Skiing with a 4 year old

[Ole]

We are thinking of a long weekend skiing. Does anybody have any recommendations? Now my son is 4 I am hoping I can get him started with some group skiing lessons so a kid friendly resort would be very good (don't they look cute whizzing down the slope in a duckling line?!). Somebody once suggested a kid-friendly chain of resorts but I can't remember the name.

[catgirl]

Kinder hotels are great for that age group and some have little ski areas for child beginners in their grounds so easy to try it out. Also loads of other facilities for children as well as pools and spa facilities.

Rooms are all suite type rooms with separate children's bedroom/s so you can put the children to bed and still use the room. They are all family owned and vary a bit in quality/ price/ facilities. Most are in Austria but some in neighboring countries too.

[fergju]

Hi

We are going to Courchevel this year with Skivo following an amazing trip last year.

Travelled with 4 adults 1 year old twins, 2 and 7 year old. Thus year twins have nanny for mornings same lady as year and the now 3 and 8 year old will both have lessons. The 3 year old will have short special lesson and then be collected from slope by nanny and stay with twins until lunch. Resort excellent soft play, sledging etc so we spend mornings skiing and afternoons doing kids things. Fully chater chalet is perfect as no worrying about cooking / shopping and then sit with a wine in front of fire once kids are asleep. Highly recommend it.

[Michael58]

At fergju, do you bring your own nanny or can you get one from there? As we would need one for our youngest. Also considering, but not sure how it would turn out.

[simonethebeaver]

The Kinder Hotel we visit is this one:

http://www.sporthotel-achensee.com/en/

It's right by a cable car lift up, and has a decent selection of slopes. Ski lessons and up to 80 hours childcare a week are included in the price and the owners are lovely. We've had amazing holidays there.

[yummers]

I would recommend la Tania, in the 3 vallees. Its part of the largest ski area in Europe, extremely child friendly, can avoid all traffic as the road runs below the resort, and most chalets/apartments will be ski in ski out. There are always millions of littles there!

However, also to think about, you may want to go somewhere closer to the airports if you are only going for a long weekend...

[sarahnickharry]

Hotel Ellmauhof in Saalbach-Hinterglemm Austria - ski to door, ski school for kids from door, amazing creche, lovely children's swimming pool and baby listening so when the kids are in bed you can pop to the bar and know they're ok or

Chilly Powder in Morzine - amazing kids facilities, the chalet hotel staff have them in creche - take them to ski school and pick them up and have lovely kids facilities. If you want to ski while the little ones finished ski school the chilly powder staff take them to play in creche or sledging.

Chilly powder were truly fabulous and they have just opened a high speed lift to avoriaz opposite which has fabulous skiing.