By Eve Bell

Choosing destinations, booking accommodation that works for us, knowing what to pack, and all that jazz that comes with sorting holidays is second nature to me. I never more than a few thoughts away from booking a trip somewhere.

Deciding to go skiing for the first time with children was not that. Not any of that. I’ve been skiing once. Had a vague memory that I might have liked it. But we wanted to experience it with the children. And I had no idea where to start.

Cue me googling ‘best kids ski resorts’ and ‘how to do skiing with kids’. Amongst 78 more things. Nothing really jumped out at me as useful, so here I am writing the blog I needed.

Gear

You are going to need warm coats, salopettes, base layers, fleeces, thick socks, neck scarf, gloves, helmet and goggles. We went mad and took about 4 base layers – long sleeved tops and long johns – for both kids. They wore one set. We took five pairs of socks, they wore one pair all week. You are going to need two sets max. The fleece/mid-layer they only wore one, we took 3. Seriously, don’t go overboard with what you need to keep them warm. They probably won’t wear these layers all day.  They might not like it. Even if they do, they will have grown out of it next year. Decathlon makes really good quality gear for reasonable prices.

Buy bright coats and salopettes. So you can see them. Kids have no fear and just fly down the slopes. So it is good to be able to spot them. The brighter the better. I wish I had bought the same for me. I opted for black coat and white salopettes. So I am not so easy to spot. I wish I was wearing neon orange. I am so nervous about other skiers, I am sure I might have 0.01% more confidence if I was glaring on the slopes.

Depending on your accommodation, you might not need much for the time off the slopes. Snow boots, hats and warm clothing are a must. Don’t go overboard with clothes. Make sure you pack comfy, chilling clothes. Apres-ski is so good. The downtime with hot chocolates is bliss.

Resorts

We visited Paso Tonale in Italy on our first trip. It was three hours on a coach after a really early flight time. A journey to the mountains is quite windy. The holiday did not get off to a good start. Tired and travel sick kids. Most flights to ski resorts seem to be really early in the morning but avoiding this is top of my list. As is finding resorts that are closer to the airport.

For our second trip, we went to Obertauern, which is only 1 hour from the airport. It was perfect. Short transfer times can mean you are not that high up the mountain but this resort is a snowsure one, so it is a good bet.

Choosing resorts is also about knowing where the best snowsure slopes are. Paso Tonale is a purpose built resort and didn’t have that picture postcard alpine feel to it. It also had no snow. Only snow machine that made the slopes like ice. Think ice skating with planks on your feet.

I can’t confess to being anywhere close to being knowledgeable on choosing resorts based on snow and quality of slopes. Even how much sun the resort gets. Kids don’t seem phased though, so I am not convinced I would book a trip based on these things. Most resorts have nursery slopes. I would also base it on things to do outside of skiing. Just in case.

Accommodation

There are different types of accommodation. Chalets, catered chalets, hotels, and apartments. You’ll know what type suits your family. My kids are fussy eaters, so self-catering suits us best. The first time we were full board in a hotel. This meant waiting for hours for our meals at times that didn’t suit us. We went self-catering in an aparthotel this year and it was just ideal. We had the option to have meals made for us and I could make them snacks in between. Catered chalets mean mixing with other families and having meals made for you. Set meals, usually no choice and the children eat earlier than you. This is not how we do things as a family so it wouldn’t work for us.

The main thing you need to consider is how far your place is from the slopes and lifts. If they are not close and by close, I mean really close. Ski boots are the hardest and heaviest thing to walk on. If you have a child that is not keen on walking in shoes, try asking them to walk for 5 mins in ski boots.

Some hotels will include transport to and from the slopes/lifts so make sure you check. Or opt for a ski in/ski out place. This made our trip to Obertauern. You know when you have one member of your party who is s**t scared and loses it quite often. It is easy to retreat back to your place to calm down.  But that aside, it is so good for the kids. Less fuss.

A pool is also good. In Italy, it was -19. It would have meant long days if we hadn’t have had a pool. Wifi is also good.

Learning to ski

All resorts will have ski schools. Definitely, research these before you go and pick one that suits. They usually last 2 hours and the children will go off with the instructor. The boy and girl learnt to ski in Italy but they were in a group with children 5 years younger and they were soon bored and didn’t want to go to lessons. In Austria, we had a private lesson and this wasn’t great. So do your research. I saw some great instructors on the slopes and wish we had gone in a school with them.

Slow

The skiing part is my least favourite part of a ski trip. To see why read this post. The best bit? It is so chilled and slow. There is not a great deal of stuff to do apart from enjoying the wonder of nature. We had so much snow fun in Austria. It had snowed more that winter than in 40 years. I have never seen such magic in my children’s eyes. We went icicle hunting, sledging and had huge snow fights.

Colouring books, pens, paper and small games are a must. It was a joy to watch my million miles an hour daughter slow right down. Which meant we all did. We coloured and drew and played 1,421 games of Uno and it was wonderful.

In a nutshell:

• you don’t need loads of gear. But make it bright.
• research your ski schools
• short transfer time
• ski in/ski out is good
• a pool is really good

We brought home a lot of magical memories from our trip to Austria. If you have never fancied skiing, don’t let that put you off. I saw a lot of parents reading and enjoying watching their kids enjoy the snow. I walked past them fuming with ten ton boots on with gritted teeth.

Family Skiing // Austria 2018 from Eve Bell on Vimeo.