DESTINATIONS — SKI & SNOW
fledgings French Lucy Huxley took her kids
skiing for the first time with Club Med in Valmorel
S
kiing 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
52 •
travelweekly.co.uk — 18 September 2014
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.
Don’t let go: ski school
▲
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76