! :rudolf:

I have never skied before but my 9 year old and husband have had lessons at an indoor ski slope.

Somewhere for February I am looking for. Where is a good resort to go to that does not cost the earth.

I watched a holiday programe on Whistlers in Canada which is what I fancy but the budget does not stretch that far :rolleyes:

Any suggesions please

You have got to go to PAMPOROVO in BULGARIA.
My family and I have been to the Pamporovo Hotel and ski'd the slopes for the last 5 years and we have been with other friends who also were new to skiing.
You will find that it's VERY CHEAP for everything.
We booked through 'Going Places'--Balkan Holidays brochure, cost for instance is 500 pounds each and that includes 5star hotel/halfboard/ski+boot hire/lift pass all week/tuition all week(any level).
Drinks and snacks very cheap--you'll never beat it on price.
People go back time after time and it's not too busy at the ski lifts!
Don't be talked into booking Borovets or Bansko--aim for Pamporovo--the ski instructors are GREAT you will learn in no time at all. If you are a total beginner you will be skiing from the top of the mountain in less than 3 days--guaranteed!!! there instructors are fun and very dedicated to showing you the correct way of learning, anyone can ski badly but they are sure to teach you the right way.
If you do go there try to ski with the following--Nellie Stef or Ami (amy).
The guys that video you and your family/team are very entertaining and the video/c.d's are worth buying-again very cheap!
You will have a great time--ask anyone who has ever been.
Good Luck, enjoy your skiing where ever you decide to go.

You are right about Canada the holiday is more expensive because the boot/ski hire and lift passes cost quite a bit more.....we are trying there for the first time this season, the scenery will be more or less the same Snow/Sky/mountains/trees.......