Ski vacations with children: instructions for use

The Tignes – Val d’Isère ski area offers 300 km of pistes for all levels. These include highly accessible green runs, fun runs and areas specially designed for beginners, with free lifts. If it’s your little one’s first time on skis, you can book specially adapted ski lessons.

For example, some ski schools offer fun courses for children aged 2 and a half and upwards. While some children are already very adept at skiing at this age, it’s important to adapt to your child’s motor skills. We generally recommend starting skiing around the age of 3 or 4. Skiing will then be presented as a game, and there’s no doubt that your little ones will want to try it out! Wearing a helmet is essential to teach budding skiers the right reflexes from an early age. Wearing a helmet is highly recommended to protect the heads of skiers of all ages.

You’ll also find ski passes with special rates for families with children, which means substantial savings.

If your child is small, it’s normal for him to tire quickly on skis. In such cases, don’t hesitate to suggest other snow activities, such as tobogganing… or a simple snowball fight.

If you’re going skiing in Tignes with your children, you’ll need to choose age-appropriate accommodation. You can opt to rent an apartment in a tourist residence, which allows you to organize your stay as you wish and feel “at home”. Or you can opt for the comfort of a hotel: the resort is home to establishments of varying standards, to suit all budgets.

One particularly suitable solution for a stay with children is a hotel club, which offers children’s activities during the school vacations tailored to different age groups. Younger children can enjoy a range of activities in complete safety, or spend the day in a day-care center or crèche.

If you’re taking a baby with you, find out if the establishment you choose can provide you with a cot. There’s no need to load up unnecessarily when you hit the road!

Consider accommodations with the Famille Plus label, which are specially adapted to welcome families and children.

Fighting the cold on skis

Obviously, if you’re going skiing with young children, you’ll need to protect them from the cold. And the tried-and-tested solution is: layering your clothes ! As well as keeping the air out, this allows you to adapt to changing weather conditions and remove or add “a layer”.

In general, opt for a long-sleeved T-shirt made from breathable fabric, topped with a sweater or fleece, followed by a warm, waterproof jacket. At the bottom, opt for ski pants. Avoid double socks, which restrict mobility.

Watch out for the sun in the mountains!

Even on cloudy days, you must protect your children’s eyes with UV4 sunglasses. Snow is highly reverberant. You should also protect their skin from sunburn, which is always violent at altitude, with SPF 50 sun cream, whatever their skin type. Don’t forget to bring moisturizing sticks for lips, which can quickly dry out.