Help is very much needed please.  We are keen to start skiing at the grand old ages of 48 & 39 with our 2 children who will be 6 and 2.5 when we hope to go - 27th March 2010.  We’ve looked at Esprit Ski, Ski Famille, Family Ski Company and Ski2.  However we are completely bamboozled as to where to go, childcare options, other things to do in resort etc. etc. etc.  Can anyone guide us as to best location and whether to go fully catered or self catering, book through operator such as above or book independently.  We are restricted to school holidays and Feb half term seems extortionate (to us novices!).  We would prefer not to leave our youngest in childcare all day as she’s never been to nursery before and would like our 6 year old to have ski lessons in the mornings?  Any and all suggestions gratefully received!  Thank you

Hi sazzymac

I can quite understand your state! Going skiing for the first time and taking kids of skiing age and non-skiing age adds up to a challenging project.

I hope you’ll find the features in our Families section of the site helpful, but they won’t remove from you the burden of decision making. Some suggestions based on my own long experience of taking kids skiing:

Go at Easter rather than February; lower prices, longer days, often excellent snow
Provided you like the idea of a British chalet holiday, go with one of the operators you have listed, or maybe Mark Warner, who specialise in “jumbo” chalets (ex-hotels run along chalet lines); resort childcare is a minefield by comparison with operator childcare, and in any case a chalet holiday with other families is a great recipe
Look for a resort with:
* good (gentle, quiet, snowy) nursery slopes, of course
* plenty of easy runs to progress to - if you or your elder child progress well, you won’t want to spend the week on the baby slopes
* a good choice of things to do other than skiing - it sounds like you’re not planning to ski all day, and someone in the family may not take to it at all
* pretty direct and safe, traffic-free access to snowy slopes (not necessarily the ski slopes) where the kids can play in the afternoons
* if possible, a ski school that gets good reviews - ideally, a British-run one (ironically, Brit-run schools are the best in the Alps)
* prices you are prepared to pay without wincing - here’s a link to our price survey results.

Chris