Family ski holidays

La Rosiere, France - Offering partnerships with quality ski schools offering group or private lessons. Good selection of family friendly stays including hotels, chalets or apartments. Off-slope fun, from a cinema, bowling to ice skating.

Tignes, France - Top rated ski schools to chose from, mainly located by the start of the slopes. A beginners area near the resort and lots of cruisy, wide runs further up. Lots of space for fun afternoons of tobogganing or sledging.

Champoluc, Italy - 3 ski areas with one lift pass so you can explore all beginner areas. Pre-bookable ski schools in resort. Perfect for slightly more advanced or older children who want to explore on and off the slopes.

Val d'Isere, France - In resort nursery slopes come with free lifts for the little ones. Dedicated beginners area at the top of Solaise lift. Perfect mix of family friendly accommodations, offering apartments, hotels and chalets.

In some places, children as young as the age of 3 are allowed in kindergarten ski schools. But generally, about 4-5 is a good age to get your children on the snow in ski schools. No matter how competent a skier or snowboarder you are yourself, it is strongly advised that children should be instructed to ski and snowboard on nursery slopes with trained professional who with ensure their safety and that they are learning the correct techniques.

You will find in lots of places that many ski schools don’t offer snowboard tuition until your children are around 7-8 years of age. This is because snowboarding takes a fair amount of core strength as well as body coordination between the feet and legs and shoulders. It’s been noted that children often excel in skiing from a young age but will struggle with snowboarding until they are older. So start your little ones off with skiing until they have developed the basics.

Children should wear ski helmets, and in many places this is the law or they will not be allowed on the pistes. However, the helmet is the most important part of their ensemble, any additional protection is optional. Children and pre-teens learning to snowboard may benefit from elbow, knee and wrist protectors, as well as impact shorts. Another form of ‘protection’ that often gets forgotten about is the humble sun cream. Bright sun at high altitudes is reflected off the white snow and any exposed skin can easily get burnt. Children will especially benefit from a high SPF factor of sun cream because their skin is quite delicate.