Safe Skiing with Piste X Code

We first went skiing in 2014 and it has become one of our favourite things to do as a family ever since.  All four children now ski when we go away, with lessons in the morning and out with us in the afternoon and I love watching the pride they have in themselves as they progress.  It is still a couple of years until Rex can put on skis, but he has four mini teachers excited to help him out when he does.  Cora and Finn are still cautious and happiest on green runs (the easiest and flattest) whilst Dylan and Archie are more confident on the blues (next stage up) and love adding in little jumps and off piste sections. 

Learning the basics of a new sport is tricky and with skiing, it isn't just yourself you have to think of, it is everyone else on the slopes.  During a run we will inevitably come across people much faster than us, hurtling past and also people much slower who are still new to skiing and lessons taking place. Knowing how to navigate all that is so important and if the children are old enough to ski, then they are old enough to learn about safety.  This is where the Piste X Code comes in - a simple way to teach children (and remind adults) how to stay safe and respect others on the slopes.  In this video BBC Ski Sunday Presenter Ed Leigh introduces the code.

                 

Thankfully, we haven't yet had an accident on the piste but we do stick to the important rules and ski with respect for both the terrain and other people.  It won't be long until the children over take me with their skills and want to ski the runs beyond my ability so reinforcing the message regularly is so important.  I will be writing more about our family ski holiday this week so if you are considering booking a family ski trip then make sure you check back!

This post is for the Ski Safe Blogger Campaign by Alikats Mountain Holidays and Piste X Code. Find out more here

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Our Week away with Snowbizz

Have you ever been somewhere and realised that you left a little piece of yourself there when you left?  That is how we feel about Puy St Vincent.  This year was the third time we have taken a family ski holiday, the third time we have headed to the snowy French Alps with Snowbizz - The Family Ski Specialists, and we know that it won't be the last.

From the helpful staff in the office to the friendly greeting at Gatwick airport to the Pink ladies welcoming us to Turin, we felt looked after at every stage of our journey and in resort I felt confident leaving my children with the qualified nannies and knew that the boys' ski lessons were all overseen by Michel, who makes it his business to ensure every child (and adult) is getting the most from their time in Puy.  

This year was our first time with four children, and I was a little worried about how it would all go.  They are all still so young and with two under two, we were flying with one on our lap each and another child next to us each.  Somehow everything seemed to come together on the day and it just fell into place.  The drive up to the resort from the airport is full of anticipation and snoring as the early start means we all struggled to stay awake.  When you open your eyes to the stunning view of endless mountains, crisp white snow and tall trees it is just so magical and we were in Puy before we knew it.

Our week was exhausting but relaxing and we each got so much from it.  The bloke and I progressed in our skiing thanks to our wonderful instructor Hugo.  He pushed me to try some of the red runs, he took us off piste after the fresh snow had fallen and he helped me every step of the way when I struggled with my confidence.  

Dylan was in the Junior ski school this year which meant a two hour lesson each morning.  To say he loved it would be an understatement, he was dressed and ready to go each morning an hour before the doors even opened! There were four of them in his group and he spent the week on the green and blue slopes.  On the last day after much asking, I went out skiing with him.  I was worried that I wouldn't be able to help him much, that I wasn't good enough myself but he amazed me with his independence and skills.  His instructor had taught them how to get their skis on themselves, how to get up when they fall and how to ski well.  We skied down alongside him amazed at how far he had come in only a week!

Archie loved his lessons too with instructor Matthieu.  The 'Totons' are skiers aged 3 and 4 and each group has one of the qualified nannies out on the snow with them.  Archie had two other little boys with him which meant an amazing ratio and so much attention.  He was keen to keep trying all lesson and didn't want them to end after the hour!

Cora and Finn were in the creche - Finn charmed everyone as he always does and Cora surprised me in the best way.  For a baby that is attached to me almost 24/7 at home, I wasn't sure how she would cope in a new surrounding.  At 6 months she is still breastfed on demand and she is used to being worn in a sling a lot. She settled into the creche immediately and didn't cry all week.  She was content and smiley for the wonderful ladies and they were very respectful of my parenting, happy to hold her and cuddle her as much as she wanted.  I popped in just before my lesson and straight after it to feed her and she fell into an easy routine whilst we were away.

The wonderful thing about a ski holiday is that there is something for everyone.  Our week was a mix of adult time and family time and we could all go off in the day and have our lessons but we all came together again afterwards, refreshed after a little time apart and with the wonderful backdrop of a snowy mountain to relax us.  Skiing is physically quite exhausting so our evenings were snuggly and our bedtimes early.

Snowbizz offers so much but the things that really make it perfect for young families like ours are the exceptional childcare and the closeness of everything.  We would leave our apartment and have our skis on within 30 seconds walk, ready to go.  At the end of my lesson, I could pop my skis against the wall with Ed and be back with the children in less than a minute.  The resort is small but has everything we needed with a selection of restaurants, ski shops and two supermarkets.

The childcare is by far the best we have come across in any country.  The nannies all seem so genuinely happy to be there and their energy and enthusiasm is catching.  I would pop in to feed Cora at sometimes quite random times but I always found them totally engrossed in play with the children - painting faces, making up songs, pushing them around in cars or following the children's games.  I felt happy leaving Cora there each day despite the fact that until last week I had never left her with anyone other than Ed and never for more than 30 minutes.

This little resort buried 1600 metres up the slope is the place we spend all year looking forward to visiting and we are not alone.   The personal service of a family run company means there are families that come back year after year and many new families are captivated on the first visit.  For children learning to ski, this is the perfect resort with small classes and the nursery slopes on their doorstep.

Skiing may not be the first thing you think of when looking for somewhere to take young children, but it is an amazing holiday for every age and we have definitely got the ski bug!

Thank you to Snowbizz for hosting us last week - we may turn out to be your most loyal customers!

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Learning to Ski at 2 and 4

I was 26 when I first put on skis and wobbled around on snow.  I was nervous, worried and excited about learning to ski and it exceeded every expectation I had.  This year my biggest two boys had the chance to try it out themselves and if they were as nervous as I was then they were much better at hiding it.  Snowbizz offers lessons in their 'Totons' class for three and four year olds, but as Archie was so close to turning 3 they allowed him to give it a go, and it was agreed that if he couldn't manage then he would stay in the creche in the mornings with his youngest brother.

On our first afternoon we took them down to the hire shop and picked up some boots and skis for them and the next morning I dropped them at the creche dressed in their thermals and salopettes ready for their first lesson.  I watched nervously from the balcony at 10am as they ascended (in what I nicknamed The March of the Totons) and then had to peel myself away knowing I would only be a distraction.  I picked them up at lunch time desperate to hear tales of their day and it seems both of them took learning this new skill in their stride.

My cautious big boy loved his first lesson, talked a lot about the 'magic carpet' (a moving walkway on the snow that does the job of a chair lift on the nursery slopes) and declared that he went really fast.  My daredevil of a two year old told me that skiing was fun and that he was going to do it everyday.

Their class had 9 children in as it was a busy week, but those nine children were accompanied by two ski instructors and two of the nannies from the creche.  I crept up and hid behind a hut to watch them on their second day and their last day and it was amazing to see how confident they all were.  The instructors gave them new challenges as they progressed and the nannies encouraged them, looked after the younger ones as they got tired towards the end of the lesson, helped put mittens on when they fell off and kept the lessons fun.

I think I was more surprised than anyone when on the final day Dylan didn't join the rest of his class.  Another boy and him had done so well on the nursery slopes that they went up the mountain with one of the instructors in a chair lift and skied down a green slope!   My baby boy, who really isn't all that sporty, was skiing down a mountain! It was more than I expected, he wasn't even four and a half and he was enjoying it so much.  He was so proud telling me how he skied down all the way from the top and he was delighted when his instructor brought out the sweets at the end of the lesson!  

Archie went progressively higher up the mountain and had to use his 'steering wheel' to make things more challenging as the week progressed.  At not yet three his stamina started to lag after three quarters of an hour but he did so well in all his lessons and he loved the experience.

We are desperate to go back again next winter, not just because I want to ski, but because the boys did so well and they really enjoyed the experience, it would be great to watch them progress.  By next winter Dylan will be 5 and joining the 'Junior ski school' and Archie will be nearly 4 and have the advantage of this year's learning as he skis with the Totons again.

Thank you to Snowbizz for inviting us back and giving the boys so much physical confidence.  Their lessons were fantastic and I still can't believe my 4 year old skied down the mountain!

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