Our Family Ski Holiday 2023

Every year we think about booking somewhere different for a family ski holiday and every year we end up going back with Snowbizz. Why? Well the formula just works so well for us.  The resort is small enough that we know it well and the children can have a little freedom.  The 'pink ladies' childcare team are so much fun that my children want to spend time with them, meaning we get a bit of time as a couple. The snow is great and there are plenty of runs suitable for all of us, and it is easy to get to with a coach transfer from Turin airport.

This was our first year skiing as a family of seven but Rex was booked into the creche (run by English speaking, fully qualified nannies) so we knew we would be able to enjoy some time on the pistes.  The creche is open 9am -5pm and Rex did various hours between these times each day.  There is a babysitting service available in the evenings too but we didn't use it during our stay.

The big four were all dropped at ski school in the morning where they had time to play either indoors or out in the snow with the pink ladies before their two hour ski lessons.  My children love making holiday friends and this is where the bonds were made.  The lessons were split on ability and they are happy to move children around if a different lesson would suit their skills better.  Each child moved up a level during their week and got the next badge which they were so excited to be presented with at the awards night.

Ed and I could head up the mountain each morning to do our favourite runs, stop at one of the mountain cafes for a refreshing drink and have some much needed child free time knowing the whole gang was happy.  In the afternoons we swapped between sledging, skiing with just the bigger two or taking all four out on the slopes whilst Rex played in the creche.  The resort has a sledging area and small kids playground and the creche has sledges you can borrow for free if you want to play.  

Each evening there was a different kids club, from treasure hunts, winter olympics and crepe and games night.  The big four wanted to do every single one of course, which meant making them dinner in our apartment before hand and then getting to go out for a quiet meal in the evening (with Rex still).  They loved catching up with their friends and the talent show was a big hit.

Learning to ski as a family is such a special experience and we leave every year desperate to book our next trip.  I can't recommend skiing as a family holiday enough.

I have written a lot about family skiing with Snowbizz so if you want to know more then here are a few of my previous posts:

Ski Holiday through the eyes of an eight year old

A day in the life on a ski holiday

A video from a family ski holiday

Top tips for taking kids skiing

Learning to ski at 2 and 4 years old

Going on a ski holiday pregnant

First time skiing as adults

5 Things not to miss on a Snowbizz ski holiday

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Dressing Children for a Ski Holiday with Reima

We all know children don't like being too cold and so when we prepare for a ski holiday with them, the important thing is making sure they have everything they need to keep them warm and dry.  We have worked with Reima again this year who make clothing suitable for Finnish winters which are pretty snowy and found that the children are always so comfortable and prepared for spending all day in the snow.

The children's skiwear was all supplied by Reima

Dressing a child for a snow holiday starts with a base layer.  Underneath everything you see, they need thermals and Reima sent us a set for each of the small people.  I usually pack 2 or 3 sets of clothes for mine for when they do indoor evening clubs but other than that they live in the thermals for the week.  They wear them all day, and then chill out in them like they might pyjamas when we are in our apartment.  These ones are soft and warm and the children never wanted to take them off.

Next up is a midlayer.  I found that my bigger boys were warm enough without one most of the week but the younger two were more keen to wear them.  These are a thin-ish fleece layer that is designed to keep the heat in and the boys all had fleeces whilst Cora had an all in one version.  All in ones are ideal for younger children who are not as active in their ski lessons and she was so warm in it!  The weather can be unpredictable up on a mountain so it is best to come prepared for the coldest weather (especially with children) and enjoy it if you don't need everything. I couldn't find many photos of the midlayers but you can see it on Cora here under her coat.

Ski Socks are important to keep little feet warm and again, can usually be worn all week.  We took ours off in the evenings and hung them up to air out.  Nice soft, thick ones are important for children in ski boots and you should always take along the socks you intend to wear skiing when you try on boots to buy or hire.

And finally, outerwear.  What I love about ski resorts is that nothing is too bright.  Even adults are dressed in all the colours and it helps a lot when you are trying to spot someone across a sheet of white!  I let my children pick their own outerwear from the Reima website and I love every part of it.

Dylan is 8 years old but tall and he went for an all in one.  These aren't that common in bigger sizes but he is wearing an age 10 and it was fantastic (Reima stock them up to age 14).  It means no snow can get up his back and he can get dressed easily.  It has a pocket in his arm for his lift pass (absolutely necessary in all skiwear) and pockets on his legs for snacks.  He loved it and has declared he will only be choosing all in ones from now onwards!

The other three chose bright salopettes which come with removable braces and all have adjustable waists.  They come up nice and high so you never get a chilly tummy! Their coats all had snow skirts, which is the fitted band underneath that stops any snow coming up your coat if you fall, and they all had multiple pockets.  I love the bright colours and designs and how well this range mixes and matches.  Everything was incredibly warm and waterproof!

We can't forget the accessories.  For a ski holiday they need good quality hats and gloves.  We always take two pairs of gloves in case one gets soaked through (there is nothing worse than cold hands!) 

Preparing for a first ski holiday with children can be daunting but it is one of our favourite family trips and all four children love being out on the mountains.  They never complain of being cold or wet (and they are more than capable of this at home) and I put this down to being prepared with the right gear for them.  You can check out their ski collection which is from baby to 14 years here and I would advise to never size up on the salopettes as we find them generous (you can see Cora's are rolled up in some pictures), and to measure your child's height to find the best fit rather than going on their ages.

As a guide, Dylan (8) is 142cm wearing size 140

Archie (6) is 127cm wearing size 128

Finn (4) is 112cm wearing size 116

Cora (3) is 93cm wearing size 98

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A Ski Holiday Through the Eyes of an Eight Year Old.

We have recently returned from a week skiing with Snowbizz, the family ski specialists and I wanted to share how our week went from a different perspective so I asked eight year old Dylan to talk about the week and I would write down exactly what he said.  He chose the photos for the post and all the words are his so if you want to hear a child's perspective then read on!



Snowbizz is really fun because you can ski.   Snowbizz is the best place as there are lots of pink ladies and on the last day you get rewards like badges.  There is ski school in the mornings.  Green is the easiest slopes, then blue, then red and black is the hardest.  I skied on red, green and blue runs and it was really hard when I was skiing on red. I like doing short cuts around the little posts .

The Resort

I love that there is lots of snow and the hotel.  There is lots of space for sledging, there is a creche and a ski school.  I like the Brown Bear cafe because they did tasty hot chocolate and crepes.  I like the creperie too, that is where we went for Crepe and Games night.

The Hotel

The hotel is really big and nice and I like the rooms.  Our apartment had 3 bedrooms and one living room. I had bunk beds in my room and Finn slept on the top and I slept on the bottom.  Our room was big enough for the beds and all the toys we brought with us. There was a locker room on floor 1 and we kept all our ski gear in there.  

Ski School

My instructor was Jean-Paul, he was nice.  We skied for 2 hours in our lessons and had a break most days to have a snack which we took in our pockets (my favourite was rice crispie squares).  Before the lesson starts there is a room with lots of games we can play or you can go outside on a snowy hill. The pink ladies are really nice and they play games with us.  It is a good place to make friends at ski school and the creche. 

Afternoons

There are lots of different things to do in the afternoons like skiing, sledging, swimming and playing.  There is a sledging hill and you can go really fast.  We borrow sledges from the Snowbizz creche.  If you want to stay inside then you can go in the creche and do colouring and one afternoon I made bracelets for my friends.  I liked skiing in the afternoon.  We went up the mountain one day for lunch because there is a restaurant at the top and skied back down.  We went for hot chocolate some afternoons at one of the coffee shops.  I loved doing the giant jumps in the ski park.  I did them once in my lesson and then went up with Mummy to get some photos so I could show my friends how I could ski.  

Evening Kids Clubs

This was my favourite part.  There was one every day, my favourite was Disco because we got to play disco games and we made giant glow stick circles.  I also really liked Winter Olympics, we got to go sledging in the dark and we got to play races with the pink ladies and I won nearly every race! The other ones were crepe and games night, pizza party and talent show, treasure hunt and movie night on the last night.

I love going on holiday with Snowbizz as it is so much fun.  Next year I want to go up a group and ski on the red slopes and get better at the jumps.  Next year I want to do all the kids clubs too as they are so much fun.  My brothers and sister all love going skiing too and next year Cora will be old enough for all the kids clubs.

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A Day in the Life on a Family Ski Holiday

When I asked a few friends what they would most like to know about going on a family ski holiday, the most common answer was what the average day looked like.  How did we balance skiing and being with the children, how did we make the holiday fun for all of us? So on the Friday of our trip, I decided to record snippets of video from our day to show you what an average day on a Snowbizz ski holiday looks like.

It isn't perfect, but hopefully it gives you an insight into our trip! I have also recorded below how the day went if you are curious!

Sometimes between 7 and 8am the children wake up, too tired to really be awake and too awake to go back to sleep.  The creche lends out DVDs and we have borrowed a few so they can have some quiet time on the sofa before the day really starts.

8.30 I pop to the bakery to grab some fresh croissants and pain au chocolats and we get everyone dressed into their layers.

9.00 Finn, Cora and I head over to the creche.  They run all the way and go in asking for puzzles / dress up / train tracks or whatever they fancy that day

9.30 I take the big boys downstairs to the Snowbizz lounge where they get their ski boots and helmets off and go outside to play in the snow

9.45 Ed and I are free until 1pm to do as we like.  We usually ski for most of this but sometimes we have a lazy hour first or go and watch Finn's lesson which is 10-11am.  The big boys ski from 11 -1 and we sometimes bump into them on the slopes

1.00 We collect the children from their various clubs and on this Friday we took them up on the 4 man lift to the lovely restaurant at the top which you can't access any other way.  The snow up there is deeper and less trodden so we go away from the runs after lunch to play in it.

3.00 Four of us got the lift back down but Ed and Archie stayed out for a bit more skiing.  At the bottom the children asked to have a little time in the creche rather than sledging as they wanted to do some art, so I dropped them in and had an hour or so for myself to just chill out.

5.00 Friday was awards night so we gathered to receive certificates and see everyone together.  Dylan, Archie and Finn got their skiing awards and Finn and Cora won creche awards for being two peas in a pod.

5.30 Everyone is exhausted so I pop to the shop for fresh bread and cheese and we have an easy dinner and a little bit of a film as quiet time.

7.00 It was Disco night for kids club (available for children 4 years upwards) and they are letting Finn go as he is so close to four, so I drop all 3 boys downstairs (It is in the same building as our apartment so nice and easy).  Cora has a bath and goes to bed.

9.00 It is time to collect the boys, have a story and get them in bed as they are all shattered! I would love to say that we enjoy some apres-ski but the truth is we are as exhausted as them and are not up for much longer ourselves!

Saturday - repeat!

Our days out there are busy, full of fresh mountain air, time in the snow and a mix of time together as well as time apart.  We each get so much from our trip and the children are loving watching our little video and remembering everything!

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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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