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Please tell me about Ski School.

Ashleigh Lawrence

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi Divas! I'm Ashleigh, and I'm new to this forum, so be gentle with me!

My question is this, my Huz and I are taking our boys (5 and 2) to the French Alps for a ski holiday in March (Yay!). Little'un will be doing half days in a Crèche, about which we have received heaps of information, instructions etc. as you would expect. My eldest will be doing mornings in ski school, but I'm not sure whether to send him with any provisions such as a snack/drink etc.. His hours are 9.30 - 11.50 a.m.. We will arrive late Saturday night, and he starts first thing on Sunday morning, so no time for any orienteering as such.

What would the Divas' advice be, as I have no experience of ski school myself?

Oh, and by the way, this forum is GREAT!
 

Magnatude

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Hi Ashleigh, you could email the ski school and ask them, assuming they can communicate in English (if they can't that's a whole different issue...).

I have no experience with European ski schools, but elsewhere I would typically stuff a couple of mini chocolate bars and some money for a hot chocolate or whatever into my kids' pockets. You could probably do some Internet research into how much money he would need for a drink. I'd also chuck in some hand warmers and glove liners etc, though you mightn't need these in March.

Where are you going?
 

Ashleigh Lawrence

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Thanks for the reply! We are off to Alpes d'Huez in March. Huz and I are sneaking off in a couple of weeks to La Feclaz without the little'uns though!
 

Perty

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Not sure, whether you need to put your 5 year old in funds, but I doubt it. Maybe you could pop a bar of chocolate in his/her pocket, but I don't think you need to send him/her with an actual drink. You often see the tinies being ushered en masse into a mountain restaurant for a hot drink and a warm up, with an extra member of ski school staff to ensure glove, goggles and helmets are removed and later replaced on the right hands and heads!
 

HeidiInTheAlps

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
I'd just send them with some chocolate, or fruit, or something hard candy suck on...no money though.

I do because, at school they have snack time at 10.30, so they are used to having a small something around then, and don't want disrupt their 'schedule'. My kids are older, so they have money...always spend it on a nutella crepe...
 

patoswiss

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
My kids just spent a few days in ski school in Austria. Lessons in the morning for the 5 yr old (@2.5 hrs) didn't include snack (or time for it) but they did take pee breaks :-) Have fun!!!
 

snoWYmonkey

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Wow! I learned to ski in l'alpe d'Huez 39 years ago! Crazy how time flies. Lucky kids. I hope the ski school does as good of a job these days as it did getting me hooked way back when.
 

Ashleigh Lawrence

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well we are actually styaing in Oz en Oisans, so eldest will be going to ski school there, but I believe it has a good reputation! (If currently not too much snow :cry:)
 

HeidiInTheAlps

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Well we are actually styaing in Oz en Oisans, so eldest will be going to ski school there, but I believe it has a good reputation! (If currently not too much snow :cry:)

It's meant to be getting dumped on this week, I thought, especially the southern alps...

How are your Christmas ski plans coming along? I've booked!
 

Ashleigh Lawrence

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
It's meant to be getting dumped on this week, I thought, especially the southern alps...

I hope so, The Huz is glued to the weather reports. Mind you, it's a good job we weren't trying to get into France this week! :eek:

How are your Christmas ski plans coming along? I've booked!

I've just replied to your thread! The place you've booked sounds perfect. :jealous:

And yes, I am already contemplating where we are going in December! :thumb:
 

leisure skier

Certified Ski Diva
Enjoy your vacation! We ski with the family in the french alps and my kids have been taking lessons this winter (age 4 & 6). I always pack a little something to fit in their pocket for a mid-morning snack , and a couple of euros for a small hot cocoa (un petite chocolate chaud:smile: I found that when we were there for the week over the feb break, the first day they were provided snack and then the other days they weren't. They would always stop with the four year old group, and it wasn't always as consistent whether or not they stopped with my 6 year old. My kids always knew they had something in their pockets either way. You can ask the ski school on the phone or on the first day. The restaurants always can provide the kids with water, so no need to a drink.
 

Ashleigh Lawrence

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Brilliant advice! Thanks! My eldest has been practising asking for hot chocolate in French, and I've packed lots of granola bars for snacking, as well as lots of porridge for the boys to have for brekkie. I keep telling myself it's only two and a half hours a day, he's unlikely to faint from hunger or starve to death in that time!
 

leisure skier

Certified Ski Diva
Brilliant advice! Thanks! My eldest has been practising asking for hot chocolate in French, and I've packed lots of granola bars for snacking, as well as lots of porridge for the boys to have for brekkie. I keep telling myself it's only two and a half hours a day, he's unlikely to faint from hunger or starve to death in that time!

I am also just slowly learning french and realized I even misspelled one of the few phrases I know! Un petit chocolat chaud. They are delicious:smile:
 

Sami

Certified Ski Diva
This is actually a question (hope that's okay if I jump into the discussion)... my husband is French and next year Dec 2014 we are thinking of going to ski around Trois Vallees. My two will be 7 and 9. The older one understands a fair amount of French and is reasonably motivated to try to understand and speak, but most of his spoken French is still very basic. (they go to French class one hour a week after regular school). My younger one pretty much doesn't speak any French yet- she is very shy. We would only want to do this trip if we could put them into ski school part of the time. How does it work putting English speaking kids into ski school in France? Their skiing ability is good (blues and blacks).
 

Perty

Ski Diva Extraordinaire
Easy peasy-there are English speaking ski instructors and ski classes both in the ESF (Ecole du Ski Francais) and the other ski schools. I think to have a full teaching qualification in France you have to have a second language in any event.

I would not go with the ESF though as there are a number of really good British run ski schools in virtually every resort. Their class sizes are smaller, especially in peak weeks, such as Christmas and New year, and the instructors tend to be all native English speakers. The first week of the season starts on about 14th December, though Val. Thorens tends to open the first week of December. Depending on which resort you stay in in the 3v, I suggest you look at Ski New Generation- https://www.skinewgen.com; or Magic in motion. Here's a link to a list on the English Merinet website https://www.merinet.com/ski/schools.html
Also look at www.latania.co.uk which is a very good website that covers La Tania itself and has loads of handy info about the whole 3V.

Which resort do you think you might base yourself in? If you are going in a peak week, I suggest you book classes well before the start of the season. I have skied the 3v a lot, stayed in Courchevel 1850, Courchevel 1650, La Tania, Meribel, St Martin de Belleville and spent a season in Les Menuires, so if you want more info about which resort to base yourself in etc, let me know.
Off to St Martin on Boxing Day, yippee!
 

Sami

Certified Ski Diva
Thank you so much! Very helpful. I don't quite know where yet-- it won't be until next year, but this should definitely help us get started. I'm sure I'll have more questions.
St. Martin-- have fun!!! That sounds as good (better???) than going to Lake Placid for New Years (what we're doing!)
 

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