Skischule Ellmau-Hartkaiser Review (it was great)

A snowHead

Following on from my first post about my return to the Tyrol after 20 years (here: http://snowheads.com/ski-forum/viewtopic.php?p=2197296&highlight=#2197296 ) I would like to thank all of the team at Skischule Ellmau-Hartkaiser ( http://www.skischule-ellmau.com/ )

Not only did we arrange the children's lessons, but we also hired all skis and boots from this company. The ski equipment was of a good standard despite not hiring the most expensive items on offer. Booking online/arranging via email secures a 20% discount)

The ski hire fitting session was efficiently handled and the children were really cared for. The cost of the ski hire was exactly as per the emailed quote I had received prior to arrival. The location was easy to find and there was a large car park 1 minute walk away that was free to use and gave good access to the slopes (you could ski back to your vehicle if you chose).

Dietmar Maier and his team were all approachable and very friendly.

My three children are aged 3.5 years (twins) and 5yrs. All three started their week of lessons (4hrs per day) on the nursery slope directly opposite their office.

Their tutor 'Caroline' was extremely caring and soon put calm to the inevitable few tears from the twins when mum and dad departed to ski. The lessons provided soon had all three controlling their speed and gaining directional control. They were taught to be independent skiers and soon were picking themselves up if they fell over instead of asking to be picked up.

As their skills improved they moved up a class and were tutored by a Dutch gentleman called Gerke. He too was really friendly and continued to advance their ski abilities. Over the week all three progressed to more challenging slopes and mastered the junior drag lifts and the adults button lift, with the 5 year old being introduced to chairlifts.

The ski school had a lovely way of breaking up the days lessons so that the children had an opportunity to have a break during the day. Every so often they would take off their skis and all jump into the back of a snow train (a mini train carriage towed by a skidoo). They toured the lower slopes for a few minutes which all the children enjoyed.

This snow train was also used to transport the children from the ski school office to the starting location on the slopes for their days tuition. This was a nice touch and ensured that no time was wasted due to young children walking slowly.

Everyone we interacted with from the ski school had excellent English which made it really easy for the children (as well as the parents who had an embarrassingly poor command of the German language!)

The ski instructors ( for €10 per child per day which also included the provision of food and drinks) would also take the children for their lunch. The children loved this social time spent with their teachers. This facility was really useful so that we could enjoy exploring the extensive Skiwelt area with the only deadline of having to be back in Ellmau for 3-4pm.

The final day of Ski school is race day. The afternoon sees a section of the slope set up with a slalom course, timing gear (for the older children) and a jovial running commentary from Dietmar Maier. The children were rewarded with a podium prize giving and were issued with a certificate, medal and were allowed to keep their numbered jerseys. It's was a really nice end to the week.

The children had made such good progress that the following week we took them on the blue run 40 (marked family run on the slopes). They covered this run 3 times in their first day of doing so, according to skyline.cc that was 7.5km of skiing.

Our eldest had her 5th birthday whilst we were on holiday, as a birthday treat we bought here a full day private ski lesson. All of the staff knew it was her birthday and made a real fuss of her, high fives, wishes of congratulations and a few sweet treats also. This time her tutor was 'Marianne'. The morning was spent honing skills and the afternoon was spent exploring the mountain. We saw her ski back to Ellmau and were greeted with such a huge smile, she had enjoyed every minute of the day, she said her goodbyes to the tutor, hugs and high fives also.

Out of coincidence, we bumped into our children on the slopes several times during their lessons. At all times they were happy and were being treated well by the tutors. When they spotted us they waved and were keen to demonstrate their ever increasing skiing prowess.

We would definitely use Skischule Ellmau-Hartkaiser again and would highly recommend others to do so.

A snowHead

Sounds great and an interesting report. Thanks!

Help!!

Skischule Ellmau-Hartkaiser Review (it was great)

snowHeads Forum Index >>> Bend ze Knees