Planning your first family ski holiday can be as daunting as it is exciting. To get the most out of your trip and ensure that everyone has a great time, look for a resort that ticks everyone's boxes. Val d'Isère is a good family resort with accessible skiing, plenty of child-friendly activities and a vibrant après-ski scene. Being a high altitude resort, it has good snow cover throughout a long winter season. Here are some tips on what to consider when planning your first family ski holiday. Choosing Where to Go for your First Family Ski Holiday Skiing For Everyone Look for a resort that has suitable skiing for all levels. Val d'Isère has the huge Espace Killy ski area with an abundance of pistes ranging from wide and gently sweeping greens and blues through to more challenging reds and blacks. There is also some amazing off-piste terrain for the more experienced members of your group. The easily accessible nursery slopes in the centre of the resort have free lifts and snow cannons. They are a great starting point for beginners to learn the basics and build confidence before venturing onto the beginner slopes higher up the mountain.

The popularity of snow sports holidays continues to rise with more and more people heading to the mountains each winter. Beautiful scenery, clean air, sunshine and the challenge and excitement of skiing or snowboarding are a great recipe for a wonderful holiday. As with any adventurous pastimes, however, mountain sports are not without risks. To help ensure that, as well as having a great time, you return home in one piece, here are some hints and considerations about how to prepare yourself and stay safe on the slopes during your holiday. Before you go Snow sports are physically demanding whatever your level. To really get the most out of your holiday, a basic level of fitness is desirable and the stronger and more flexible you are, the less likely you are to injure yourself. If you are a beginner, mastering the basics in advance with a few snow dome or dry slope lessons is worth considering. It can do wonders for boosting confidence allowing you to get to the fun stage more quickly once you arrive in the mountains. The right clothing and equipment is essential.

Imagine a fairytale wedding ceremony in a winter wonderland set against a backdrop of magnificent snow-capped peaks. One of Le Chardon's luxury chalets, in the iconic ski resort of Val d'Isere, can provide the perfect setting for your Alpine wedding, whether that's a celebration surrounded by friends and family or a small, intimate affair. Imagine a beautiful ceremony taking place in a picture perfect snow-frosted chapel, or under the vaulted aged wood beams of an exquisitely decorated luxury Alpine chalet. A champagne reception against a backdrop of majestic snowy peaks, followed by a sumptuous wedding feast. And the joy of having those closest to you gathered together to celebrate your special day surrounded by the most spectacular scenery in the Alps. Winter weddings are becoming increasingly popular with skiers and snowboarders who wish to exchange their wedding vows on snow. An Alpine wedding combines an atmospheric setting surrounded by stunning mountain scenery with everything required to offer you and your guests an unforgettable holiday into the bargain. There is also something universally appealing and undeniably romantic about sleigh rides and dog-sledding through a stunning winter landscape.

  At Le Chardon, Val d'Isere, we do New Year in style. Imagine the most exclusive winter retreat with roaring log fires, warm luxurious furnishings and a dedicated team of chalet elves tinkering away to make your festive holiday in Val d'Isere extra special. On all remaining New Year availability (Sunday 29th December  Sunday 5th January), we are offering a 20% reduction.   Chalet La Bergerie 6+1 en-suite bedrooms, sleeps 12+1 NOW €46,560 (was €58,200) This unique chalet has been renovated using many of the original features blending traditional wood and stone with modern facilities. Decorated with care, there is a prevailing sense of calm and tranquillity, helped by its location in a private enclave above Val d'Isère. Take a tour of the chalet here Chalet Lafitenia 6 en-suite bedrooms, sleeps 12 NOW €46,560 (was €58,200) Combining luxury and comfort with traditional touches and warm furnishings, the chalet is a cosy haven ideal for families.

When it comes to childcare in Val d'Isere, we highly recommend Jelly and Ice Cream. They have been in operation for over 10 years, providing childcare initially in Val d'Isere and now in a handful of resorts. The staff are professional and experienced, providing care for children as young as six weeks old, through to teens. The offering allows for a tailored service in the comfort of the client's accommodation. Le Chardon Mountain Lodges work closely which is why we took the time to speak with the owner and founder of Jelly and Ice Cream. Tell me a little bit about yourself Tina Eliades first came out to Val d'Isere in 2004 when she made the decision that she wanted a break from her London life. Not an avid skier to start with she was keen to get out to the mountains for a season. Tina became friends with one of the chalet managers at a luxury chalet company (can you guess which company this was?). They approached her about helping out with their clients and providing childcare services.

February Half Term Skiing - Val d'Isère Be our guest this February for an unforgettable skiing experience in Val d'Isère. At Le Chardon Mountain Lodges we specialise in luxury family holidays. Our home from home ambience is the ideal setting for an intimate family ski gathering. Where better to spend the February school holidays than in one of our luxury mountain lodges in Val d'Isère. Fresh mountain air, world class skiing conditions and endless activities to keep the children entertained all come as standard. Our collection is the ideal choice to offer the children some half term fun without any compromise on luxury. Until Wednesday 11th September 2019, we are offering our beautiful mountain lodge Mistral (7 bedrooms, sleeps 14) at a 25% reduction. If you are yet to book your February break, our flash sale could be the opportunity to secure the lodge you've been waiting for! Mistral  Available between 16th - 23rd Feb NOW €46,200 (WAS €61,600) We know family time is precious and we also know that happy children make happy parents.

Skiing will always be the main driver for entertainment on a corporate ski trip. However, that is not say others cannot enjoy the experience if it is not to their liking. Or possible injuries prevent them from fully participating on the slopes. At Le Chardon Mountain Lodges, we pride ourselves on exceptional service and chalets. Our concierge team works very hard to tailor each trip to specific client needs. There should only ever be excitement around the perfect trip, which is why we take on the task of organisation and reservations. This ensures you a seamless journey from booking to trip. HELICOPTER TOUR OVER RESORT AND NEIGHBOURING AREAS There is something quite special about the bird's eye view of a ski resort. As entertainment on your corporate ski trip, it provides the opportunity for a shared experience for both skiers and non-skiers in the group. Views that those who have not ventured far from beginner areas when on the slopes and even those advanced and off piste skiers can appreciate the perspective achieved when touring high above it all.

What does catered chalet life look like? Over the last three decades we have designed, built and run our unique collection of luxury ski chalets in Val d'Isère with passion. We have delivered guests with the finest catering, service, atmosphere and comfort in the French Alps. Situated in a private enclave with breath-taking views, our five traditionally designed ski in / ski out luxury ski chalets offer every one of our guests a personal, discreet and professional service, that only an independently owned and run business could provide.   Arrival Champagne Picnic Our transfers service is complete with a champagne arrival picnic to enjoy from the airport to the chalets Breakfast Continental – pastries, cereal, homemade granola, yoghurt, fruit, tea and coffee, fresh juice, cold meats and local cheese, cooked items to order Chefs specials (one option each morning) – blueberry milk pancakes, French toast with bacon and maple syrup, eggs benedict, poached eggs on sourdough with smashed avocado, sweet potato topped with peanut butter and sliced banana

As our 2019/20 ski season recruitment drive is mid swing and we merrily sift through CVs, we share a few nuggets of inspiration on what it's like to work a ski season in Val d'Isere. WHO WORKS A SKI SEASON? Expect a work hard, play hard crowd, with a passion for skiing and snowboarding. At Le Chardon, our staff tend to be more mature than on average with a professional outlook, natural inclination towards customer service excellence and a thirst to try something different. Many are professionals from other walks of life, keen to experience a break from the rat race, with the added bonus of a beautiful mountain backdrop. Others are taking a break before university or afterwards, eager to explore alternative lifestyles. Several are from the hospitality sector looking to add broader experience to their CV. Obsessive ski behaviour features highly on the list of attributes. WHAT IS LIFE LIKE IN A SKI RESORT, LIKE VAL D'ISERE? Naturally, this varies from resort to resort.

Free lift passes for all the family for Feb School Holidays 2020   At Le Chardon Mountain Lodges we specialise in luxury family holidays. Our home from home ambience is the ideal setting for an intimate family ski gathering. Where better to spend the February school holidays than in one of our luxury mountain lodges in Val d'Isère. Fresh mountain air, world class skiing conditions and endless activities to keep the children entertained all come as standard. The Le Chardon Collection is the ideal choice to offer the children some half term fun without any compromise on luxury. For February Half Term 2020 bookings (9 -16 or 16 - 23 Feb), we are offering free lift passes for your whole group on any sole occupancy lodge bookings confirmed between today and the end of August 2019. Choose to stay with us for an unforgettable family experience in the French Alps. For more information on availability and prices for February holiday weeks next season, please contact the team today.

Years back, Val d'Isère had a reputation as a steep resort for good skiers. While these days there is far more to offer beginners and intermediates, it's when you start to get good at attacking the black pistes that this resort really comes into its own. While Val d'Isère might not attract the same type of gnarly skier as Chamonix — the type who won't go out without ropes, ice axe and crampons — it is, without doubt, one of the greatest places for experts to ski in the world. With World Cup pistes, open powder fields, fantastic itineraries, couloirs and plenty of lift-served off-piste, Val d'Isère offers a massive range of terrain — enough to keep you interested for several weeks if not months, not just a couple of days. “Simply the best for experts” says Where to Ski in France author Chris Gill, his words echoed by fellow ski journalist and Val d'Isère expert Peter Hardy, who says the resort is one of the greatest places to ski in the world — not just by reputation.

Competition with Faction Skis!     Le Chardon Mountain Lodges have teamed up with Faction Skis to give away one FREE pair of skis, designed by Candide Thovex himself, worth £549! For your chance to win, simply enter the prize draw below.The closing date is 5pm on 25/03/2019 and the winner will be announced shortly after. Enter the competition here for your chance to win!    Designed with Candide, the CT 2.0 has become the all-mountain freestyle blueprint for fun. A 102mm underfoot true twin tip with a poplar/beech wood core, symmetrical sidecut and a smooth transition between rocker and camber gives this ski its playful feel and means it loves to pop lips, butter rollers and whip effortlessly between turns. the carbon stomp pad underfoot gives a solid landing while the anti-chip micro-cap sidewall construction ensures you can have the same level of fun season after season. The same flagship formula, in a wide range of lengths to fit everyone.

In one of the world's best ski resorts, intermediates are never going to be short of skiing — and while Val d'Isere enjoys a reputation as a playground for those who like steep and deep skiing, there's plenty more on offer. Plenty to do Intermediates love mileage — getting out, exploring a ski area and trying new runs and new challenges. With 300km of exciting pistes spread at altitudes of between 1550m and 3456m, with two glaciers, the Espace Killy is the perfect ski area for adventurous intermediates. Because of the climate, altitude and orientation of the slopes, snow is almost guaranteed over Val d'Isère's long season that lasts from November to May — and the abundant natural snowfall is backed up by 900 snow cannons from Europe's biggest snow factory covering 40 per cent of the ski area. Year on year, Val d'Isère continues to plough investment into its lift system — something that makes the biggest difference if you're looking to eat up the miles.

Le Chardon Mountain Lodges had the pleasure of catching up with Alex Hoye, Co-Founder and CEO of Factions Skis, to hear directly from him the ins and out of this exceptional brand. It has been one of the fastest-growing independent ski brand in the world since 2012, with sales of 30,000 pairs in 2018. When was Faction born and what was your inspiration for starting? Alex had dipped in and out snowboarding, so that he could make the most of the terrain and technology available - it seemed that snowboarders were having all the fun. That was until 2006 when he met Tony McWilliam (Faction Skis Co-Founder) in Verbier, Switzerland. At this time, snowboarding was the predominant sport and the board industry's shapes and technology was changing the way boarders could enjoy the mountain.  Alex and Tony were skiers who wanted to remain on skis. The idea to start their own company came about because they were inspired by board sports and thought they could bring the same excitement and innovation back into the ski industry.

Val d'Isère rightly enjoys a reputation as one of the mega resorts in the world and that means it has as much for beginners as it does the gnarly, ice-axe carrying ski mountaineers. It used to be better suited to strong, fit, experienced skiers — and while these guys are still in for the time of their lives, since 2016 Val d'Isère has equalled its reputation as a great place to learn to ski. A two-year project to completely reshape the top of Solaise ski area (at a cost of €16million) changed its offerings for learners entirely — and the resort now has arguably one of the best set ups for beginners, both on the mountain and off. Skiing for beginners There is 300km of piste skiing in the Espace Killy area that makes up Val d'Isere and neighbouring resort of Tignes — but of course beginner skiers aren't going to be putting in that sort of mileage on their first or even second weeks' skiing.

Whether it's your first snowboard or the latest top of the range board, there are a whole host of factors to consider. Here are our key areas to consider when looking for the right size for you. There are two main areas to look at when deciding your basic snowboard size; the length and width. However, as you get more advanced, you'll want to consider your experience level and the type of snowboarding you specialize in. Snowboard Length When looking for snowboards for the first time, length is a good place to start. The length of your board depends on two main areas; first your weight and height. As you get more into more detail, you'll want to start considering more areas such as your experience level and style of snowboarding. Weight Your weight is the primary measurement used to determine the length of your board. Your weight is mostly responsible for the level of pressure put onto the board, so this should be your first port of call.

When it comes to ski rental, it can be difficult to choose between the different options. For this reason, Le Chardon Mountain Lodges decided to catch up with the team at Oxyegene to find out more about their service and the new addition of rental ski clothing, launched for season 2018/19. Who are Oxygene? Oxygene is a family run ski school that has been running for more than 25 years. Oxygene's services are aimed at the international but also domestic French market. They are present in 9 resorts in France, predominantly in the Tarentaise Valley but also in Megeve in the Haute Savoie. They have ski rental shops in La Plagne and Val d'Isere and also offer various non-ski activities in these resorts. What was your inspiration for adding clothing? Oxygene wants to make life easier for its customers and ensure they are as happy and comfortable as possible. Buying ski clothing can be a time consuming and expensive business and most people only wear their kit for one or two weeks a year.

There are two new lifts for the coming season and the Le Chardon team are very excited about both!   New gondola for la Daille A brand new 10-persons gondola has been built from La Daille up to La Folie Douce. The cost of the project was around 10 million euros taking all summer to complete. The new gondolas are to replace the old 4-persons télécabine that opened in 1966 and increases the capacity from 933 to 2,800 passengers per hour. In addition, the journey time will now be half and shortened to just 4minutes and 30secs The new design is made up of 51 cabins called Symphony 10 which will be the first of their kind in France, created by an Italian designer who works for Ferrari and Maserati. Each gondola has heated seats, more space before than previously, sliding doors, WIFI and panoramic views. In total, there will be fifty 10-persons gondolas and one 4-person VIP gondola.

As you can imagine, childcare options in the alps link closely to ski and other snow activities. Even for those not getting right in amongst it, there are still plenty of options that are snow related for your child to enjoy. Ski lessons are the most popular choice for childcare, however not all children are old enough to ski or can manage a full day of it. For that reason, I will have outlined the best of the best childcare options for your child while in Val d'Isère. A popular option with our clients are private nannies and babysitting services. Our go to for this is Jelly and Ice Cream who are experts in childcare. Their staff are all CRB checked; first-air trained and highly experienced. The service caterers to all group sizes and will be coordinated depending on make-up of ages. They provide care to all age groups, from six weeks to teenagers. Jelly and Ice Cream nannies will look after your children in your chalet and will organise each day to suit you and your child's needs, taking into consideration the weather conditions.

Winter Alpine Driving, A Guide Self driving to an alpine ski resort offers spectacular scenery covered with a beautiful blanket of snow. The wondrous white stuff attracts thousands of people to the alps every year. Beautiful and fun, snow is awesome, but it can make a journey potentially dangerous because… behind the beauty is treachery! In this basic guide to winter alpine driving we offer some advice to help you stay on the beautiful side of snow and make your drive through the wintery wonderland a pleasure. We look at what to carry in your vehicle, what vehicle accessories you may need and what particular road signs you may encounter. Written by the professionals at The Mountain Rescue Ski Resort Transfers the advice comes from experience.     The Basic Kit Having the right kit can prevent many simple problems from becoming larger problems.