Tag Archives: children skiing

Val d’Isere Highlighted as Ideal for Children

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ski kids france

Val d’Isere skiing is often regarded as some of the best in the world, with the region of the Espace Killy offering a wondrous variety of on and off pistes to explore.  With a high altitude, lots of snow, and facilities for skiing and snowboarding, it is a prime location for winter sports enthusiasts.  For those wanting to travel with families, Val d’Isere is also an ideal winter retreat for children.

With a wide range of luxurious and catered chalet options, families can easily find a great place to stay, with parents being provided the extra luxury of not having to cook whilst they are on holiday.  For Val d’Isere skiing there are some great spots for kids, with Oxygene offering some of the best options for children with lessons being both highly entertaining and very safe.  Meanwhile, there are a large number of activities away from the mountain slopes, with playgrounds and husky sledding an ideal way to give children a great time away.

In addition to a great range of options for children, the Val d’Isere region offers some excellent restaurants, stunning views and even the opportunity for a wine making course.  Over 300km of pistes are also available for exploring, and if children are attending classes it is the ideal opportunity for parents to head to the variety of beginner and experienced runs.  With an enormous range of luxury chalets on offer, winter sports holidays to Val d’Isere are ideal for the whole family.

Source: http://www.juniormagazine.co.uk/europe/val-diserefrance/8535.html

Family Ski Holidays to remember

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Our chalets are starting to fill up with bookings for the 2011/12 season and it is lovely to see so many enjoying a family ski holiday together. After all, skiing is the perfect holiday for people of all ages to enjoy.

What other activity can everyone do together: mums as well as dads, daughters as well as sons? Or perhaps where parents are able to hand their children over to skilled experts, knowing that they will be happy and safe in trained instructor’s hands. Skiing is equally thrilling and healthy – an uncommon mix – and one does not need to be especially fit or sporty to take pleasure from it.

Our chalets in Val d’Isere tend to be more relaxing for families compared to hotels. Mums and dads hate to think their little ones are annoying fellow visitors and in self-catering apartments so much time is spent shopping and cooking and cleaning – none of which are particularly welcome after a days skiing.

Unsurprisingly, Val d’Isere is the perfect ski resort for families and we believe our catered ski chalets add to the whole experience. Val has great snow, short queues, nursery slopes that are broad and have free lifts, a village that is flat, regular buses that are free of charge, excellent ski schools, teachers who speak English and plenty of British children.

Nonetheless, despite a successful family ski holiday does require a certain amount of planning. Planned in the same manner an ascent of Everest! Again, this is where Le Chardon Mountain Lodges excel – we can organise your transportation from the airport, greet you all on arrival with refreshments and have your skis and boot hire brought to the chalet. We can also organise any lessons well in advance of your holiday as ski schools and private instructors can quickly get booked out. All in all , what make our holidays stand out is the ability to take the stress out of everything and leave you with the time to relax and enjoy each other’s company.

A little insight in Val d’isere

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Having operated in Val d’Isere for around 20 years now, Le Chardon Mountain Lodges is firmly integrated into the local ski community. However, we thought you may be interested in a few historical facts around the town which is now famous as a one of the best ski resorts in the Alps.

Val-d’Isère is situated in South-eastern France on the boundary of the Vanoise National Park, and is only three miles (five Kilometres) from the Italian border (when you buy a ski pass ask for a Val / Tignes pass as the locals do). Many alpine ski events were held here during the 1992 Winter Olympics including the men’s giant slalom as well as the alpine mixed. Part of the town was restructured especially for these winter games. Val-d’Isère also played host to the FIS Alpine World Ski Championships in 2009.

The central and western parts of Val-d’Isère are mostly identifiable by their “chalet” structures, offering holiday ski accommodation, whilst the eastern area of the town houses high buildings that dominate the scenery. Together with nearby Tignes the region makes up part of the “’Espace Killy,” the self-titled “Most Beautiful Ski Area in the World.”

The Pissaillas Glacier provides good summer skiing giving the illusion of typical winter fare but without the harsh winds found on the Glacier during the coldest spell of winter. Snow cannons are put on particular slopes to support heavy skiing during the peak season, so ski conditions are almost always perfect. High capacity lifts offer great accessibility from the valley and there is no shortage of fast chairs higher up. However, there are still several slow chairs as well as draglifts available that suit beginners and children and the Olympic Gondolla is a great way to get to the top of the mountain ski range and into Tranquil. There are brushed slopes to be found and also backcountry (off-piste) skiing, with plenty of powder. The slopes’ difficulty level is especially high. Nevertheless, as in Tignes, there are many good, simple motorway pistes to enjoy.

Val d’Isère skiing first began in the 1930’s after a drag lift was constructed on the slopes of the Solaise. This was then followed by a cable car and is now a a plethora of chair lifts, gondollas and toe-ropes which cover the resort and enable skiers of all ability to to enjoy the mountains from October through to April.  We’re all excited about the 2011/12 season and hope you can join us out there.

Choosing Children’s Skis and Boots – Top Tips

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Is it worth buying skis and ski boots for your children when they will very likely need to be replaced every season?  If your family goes skiing more than twice a year, you’ll probably want the reassurance of buying gear that is perfectly suited to your child’s size and ability.

If it’s your child’s first time skiing, or you ski only once or twice a year, you may prefer to hire.  Your child will get the opportunity to try out different brands and lengths of ski and, more importantly, decide if skiing is for them.

Ski and boot rental can often be a tedious process. The queues can be interminable, and children can very quickly grow bored and disruptive. Sometimes a child may end up with skis or boots that don’t fit properly, spoiling their experience and wasting time.

However, when you book one of our luxury catered ski chalets, our staff will liaise with you in advance of your trip for sizing information, and will arrange for a range of skis, boots and other equipment appropriate for your party to be brought to your chalet on the day of arrival.  This instantly eliminates hours of boredom and makes the whole process fast, stress-free, and even fun.

SKIS

The most important factor in a child’s ski is length. To get an accurate sizing, ask your child to stand up straight – the ski tip should end between the collar bone and chin, depending on your child’s weight and athletic ability. If in doubt, choose a shorter ski, which is easier for your child to control and turn.

Also, go for shaped skis instead of traditional straight skis, as they don’t exert as much leverage on children’s legs, are more stable and easier to turn.

Try not to push your child beyond their comfort zone when choosing skis.  Skis that are too long or heavy make skiing difficult and tantrum-inducing at best, but potentially dangerous at worst!

BOOTS

Our experienced and reputable ski partners are very experienced in fitting for children.  Your child will be offered several pairs of boots, in different styles and widths, to try. Your child should also be able to bend their knee over the toe of the boot without any discomfort.

The main aim of your holiday is for everyone to have lots of fun, which means comfortable-fitting skis that are easy to control, pain-free ski boots, and a beautiful catered chalet to head back to at the end of a fabulous day on the slopes!