Ski and Snow

Seeking Santa

Nothing can beat the magic of the thick snow, blazing log fires, husky rides and reindeer of Lapland. Every year, Esprit Holidays operates three and four day mini-breaks throughout December to Saariselka, deep inside the Arctic Circle, in search of Santa.

Esprit’s holiday price includes hotel accommodation, return flights from Gatwick, Manchester and Bristol, transfers, a private meeting with the man himself, gifts for children, free use of thermal outer clothing and a full day spent in a magical, snowy woodland wonderland, with ice-fishing, kick-sledding, tandem skiing, tobogganing and snow sculpting, a reindeer-drawn sleigh ride, a husky dog sled ride, a mini-skidoo ride, warm drinks and a tasty hot lunch in a traditional wooden chalet. From £674 per adult, one child from two to five years goes free and a second pays £419.40 (total family price £1767.40). If you’ve missed this December, book ahead for next year – these trips sell out quickly!

Tel. 01252 618 300   www.santaslapland.com

Winter wonderland

If you can ski outside the school holidays, there are some real bargains to be found. Families watching the budget will find excellent, low cost, ski accommodation with online ski holiday specialist Directski.com. A week's stay in the cosy, three star Schindlhaus Apartments in the heart of Austria's family-friendly ski resort of Soll in January 2011 costs from £309 per person, including return flights from Gatwick and transfers, based on four sharing. As well as having terrific ski mileage and good, English speaking ski schools and kindergartens, the picturesque, traditional village of Soll offers snowy activities that include tobogganing, ice-skating, sleigh rides, an indoor swimming pool, sports centre and miles of cleared snowy walks.

Book online through   www.directski.com
 

Nannies in the snow

Plenty of ski operators offer nanny care for small children in the resort but you can book a nanny to accompany you, too, for extra help with travelling and in the evenings, or, say, if you’ve chosen a resort that doesn’t offer this service. Holiday Nanny is a specialist nanny agency that tries to match compatible nannies and families – and the actual cost of the nanny is similar to what you’d pay through a tour operator (you have to factor in the nanny’s travel with you, of course). A Holiday Nanny will work from 45 hours a week plus 14 hours of babysitting over four nights, and will have one day off out of eight, for £450. A longer week of 60 hours plus 18 hours’ babysitting costs £595. 

Tel. 01494 772400   www.holidaynanny.org

Keep it Flexi

Perhaps you’re not sure yet about skiing with children and just want to try it for the weekend? Or maybe you’re squeezing in a sneaky little break without children? Flexiski is one of the few operators to offer long weekends as well as full weeks and lives up to its name in that everything is tailor-made, so you can choose the flights and transfers you want. There are chalets in Meribel, St Anton, Val d’Isere and Courchevel 1850 and hotels in France, Austria, Switzerland and Italy. A three-night break starts at around £310 per person, full board, excluding flights and transfers.

Tel. 020 8939 0861  www.flexiski.com

P…p…p… pick up a Penguin

A good children’s club can make all the difference when you’re skiing en famille. Crystal’s Pepi Penguin Club operates in seven resorts in France and Austria for small, non-skiing children up to the age of four (there is, of course, plenty of playing in the snow). For skiing children, Whizzclusive (in La Plagne, Tignes and Flaine) means you can get in a full day’s skiing; they’re picked up in the morning, escorted to ski school, given lunch and looked after in the afternoon.

Tel. 0871 971 0364   www.crystalski.co.uk/families

New flights to the snow

British Airways has announced a new addition to its winter flight programme with a new route operating between London City and Chambery, a regional airport in France with super-quick access to the Trois Vallees resorts, among others.

Flights will operate out of London City on Monday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday, retuning on Monday, Tuesday, Saturday and Sunday , which means you can combine them to create one week trips or short breaks. The first flight operates December 18 and the last at the end of March.

For details visit  www.ba.com

Personal touch

Sometimes, small is beautiful when it comes to ski resorts. La Rosiere in France, which has superb off-piste for experts and links to La Thuile in Italy, is quiet, safe and friendly for children, with an excellent snow record for late-season skiing. One of the most family-friendly operators there is Morealps, which offers four gorgeous wooden chalets and a really personalised service. Anything from high chairs to travel cots is provided free of charge and the chalets have Wii and PS2 for older children. Things that make a difference include private airport transfers (so no hanging around) and a lift from your chalet to the slopes in the mornings. From around £545, excluding flights.

Tel. 0845 222 0282   www.morealps.com

Ice Ice Baby

You can still enjoy the snow without skiing! Children will love the igloos at the Davvi Arctic Lodge in Lapland. The traditional ice houses are set around a campfire deep in the forest, accessible only by snowmobile. Thermal gear is provided and you sleep on an ice bed covered by furry reindeer skins – with a heated cabin for backup for anybody who gets too cold! The three day tour includes a snowmobile safari and a snowshoe tour, manageable for all ages, with plenty of time by night to gaze at the sky in search of the Northern Lights. From £599 in March, with discounts for children, including full board and flights from Gatwick.

Tel. 01865 265 200   www.transun.co.uk

Slower skiing

A popular Canadian resort, Big White, in British Columbia, is introducing slow ski zones this winter, ideal for families and beginners.  Three runs of the resort’s 118 will be selected every day and designated slow zones, on a rotating basis, so less confident skiers get to try a wide variety of pistes without being intimidated by boarders and faster skiers. Let’s hope the trend takes off in Europe!

www.bigwhite.com.