Our Family Ski Holiday with Snowbizz

It was our fourth year travelling to Puy St Vincent with Snowbizz and there is a reason we and so many others go back year after year.  A lot of people wouldn't even consider a family ski holiday, but once you have tried it, you may well find yourself hooked.  We battle through the early morning airport meltdowns and the hyperactive toddlers on the flight because when we arrive in the snow covered resort, everything is so easy, so relaxed and just so much fun.

The fresh mountain air is cold and takes a while to adjust to, the snow is unfamiliar to little hands but soft enough to sink into and the views . . . I don't think I could ever not be in awe of the snowy mountains that dominate the horizon in every direction.  The first day is always put aside for adapting, for preparing, for collecting our hired boots and skis, for take away pizza and early nights.

The next day however is a different story.  Dylan and Archie were skiing for the third year and Archie has in the yellow group at ski school with Jean-Paul whilst Dylan was in the orange class with Benjamin.  They were up and dressed in their thermals and salopettes and raring to go.  Dropping them at ski school was as easy as walking down one flight of stairs as we are directly above it (I didn't even put my shoes on some days), and they can sledge and play outside or chill out with games in the lounge before their lesson starts.   It is a little further to drop off Finn and Cora but I can probably do the walk with both of them on foot in two minutes still.  We leave our apartment block, cross in front of a shop and we are at the welcoming Snowbizz creche where the pink ladies greet them every morning with smiles and cuddles.  There are always toys laid out inviting them to play and a craft or painting set up on the tables.

And then we can ski, or read a book, or go for a walk, or eat a fresh croissant bought from the bakery next to the creche.  The morning is ours and we love the freedom, the rest, the adult time.  

Our week is always a mixture of family time, adult time, skiing and some one on one time with the little ones.  We follow their lead and take it day by day and it works so well for us.  We love sledging and the creche has plenty of sledges that you can borrow to take to the little sledging hill next to the playground.  The restaurants all have tables outside so we can play in the snow as we wait for our lunch, and hot chocolate will never taste quite as good as it does from the Creperie after an afternoon sledging. 

We had snow, so much snow and we had sunshine. It snowed for about 24 hours straight with around 60cm laying just over night.  The next morning the sun shone, the freshly pisted slopes could not have been more inviting and we couldn't resist stomping in the fresh powder snow, watching it rise up our legs, rolling around in it and throwing it up in the air.  We could not have asked for better weather and I will always remember Finn's face as the snow fell, the excitement and awe, the desperation to be out in it and the sheer joy as he ran through it with his tongue out to catch the falling flakes. 

Dylan gained even more confidence skiing and on the last day we could barely keep up with him as he skiied down the blue slopes without fear.  For a child that has never been very physically confident, it is amazing to see how much he loves this sport, how well he is improving and the experiences it gives him.  Archie was the smallest in his class and needed extra help at the beginning of the week but we took him up on the lifts at the end of the week and were amazed at how well he could ski down, never falling over or struggling and smiling and laughing the whole way.

Ed and I tackled harder red slopes, improved our skills and took in the views from the very top of the mountain where we really did feel on top of the world.  We made friends as did the children and it felt like we had our own little community by the end of the week.  Being a smaller resort, the children really make great friendships as do the adults and we all found ourselves seated together on the plane on the way home too.

The boys loved the kids clubs in the evenings and award night at the end saw Finn awarded the 'Shining Star' for 'brightening up our day' whilst Cora got the 'Haribo' award for 'being a sweetie'. 

There are so many reasons that we love going on a family ski holiday and I have written in the past about 

5 things not to miss on a Snowbizz holiday, 

our first time skiing,  

my top tips for taking kids skiing, 

learning to ski at 2 and 4 years old, 

going on a ski holiday whilst pregnant 

and packing for a family ski holiday

You can also check out our

First family ski holiday in 2014

Our 2016 family ski holiday

Our 2017 family ski holiday

A little video from our 2017 trip

We received a discount on our stay but all thoughts and opinions are completely my own 

and we are already looking into booking for next year!

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Going on a Ski Holiday when Pregnant

So it may not be the first holiday you plan once you see those two blue lines, but it may be that you booked it before you knew you were pregnant or maybe you want to go on a family ski trip but don't actually fancy skiing yourself.   Either way a ski trip can be a wonderful week even with a bump, as I got to find out last month when the boys and I headed over to the alps with Snowbizz.

I knew a whole week of snow without being able to ski would be hard and I wasn't wrong, after having such an amazing experience two years ago I knew exactly what I was missing out on.  I looked up skiing pregnant, spoke to friends and my midwife, but for a beginner like me it just didn't feel worth the risk.  I hired a ski jacket and salloppetes as my expanding waistline meant nothing fit anymore and prepared for a week of fun.

One of the best things about my week away was the peace.  As a mother to three under fives I don't get a whole lot of time to myself.  I have the children every day and I work most evenings.  Whilst we were away I would drop the three boys at the creche every morning at nine and soon after the bloke would head out for his lesson.  The first day it felt strange, I felt a little lost but it didn't take long to start making the most of my quiet mornings and I took my book down to one of the cafe's on the snow's edge, enjoyed some syrup or a hot chocolate, watched the world go by and managed to read a whole book in the first three days.  After a really tough first trimester it was exactly what I needed to recharge my batteries, and despite having three small dependent people and a bump I came away from the holiday feeling rested (not something I have said for a long time!).

When we booked to go back, I was really excited about the outdoor pool and I loved going for a swim again this year.  The pool was open in the afternoons (3-7) and I felt like I needed a swim after all the cheesy French food I was consuming.  The pool is outdoors, but the water is wonderfully warm and you get in and out of the pool inside.  I could float around, swim lengths and feel weightless even when I am getting heavier by the minute on dry land.  There seems something so luxurious about being outside in a bikini when it is -7 degrees outside and you are surrounded by snow and I would defintiely recommend you take a dip!

Let's be honest and admit that one of the most enjoyable things you can do when pregnant is eat and the French do food well.  From freshly bakes croissants in the morning that are hands down better than any I have ever tasted in the UK to cheese fondue, raclette, creme brulee and my favourite tartiflette (a mixture of potato, onion, bacon, cheese and cream).  I may have over indulged just a little but you have the excuse of wanting to keep warm and of course, what baby wants . . .   

Getting to watch the children learn to ski was an amazing experience.  I hid behind pillars so that they wouldn't spot me and get distracted but twice during the week I crept up to the nursery slopes during their lesson and watched them skiing.  Archie is not yet three and Dylan is naturally a cautious and not a particularly physical child and I couldn't believe how well they took to the snow, how supportive their instructors and the nannies that accompanied them were and that they were actually skiing.  They loved the lessons and I know that had I been skiing myself I would have had to rely on their reports of the day.  This way I got to see it all and I couldn't have been prouder of my big little guys.

The March of the Totons

Snowbizz is a small and cosy resort and I met so many wonderful families, bonded with other parents and we marvelled together at how well our children were doing on the slopes.  I went for walks, I went up in the chairlift as a 'walker' to take in the views from higher up the mountain and to dine at the restaraunt set in the middle of the snow.  I took the children out of the creche to build snowmen and to go sledging and on occassion so that we could all curl up back in the apartment and have a cuddle and a film (and a snooze) as the week was rather busy and exhausting for them.  I got to experience the wonders of a family holiday alongside rest, relaxation and plenty of cheese.

For a busy mama like me, this holiday was exactly what I needed to recharge, enjoy and indulge, but I am desperate to get back on my skis next time!

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Our Family Ski Holiday with Snowbizz

We have just returned from a week in the beautiful resort of Puy St Vincent in the French alps with the family ski company, Snowbizz.  Neither the bloke or I had ever attempted to ski before, and with two children under 3, we hadn't seen it in our future for quite some time either, but Snowbizz have everything covered and the four of us had an easy and fantastic family ski holiday.

I feel like I am giving away a little known secret, as everything in our resort was so perfectly laid out, that it seemed strange that we often found ourselves with the mountain just for us, no-one else in sight.  Not only were the slopes quite literally on our doorstep, but the chances of crashing into someone else were so slim that I felt much more confident on the snow than I imagined I would.

From the very beginning, our trip was well organised which is what you need with two small children.  I used to love planning my own holidays but nowadays I just want the stress taking away and the lovely ladies in the Snowbizz office sorted everything out ready for us.  We left Gatwick incredibly early on Sunday morning knowing that everything was booked and ready for our arrival.  We were greeted by a 'pink lady', one of the team of qualified and ofsted regulated nannies that look after the children in the creche, and the coach took us directly from Turin airport along the windy mountain roads to our resort at 1600m.

Our apartment was spacious with everything we needed right on hand.  Our bed was comfy, and the boys shared a room with bunk beds in.  There was a cot already set up for Archie too and plenty of space for their toys on the floor in there.  The living area had a well stocked kitchen with hobs, a kettle, a microwave and a filter coffee machine so we could prepare pasta, risottos and breakfasts ourselves.  There was a dining table, TV, board games, a sofa that pulled out into a bed and a huge balcony where we sat every morning to enjoy our croissants.  The apartment was clean and most importantly, was almost directly on the slopes.

We collected our hire boots, skis, poles and helmets and the guys in the shop where happy to spend a bit of time making sure we had the perfect fit.  This was all booked in advance so we just had to turn up to try them on before taking them away to our locker.  After a few hours to explore and enjoy, we had a welcome drink where we could meet the other guests, the pink ladies and Michel the owner and head of the ski school as well as finding out about all the fantastic activities that the company put on, from pirate treasure hunts for the kids to quiz nights for the adults.

It took us about 30 seconds to get from our apartment to a small section of cafe's, shops and facilities and we had plenty of choices of where to eat as well as a supermarket, a bakery, a delicious sweet shop and a place to buy souveniers.  

The next morning the boys were due to start in the creche and I was nervous as they don't attend any childcare at home.  The children under 3 can book in for morning, afternoon or all day sessions in the creche and once they turn three, they can start taking ski lessons too.  The pink ladies in the creche, led by head nanny Maria were happy and confident and I was reassured that we could come and see them at any time and take them in and out as we pleased.  I left two happy boys who were heading towards some paint and stopped in the little bakery next door for some fresh croissants to eat in peace on our balcony.  I need not have worried as the boys loved the creche.

I felt more than happy leaving them there, as every one of the nannies was brilliant with the children, outgoing, friendly and competent.  Every day Dylan came home telling me that he had done painting, drawing, playing in tents, singing, going for walks in the snow to see the horse, baking and all sorts of other things and Archie was smiling and happy too.  The creche had plenty of space for the boys to have naps and we soon realised that by 1 o'clock when we finished our lesson they were far too tired for lunch, so we sent them in with a packed lunch and the lovely ladies helped them eat that before putting them down for a sleep.

As for us, on our second lesson we were taken up in a two man lift to do a short green slope and every lesson we progressed trying new things, bigger slopes, and progressing to the blue runs that were faster and steeper.  Our instructor Sam was brilliant, offering lots of advice, and happily going back a stage when my confidence failed me.  As we were there in the quiet season, it turned out to only be the bloke and I in our class so it was fantastic to have so much attention.  Snowbizz classes are known for being small so it seemed the perfect place to learn.

I am proud to say that I fell only a handful of times in the whole week and on the last afternoon I was going down quite steep and very long blue slopes quite happily alone and building up quite some speed.  There is nothing quite like the freedom, the beautiful surroundings and the sun on your face as you swish and turn on the soft snow.  I never expected to love skiing as much as I did but I am sat writing this just desperate to get back out there!

I never imagined that going on a family ski holiday with two young children would work so well, but we all had a brilliant time.  The bloke and I got to learn an exhilarating and exciting new sport whilst the children had a great time playing inside and out and we changed our afternoons, spending some skiing on our own and others with the boys - sledging, snowman building and playing in the snow.  Next year Dylan will be old enough to join the totons -  a special ski school just for 3-4 year olds with an instuctor and one of the nannies in every lesson.  Snowbizz have a fantastic reputation for teaching the youngest of skiiers and I would love to take him back to try skiing on his feet (he is certain that sliding down the hill was called skiing on his bum).

We were so impressed with every aspect of our holiday.  The customer service was second to none, from the packing advice before we went, the fantastic pink ladies and the personal service from owners Wendy and Michel.  All the stress was taken away from us and we could enjoy an energetic and exciting family holiday and the beautiful sunshine and snow in Puy St Vincent.

I would highly recommend Snowbizz as a ski travel company, as they not only looked after the big things, but all the little details too.  If you have always fancied learning to ski then now is the perfect time!

Discliaimer:  Our holiday was courtesy of the incredibly lovely people at Snowbizz but all thoughts, opinions and photos are completely my own and I cannot recommend Snowbizz highly enough.

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