Im after a little bit of inspiration for somwhere to go skiing this easter.
We are 2 families with young children (both sets are 4 and 1) we went to avoriaz last year and it worked well made a base camp in a bar eldest kids skiing in the morning and then dancing and snowman all afternoon while adults tagged in and out all day and had a few runs while not wrestling a child.
This year we are looking for somwhere diffrent been to morzine one to many times. Anywhere the stw folks would recommend. I was thinking ischgl been there touring but is high for Easter skiing plus like the austian vibe.
Ischgl is a good option as it’s high ( most of the peaks are over 2500m). Saalbach-Hinterglemm/Leogang/Fieberbrunn is also a huge area and family friendly. Also Zillertal has lots of different ski areas including Mayerhofen and the option of summer skiing on the Hintertux glacier. We’ve spent a lot of time with our children at the Zillertal ski circus at Zell. It’s also a big ski area with a lot of non skiing options in The Valley with Innsbruck only 40 minutes away by car.
AFAIK most Austrian lifts will be closing on April 10th, a bit earlier than usual due to when Easter Monday falls, just something to bear in mind.
Normally I’d recommend our area (Hochkoenig next to the Saalbach area) and the snow there is great at the moment. We’ve been every Easter for the last 10 years and there’s always been plenty of snow, even some off piste days. This year though the base is a lot thinner so depending on the next month you might be best to look for somewhere high.
My sole focus at this time of year - and indeed to an extent whenever I go skiing these days - would be HIGH!
For Austria I guess St Anton, Overgurgl - or super high = Hintertux.
France - Tignes Val D’Isere, Trois Vallees and Paradiski all offer high altitude skiing.
Or you could go ‘off-piste’ and try Sweden? Resorts like Riksgransen are open until June. Plus 24 hours daylight!
Yes i alsi think high thats why ischgl was on my list usualy has a long season. Hadnt thought of tignes la plagne was on the shortlist.
Fly to Geneva and cross the border to Meribel, perfect for Trois Vallees area.
Another vote for Paradiski area - we've stayed many times as a family in apartments and chalets in Peisey or Vallandry giving us access to their own ski area (which many people just use as a link between the two big areas and don't stop in) as well as being able to get to La Plagne or Les Arcs as much or as little as we chose.
On a normal year the snow making is very good and while Easter can be a bit of a challenge with hard packed morning snow and slushy afternoons, the key links have all been kept open by judicious use of snow machines earlier in the season and great work with the piste bashers overnight at the end of the season.
Here is a counterpoint.
Why go to expense of an extensive ski area when you and the kids can't ski it all? If the 4yo is in lessons, you'll get a couple of hours while they're occupied. You can't make use of the 3V in that time.
I'd look for a smaller place with on-the-snow accommodation so you don't have to cart stuff about. An easily accessible ski school and Nursery.
Our first holidays when my kids were little were to Aussois. Essentially it is a 2 lift resort, but we got some good skiing in, and the kids had a great time. Now they can ski anything all day long, so larger places are worth it. Most decent resorts above 1500 - 1600m will have runs to base open at Easter.
Take an edgie-wedgie and a harness if you like and get the 4yo out on the blues and the greens in the afternoon. They'll love it AND they'll sleep at night!
judicious use of snow machines earlier in the season and great work with the piste bashers overnight at the end of the season.
And this is why skiing is one of the outdoor sports that is so harmful for the environment.
Removing water during summer and autumn from the ecosystem only to spray it onto the slopes in winter, adding to spring snow melt and added risks of flooding. The Pisten-bully/piste bashers are inefficient and use massive amounts of fuel.
Valleys in the French alpha often have higher levels of pollution than Paris at rush hour due to all the snow seekers driving up into the valleys.
Skiing is uncool.
Ride bikes.
Teach your kids to ride a bike. When they're old enough to go on holiday themselves there won't be many ski resorts left.
Yes alpin we all know the delightful bad environmental impact of my ski holiday..... But like a play on a famous Yvon Chournard quote my space in hell will be fulled by pisten bulley fuel.
But everything i do in life has an eviromental impact..... My bike made of aluminium uses vast amount of electricity to produce where does that come from coal, nuclear? My tyres what makes them? My food my...... At the end of the day i try and minimise my footprint but i feel like im just a hypocritical **** because i like skiing i like biking abd i drive a car and heat my house with gas.
Anyway thanks everyone for the good suggestions
