Lucy Huxley took her kids skiing for the first time with Club Med in Valmorel
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Skiing was my first love. I joined the travel industry not as a journalist, but as a ski guide, spending a season in Chateau-d’Oex, Switzerland. I’ve always loved it more than any summer holiday, and introduced my husband to skiing when we got together.
Having given up skiing holidays when my kids were born – my eldest, Tom, is eight – I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms, and keen to realise my dream of us all skiing together as a family.
I desperately wanted Tom and Marijke, who’s five, to love skiing too, but as anyone with kids will know, you can’t force children into anything! So as we drew up to Club Med Valmorel for their first skiing holiday, a lot was riding on the trip.
In spite of my desire for them to learn, I had a lump in my throat the first morning of ski school.
Trussed up in all their ski gear (which we’d picked up the previous day – it’s worth recommending the Club Med Gold Service where you send measurements in advance and it all magically appears in your locker, rather than queuing in the hire shop), we went down to the lounge to sign them away.
It seemed as if Tom and Marijke would be split up, put in separate groups due to the age difference. However, I soon learned this was merely to allocate them lockers and spots in the kids’ clubs, which look after those whose parents go off skiing for the whole day.
Once on the snow, and in their pink beginners’ bibs, they were back together. I breathed a sigh of relief – Tom would have been fine, but with the majority of the other kids speaking French and no parents on hand, Marijke needed the reassurance of her big brother by her side.
In the Jardin des Neiges the instructors were waiting to put them through their paces. They learned how to go, stop and turn, and by the second day Tom was skiing over ramps and see-saw bridges.
The instructors were of an excellent quality and great with kids, but I felt they could have done with a few more people around, just to pick up the kids who fell down – which they all did quite regularly – and shove them towards the carpet lift. However, they were in good hands; Marijke had one major meltdown, and an instructor skied her back down the slope and handed her over to a nursery nurse. Tom took to skiing immediately, and by the third day was taken off in the minibus to the a slightly more advanced beginners’ slope.
The package includes five days in ski school for the kids. The instructors make it really fun, with lots of games, and the equipment was good quality and fitted well. They can be left there all day, with two hours’ skiing in the morning, lunch, and then another couple of hours’ skiing in the afternoon. However, we wanted to spend more time with the kids, so we took them to lunch and then for extra practice in the ski garden ourselves at teatime.
For adults, the ski area is vast, over multiple valleys, and while not truly challenging, there’s a real range of terrain. Parents can ski independently, or join a Club Med group, with options for different ability levels.
On our last day, we booked a private instructor through the hotel. Marijke hadn’t left the snow garden during her lessons, but our amazing instructor Annick took us straight on a gondola to the top of the mountain. It was fantastic to be up and out on the slopes, cruising on flat green and blue runs.
From the ski lift we’d spotted the twists, turns and bumps of the border cross track – like BMX for skiers – and the kids wanted to go on it. I was going to say no way, but Annick said yes, and so we did. I couldn’t believe it – I’d never dreamed that after just a week my kids would be skiing the Valmorel border cross with me. I’ll never forget the smiles on their faces – skiing has to go down as one of our favourite family holidays ever.
Book it: Seven nights’ all-inclusive at Club Med Valmorel starts from £2,335 per adult and £1,845 per child over four years old, with flights departing December 21 and including ski tuition for kids. A week’s ski equipment hire starts from £105 per adult and £53 per child. clubmed.co.uk
Agent Feedback: Mark Warner Fam Trip
Mark Warner took a group of agents and Travel Weekly’s Lee Duskwick to learn to ski at Chalethotel Le Val d’Isere.
Lee Duskwick, Travel Weekly
“I’d never skied before, but loved the tuition. Our instructor Andrea was brilliant and made us all laugh and feel at ease, even when we were flat on our backs. I expected the hotel to be a little more luxurious than it was, but it had everything you needed. The food was really impressive, particularly the afternoon tea. I really enjoyed the evening activities – there were board games, quiz nights and happy hours, and all the groups and families mixed, creating a lovely atmosphere.”
Stuart Wakefield, Flight Centre
“The hotel was mainly aimed at families, and was very clean with good childcare facilities and a varied menu each day. I was very apprehensive about the ski lifts as I’m not very good with heights, but our instructor was great and made me feel very comfortable. I’d definitely recommend a lesson for first-timers or even for someone who just needs a refresher. The nightlife was OK, with a good variety of bars and restaurants, though everything seemed to finish earlier than I expected.”
Sarah Martin, Travel Counsellors
“Despite having skied many years ago, I was pretty apprehensive. However, the ski tuition was excellent. Lessons were professional and well paced and adapted to each person’s ability. Val d’Isere is a lovely scenic area, with a great laid back atmosphere. I expected it to be more pretentious, but it really wasn’t. Entertainment was good in our hotel with quiz nights and board games, and happy hour was good to encourage guest interaction.”
Sarah Sims, Traveller’s World
“We get a lot of ski enquiries and this trip has really made me more confident in recommending ideas for skiers. The hotel isn’t plush; I wouldn’t have picked it on the standard of the room. However, the location is really central and the food was very good and nicely presented. The resort is very pretty, but quite small, and is a long transfer from the airport, so it’s best to make families well aware of this.”
Tried & Tested: Club Med Valmorel
This long horseshoe-shaped hotel sits at the foot of the slopes overlooking the resort. Facilities are really deluxe, from the boot room – one of the most spacious I’ve ever seen – to the buffets, where anything you could possibly imagine is available at both lunch and dinner. The live cooking stations offer gourmet choices, but there are also basics such as chips, pasta, burgers and soup for the kids.
Amazing afternoon teas are on offer every day too – all part of the all-inclusive package. It’s worth warning clients that French skiers seem to dress up more for dinner than we Brits do, and some nights have a suggested dress code.
We stayed in interconnecting rooms, which were well thought out from a skiing and family point of view. Both bedrooms had French doors opening on to balconies, and the two bathrooms both had baths, and plenty of drying space for our ski clothes.
Children’s clubs, divided by age group, operate six days a week, with evening activities on offer too. On the last night, there’s a ceremony with ski instructors awarding certificates and medals to all kids – a lovely touch.
