38 Christmas Unwrapped Festive travel Family fun in the snow PHOTOGRAPHS: ALAMY


Go from being slow to pro in Alpe d’Huez


Is a fi rst-time family ski trip to France’s Alpe d’Huez, with two kids aged nine and 11, and two tired parents — a recipe for disaster or a stone-cold win? asks Maria Pieri


A


young boyish face is slowly going red. This is physical exertion on a level he’s not quite used to. Pulling


with both hands he fi nally manages to yank his rigid plastic boots on. He still has the clasps to do up. It’s hard work, this skiing business.


There are helmets, and gloves


and goggles to hold, wear and adjust, poles to carry and skis, too. Just getting out of the VIP Club Chateau chalet is proving a mission. Not least because it’s so super comfy. Dragging everyone out is actually hard work.


But we do make it out the door


and the magical, sticky, newly fallen snow takes our breath away. Alpe d’Huez has spun its spell. An hour-and-a-half drive from


Grenoble, it’s the main resort in the Grandes Rousses Massif, at the centre of the Oisans region of the


French Alps. Covering an area of 10,000 hectares, Alpe d’Huez has 154 miles of linked pistes (ranging between heights of 4760ft and 10,925ft), with 84 ski lifts accessing a good spread of green, red and blue runs with a few gnarly blacks. Its highest point, the Pic Blanc glacier, has stellar views of Mont Blanc, Mont Cervin and the Meije. Joining the Pic Blanc to Sarenne Gorge, the Sarennes ski run is Europe’s longest at 10 miles. The gentle slopes on the outskirts of the resort provide the perfect terrain for us beginners, while two snow parks, a boardercross park and a halfpipe give freestylers their kicks. L’Alpe d’Huez is really able to cater for every level of skier or snowboarder, and has been awarded the ‘Famille Plus’ label by the French Tourism organisation noting its family-friendly qualities. There are ice rinks, indoor and


outdoor municipal pools, and in the summer months, it transforms into a cyclist’s hub,


regularly featuring on the Tour de France.


Even in winter its nickname,


I’Isle du Soleil, is fi tting. ‘The island of the sun’ delivers for us during our week with glorious weather, while its varied slopes, wide and long, seem ideal for families and beginners with good snow conditions even in the sun. Fast forward a few days and


it feels like we’ve gone from beginners to pros. At ski school


Saturday 3rd November 2018


the kids have mastered skiing without poles and navigating the buttons and chairlifts. On day two, we even manage a family ski group excursion up to Marcel’s Farm, located at Signal. Opened in January 2017, its gentle children’s trails, pipes and rails are sure-fi re hit, accompanied by a series of ‘farm friends’ — animal-themed runs with bumps, mini slaloms and fun turns. We decide skiing is a little like riding a bike. You’re pretty wobbly at fi rst, until you fi nd your balance and legs, get a little confi dent, sometimes overdo it and come back down to earth (with a bump). But we get up again, and kids are fast learners. Sessions at the


ESF (Ecole du Ski Français) kick off at 9.15am every morning and fi nish at 12pm sharp. We’re all signed up in diff erent groups, but it’s arguably the kids who’ve come on best by the end of


the week. Ski school


means we’re able to visit a diff erent


slope almost every day, under the guidance of


instructor William. A seven-night stay at the


seven-bedroom chalet-hotel, Club Chateau, costs from £999 per person, including return fl ights from London Gatwick to Grenoble, and coach transfers. vip-chalets.com


This is an excerpt from National Geographic Traveller (UK)’s Winter Sports Guide 2018


Add a touch of luxury during the festive season


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N


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