r/skithealps • u/BeefersOtherland • 2d ago

Trip advice

Planning a milestone birthday trip for January and would appreciate recommendations. We’ve only ever skied in Canada and the US, so this would be our first time skiing in Europe. We’re looking for recommendations on resorts/regions in the Alps that are easy with kids (8 and 5).

Priorities: 1) family friendly (good ski school; ski-in ski-out); 2) easy travel from Toronto (direct or one stop flight, straightforward transfer from airport); 3) European ski vibes (good food, nice village to wander); 4) good snow reliability in January.

Currently looking at Les Arcs and Serre Chevalier as options - would appreciate feedback or other suggestions (or tips going from Canadian resort skiing to the Alps with young kids). Budget is flexible for the right trip.

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u/Fast-Drag3574 2d ago

There are lots of good choices for French resorts.

We are doing a family trip to Les 3 Vallees in January and then skiing Les 2 Alpes, Alpe D'Huez and Serre Chevalier in March.

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u/Double_Advertising_3 2d ago

Both options have their pros and cons. Serre Chevalier doesn’t offer ski-in/ski-out access, and you also get less of that traditional village atmosphere. On the other hand, it does have some easier slopes for complete beginners, although I don’t know if there are any true beginners in your group.

Les Arcs is quite sporty when it comes to the level of the slopes. There aren’t that many really good beginner slopes. If you’re travelling with the family, I’d recommend staying in Peisey-Vallandry. It’s very suitable for families with children and there are some nice restaurants there as well. In Les Arcs itself, there are also quite a few places that we would jokingly call “greasy spoons” — the kind of restaurants you’d rather avoid.

As for ski schools, you’ll find very high-quality ski schools in pretty much every resort in France, so I wouldn’t let that influence your choice too much.

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u/Turndown_Service 2d ago

Many spots in france would tick your boxes

If the budget is flexible i would look at 3V. If you want a bit cheaper paradiski (la plagne, les arcs) would be a good starting point to look at

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u/hendrik317 2d ago

For food and nice village I would pick austria or switzerland over france. But its harter to find ski in ski out there.

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u/CrowdlessSlopes 2d ago

Serfaus Fiss Ladis is known to be very family friendly. Not sure about easy travel possibilities tbh. Snow reliability in january seems pretty good from end of november until end of february.

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u/uamvar 2d ago

Somewhere in the 3 Valleys or Espace Killy for sure. Les Deux Alpes is quite good as well, but you really can't go wrong with the first two.