Guide to Skiing During School Holidays

Ski Image Photo: Kamyar Adi

If you ignore glacier skiing or a long trip to the southern hemisphere, there are basically three holiday periods available to families who want to go skiing with their kids but don't want to take them during the school term - Christmas/New year, February half-term and Easter.

The problem with two of those periods (Christmas and Easter) is the reliability of the conditions - and this is one of the biggest dilemmas facing families who have to book during holiday times. The Christmas option is the most expensive but if you pick the wrong resort then a lack of early season snow can be a major worry. February half term will generally have the most reliable conditions but the slopes can be packed (especially if it clashes with the half term in Holland !) whilst Easter is generally the cheapest of the three options but can be a gamble at many resorts because, depending on how late Easter falls, the snow cover may be more limited, particularly in lower-level resorts. Vice-versa, if it's been a good season then you stand a good chance of great spring-snow conditions, bathed in glorious sunshine for a week ! If you're going to book Easter then make sure you either (a) Book a snowsure resort or (b) book late on so that you know the resort is going to have good conditions.

Given the 6 weeks school holiday time available in the summer, many parents take their kids out of school for a week's skiing holiday in the winter, rather than using it in June or July for their summer break - a wise decision, not just based on cost but on the sanity that quieter slopes can give !

October/Autumn Half-Term Ski Holidays

Ok, so it's not ideal and it certainly won't be everyone's cup of tea, but if you have to go skiing in the school holidays and the amount of money you have available is a factor then a trip during the Autumn half-term (it usually falls during one of the last few weeks in October) is worth considering. There is one big disadvantage that leads to lots of problems - the amount of snow, or rather the lack of it, in European resorts at this time of the year. The only resorts that are going to be open are the high ones with access to glaciers and possibly a handful of Scandanavian resorts that have had enough early-season snow to allow the lifts to start running. So with the majority of resorts not open at this stage you can forget about flicking through the glossy ski brochures and booking something, you either need to find a specialist ski company or do it yourself, booking the accomodation seperately and getting yourself there, both of which can be quite well priced because the demand's not as great at this time of the year. However, because the conditions are not guaranteed at this time of the year, you run the risk that if you book it too early you're not 100% sure if the conditions will be good enough, but vice-versa not everyone can leave it late to book a holiday. Given the complications of booking a ski holiday so early in the season, and at such high-altitudes, this isort of holiday is not going to suit families with very young skiers in tow, however, it may suit adventurous families who's kids are now in their teens and who have a bit of experience on the slopes. Either way, it is another option for those wanting either an early-season fix of snow, or who are looking for a much cheaper alternative to February, and who have the time and inclination to work out where to stay and how to get there.
Anyway, a good place to start is our guide to those resorts with glacier skiing.