Skiing is not something I had really thought about with two children under three. I thought we had at least 10 years until it was a possibility as the littlest one couldn’t even walk, let alone ski down a mountain! Thanks to Snowbizz it was all possible, and not only that, it was relaxing and enjoyable too (not something I thought I would say about holidaying with a baby and toddler!)
From the moment we booked our holiday with the friendly UK team to the final goodbye from one of the ‘pink ladies’ at the airport, we were made to feel like guests. Any questions I had were answered by Sarah who has taken her own children enough times to know exactly what I needed to pack and prepare for. Despite the early start our journey was smooth and we were very happy when the boys napped on both the plane and the coach!
Travelling with two small children involves a lot more bags than we had hands for, but the lovely pink ladies were happy to help and to two awestruck parents, this was incredibly helpful. Whilst we took in the glorious mountains covered in the brightest white snow, the fresh air, the uninterrupted views and the tired tots, the ladies helped us find our apartment, and filled us in on the rest of the day.
You know that a creche is good when the first noise you here in the morning is a two year old shouting from his bed ‘ I’m awake Mummy, can we go back to nursery now?!’ and when the littlest one quite literally throws himself out of your arms at the gates to plant a big sloppy kiss on another woman’s cheek. The boys did painting and drawing, playing and singing, baking and reading. They went for walks in the snow to see the horses and they slept soundly at nap time in the comfy quiet spaces. On the afternoons we took them out, we sledged and skidded on our bums and built snowmen, and on the afternoons they stayed, they had just as much fun with the amazing and dedicated team of nannies.
As for us, learning to ski was an incredible experience, made easier by the small classes and fantastic instructor. Sam was happy to take a step backwards when my confidence failed and to let us learn at our own speed, and by the end of the week there was nothing more exhilarating than zooming down our favourite route- Le Chemin – after our lesson was over, and stopping for some hearty mountain food up at 2100 metres.
One thing we loved about the Snowbizz resort for families is how close everything is. It was a matter of metres between leaving the locker room and putting on our skis and the creche was right there at the bottom of the slopes and two minutes walk from our apartment, so we could drop in on the children any time we liked. We ate our evening meals in Le Chaumiere which was easy walking distance, even for a two year old (and they served the most indulgent chocolate torte). The outdoor heated swimming pool felt like the ultimate luxury and we worked on our tans surrounded by snow just two minutes walk from the sun Vallee building that we were staying in.
Our Snowbizz holiday was incredible, and the most remarkable thing was rather than having the post-holiday blues I have come to expect, we came away feeling excited, energised and ready to start planning our next trip! Our toddler turns three this summer, which means he can learn to ski with the totons this winter and we can’t wait to see how he gets on!
If you want to read any more about our trip, you can check out these posts aboutour family ski holiday, our 5 things not to miss andlearning to ski